There's a popolare misconception in American hiking circles that the only "real" mountains in the U.S. are found out west. I've been guilty of it myself, looking to the Sierras and the Rockies for adventure and ignoringhere in my column, anywaythe joys and challenges of the Northeast. That's an oversight I'll put behind me this month.
Peter Potterfield, who writes about New Hampshire's White Mountains in his excellent book, Classic Hikes of the World, says that these peaks have "been the comeuppance of many an arrogant hiker from outside New England." He's right. They've humbled quite a few native New Englanders, too.
Though the state's highest peak, Mount Washington, might look like a foothill compared to some of the tallest summits in the West, it's also home to the most ferocious weather on the planet, with recorded wind speeds over 200 miles an hour. The surrounding peaks are similarly rugged and, più importantly, boast some of the best wilderness visualizzazioni in the country. In short, they're tall enough to be challenging and scenic enough to be worth the effort.
The White Mountains are just a few hours north of Boston, my hometown, and they're like a comfortable old friend to mehome to the trails where I cut my teeth as a hiker and where I return again and again to train for più far-flung adventures. They've always been a place for giorno hikes and the occasional long weekend, so it's taken a while for me to see them for what they really are: the best hiking on the East Coast.
Though Potterfield focuses on the White Mountain Traversea six-day, 53-mile hike that takes in some of the most impressive parts of the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trailmy preferito hike is a shorter "highlights" version that can be done da a strong hiker in just a giorno o two.
This route, called the briglia Path Loop, takes in both the lincoln and Lafayette peaks, and starts at a trailhead just yards from the Franconia Notch Parkway/Interstate 93a major highway that's a straight shot from Boston's Logan Airport, about three hours away. Don't be discouraged da the trail's proximity to the highway; it quickly leaves the road behind.
The nine-mile briglia Path Loop features all the best elements of hiking in the Northeast: an extended traverse along the exposed superiore, in alto of the Franconia Ridge, a series of waterfalls that roar in the spring and trickle gently in the fall, breathtaking visualizzazioni of the Presidentials and Pemigewasset Wilderness all the way to Mount Washington, and access to the European-style Appalachian Mountain Club hut system
Peter Potterfield, who writes about New Hampshire's White Mountains in his excellent book, Classic Hikes of the World, says that these peaks have "been the comeuppance of many an arrogant hiker from outside New England." He's right. They've humbled quite a few native New Englanders, too.
Though the state's highest peak, Mount Washington, might look like a foothill compared to some of the tallest summits in the West, it's also home to the most ferocious weather on the planet, with recorded wind speeds over 200 miles an hour. The surrounding peaks are similarly rugged and, più importantly, boast some of the best wilderness visualizzazioni in the country. In short, they're tall enough to be challenging and scenic enough to be worth the effort.
The White Mountains are just a few hours north of Boston, my hometown, and they're like a comfortable old friend to mehome to the trails where I cut my teeth as a hiker and where I return again and again to train for più far-flung adventures. They've always been a place for giorno hikes and the occasional long weekend, so it's taken a while for me to see them for what they really are: the best hiking on the East Coast.
Though Potterfield focuses on the White Mountain Traversea six-day, 53-mile hike that takes in some of the most impressive parts of the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trailmy preferito hike is a shorter "highlights" version that can be done da a strong hiker in just a giorno o two.
This route, called the briglia Path Loop, takes in both the lincoln and Lafayette peaks, and starts at a trailhead just yards from the Franconia Notch Parkway/Interstate 93a major highway that's a straight shot from Boston's Logan Airport, about three hours away. Don't be discouraged da the trail's proximity to the highway; it quickly leaves the road behind.
The nine-mile briglia Path Loop features all the best elements of hiking in the Northeast: an extended traverse along the exposed superiore, in alto of the Franconia Ridge, a series of waterfalls that roar in the spring and trickle gently in the fall, breathtaking visualizzazioni of the Presidentials and Pemigewasset Wilderness all the way to Mount Washington, and access to the European-style Appalachian Mountain Club hut system