48 x 12 Grid New Hampshire White Mountains 4000 Footers Planning Toolkit

grid bushwhacks

• Firewardens (Hale) - about 20min up from N.twin TH, when you go down a wooden steps and immediately back up a little stone steps left - count to 90-100 seconds walking and there is a sharp left up 150 degrees back - this is firewardens and it's well-trodden all the way up the brook

• Black Pond and Brutus (Owls) - at the rear back of black pond keep going around, trail gets rocky/muddy but continues north - after 30min rejoins the marked trail at lincoln brook crossing. Brutus starts just after 2nd major brook crossing, in summer there is a birch "V" showing the way, much easier than the "main" whack

• Seven Dwarfs (Hale/Twins winter) - its easy - cross the bridge, left at green sign into woods, follow to upper haystack a half-mile below summer trailhead

• Iso Express (Isolation) - winter-only, if you can follow a snow track do so, otherwise stay on the standard route for safety

• Camp Dodge Cutoff (Carters) useful for doing shorter winter routes from 19-mile/carter trails

12 lessons learned along the way

1. Logistics. Planning trips within the same zone reduces travel time. Blue-sky days are used for extended above-treeline routes eg. presidentials.

2. Seasons. Winter routes are more numerous and require 3x the gear/weight. The risk is infinitely higher (getting caught out overnight could be fatal).

3. Temperature. Biggest risk any season is hypothermia. De-layer for climbs, layer up before summits/ridges. Wear hooded hardshell for snowy branches.  

4. Traction. Trail runners for May-Oct, microspikes in Nov/Apr, snowhoes and bigger spikes Dec-Mar, ice axe/crampons for gnarly routes eg. jackson, osceolas.

5. Attitude. A grid is 200+ days of endurance hiking mostly alone. Keep your internal narrative positive and enjoy the weekday solitude. 

6. Injuries. There's always some part of the body that is not 100%, you will slip and twist and get sore. Take rest weeks, file & cream your feet. 

7. Cars. You don't need two cars, I gridded solo using custom loops and road bike spots (spreadsheet). Don't wait around for others, keep moving towards your goal.

8. Hydration. Get to know which trails/months have filterable water and huts. Lake of clouds, mizpah, galehead huts close ~Oct 15th, carter stays open. 

9. Momentum. The person who keeps getting out and enjoys the process (washing gear, trip planning etc) wins over the fastest athlete with the fancy gear.  

10. Reps. You will get stronger and faster over time, like AT thru-hikers. You know all the trails, turns and tricky spots, even the class 3 sections feel easier.

11. Tech. You can't eat or wear a phone. People following popular online maps cause rescues. Leave plans with family and don't depend on a signal for help.

12. People. Hikers traveling uphill have the right of way. Pass by quickly, don't try to pet dogs, give advice only if asked. 

go-to resources (bookmarks)

1. https://mountwashington.org/weather/higher-summits-forecast/ - must-know short-term conditions for the presidentials, add 10 degrees for lower 48 

2. https://trailsnh.com/tools/weather-forecast.php - mid-range weather window planning, accurate and detailed enough for everything but the presidentials 

3. https://www.waterville.com/cams-summit - the southern/sandwich conditions in one picture better than guessing from the MWOBS forecast 

honest talk about (car) camping

• In summer you have your choice of a dozen pay-campsites, try Big Rock (Kanc) and 4th Iron for quieter variety, avoid Hancock's RV-crowd

• The best free summer camping is Haystack Rd. / Gale River Rd. area during the weekdays you can almost always find a spot 

• In winter you're limited to just Hancock (The South/Lincoln Woods) and Barnes (all points North) and the toilets stay open (wear a headlamp in!)

• Car camping at trailheads - national forest rules say you can't camp at trailheads, but people seeking an early start sometimes do car camp.  observations:

  • Crawford Connector and Ferncroft stay quiet, you generally won't get kicked out for sleeping in a car/truckbed, just don't pitch a tent

  • Lincoln Woods parking lot is a 24-hr circus of comings-and-goings (2am Pemi Loop/Bonds Traverse starters), better to park at a nearby campsite

  • Appalachia TH along Rt2. is loud and crowded, no toilets, just pop up to Moose Brook S.P. for a quiet nights rest before your northern presi adventure

  • Waterville (Livermore) is routinely patrolled at its trailheads for (car) campers, you'll get kicked out 

  • Cabot - if you stay at York make sure you're up in the hiker parking lot, not next to the fishery/trailhead - this is a muggy, buggy place most of the year

gear: have a wide variety, make good choices

footwear 

• summer - you'll want multiple pairs of trail runners in the car, I find that for steep climbs like cannon a higher-heel more aggressive tread like salomons (11mm drop) are better, whereas for long traverses (eg. 15+mi days) i prefer an all-rounder in the "hoka style" with less drop (7mm range) and more forgiving space/cushioning. Alternating pairs and styles on the same trip helps prevent hotspots / blisters from forming.

• winter - you don't need fancy mountaineering boots (eg. $600 scarpas) - any modern insulated ankle-high boots will do, in fact for multiple days out a pair of $100 merrell's tend to leave your feet in a better place due to their inside comfort and warmth. wear copper-style sockliners under wool socks to avoid blisters.

water/hydration

• summer - i carry the simplest sawyer filter it's lightweight and practical to deploy quickly at streams, i also carry a 2L reservoir with hose and use electrolytes (lmnt is amazing), on extended traverses like the presi/pemi i'll carry another 1L collapsible for the long dry stretches.

• winter - there's a lot of noise about insulated water bottles and carrying hot water but stated plainly: carry 1 or 2 nalgene HDPE-style 1L wide-mouth bottles, they're lightweight and don't leak, close them in resealable plastic bags rolled in your extra layers and they'll stay warm enough to drink. do your best to chug a liter of water at the car before you set out (difficult when its below 0F brrr!).

poles 

• summer - a must-have during may-october for steep gnarly descents over rocks and mud for miles. people use the 2-section "slider" version but i prefer the 3-section fold-up aluminums from amazon for under $50. they've proven more durable and quicker to deploy than carbon or sliders, and i can stow them quickly between my pack/back for quick hands-free climbs.  

• winter - you don't need poles in winter, snowshoes are great for the knees downhill, and you need gloved hands to be free to eat, change layers/traction, carry an axe.

traction devices (winter)

• spikes - not all spikes are the same, take some time learning your options. i use two kinds: 

  • microspikes (12-point kahtoolas) for light-carry, mixed rock/ice in the shoulder seasons(november/april). these are $80 but last a couple seasons. note: you can re-sharpen the points at least 1-2x safely using a metal file and vice, after that they get too short to remain effective.

  • crampon-style spikes with 24 bigger points, available on amazon for $20, despite being lower quality i find they perform better than micros in deep snow and ice from december-march. the only downside is they can break if you encounter rocks, but are repaired easily with a pliers and/or some paracord.  

• snowshoes - the modern msr-style snowshoes with heel "televator" and paragon-style bindings (step-in with straps from both sides of shoe) are an absolute must on long steep climbs from december to march, you'll be hiking hundreds of miles in them, and not having a mechanical advantage puts your calves/achilles at serious risk of strain, unlike in summer when you have rocks/roots as heel support. 

• snowshoe pack - seriously! you'll be putting snowshoes on/off your feet and pack hundreds of times, so think about a system for carrying them as part of the investment in good snowshoes. i like msr's simple snowshoe pack as my winter pack, it has enough capacity for my extra winter gear but is useable while wearing full gloves or mittens - a lifesaver when you're swapping out traction standing on a ridge in 20mph blowing snow at -10F (routine jan/feb conditions).

• crampons - this term is confusing and people mix up all kind of devices as being crampons. the msr snowshoes and the bigger 24-point spikes are in fact crampons that will get you safely up/down just about anything the grid trails have to offer in winter - you're not front-pointing on WI2 ice routes. However, jackson, the kinsmans and a few others get short sections of blue ice bulges with 20+ feet of exposure where you may prefer switching into a full traditional crampons with front points. as long as you feel comfortable climbing it doesn't matter which ones - don't stress over making the perfect choice.

• axe - it doesn't matter what kind, the main thing is you have one in-hand when you really need to. if it's too heavy and you leave it in the car, it can't stop a fall. if it's stowed on your pack while down climbing an ice bulge, it can't stop a fall. i carry a ski mountaineering style semi-curved, lightweight steel/aluminum composite from blue ice for its versatility and have it in-hand whenever wearing snowshoes (easily open/close the televators).

• pocket saw - no joke! this is something i learned from a multi-grid finisher high up a ridge in winter punching through multiple heavy blowdowns. having a small lightweight pocket slide-out handsaw (gerber makes a nice one) saves you from veering off-trail into chest-deep snow and spruce traps. carry a pocket saw! 

• skis - a small number of folks use them (meets the biped human powered criteria) for long hike-ins like owl's, garfield or the osceolas up tripoli rd. any old cross-country skis will do, tripoli rd is groomed so you can even "skate" ski up.  mountaineering skis are less useful for the grid due to the narrow NH48 trails, but you'll share ski tracks up/down the trails at lafayette/lincoln, hancock, osceola and other ski mountaineering objectives during the snowiest part of winter.

first aid kit & knowledge

• you'll be out there a lot, as much as any forest ranger. i had to rescue an injured hiker during my grid. be sure your kit is beefier than just bandaids, bring lightweight wraps and compresses for deeper gashes (think sharp branches), tape for splinting, and spend 2-minutes learning basic trail splints. 

the travel zones

hangry... on a budget?

• Mt Washington Rt 302 / Rt 3 Twin Mountain area - the gridders delight is Yaya's Market & Deli for massive $2 pizza slizes, breakfast sandwiches, coffee & Good Vibes!

• Waterville - Jugtown country store has everything from fresh soup sandwiches and coffee to first aid and repairs - the pitstop while peakbagging in the valley

• Kanc / Lincoln Woods area - Lincoln McDonald's has a blazing hot fireplace at your back - Seven-11 next door has a dozen flavors of coffee & $1 refills from 5am daily