Reflections From an 18-Mile Hut-to-Hut Hike in the Rugged White Mountains

Total Miles: 18 miles
Pace: 58:15 per mile
Elevation Gain: 7,740 ft
Elevation Loss: 7,605 ft
High Point: 5,253 ft
Peaks Bagged: Little Haystack Mountain (4,725 ft), Mount Lincoln (5,089 ft), Mount Lafayette (5,250 ft), Mount Garfield (4,413 ft), Galehead Mountain (4,006 ft)

Pemi Ridge Rush

Some say the best way to get to know a new hiking zone is by taking on its toughest trail. Whether we meant to or not, we came pretty darn close on a recent multi-day hut-to-hut hike in the famed White Mountains of New Hampshire. A proper introduction to northeast hiking, we shared good company along a classic route of stunning views, exposed ridgelines, dense fog, and humidity as thick as the boreal forests.

Among wonderfully dynamic ecosystems, we hiked trails that turn into waterfalls, up endless large rock steps with roots for ladder rungs, dodged black flies and mosquitoes while navigating by painted blazes and rock cairns the size of us. We slept in iconic Appalachian Mountain Club high mountain huts, enjoyed coffee and coffee cake, shared communal meals and conversations with the hut “croo.” On what some said is the hardest section of the Appalachian Trail. Truly a beautiful and challenging immersion with this place.

Welcome to the third Mountain Hardwear x Field Mag Rush, a seasonal trip created to test outdoor gear and interior mettle. Following our 30-mile trip up and down Arizona’s Mount Lemmon, and a 20-mile march along Central Washington’s Nason Ridge, the Pemi Ridge Rush saw a group of eight of us take on a rugged 18-mile section of the iconic Pemi Loop.

With 7,740 feet of elevation gain and nearly as much loss over three days, the route gave us plenty of time to enjoy a range of trail types, ecosystems, and weather conditions. Two nights in the historic Appalachian Mountain Club high mountain huts provided a true treat of an experience, too.

Located throughout the iconic White Mountains, the AMC hut system includes eight huts originally built between in the 1880s and 1930s. All are connected by the Appalachian Trail and accessible only on foot. Though bare-bones, these backcountry huts hold all of the charm you could hope for, and a hot meal and dry bunk. The off-grid huts maintain the tradition of employing a wonderful and hilarious hut “croo” each summer, mainly made up of adventure-loving teens and twenty-somethings who seem to enjoy impromptu theatre as much as hauling up 50 lbs packs of cooking ingredients and supplies every few days.

With the Appalachian Mountain Club celebrating its 150th anniversary this summer (making the AMC the oldest outdoor recreation and conservation organization in the United States), the system was an obvious inclusion for this year’s rush. Between the brutal days, home-cooked meals, warm beds, and many whole-hearted laughs that the Greenleaf and Galehead hut croos delivered were restorative in every way.

June in the mountains of the northeast proved to be quite multifarious. We had a little bit of everything from warm dense humidity, torrential rain right as we arrived at the first hut on night one (phew for that timing!), some of the thickest fog I’ve ever been in, and ripping ridgeline winds. Having grown up and lived only out west, I’ve always heard that East Coast trails are ~different~ and this definitely proved to be true in a very Type II Fun type of way that I absolutely loved. There was plenty of Type I fun too, with a great balance of time on trail and rest and recovery at the huts.

These adventurous conditions offered the perfect opportunity to put some Mountain Hardwear’s new Lightness Collection gear to the test as well. On the pack front, our crew leaned heavy on the ultralight Alakazam 45L backpack, with the Kazam 45L backpack offering a sleek second option.

The 45L Alakazam comes in at 1 lb 12.9 oz (or 820 g) for the S/M size, while offering ample room to carry everything I needed, including stashing away my camera and Super 8 while not in use. While the ALUULA material is the star, I particularly (and unexpectedly) loved the Gait Keeper swivel hip belt that really helped distribute the load with varied movement (especially helpful over what seemed like endless rock steps). And of course, as a runner, I am always partial to a pack with vest-style shoulder straps and am psyched to see Mountain Hardwear integrate that into more of their packs. This pack really offers hikers a useful option with more of a light-and-fast alpinist approach.

Another key piece of kit was the Ghoul 20F Down Sleeping Bag, easily a new favorite for me. It’s ultralight at 1 lb 6.3 oz (633 g), packs down to nearly the size of a 1L nalgene with its included compression sack, and features Radiant Recovery technology that really helps to reflect and trap warmth, a perfect addition to chilly evenings and mornings in the bunk rooms (where bunks were sometimes stacked 4 high btw).

With the varying and frequently changing weather conditions, the Cloud Cipher Hood Rain Jacket got a good bit of testing throughout as well. The durable 3-layer jacket features Hardwear’ all-new, PFAS-free DrySpell waterproofing, a new standard for the brand that’s lab-tested for waterproofness and moisture transfer. Plus it weighs just 11.1 oz (316 g) and packs down into its hand pocket. And the bright colorways were especially handy for spotting each other in the dense fog.

Special shout out to my other key clothing utilized on trail: the Peak Rambler Short, my newest obsession and perfect hiking short in my opinion. Up top I traded off between the Sun Drift Cooling Short Sleeve Shirt and Crater Lake Long Sleeve Crop Shirt, both proved perfect as breathable options between the humid forests and exposed rock zones above treeline.

Multiple days out, especially in a new place, always offers a deeper immersion. You start to build a rhythm, with each other and with the trail. The weather shifts, the ecosystems change, fatigue settles in differently, all offering a wider breadth of experience of place in a very satisfying type of way. Much gratitude to this trail and experience for all of the ways it held and challenged us.

Special shout out to the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Greenleaf and Galehead hut croos, Snow Peak for the camp furniture, Bedrock for the hut footwear, Mimikai for the bug repellent, Freaks of Nature for the sunscreen and hydration, and Vuarnet for the alpine eyewear (even if we barely saw the sun).