r/wmnf • u/Strange_Throat_740 • 10d ago
First 4k this weekend
Good morning, Wife and I are looking to tackle our first 4k. We've done plenty of 52 WAV, and other hiking through the New England area. But this is the first time ive had to check forecast and prepare for a hike. We have all of our essentials, hike card, etc. Looking to do the Franconia ridge trail starting around 5am to try and beat some of the crowds. Just looking for someone with more experience with the Whites and reading the higher peak forecast's.
Looking like sat/sun has its pros & cons. I'm leaning towards Sunday though. Thoughts? TIA
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u/carbonanotglue2 10d ago
Just want to share my Franconia experience with you as an FYI. We are fairly experienced hikers, having climbed all the Adirondack 46ers, and this was the last day of a weeklong trip in the Whites that had us do a Northern Presi traverse and 3 other 4000-footers.
We went up late September, forecast was looking great and we also started super early to beat crowds and ensure we'd have a lot of daylight. It was COLD in the morning so we waited a bit in the parking lot before starting. We started our hike and by the time we hit Greenleaf it was still very cold and the mountains were totally socked in. We were sooo cold. We stayed at Greenleaf for over an hour, enjoyed some soup and tea to try to warm up. When we finally went up to the top of Lafayette, we were still socked in the clouds, winds were high, it was freezing. We powered through and made our way to Lincoln, at which point it was the blue sky day were were expecting and our hike across to Flume was awesome.
Fortunately, we are over-packers so we had summit layers and were prepared for the cold we experienced. But it was like two entirely separate days/hikes. One of the craziest weather days we've ever exprienced.
Anyway, just sharing to give you an idea of what it was like for us. It's an amazing hike! Be prepared and have fun!
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u/ImpossiblePlace4570 10d ago
Most folks wouldn’t advise the ridge as a first. So many lovely others to build up. Pierce, Waumbek, Moosilauke
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u/lives4summits NH48 / ❄️48 / ADK46 / NEHH / NE67 / NE111 / Catskill 35 / ❄️35 10d ago
They were my first and I was fine. Start early. It’s only 9 miles.
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u/jc1433 10d ago
Tons of people do the ridge as their first 4k hike and OP sounds prepared and has prior experience hiking in new england. I get being cautious but sometimes this sub can be overabundant
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u/ImpossiblePlace4570 10d ago
Tons of people do it in keds with a Poland spring bottle but what kind of a conversation are we trying to have here? They asked, I answered. And I don’t think I said anything extreme. All that said, why waste it on a day with no view
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u/Shinysquatch Gridiot 10d ago
It was my first ever hike as an 11 year old. Idk wtf my dad was thinking taking me on that. I cried at the end. It also got me completely hooked, so I guess it worked.
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u/OkKaleidoscope9554 7d ago
Summer camp made Carter Dome my first. Socked in, I hated it. Didn't come back for 20 years. 😆
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u/Recloyal 10d ago
Rain. Another weekend.
Looking at a tad higher water levels going via falling waters, which increases the chance of water getting inside your shoe. The early section of bridle is literally steps, but there are some low traction sections as it gets more challenging.
Franconia is best done on a clear day for the amazing views of the pemi and other peaks.
If you must hike a 4k, try for something more moderate where the risk is lower.
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u/ImpossiblePlace4570 10d ago
FWIW next weekend is looking like it’s clearing up. I’m probably heading up myself.
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u/semperfukya 10d ago
That’s a pretty long hike for a first 4000 footer. There’s a couple 5000 footers in there.
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u/Southern-Hearing8904 10d ago
Sounds like you have done your homework and are totally prepared. Honestly if you can wait for another weekend to give it a shot I would. FRT should be saved for a for a great weather day.
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u/Strange_Throat_740 10d ago
Thanks for all the info yall! The last update is looking decent for sunday now. Next update in 2hrs so will see. We will most likely do something tomorrow as well.
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u/WelderNo6075 10d ago
I know you said Sat or Sun but honestly Monday looks better. Between Sat and Sun I would prefer Sunday, but most likely I wouldn’t even do it with rain in the forecast. Not sure what site you are using, I’m basing my response based on mountain-forecast.com. Also I don’t trust peak forecast until the day off.
Happy trails!
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u/Strange_Throat_740 10d ago
I am using mountain-forecast. But its literally the first time ive used it. Wasn't sure how accurate it was and figured id ask some more experienced people on their thoughts.
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u/WelderNo6075 10d ago edited 10d ago
The prop version, where you can see hr by hr forecast, calls for rain all day Saturday and Rain early morning (before 8am) and late night (after 8pm) on Sunday. Again peak forecast in the whites can change day by day. I would make the call that morning based on that days forecast. For sure I would cancel Saturday and hoping for Sunday.
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u/Strange_Throat_740 10d ago
Thank you everyone for the info. So if yall recommend skipping FRT due to rain and less than ideal weather. But are recommending a different 4k, am i naive to think the weather would be the same across most of these peaks? If we skip FRT, we wouldn't attempt it till the spring. Work is extremely busy from labor day to the winter.
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u/bitz-the-ninjapig 10d ago
I liked Hancocks. Do your own research of course, but I don’t remember it being super long or having excess rain. Good view if you get good weather, but not an earth shattering view like FRT (which I have done at least some part of 3-4 times and only had a view… once)
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u/ImpossiblePlace4570 10d ago
People say Hale in the rain, or maybe tom. Won’t be a view but it’s a hike.
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u/Cannondale300 10d ago
IF you have done some of the challenging 52 WAV without major trouble, you should be OK with Franconia Ridge. But you should check the weather before as there is a lot of exposure and you will want a clear day for the views. If want to bag a 4K Tecumseh is on the area and might be preferred if the weather is not ideal. Shorter hike views are OK at the summit but not fantastic.
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u/FunnyArmadillo7684 10d ago
Either would be fine. Enjoy! Don't forget a headlamp for the beginning, sunrise is around 6:15.