Join us this weekend (Saturday & Sunday) for a fall backpacking trip to Mt. Cabot — the northernmost 4,000-footers in the White Mountains!

This is prime leaf-peeping season, and the foliage up north should be putting on a spectacular show. We’ll set-up camp at the Unknown Pond Tentsite, surrounded by fall colors, then hike Mt. Cabot while also visiting The Bulge and The Horn—the latter is on the 52 With a View list 🍁🏕️

Route

Day 1: Approximately 8.5 miles with ~3,500 ft of elevation gain We’ll hike to Unknown Pond, set up camp, and continue on to Mt. Cabot, The Bulge, and The Horn.

Day 2: Approximately 3 miles, mostly descent back to the trailhead.

Prerequisites

This will be an active and strenuous backpacking trip. Participants should have prior hiking experience and be comfortable hiking around 8 miles in a day with significant elevation gain. Previous backpacking experience is a plus, but not required.

Keep in mind that summer is over! Fall nights in the northern Whites can get quite cold, so you’ll need appropriate layers and sleeping gear. If you’re unsure whether this trip is a good fit, feel free to reach out—we’re happy to chat and help you decide.

You should also be able to rent backpacking gear during office hours if you don’t have everything you need.

Logistics

We’ll have a mandatory pre-trip meeting on Thursday at 6:00 pm to go over the route, gear, weather, transportation, and other plans. Attendance is required (no exceptions).

Before the meeting, we’ll send out a few short forms. Please complete them on time so we can finalize logistics smoothly.

On Saturday, we’ll leave Cambridge at 7:00 am and stop for breakfast along the way before heading north into the foliage.

Driving & Lottery

If you’re able to drive (either your own car or a rental) please indicate this in your lottery preferences. Only sign up to drive if you can commit to the full round trip from the Boston/Cambridge area. This trip is independent of the Circus happening this weekend.

Costs

Expected costs are approximately $30–50 per person for shared transportation. Driving costs will be split evenly using the MIT car cost calculator.