Tenting in the Whites

imported
#1

Hi All,
My daughter and I hiked Georgie to Vermont in 2003, and aim to finish the job (Vermont to Maine) this summer. My question is to do with tenting in the White Mountains. We have traditional peg-in-the-ground, non-free standing tents, but some of what I’ve read suggests that a lot of the shelters and camping areas offer tent platforms only. Is this the case? Do you really need to have a free-standing tent to make it though this section? (I know - that’s a second question). Any advice welcome. Thanks.

Carnethy Bob

#2

Stop at the Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glincliff, NH (just before you climb Mt Moosilauke) and as for the thru hikers stealth camping guide to the Whites. This was a priceless regerence for me.

BT

big toe

#3

Dear CBOB, As big toe relates, there are WM stealth camping guides, and on our thru-hike AT NOBO last year we even found that the AMC camp hosts were willing to suggest stealth sites to long- distance hikers. Hiking with our dog, prohibited from AMC huts,we stealthed 3 different locations, though none above treeline. You can stake a tent. Western Maine is equally rocky and steep and wet, too. (All sorts of surface runoff) You will develope an eye for finding a site, altho’ sometimes, bone weary and searching at dark thirty, they are few and far between. Weather over the Whites has big bearing on distance and decision making. The majority of platforms in New England on the AT have hooks and eyes embedded in them that suit the maority of tents and even lots of tarps. Carry a few extra pieces of string, some zip-ties,and 6-8 sturdy cuphooks (screw 'em in and screw 'em out when you leave. Only one caretaker told me no such screwing was allowed), in your tent stake bag through these sections, and you will be fine. Many of the platform areas are so steep and rocky, rooty, you can’t sleep on the ground around them anyway. Muleskinner.

muleskinner

#4

C Bob, we were able to use our tent on every platform we came in contact with on our thru hike. We carried a CD Clip Flashlight that is not free standing. We just carried extra cord and usually had to pitch it from corner to cormer but it made it through storms and high wind. As muleskinner said, a lot of the platforms have hooks and nails in them to aid the tents. Pack Rat at Glencliff can give you a stealth site map fot the Whites. We used two different sites. One of the thru hikers we knew camped by the tool shed at the Mt. Madison Hut after everybody went to bed and got up early and got breakfast at the hut!!

Have a great hike.

Papa Smurf

#5

Hello,
Great question! I go camping in the Whites a lot, so one of my tent requirments is that it be free standing and have a small footprint to fit on platforms better. To that aim I just go a REI Chrysalis. Tent Nirvona!


Two things

Non free standing tents do fit on platforms but you have to be creative with the rope. Bring extra long line.

Most sites have spill over areas which do not have platforms so you can setup there. Talk to caretaker

or you might want to invest in a light weight free standing tent.

Hikerdude

#6

Muleskinner’s manual for pitching non-free standing tents on platforms was excellent. I don’t think I was the caretaker who asked him not to screw things into platforms, it was a rare thing to see and I generally ignored it, but putting extra holes in the wood is just another potential maintenance issue at a campsite half-a-days trip from the nearest hardware store. I would discourage it because where there is always a non-screw method. Some other techniques: If your perfect guy point is between the “factory installed” screw eyes, span two eyes or more with a piece of lightweight rope and tie off anywhere along the rope. I once saw a group of Boy Scouts circumnavigate an entire platform with rope before pitching their tents. That was over the top but the method was sound. Carrying extra rope is a very good idea. Most AMC plats are 10’X 10’ and 10’X 16’
Another trick is using a “dead-man” at the end of your guy; find a sweet spot for a guy somewhere along the gap between two deck boards and if possible next to a joist under the deck, then drop the end of your rope beween the crack and tie it to a thumb sized twig or branch under the deck and pull tight. Its easiest to set if you secure the dead-man first and then tie the other end to your tent. This also works very well at the end of the gaps at the platforms edge. If you ever get stuck for solutions ask a caretaker. We pitch many tents each summer. That wasn’t meant to be funny…

Celt

#7

I’ve still got lines on my tent for tying out on tent platforms.

Peaks

#8

Why any stays at the huts or pay capm sites is beyond me. And you really don’t need the stealth guide to hiking the whites. Every hut area and every pay tent area has a sign posted about 1/4 mile before saying you are entering a no camp area (till you get to the actual pay area) almost with no fail there were numerous campsites in the woods prior to that sign. Plus, there are so many seriously awesome campsites in the whites everywhere. Why people only stay at shelters, pay per campsites and huts I will never ever know.

http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=66103

this is a picture perfect flat spot right after the summit of Little Haystack… get water at the pay per view campsite before.

http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=66139

another beautiful cherry spot…

p.s. I tarp. If I can set a tarp up on a platform, you can set up a tent, free standing or not, on a tent platform.

aswah

#9

Little Haystack is above treeline where camping is prohibited by the USFS to protect the fragile flora.

Celt

#10

actually it isn’t above treeline… I tied my tarp to the taller than me trees… about 1/2 a mile later it goes into a subalpine area… but that is after…
http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=70792

there’s the picture of after the tenting spot

aswah

#11

Lots of good advice in there, and situation doesn’t sound so bad as I was fearing. Thanks to all of you.

Carnethy Bob