For this backpacking adventure, we'll be exploring the Wild River Wilderness, a remote area of New Hampshire's White Mountains for two days, covering 36 miles, countless rain storms, and a few injuries for good measure. ;) The Wild River Wilderness is located in the North Eastern corner of the White Mountain National Forest, very close to the Maine state line. Designated by congress as a federal wilderness area in 2006, this is the newest wilderness area in the WMNF. Now you may think of anything outdoors as "wilderness", but Federal Wilderness areas are designated areas of land that prohibit just about any form of man-made development. This would include motorized access, structures, facilities, and permanent shelters. Trail maintenance is allowed, but only with hand tools. Sounds like my kind of party for a couple days of backpacking and hiking! ///////////////////////////////////////////////// Trip Notes: The main trail we were targeting for this trip was the Black Angel Trail, although plans changed a little, but you'll see that in the video. According to our Backpacker Magazine trip data, parking should have been available close to the Wild River Campground (44.305209, -71.065203), but the road was closed due to storm damage, so we had to park an additional 5 miles away. We took the Wild River Trail to the intersection with the Black Angel Trail and headed up towards Carter Dome at an elevation of 4,832 feet. An official 4000-footer, this would be our highest point for the trip. It would also be the worst weather, with fog, wind, and rain to season things nicely. After descending Carter Dome, via the rainbow trail, we linked back with our previous friend, the Wild River Trail. Our target was the Perkins Notch Shelter for a reprieve from the rain, but the lingering spirit of the Black Angel had a small surprise waiting for us. None the less, this is where we would set up camp. Mileage for Day One: 20 miles. The next morning we broke camp and headed out again. After several miles we jettisoned the Wild River trail, which follows closely along the banks of the Wild River, in favor of the Highwater Trail. This trail would follow the river, but from the ridge above. After descending into the Moriah Gorge, we met up the Moriah Brook trail for spectacular river views and large sections of trail that had seemingly vanished. Swallowed by mudslides into the river below. Luckily the navigation was fairly simple: follow the river! Lastly, we intersected with the Shellburne Trail for one one more waist deep river crossing. This would bring us back to the car just in time to begin our 9 hour trip back home. Distance for Day Two: 16 miles, Trip Total: 36 Miles All in all, another great New England backpacking trip! //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// My Hiking Gear List: Kelty Salida 2 Tent (We're splitting this between us at a little over 2#'s each) EMS Long Trail 70 Backpack EMS "Stuffer" Jacket EMS Pack Cover 2 ReVive Solar ReStore chargers for video camera, phone, etc Osprey 2 liter Nalgene Bladder for hydration Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System 1 Liter Disposable Plastic Water Bottle Taurus 740 Slim Sub-Compact Pistol (those flies can be vicious) AMC New Hampshire White Mountains paper maps Swiss Gear Trekking Poles (Cork Handle Model) Therm-A-Rest Z-Lite foam sleeping pad Suisse Sport 30 Degree Mummy Bag (yes, this is a cheap $35 bag, but it does the job) Nemo Fillo (inflatable pillow) **This thing costs more than my sleeping bag, but my wife got it for me, and it's awesome! Sunscreen Gloves Brunton Classic Compass Beef Jerky, Vacuum Sealed Tuna, pop-tarts, trail mix, snacks etc 'Light My Fire' Spork Instant Coffee! 1 oz bottle of Ben's Max 100 98% DEET insect repellent Sea To Summit 'Insect Shield' Mosquito Head Neat (It's Black Fly Season!) EMS Camp Cap (synthetic fast dry, & lightweight!) EMS Convertible Camp Pants / Shorts EMS 'Velocity' synthetic lightweight long sleeve shirt Nike 'Pro Combat' synthetic tee shirt EMS synthetic socks Garmont Zenith Mid GTX Hiking Boots 4Sevens Preon 2 Flashlight Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp Leatherman Squirt Ultra-Light Multi-Tool SOG Blink Spring Assisted Knife *********************************************** Some of Mike's Backpacking Gear: Gregory Palisade 80 Backpack DeLorme PN-60 Handheld GPS Therm-a-Rest Self Inflating Sleeping Pad Big Agnes Sleeping Bag ....and other gear choices similar to mine, but different brands etc. All content, including music and sound effects, is original and created by myself. All music and sound effects are original works, created by myself, Sintax77, and are in no way owned or copyrighted by any third party.

• published: 07 Jul 2012
• views: 34301