The White Mountains are home to the most challenging and rugged terrain in the region, boasting some of New England’s highest peaks. Their beauty is unparalleled along the Appalachian Trail, and the views alone make the trip worthwhile.
Throughout the Whites, we traversed 19 four-thousand-foot peaks. This intense and breathtaking segment of the Appalachian Trail spans approximately 160 miles from Hanover to Gorham, New Hampshire.
The White Mountains feature some of the trail's highest elevations, including the iconic Mount Washington, which rises to 6,288 feet and experiences some of the most severe weather conditions in the world. Before beginning the ascent over Mount Washington, there is a sign that reads, “STOP. The area has the worst weather in America. Many have died there from exposure, even in summer. Turn back now if the weather is bad.”
From base to summit, every ecozone in the White Mountains is stunning. From sea level to 3,000 feet is the Mixed Northern Forest, home to temperate hardwood trees, including yellow birch, beech, and maple. This is the zone that we are most accustomed to and have spent the most time in.
From 3,000 feet to 4,000 feet is the Boreal Forest—our absolute favorite. Everything, as far as you can see, is covered in a thick, green layer of sphagnum moss and tree lichens. To have a bed of this sphagnum moss would be divine. Sphagnum moss grows so densely it can support the weight of a large animal.
Above the Boreal Zone, from 4,000 to 4,400 feet, is the Krummholz Zone. In this zone, you will typically see only gnarled conifer trees, particularly fir and black spruce, as well as a variety of subalpine vegetation. We noticed the only pine needles left on the trees are the ones that are shielded from the wind behind the branches.
Above 4,400 feet is the Alpine Zone. Trees become increasingly squatty and then disappear altogether. At this point, you are above the tree line and will see the same vegetation here that grows in the Arctic Circle. The flowers and plants in the Alpine Zone are hardy in regard to the elements but very fragile if they are stepped on. Many alpine plants take decades to grow.
Our weather through the Whites was pretty great, aside from the two heavy downpours and some very dense fog. We ducked out for a few zero days halfway through, to escape the remnants of Hurricane Beryl, and to rest and recover from the flu. We avoided thunderstorms during our zero days in town.
Mount Garfield and Mount Webster were particularly challenging mountains for our group due to their steep and craggy nature. We dubbed Mount Webster “Mount Hard to Climb.” Most of these mountains require hand-over-hand climbing in sections, which significantly reduces pace time.
Our favorite day in the Whites was our hike from Mitzpah Springs Hut to Lakes of the Clouds Hut. Mica from the rocks was illuminated by the sun, and it looked like we were walking along a path of sparkling diamonds all day. The average hike time from Mitzpah to Lakes of the Clouds is four hours. We did the hike in six hours and made it in time for dinner. This is the only hike that we were remotely close to the average time. All of the other estimated hike times were wildly inaccurate for our group. We found that doubling the estimated hike time plus adding two hours seemed to be the norm for our crew.
The Whites make everything we’ve done thus far seem like a cakewalk. Overall, the White Mountains crushed us. However, after a night’s rest, we were always ready and willing to tackle the next day’s challenges. Most importantly, we made it through, giving us confidence that we will also be able to tackle Katahdin in about one month’s time. For now, we are resting up and mentally preparing ourselves for the notoriously difficult Southern Maine section.
Although the Whites were hard work, at no point did we feel like we wanted to quit and we always took time to count our blessings and appreciate the beauty all around us. So, onward, to Katahdin, we will march.
Happy hiking!
Woohoo!!!!
Trail heroes!!! Cheering louder than ever!