The day the White Mountains kicked my butt in 4 hours flat

Everyone talks about how amazing the Presidential Traverse is, but nobody warned me about how bad the weather can turn in September. I hiked the northern section last fall and got hit with 50 mph winds and sleet before I even reached Mount Madison. Had to bail at the first hut after slipping on wet rocks three times and losing feeling in my fingers. Was this just a bad day or is that section actually overrated compared to the southern peaks?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylorshah4d ago

The southern peaks are actually way more exposed than the northern ones.

hannah4003d ago

Honestly, "way more exposed" feels like a stretch to me. I've hiked both sides a few times and the northern ones get way stronger winds coming off the ridge. The southern ones are open but not really as bad as people make them out to be.

rose_reed19h ago

Man, I barely qualify to have an opinion on this. Got blown halfway off the South Ridge trail last spring and spent the next hour clinging to rocks like a scared koala. Probably just my garbage balance though. Hannah's right about the northern winds - they'll mess you up too. Either way, I'm the one who always picks the "easy" route and still ends up crawling back to the car. You two are like mountain scientists and I'm just out there trying not to trip over my own boots.