A Summer at AMC's White Mountain Huts: Episode 2
To celebrate 125 years of operating huts in the White Mountains, AMC Outdoors staff recorded the stories of the people at the huts—guests, volunteers, and hut croo. Watch as they recount their first hut visits, favorite traditions, and most cherished memories.
Learn about AMC's 125th-anniversary celebration of the hut system at
Book a stay at Lonesome Lake, Greenleaf, Galehead, Zealand Falls, Mizpah Spring, Lakes of the Clouds, Madison Spring, or Carter Notch hut at
Watch all the videos in the A Summer at the Huts series in this playlist:
Check out AMC's full YouTube channel at and Subscribe to stay up to date on all AMC videos.
Learn more about AMC at
A Summer at AMC's White Mountain Huts: Episode 1
To celebrate 125 years of operating huts in the White Mountains, AMC Outdoors staff recorded the stories of the people at the huts—guests, volunteers, and hut croo. Watch as they recount their first hut visits, favorite traditions, and most cherished memories.
Learn about AMC's 125th-anniversary celebration of the hut system at
Book a stay at Lonesome Lake, Greenleaf, Galehead, Zealand Falls, Mizpah Spring, Lakes of the Clouds, Madison Spring, or Carter Notch hut at
Watch all the videos in the A Summer at the Huts series in this playlist:
Check out AMC's full YouTube channel at and Subscribe to stay up to date on all AMC videos.
Learn more about AMC at
The Lakes of The Clouds Hut, Mt.Washington, Mt.Jefferson, Mt.Adams, Mt, Madison
Backpacking the Appalachian Trail in The Presidential Range.
Appalachian Trail ~ White Mountains ~ Franconia Notch ~ Mount Washington 1995
Experience to date in the White Mountains, the 100 Mile Wilderness and North Maine Woods, nominally, has revealed that route and trail descriptions, specifically warnings, are not overstated. Much like the people who live there. For example there is a branch of Newsowadnehunk Stream which the MATC trail section map description notes with brevity; ford stream. Do you know what this means, to ford a stream in Maine? Unless you live in Alaska or Canada, the likelihood you've ever seen a stream as torrential as Nesowadnehunk is as big as your chance to cross it dry. And this just a small branch of a stream that also happens to be so furious today in its quest for the Penobscot below that it might sweep you along and not notice you gone. Two feet of North Maine Woods ice water across a rod of ankle bending boulder slicks? So ford stream out here is not an overstatement but unless you're a Maineyak, it means more than break out the golashes. It actually in this case equates to extreme caution may not be safely passable and potentially fatal. The USF sign greeting the White Mountain traveler, which, if you are still with me, reads:
STOP The Area Ahead Has The Worst Weather In America. Many Have Died From Exposure Even In Summer. Turn Back Now If The Weather Is Bad.
This particular sign is similarly, not overstated. It is understated. If hiking up and down thousand foot high irregular boulder staircases with a 50 pound baby on your back - which rains turn into an endless splash thru waterfall - does not grind your bones and kill you, the chances the weather does are not insignificant. SO when it began raining we found ourselves above the weather needing to descend Mt Washington thru rain clouds, entering from the top - to downclimb a threeish thousand foot cliff wall called Tuckerman's Ravine. So please people, bundle up for safety and remember to exponentially exagerate those casual caution signs.
That was in 1995. In the 1939 Inferno, a fabled ski race starting at the summit of 6,288 feet and ending at the bottom, considered the birth of extreme skiing, Toni Matt schussed the headwall. He did this in 6 minutes and 20 odd seconds, cutting the 1931 record of 12 and change almost in half. Toni Matt's son Tracy graduated with us in 1979 and our outro took considerably longer. About 4 hours.
Thanks to the Appalachian Mountain Club, The US Forest Service and Holger, Petr, Dorothy and Era.
Hike to Lonesome Lake Hut
Lonesome Lake Hut ( is an ideal destination for novice hikers, families, or first-time visitors to AMC's high huts in the White Mountains. The relatively modest ascent to the hut affords an excellent introduction to the challenges of mountain exploration and its abundant rewards.
Hit the trail with us and peek into the daily life of AMC's hut croo as we catch up with Sam at Lonesome Lake Hut!
Snowmobiling White Mountains N.H. In Nor'easter Stella!!
Snowmobiling In Blizzard Of 2017 With
Northern Extremes Snowmobiling 603-374-6000
Bartlett, New Hampshire & Mt. Washington
Link Here
If you go to rent from Northern Extremes tell Peter you found out about them from the Robert Myrick video, they will take care of you!
White Mountains
New Hampshire
Pinkham Notch
Winter 2017
Mt. Washington , N.H.
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. They are part of the northern Appalachian Mountains and the most rugged mountains in New England. The range is heavily visited due to its proximity to Boston and, to a lesser extent, New York City and Montreal.
Most of the area is public land, including the White Mountain National Forest and a number of state parks. Its most famous mountain is 6,288-foot (1,917 m) Mount Washington, which is the highest peak in the Northeastern U.S. and which held the record for fastest surface wind gust (231 miles per hour (372 km/h), over 100 m/s, in 1934) in the world for 76 years. Mount Washington is part of a line of summits, the Presidential Range, that are named after U.S. presidents and other prominent Americans.
The White Mountains also include the Franconia Range, Sandwich Range, Carter-Moriah Range and Kinsman Range in New Hampshire, and the Mahoosuc Range straddling the border between it and Maine. In all, there are 48 peaks within New Hampshire as well as one (Old Speck Mountain) in Maine over 4,000 feet (1,200 m), known as the Four-thousand footers.
The Whites are known for a system of alpine huts for hikers operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club. The Appalachian Trail crosses the area from southwest to northeast.
It is not clear where the name White Mountains came from. There is no record of what Native Americans called the range, although pre-Colonial names for many individual peaks are known. The name and similar ones such as White Hills or Wine Hills are found in literature from Colonial times. According to tradition, the mountains were first sighted from shipboard off the coast near the Piscataqua estuary. The highest peaks would often be snow-capped, appearing white. An alternate theory is that the mica-laden granite of the summits looked white to observers.
More White Mountains Info Here:
Winter Storm Stella rated Category 3 , or major, on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale (NESIS) released by NOAA.
The storm was a blockbuster that brought 3 to almost 5 feet of snow to parts of New York state, Pennsylvania and Vermont, along with wind gusts over hurricane force to coastal New England.
The NESIS ranks high-impact Northeast winter storms by using population and snowfall amounts. NESIS also looks at the size of the snowfield, which for Stella covered most of the Northeast. The scale ranges from 1-5 using a formula that incorporates these ingredients, and Stella fell well into the Category 3 criteria.
Other storms that have received a Category 3 rating are winter storms Kari (2015), Pax (2014) and Maximus (2014).
This is the sixth storm to be rated Category 3 or higher since 2012, one of which, Winter Storm Jonas, was a Category 4.
The Bolton Valley Ski Area, located in the Green Mountains of northern Vermont east of Burlington, reported a storm total of 58 inches of snow early on the morning of March 16.
Stella was the second-heaviest snowstorm in 117 years of records in Burlington, Vermont, and a record for the month of March, with 30.4 inches of snow. Only the Jan. 2-3, 2010 snowstorm (33.1 inches) was heavier, there.
At Bradley International Airport near Windsor Locks, Connecticut, Stella's 15.8 inches of snow on March 14 was the snowiest calendar day in any spring month (March through May) in records dating to 1905.
It was also the third-heaviest March snowstorm in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, topped only by the 1993 Superstorm (20.4 inches) and a late March 1891 storm (18 inches).
Widespread 1- to 3-foot snow accumulations have piled up in parts of the Northeast, led by 48.4 inches in Hartwick, New York. At least one location in 16 states has seen a foot of snow from Stella in the Midwest and Northeast.
More Info Here:
Robert Myrick Photography
Shot With GoPro Hero 4 Black
AMC White Mountain Huts 125th Anniversary: 1888-2013
The Appalachian Mountain Club celebrates the 125th year of its White Mountain Huts in 2013. Learn more about AMC's Huts:
From the construction of the first Madison Spring Hut in 1888 to the completion of the eight-hut network in the mid-20th-century and the introduction of green-energy technologies in the 21st century, AMC's huts have offered shelter, food, and educational programs to tens of thousands of guests.
Book a stay at Lonesome Lake, Greenleaf, Galehead, Zealand Falls, Mizpah Spring, Lakes of the Clouds, Madison Spring, or Carter Notch hut at
Watch other videos about AMC's huts at
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is the oldest outdoor recreation and conservation organization in the U.S. Learn more:
Nor'Easter Stella Driving From Mt Washington To Bartlett, New Hampshire
Driving In Blizzard Stella Winter Of 2017
Mt. Washington , N.H.
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. They are part of the northern Appalachian Mountains and the most rugged mountains in New England. The range is heavily visited due to its proximity to Boston and, to a lesser extent, New York City and Montreal.
Most of the area is public land, including the White Mountain National Forest and a number of state parks. Its most famous mountain is 6,288-foot (1,917 m) Mount Washington, which is the highest peak in the Northeastern U.S. and which held the record for fastest surface wind gust (231 miles per hour (372 km/h), over 100 m/s, in 1934) in the world for 76 years. Mount Washington is part of a line of summits, the Presidential Range, that are named after U.S. presidents and other prominent Americans.
The White Mountains also include the Franconia Range, Sandwich Range, Carter-Moriah Range and Kinsman Range in New Hampshire, and the Mahoosuc Range straddling the border between it and Maine. In all, there are 48 peaks within New Hampshire as well as one (Old Speck Mountain) in Maine over 4,000 feet (1,200 m), known as the Four-thousand footers.
The Whites are known for a system of alpine huts for hikers operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club. The Appalachian Trail crosses the area from southwest to northeast.
It is not clear where the name White Mountains came from. There is no record of what Native Americans called the range, although pre-Colonial names for many individual peaks are known. The name and similar ones such as White Hills or Wine Hills are found in literature from Colonial times. According to tradition, the mountains were first sighted from shipboard off the coast near the Piscataqua estuary. The highest peaks would often be snow-capped, appearing white. An alternate theory is that the mica-laden granite of the summits looked white to observers.
More White Mountains Info Here:
Winter Storm Stella rated Category 3 , or major, on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale (NESIS) released by NOAA.
The storm was a blockbuster that brought 3 to almost 5 feet of snow to parts of New York state, Pennsylvania and Vermont, along with wind gusts over hurricane force to coastal New England.
The NESIS ranks high-impact Northeast winter storms by using population and snowfall amounts. NESIS also looks at the size of the snowfield, which for Stella covered most of the Northeast. The scale ranges from 1-5 using a formula that incorporates these ingredients, and Stella fell well into the Category 3 criteria.
Other storms that have received a Category 3 rating are winter storms Kari (2015), Pax (2014) and Maximus (2014).
This is the sixth storm to be rated Category 3 or higher since 2012, one of which, Winter Storm Jonas, was a Category 4.
The Bolton Valley Ski Area, located in the Green Mountains of northern Vermont east of Burlington, reported a storm total of 58 inches of snow early on the morning of March 16.
Stella was the second-heaviest snowstorm in 117 years of records in Burlington, Vermont, and a record for the month of March, with 30.4 inches of snow. Only the Jan. 2-3, 2010 snowstorm (33.1 inches) was heavier, there.
At Bradley International Airport near Windsor Locks, Connecticut, Stella's 15.8 inches of snow on March 14 was the snowiest calendar day in any spring month (March through May) in records dating to 1905.
It was also the third-heaviest March snowstorm in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, topped only by the 1993 Superstorm (20.4 inches) and a late March 1891 storm (18 inches).
Widespread 1- to 3-foot snow accumulations have piled up in parts of the Northeast, led by 48.4 inches in Hartwick, New York. At least one location in 16 states has seen a foot of snow from Stella in the Midwest and Northeast.
More Info Here:
Robert Myrick Photography
Shot With GoPro Hero 4 Black
Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast
David Goodman describes backcountry ski destination from the Adirondacks to Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Four Days in New Hampshire of Family and Friends Hiking, Paddling, Tenting and Moose Sighting.
Grab a cup of coffee or another favorite beverage, kick up your feet, and enjoy how a family bonds through the great outdoors of New Hampshire. My 18-year-old nephew Austin graduated from his southern California (CA) high school. For Austin achieving this educational milestone, my wife, Cathy, and I arranged for him to fly to New Hampshire in July to experience our Live Free or Die outdoors.
The four day trip would entail:
(1) Hike the Tuckerman Ravine Trail from the Appalachian Mountain Club's (AMC) Pinkham Notch hut to the AMC Lake of the Cloud (LOC) hut for a one night stay.
(2) On day 2 hike from LOC hut to the peak of Mt Washington, the highest mountain in the northeast at 6,288 feet and a record windspeed of 231 mph.
(3) Tent for two days at Lake Francis State Park in the Connecticut Lakes area in Pittsburg, NH.
o Hike to and around the 4th Connecticut Lake located on the border of Canada and the United States. The 4th Connecticut Lake is the headwaters of the 410 mile long Connecticut River
o Paddle the Third Connecticut Lake
o Paddle Lake Francis
o Moose sightings on 18 mile Moose Alley
Cardigan Lodge and Mountain Time-Lapse
Time-lapse video shot from the Appalachian Mountain Club's Cardigan Lodge and from the summit of nearby Mount Cardigan
Osgood Trail back to Madison Springs Hut (March 27, 2010)
Short clip of hiking towards the hut with some views of Mount Adams and off towards Washington (March 2010)
White Mountain Snow Shoeing - New Hampshire 12.16
Stayed at Christmas Farm Inn: Spread across 15 countryside acres, this historic Christmas-themed inn with separate cottages is 2.8 miles from Story Land and 11.6 miles from the Mountain Valley Mall Shopping Center.
Snow Shoeing: The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. They are part of the northern Appalachian Mountains and the most rugged mountains in New England. The range is heavily visited due to its proximity to Boston and, to a lesser extent, New York City and Montreal.
Most of the area is public land, including the White Mountain National Forest and a number of state parks. Its most famous mountain is 6,288-foot (1,917 m) Mount Washington, which is the highest peak in the Northeastern U.S. and which held the record for fastest surface wind gust (231 miles per hour (372 km/h), over 100 m/s, in 1934) in the world for 76 years. Mount Washington is part of a line of summits, the Presidential Range, that are named after U.S. presidents and other prominent Americans.
The White Mountains also include the Franconia Range, Sandwich Range, Carter-Moriah Range and Kinsman Range in New Hampshire, and the Mahoosuc Range straddling the border between it and Maine. In all, there are 48 peaks within New Hampshire as well as one (Old Speck Mountain) in Maine over 4,000 feet (1,200 m), known as the Four-thousand footers.
The Whites are known for a system of alpine huts for hikers operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club. The Appalachian Trail crosses the area from southwest to northeast.
Pioneers of Rock
Rock climbing grew as a recreational pursuit in the 1930s. More and more AMC members honed their climbing skills near home and then traveled to the White Mountains for a greater challenge. Film footage from AMC's Library and Archives shows attendees of the 1935 August Camp in the White Mountains climbing with the aid of little more than rope.
A vibrant climbing community continues these traditions today. Visit our online activities database at and select Climbing/Mountaineering under Activities to find climbing opportunities near you.
Four Days in the Outdoors of Northern New Hampshire with Family and Friends
Grab a cup of coffee or another favorite beverage, kick up your feet, and enjoy how a family bonds in the great north woods of New Hampshire. Experience our NH “Live Free or Die” outdoors:
(1) Hiking Tuckerman Ravine Trail from the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC) Pinkham Notch hut to the AMC Lake of the Cloud (LOC) hut for a one night stay.
(2) Hiking from LOC hut to the peak of Mt Washington, the highest mountain in the northeast at 6,288 feet and Home of the World's Worse Weather.
(3) Tenting for two days at Lake Francis State Park in the Connecticut Lakes area in Pittsburg, NH.
o Hike to and around the 4th Connecticut Lake located on the border of Canada and the United States. The 4th Connecticut Lake is the headwaters of the 410 mile long Connecticut River
o Paddle the Third Connecticut Lake
o Paddle Lake Francis
o Moose sightings on 18 mile Moose Alley
Preparing the Hike to Lake of the Clouds Hut (LOC) and Mount Washington
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Enjoy this short video of our hike up Tuckerman Ravine Trail to Lake of the Clouds Hut followed by a next day hike to Mt Washington. The proceed to the Great North Woods for paddling and moose sighting.
The northern tip of New Hampshire has a pristine area known as the GreatNorth Woods. I wanted Austin and my grandchildren to enjoy and appreciate this treasure of New Hampshire. Its many summer outdoor opportunities include paddling and fishing the Connecticut (CT) Lakes (Forth CT, Third CT, Second CT Lake, First CT and Lake Francis), hiking the Fourth CT, and Moose sightseeing.
Moose Watching.
The moose is the biggest and most mysterious four-legged inhabitant of northern New Hampshire. Seeing a moose is always a thrill for me. Certainly for Austin and my grandkids, the thought of seeing these huge six to seven foot tall and 700 to 1200 pound animals was an expectation like waiting to get a glimpse of Santa Claus! There are 6,000 or so moose in New Hampshire and being in the Connecticut Lakes area in particular enhances the opportunity to see a moose. The last 18 or so miles on route 3 in Pittsburg is designated Moose Alley. Driving slowly on Moose Alley at 5 am also enhances your chance to see a moose. And, dusk is another good time.
What is the best way to find moose? My answer is always simple – look for cars pulled alongside of the road. For two days at dawn and dusk we drove very slowly up Route 3. See our success here.
The Republic of Indian Stream
As we hiked to the Fourth Connecticut Lake I shared a history lesson not readily known. For a few years in the 1830s, an area of today's Pittsburg, NH was an independent republic, not part of New Hampshire and not part of the United States. The US attempted to tax the 360 inhabitants, and Canada tried to make them serve in its military, so the people decided to establish their own sovereign nation called, The Republic of Indian Stream. The existence of the Republic was ended by New Hampshire in 1835. Later, the Webster -Ashburton Treaty of 1842 established the border between Canada and the United States – the border markers that we would crisscross as we hiked to the Fourth Connecticut Lake.
Hiking the Fourth Connecticut Lake
The 78 acre Fourth Connecticut Lake is located on the USA/Canada border. It is called a “Lake”, but in my mind is similar to a small bog or marsh. The narrow swampy walk around the lake took us a half hour. We stopped to take pictures at the outlet stream - the Fourth CT is the headwaters of the 410 mile long Connecticut River that ends in Long Island Sound. The trail to the lake starts at the United States-Canada customs border crossing station in Pittsburg, NH on the international border between the United States and Canada. The whole hike from custom station to lake, walk around the lake, a brief ten minute break, and the hike back, was less than two hours.
Paddle Third Connecticut Lake
This 235 acre Lake is located about a half mile downhill from the Fourth Connecticut. During our paddle on this pristine lake we saw beaver lodges and dams, loons, the outlet to the Second Connecticut Lake. Carson went for a swim. As we paddled around the northern end of the lake, we stopped to see the inlet from the Fourth Connecticut Lake.
To view all JPEG and video pictures go to OutdoorSteve.com and click the Blog tabl.
Steve’s latest book, Outdoor Enthusiast: Never say, “I wish I had…” is now available as an e-Book at Kindle and Nook.
Mt. Washington: Without the Work
Mount Washington, NH is one of those summits you can climb by road or railway. Author Randy Johnson (randyjohnsonbooks.com) says riding up and hiking down is a European style way for younger and older hikers to experience high altitude trails. He and son Chris rode up the Mount Washington Cog Railway and hiked down Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail to Appalachian Mountain Club's Lakes of the Clouds Hut.
Mount Madison Winter (Attempt)
Video of our Mount Madison Winter Hike
Mount Lafayette Franconia Notch Greenleaf Trail Bridle Path NH
Mount Lafayette is a 5,249 foot (1,600 m) mountain at the northern end of the Franconia Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States.
Mount Lafayette is the highest point in the Franconia Range, a line of peaks along the east side of Franconia Notch. It is the sixth highest peak in New Hampshire and the highest outside of the Presidential Range. It is the second most prominent peak in the state.
It appears on the New England Fifty Finest list of the most topographically prominent peaks in New England. The mountain's upper reaches are located in the alpine zone, an area where only dwarf vegetation exists due to the harsh climate.
Trails :]
A variety of trails lead up over 3,000 vertical feet (900 m) to its exposed summit.
The Greenleaf Trail begins at the parking lot for the Cannon Mountain tramway and ascends to the Appalachian Mountain Club's Greenleaf Hut, then continues to the summit.
The Bridle Path trail follows a western spur ridge of Lafayette from Lafayette Place Campground on Interstate 93 past Greenleaf Hut and joins the Greenleaf Trail, reaching the summit 1.1 miles (1.8 km) after the hut.
The peak is at the junction of the Garfield Ridge Trail, which follows the ridge northeast to Mount Garfield, and the Franconia Ridge Trail, which leads south to Mounts Lincoln, Liberty, and Flume. Both the Garfield Ridge Trail and the Franconia Ridge Trail form part of the Appalachian Trail.
A very popular hike is to make a loop combining the three most notable summits of the Franconia Range. The loop starts with the Old Bridle Path to the AMC Greenleaf Hut.
From there, one takes the Greenleaf Trail to the summit of Mt. Lafayette. Turning south along the Franconia Ridge Trail, one passes over Mount Lincoln and Little Haystack, then descends via the Falling Waters Trail, which connects back with the beginning of the Old Bridle Path. This loop is 8.9 miles (14.3 km) long, with a cumulative elevation gain of about 3,900 feet (1,200 m).
100th Anniversary of Carter Notch Hut
Carter Notch Hut—the oldest of AMC's eight high-mountain huts—is a destination fit for all walks of life. Plan your trip:
For the past 100 years Carter Notch Hut has seen it all: family traditions spanning generations; first-time overnight visitors eager for a taste of the wild; ambitious peak-baggers seeking claim of the nearby Wildcat and Carter Ranges. This modestly sized hut has a surprisingly rich history worthy of celebration, and, for the next generation of hearty adventurers, a destination to continue traditions or start new ones.
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is the oldest outdoor recreation and conservation organization in the U.S. Learn more:
Backpacking the Presidential Range - Day 1: Rain and Wind!
Carrie and I hike the Presidential Range. This is a section of the famous Appalachian Trail or AT. The Appalachian Mountain Club or AMC manages a series of huts along this route. We spend three nights in the huts and 4 days hiking some of the most scenic trails in the U.S. North East.
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Any opinions expressed in this video are mine and mine alone and are not related to my employer or any other organization or individual. I have not been paid to make this video or to endorse a product. If I am ever paid for an endorsement or provided other compensation I will state it clearly in the video. Any advice or demonstration I provide is just advice. The viewer should take responsibility for their own actions, follow any manufacturers warnings and directions an act safely and responsibly when travelling in the backcountry.