The White Mountains of New Hampshire have a reputation among long-distance hikers, and one thru-hiker's day 149 journal entry shows exactly why. Writing for The Trek, a hiker attempting the full 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail describes the Wildcats as the steepest mountains on the entire route — and after climbing them, has no reason to doubt it.
The day started with logistics familiar to anyone who has walked a long trail. The hostel where the group stayed didn't run a shuttle, so getting back to the trailhead at Pinkham Notch visitor centre, at the base of the Wildcats, meant piecing together a few hitchhiked rides. Once there, the climb began in earnest. It was hard enough that the hiker says abandoning the original plan — covering the Wildcats the previous afternoon — was clearly the right call.
The descent was kinder. The group stopped at a hut for water and leftover pancakes, a small reminder of how the White Mountains' hut system shapes the hiking experience here. Unlike most of the Appalachian Trail, this section offers places to sleep and eat along the way, and many hikers trade a few hours of chores for a bunk through work-for-stay arrangements. That's exactly what two members of the group, known on the trail as Dreamcatcher and Small Bites, opted for. The writer and their father pushed on, camping a steep mile above the hut on Carter Dome, with a 7:30am regroup planned for what they described as a big day ahead.
For travellers, this entry is a useful window into a legendary stretch of hiking. The Wildcats and the Presidentials around them are the most alpine terrain on the whole AT — rock scrambles, exposed ridges and weather that can turn serious even in September. You don't need to be a thru-hiker to sample it: the route up from Pinkham Notch is a demanding but doable day hike, and the hut system means overnight trips are possible without a full backpacking kit.
Anyone considering it should treat these mountains with respect. The grades are genuinely steep — the Wildcats have earned their title — and conditions above treeline change fast. But for hikers who want a taste of the hardest terrain the East Coast has to offer, this corner of New Hampshire delivers it in a single, leg-burning climb.
