Is there ANYWHERE in the Whites you can bare boot right now?

[Zimmer]

I don't care if it's actually a mountain hike or just a walk in the woods, but I don't have crampons, the skiing sucks, and I'd like to get some exercise before I wind up becoming one with the couch.

Seems like all of the trail conditions call for crampons or at least insteps.

I'm north of the notch, and have some time tomorrow. Is there anywhere that is bare bootable?

 

[--M.]

Sure.

My walk up the Imp Trail on Sunday was bare-booted by a couple I met.

While they said they wished they'd had the crampons I was wearing, and
while having them made my trip much easier in some sections,
I could have bare-booted the whole thing just by bushwhacking ten feet to the left or right of the trail. So Imp is open to you on that basis. I can only think of one spot on it where bushwhacking would have been difficult or destructive.

Happy trails!

 

[Chip]

My wife and I hiked up & around Bald Mountain and Artists Bluff on Sunday while our boys were taking a snow board lesson. The trail head is in the parking lot at Cannon. Nice views there of Cannon, the Notch and Lafayette. I bare booted the Old Bridle Path trail to the steep section just below the Agonies, then put on crampons.

 

[dr_wu002]

you can rent crampons or even buy a pair of yaktrax or stablicers for not too much...

-Dr. Wu

 

[Zimmer]

you can rent crampons or even buy a pair of yaktrax or stablicers for not too much...

-Dr. Wu

Thanks, everyone.

I might go the yaktrax route. Just not sure if I'll make it out to the store before it closes tonight, and a friend wants to join me, and I'm not sure how she's equipped. That will determine part of it. I've got decent snowshoes, but that's about it.

I read the Lonesome Lake link someone posted earlier and don't want to do anything that might border on stupid.

I'm thinking that the less-used trails would be the best in terms of not being as tramped. Anyone been up Skookumchuck lately? Or Mt. Kinsman trail?

ETA: Or Waumbek/Starr King?

 

[Artex]

I read the Lonesome Lake link someone posted earlier and don't want to do anything that might border on stupid.

NH_Mtn_Hiker and I were up that way last Saturday en route to the Kinsmans. Super icy trail, especially in the lower elevations. It'd be very tricky with just yaktrax, based on conditions then anyway. NH_Hiker started with stableicers but soon switched to crampons. I had my crampons on the whole way. Once you get up towards the hut, you could probably get by with just the yaks through, since there's not as much bare ice.

 

[Jim lombard]

Wilderness trail was a skating rink but not bad with a dusting of snow over the top. The trail into Black Pond was very good with even some bare patches.

 

[Oldmanwinter]

Waumbek

ETA: Or Waumbek/Starr King?

My wife, dog and I did Waumbek/Starr King Saturday 2/18, Barebooted about 1/4 of the way then wore crampons the rest of the day. we did see people who barebooted the whole way but it was icy. Someone posted in "Trail Conditions" for Waumbek on 2/18 and said he barebooted the whole way.
OMW

 

[JohnL]

When we did Garfield via the Garfield Trail on Sunday, we easily bare booted it to the summit and back. The only ice we encountered was on the road walk and on stream crossings.

JohnL

 

[Zimmer]

Hmmm.... So maybe Skookumchuck would be good then. We've only got about six hours, so Garfield might be a bit much with the road walk factored in.

We're much closer to Franconia than to Gorham, so Imp would be quite a haul.

 

[forestgnome]

As --M said of Imp, right now you can bareboot off-trail. Most south-facing and west-facing slopes are free of snow, except on the trails(due to packing) and at higher elevations. Pick a mountain and enjoy the southern slopes! We got a dusting today that will make for beautiful critter tracking. Can't wait for Saturday!

Happy Trails!

 

[OldBoneyCheeks]

Just so's ya's knows, that there Franconia Notch area got 2-4 inchis of snow this afternoon. I suspect the resta the whites got some to. So conditions have changed.

What ar you lookin' at....






Arrggghhhh!!

 

[Michelle]

I skied Cannon today (icy from the start) we left around 2:30 and hiked the little Artist's Bluff / Bald Mtn. loop.
I wore some clogs I had in the car (Eeeek!!), my friend wore her snowboarding boots, we had a fun little walk, couple little spots of ice, but we managed in our less than perfect footwear!

 

[Zimmer]

Just so's ya's knows, that there Franconia Notch area got 2-4 inchis of snow this afternoon. I suspect the resta the whites got some to. So conditions have changed.

It's pretty variable. I'm not too far from F. Notch and we got less than an inch. Just enough to hide the ice.

 

[Stan]

Last Sunday I barebooted the Percival-Morgan loop. There wasn't much snow around except on the ridge and in sheltered spots you'd expect snow to linger but there were quite a few icy spots on the trail. The worst of these I maneuvered by bushwhacking around taking detours of as much as 100 yards in some instances. Though I had instep crampons with me I saw no need to put them on. A hiking stick proved useful.

If there's been a few inches of snow it would make it easier to hike some of the icy stretches but it could also hide some very slick hazards.

 

[Zimmer]

Thank you to everyone for your input and insights. My friend had Yaktrax and I bought a pair this AM too, and we traipsed up Skookumchuck. I've posted more info in Trail Conditions, but it was quite doable with Yaktrax (with a few slips and slides on the bottom half).