I could barely see 10 feet in front of me for an hour and a half, had to navigate by GPS on my phone since all the cairns disappeared into white nothing, and then the sun came out for exactly 3 minutes at the summit before the clouds swallowed it again, has anyone else dealt with that kind of sudden weather shift up there?
Tbh I thought I was being smart taking a worn-in side path off the main trail around the ledge scramble last Saturday. Turned out it ended at a steep gravel washout with no footing, and I slid about 10 feet before grabbing a root. Had to sit there for 20 minutes calming down and then backtrack to the real trail, adding an extra mile. Anyone else have a 'shortcut' that backfired on them in the Whites?
Last summer on the Franconia Ridge loop I had my Therm-a-Rest strapped on top and it kept catching branches and throwing me off balance. After one trip where I nearly took a spill near Little Haystack, I started rolling it inside my pack bag first. Anyone else switched how they pack for better balance?
I always thought those cheap ponchos were a joke and packed my fancy gore-tex jacket instead, but halfway up the Gorge Brook Trail a sudden downpour caught me off guard. My jacket leaked at the zippers and I was soaked by the time I hit the treeline, but a guy I passed let me borrow his spare gas station poncho and it kept me bone dry for the summit push. Has anyone else had a random cheap piece of gear actually beat the expensive stuff in a pinch?
I did 5 miles on the Lincoln Woods Trail last Saturday after a solid day of rain and the mud was unreal. Like ankle-deep in spots and my boots are still caked with it. I thought trails would drain better in the trees but nope. Next time I'm checking the weather first and bringing gaiters for sure. Anyone have a trick for cleaning mud out of treads without wrecking them?
Hit the Rollins Trail last Sunday and noticed something weird. Almost every trail marker was freshly painted bright white, but one whole section near the top was still faded and chipped. Three different hikers asked me if I knew the way because of it. Made me wonder who decides which parts of the trail get the maintenance love first.
Went up the Falling Waters trail at 7am. Blue sky, perfect temp. Made it to the ridge in 2 hours flat. Then the fog rolled in hard. Couldn't see 10 feet. Spent 45 minutes just trying to find the Greenleaf sign. Had to bail down the bike path instead of finishing the loop. Anyone else get fogged out up there this month?