Overview: Want to try backpacking? Join us in June up Smarts Mountain! This trip is designed to be beginner friendly, so you don't need to have any previous backpacking experience. You should not, however, be a beginner to hiking in the Whites. All backpacking-specific gear can be rented from MITOC, but everyone should have comfortable hiking boots or trail runners as well as non-cotton layers to stay warm.

The loop is around 7mi with 2400ft elevation gain split over two days:

• Sat: We’ll start hiking Saturday around noon up the AT, aiming to camp on the summit of Mt. Smarts to cook, practice skills, and catch sunset from the firetower before an early bedtime
• Sun: Wake up early for awesome sunrise firetower views, make breakfast and return down the Ranger Trail to be back at the trailhead before noon

Logistics: We will begin coordinating personal and group gear (tents, cooking equipment, etc) via a Google Sheet early in the week before the trip. We will have a mandatory pre-trip meeting Thursday 6/11 at 7PM in the MITOC office to go over gear and go over the trip plan in more detail. If you need gear you can rent at office hours Thursday 6-7pm or Friday Noon-1pm. We'll go through a basic presentation of what to expect from your first backpacking trip, and then while on the trip you can expect to spend time in camp practicing these skills.

Fitness/Experience Requirements:

• You should be comfortable hiking a 5+ mile 2000ft+ trail on uneven, rocky, terrain with a daypack. (We’ll be adding on 10-20 lbs of packweight and doing two days back to back.)
• You ideally have been frontcountry camping in a tent at least once in the past year, and understand what you personally need to sleep comfortably outdoors
• No backpacking experience required or assumed (if you already have a ton of backpacking experience, look out for more advanced backpacking trips advertised later in the summer!)

Costs: Your own food for breakfast and dinner ($10-$30), driving gas costs ($30-$50 / person), rental gear ($20 -$30)

Lottery: Participants not selected in the lottery will end up on a waitlist. We also reserve the right to vet out participants based on previous experience. Being selected in the lottery does not guarantee a place on this trip. Thank you for your understanding and please email the leaders with any questions!