Should I trust the guidebook or the local hiker? A divide in the White Mountains

I was hiking the Presidential Traverse in New Hampshire last fall and a guy at the trailhead told me to skip the Mount Eisenhower summit loop because the alpine zone was getting dangerous with wind gusts over 50 mph. He said to take the Valley Way instead. But my AMC guidebook said the loop was the only way to see the best views. I went with the book and ended up crawling over wet rock slabs for two hours in whiteout conditions. Got back fine but my friend twisted her ankle and we missed the sunset. Did I make the wrong call? Has anyone else had a local's advice beat the published route?

2 comments

2 Comments

lane.joel3d ago

Did you ever read that thing about how guidebook writers usually hike routes in perfect weather and update them maybe once every few years? I saw some park service data a while back that said local knowledge is way more current when conditions shift fast in the mountains, especially in places like the Whites where weather turns on a dime. Your buddy's ankle proves the local guy was right, so trust the person standing in the wind over the book every time.

emmag403d ago

Did the guidebook mention it was printed in 2018? I met a guy on Mount Washington who still uses a map from 1995, swears by it, got lost for three hours.