NH White Mountain Winter Camping

[@fivehorizons5295]

I just discovered your channel and wanted to say wow, I loved this video and how you captured the beauty of the Whites! New subscriber here 👍

[@RachelWhelton]

Thank you so much!!

[@Self_Proppelled]

Every video you make is a jewel. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@RachelWhelton]

Wow, what a kind comment. Thank you!

[@alicialuongo5360]

Doing this as a night hike for moon , stars , and sunrise 🌅 hope we get nice undercast like you did !!! Thanks for another great video

[@RachelWhelton]

I hope so too! I feel a weird jinx or pressure after a good one, that the next one won't be so lucky. So all I can do is just keep going to increase the chances.

[@BucksMom218]

I love getting to see sunrises and sunsets..and sun in your coffee cup is fun!! What a beautiful view…thank you for sharing this adventure. I love what you do! 🥾🥾🥰😎

[@RachelWhelton]

Thank you so much! It was a good one.

[@GetUpTheMountains]

Winter camping alone is my jam! There is a nice flat spot on the topo at 2700ft NNE of North Moat summit. Great spot to setup, and only a short climb to the summit for sunsets and sunrises. I bring a 2L Toaks titanium pot with bail handle in winter when I know I'll be melting snow. You get so little water out of snow, that the more you can melt and boil at once the better. It's about $75 and very worth it. Also provides a roomy crush proof "container" when packing. There is a much better method for deadman anchoring in the snow, particularly so you needn't dig things out after they've frozen themselves in there. Dig a T shape hole with the lower part of the T pointing back at your tent. Break a good (2 fingers wide) stick a foot long or so and put it in the top of the T. Loop a bit of paracord around the stick, with 2 loops tied at the ends of the cord. (bonus points for bowline here! haha). Put a carabiner through the two loops and run the line through the bottom of the T back to your tent. Attach your tent guylines to the carabiner. This way, the stick gets frozen in the ground and you simply have to take the cordage off the carabiner and pull. The paracord comes out and you leave the stick frozen in the snow. I use the el cheapo junk carabiners, they needn't be high end. I use those standard snow stakes in the traditional way at the 4 corners of the tent, and reserve the T trench method for guylines, vestibules etc.

[@RachelWhelton]

Wow, excellent comment. Thanks. I will be reading these directions again when winter comes.

[@peterfagley772]

What a pleasant outing, thanks as always for sharing this trip. Your photography only gets better, nice to view this area through your capable lens.

[@RachelWhelton]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tinwenwalks]

Your “this is why I do this” moment, feel that so hard!!! 😊

[@RachelWhelton]

I mean, we could make a list of good things. But, yeah, that sunny coffee moment up there was the rush of good vibes.

[@hmr171]

I hiked that trail in March '21 and it was fun to recognize so many of the views from your video.

[@RachelWhelton]

Ahh, good! I am already wanting to do the other side (north moat) in the summer. Good area!

[@MikeRyder-ml2mb]

Great scene on your way down. You were headed down on snow and the clouds in front of you looked like you could just continue out into infinity walking over them. That cookie looked awfully good and worth the weight of carrying it 🍪

[@RachelWhelton]

Yes, good times, good times. It is hard to follow up a good trip like that. Feels like the next one can't measure up so I "aim low" to reduce expectations. I'd love to go that way again in the summer, up to North Moat.

[@brandonh4380]

Great video! I day hiked South Moat earlier this winter and was thinking about camping up there later in the spring when the snow is gone. The views are incredible.

[@RachelWhelton]

I wish you excellent conditions when you do it!

[@RhodySeth]

My wife and I hiked that trail in February once and dealt with treacherous icy slabs for much of the stretch. It was a bit harrowing. Great camping spot. You've become quite a winter backpacking this season.

[@RachelWhelton]

Interesting how the trails are different every month. On that Mount Potash trip a while back, I guess I was lucky to find the river frozen over by ice bridge, so I could pull the sled across. I guess this is why the Gridders find it interesting to hike the 48 repeatedly, they get to see all the conditions.

[@mimir.569]

Thank you Rachel ! I am having breakfast while watching the mountain's cloud in your video. Amazing !

[@RachelWhelton]

Excellent! Thanks for the comment.

[@Tenebarum]

What fantastic skies. I dont like winter weather, but winter hiking is looking more attractive to mem

[@RachelWhelton]

20-30 degrees is a good way to do it. Below 20 or above freezing and things start getting more complicated!

[@Tenebarum]

@@RachelWhelton Well, bear in mind I've been binging Everest and K2 videos, lol. I think Mt Willard in the summer will be a good starting point

[@RachelWhelton]

I love those videos, too. And books. Recently I re-watched the K2 video with Cecilie Skog. She is so interesting.@@Tenebarum

[@Tenebarum]

@@RachelWhelton Yeah, she's superwoman with the greatest hair ever. Amazing climber.

[@fingerlakeshiker]

Good video, great views. Loved that sunrise and sunset. Nice job.

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks 👍

[@filmic1]

That was really nice. Thank you. You're really getting the hang of burying those snow anchors, and using a a bowline. Brilliant.

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks! I practice the bowline knot. Seems the only way I can learn a knot is one at a time. Now that I am used to that one, I am ready to adopt a new one into my brain.

[@smh988]

Cookies! Also nice is the opening drone scene. Fabulous nighttime capture. Thanks

[@RachelWhelton]

Now it looks like a drone but it's not! I thought the same when I edited it. There is a turnout on the road in Conway and a viewpoint. Just lucky but no actual drone!

[@tinaldeptula7640]

I think this video is one of your best. The night sky with stars is awesome!! What camera did you use and what settings. Thanks Tina

[@RachelWhelton]

Wow, thanks. Camera on those night shots is a Sony A7iv with a 20mm lens set fully open to 1.8 aperture. I stand there trying different durations between 10 and 20 seconds. My editing is minimal without any "stacking" or professional editing techniques. Usually it's a bit of luck for me on what I get from the sky at night. Most helpful factor is the 1.8 aperture lens but a lot of different cameras could do the job.

[@kilroy2963]

Some really stunning views there, especially that sunset. Conway looks like it grew from what remember it back in the 80's, maybe just the perception.

[@RachelWhelton]

Yeah, it is sprouting new hotels recently. Lots to offer in the area and I think Conway does a good job managing tourists.

[@Sandora-fl4sb]

Lovely spot! Looked like you could have stepped out onto the clouds on your way down.

[@RachelWhelton]

Yes, that is the best cloud inversion I've ever personally experienced. Looked so fluffy!

[@bobcou1]

Nice job ! beautiful Sunset 🌅

[@RachelWhelton]

Thank you very much!

[@martinledoux594]

Hi Rachel, I've enjoyed a lot of these overnights - it seems like you're winding down from that and doing day hikes - am I wrong? I see fall, winter and early spring backpack camping videos. Do you avoid the summit camping in the summer weather? If so, why?

[@RachelWhelton]

People! ha ha ha... I am trying to iron out my understanding of the rules. I go to the forest rangers and ask them questions and I get a mix between very encouraging "yes you can do that" and more hesitant non-answers. I would like to backpack again soon. I find the official sites on the busy trails very different than backcountry camping. I am working on this and hopefully will be able to explain and present the various rules more clearly in future videos.

[@joeldunn2285]

Sorry if this has been answered already: what snowshoes are these? I'm looking for a pair to use in the whites this winter.

[@RachelWhelton]

I use the Atlas Helium Mountain Snowshoes because they are lightweight. Some reviewers complained they break too easily. This has not yet been an issue for me. The more popular MSR snowshoes did not work for me partly because they were a bit heavier and I didn't like wearing them. I had them and sold them. Probably all snowshoes need to be checked frequently for damage, especially in the White Mountains because uneven rocks under the snow can damage the snowshoes. If I were to buy more snowshoes, I might try some even smaller and lighter weight ones but I am skeptical if those would loft my weight with a pack. So for this winter, I'll be using the Atlas Heliums again.

[@jamesmonahanmusic]

May I recommend an original song written about the mountain wilderness ? DON'T GO UP TO THE MOUNTAIN TOP WITHOUT ME (c)2006 FROM james monahan original songs. @jamesmonahan1870

[@RachelWhelton]

Alright I will check it out.

[@jamesmonahanmusic]

Thank you 😊