user: Dano1234
title: New
I am considering hiking Mt Wash alone in October. 65 and in good shape. Do I need a guide or are trails well marked. Are other hikers around on a Saturday? Cell phones work in case of emergency? Guides want $300 for a day. I appreciate their skill but do I NEED a guide?
Posted Aug 31, 2015 11:38 am
Here are my replies:
>65 and in good shape
This doesn't tell us too much. Good shape for 65, or marathon shape? What is your hiking experience? You don't have to be an athlete to hike up Mt Washington, but you shouldn't underestimate it either. A typical trail gains 4000 feet of elevation in three or four miles - in other words you'd best be ready for sustained uphill effort. Cardiac issues or any kind of reduced mobility (knees, hips, balance) would be big problems.
October makes things worse. You've only got eleven hours of daylight, but the all-important factor is the weather. You could have brilliant sunshine, you could have snow, you could have fog, you could have rain.
>are trails well marked.
The trails are very well marked; if you can read a map and have the common sense to turn back *before* you get lost in the fog, a guide is not needed for finding your way. You should consider a guide if you aren't willing to wait for good weather or if you aren't sure how fast you can travel. The guide's primary role will be to decide whether you should turn around or try to keep going.
> Are other hikers around on a Saturday?
If the weather is good, the trails will be crowded, at least until the leaves finish falling.
> Cell phones work in case of emergency?
More likely than not, depending on which network you use and which part of the mountain you're on. However, if you're thinking about relying on your cell phone, or other hikers, to get out of trouble, think again. Even on Mt Washington which has rangers at top, bottom, and partway up, and a road and railroad to the summit, help will usually take a few hours to reach you. And depending which agencies are involved in your rescue, you may bear the costs. That's a recent change in the law, and the state is itching for a few more examples of under-prepared hikers to publicly hit with big fees. (Last one was a 55-year-old with a bad hip on Mt Lafayette in bad weather: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/04 ... fined.html )
