Date: 2004-08-12
From: Kinsman Mountain, NH

To: Stealth Camping in the WHITES!
Miles today: 0.0

Stealth Camping in the Whites!Every thru hiker, section hiker or day tripper should experience stealth camping in the whites. Our first night we camped by a river in a developed site across the AT and thru the woods from Eliza Brook Shelter. I love the sound of flowing water thru-out the night. Lisa and I had an amazing evening here.The climb up Kinsman has to be one of my favorite ups on the AT. The views from Harrington (is it harrington?) Pond towards South Kinsman are great! Lisa and I just took our sweet sweet time thru here. If you got time to burn then burn it here. It's amazing how time warps into a different perspective on the trail. Lisa and I are sitting at a computer trying to figure out exactly where we slept two nights ago. Time flows in and out of hiker reality. If I am mixing up the correct sequence of events - shoot me. I think the next day we climbed up to Little Haystack (elevation 4,700' or so) Mountain and found the cherry spot of cherry spots. Just off the right side of the trail there was this this little flat spot big enough for our tarp nestled in the pines. Wind can be a real factor near tree-line. I was telling Lisa about the dangers of camping above tree-line (electrical storms are bad) when a miniature electric storm passed. We both held our breath then laughed. Two short distant burst of thunder and it was over. Lightning becomes an issue when one has metal rods in his legs, hips and pelvis. Lisa likes to stick butter and popcorn in my pockets and send me up a ridge in a storm. Anyhoots, the night was beautiful and pleasant. The only problem was we were short on water.The next day we hiked Franconia Ridge in beautiful weather. I adore the free feeling of above treeline. Folks get off your keisters and climb a mountain. Smell Pines, watch stars and satelites (sp?), roast sausages and live your life. For those whom have never gone above tree-line, or those who never intend to, I will post plenty of great pictures in about three or four weeks. It is a rocky lunarscape. Barren boulders and steep drops of monotone color (or lack there of). The rocks do have very beautiful green and black lichen or moss growing. We continued onto Mount Garfield where there is remanents of an old tower or building. We thought of stealth camping here but we still didn't have any water to drink. For those hiking soon, carry water and sleep either here or Little Haystack. We continued onto Garfield Campsite to get water and eat lunch. After tanking up on water we walked on down the trail. We stealth camped near the next hut. The next AM we stopped into the hut, had eight bowls of tomato soup. Yes, my appetite is completely out of control. Hung out, dreww a picture, left some words by Thoreau and Edward Abbey... side note: start reading Desert Solitaire AMC people. If you are charging for the Whites than start cleaning up all the toilet paper everywhere. Side note two: if you are hiking thru the Whites and you need to use the restroom (or resttree) and you happen to use toilet paper please bury it or take it home as a souvenir. I cannot stand to come to a fanastic view with a fabulous stealth site and see used toilet paper (Zealand Cliff). It is not the AMC duty to clean after you! My attitudes towards the AMC has changed slightly. I do not think of the HUTS solely as Temples of Nature's Destruction anymore. They do serve some use. But I hope someone in the AMC will understand that there philosophy of developing "wilderness" areas into gateways for those who of the "hope to see the view without walking to he view" mentality is a crime and should be stopped. Let's get rid of those in roads into the whites. Try parking your motor vehicle at a gate and grabbing your backpack and walking in. The waer is sweeter when you climb a mountain for it. Let's stop raping the land to make money. And HIKERS who frequent these places: Try walking in. Feel the power of climbing up a mountain and camping on a small ledge listening to the rusling wind blow thru the Pines carrying it's sweet fragrance over your bedroll. Love the woods! Live the woods! Enjoy the woods!Later that day we walked up South Twin Mountain or whatever it is called and saw the King of Stealth spots facing Mount Washington and blocked by huge boulders. Lisa and I pondered camping here. Once again lack of water and the lack of desire to walk back down the steep .7 mile and 1,400 foot elevaion gain climb laden with water. We hiked past Zealand Hut, stopping at the cliffs and onto a huge stealth site fully developed and loaded with jumbo moose prints. If you want to stealth camp follow little trails that venture out into the pucker brush off the AT. There are so many; too many to count. Tomorrow we go over Mount Washington up thru a side trail that someone told us was amazingly straight up and challenging (the Harrington Trail past Tuckerman's Ravine?). Well we will figure it out in due time. I would like to thank the guy who rode by on his bicycle then came back in his jeep to drive us twenty miles one way to Gorham to re-stock, sleep and eat. Thanks and god bless you and all the he other faceless, nameless angels.We will be in Maine shortly! Looking forward. I am also looking forward to getting ino Private Cheffing. I am eager as a beaver to start cooking again.Take Care,ASWAH