What's a good two day hike in the Whites?

Sorry, more to say!

This route boasts 6 Presidential peaks on the trail, and numerous other presidents via side trails, should the peak bagger in your take over. Crowds are a given, but they will be congregated around the Huts and Mt. Washington peak (yeah, they drive up there, or take the cog rail). So you'll probably end up hitting Mt. Washington summit, mentally checking it off your list, and keep going. But the rest is just glorious.

Last bit....if you haven't hiked in the Whites before, know that the weather up there is NO JOKE. Take it seriously. Fasted recorded land wind speed record was from on top of Mt. Washington. Storm fronts get hung up on the range and sit there, so SERIOUSLY you can be walking along in a warm and sunny day without noticing the storm clouds approaching you from the back. When it hits, we're talking fog banks hemming you in to 5 or 10 foot visibility and lightning striking all around. It's like that, depending on your time of year and luck. But as long as you're prepared to get wet and cold -- even in summer -- it's a wicked good trip.

If the above sounds a bit too crowded (but, along the AT, the Hut system is everywhere in the Whites so tent planning is still needed), consider the AT between Glencliff (N.H. 25) and Franconia Notch (U.S. 3), which is a 26 mile route that takes in Mt. Moosilauke, and South and North Kinsman. This is the southernmost end of the AT in the Whites. Or, try Franconia Notch to Crawford Notch, which over 27 miles takes in the amazing walk from Little Haystack Mtn. to Mt. Lafayette, and also includes Mt. Garfield and a few other peaks. Finally, Pinkham Notch to the town of Gorham (U.S. 2) is just about 21 miles, and includes the Wildcats, the Carters including Carter Dome and Zeta Pass in between, and Mt. Moriah. This is a less traveled hike and almost as awesome. All these are on the AT.

Oh man, too much writing, sorry, got a little excited......

Without knowing a few more specifics, I always recommend the Presidential Range along the Appalachian Trail. From Pinkham Notch (at N.H. 16) to Crawford Notch (at U.S. 302), it's just 26 miles end to end, but it so full of goodness it's ridiculous how many views you get from the mileage. Will require hitching to the start from your car at the end, or parking a car at each end.

Seriously tough ascent on either end, but once on the ridge you're basically walking on the moon (ie above timberline) the entire way. If by "two days" you mean one night, then probably start at PInkham Notch and shoot for the Valley Way tentsite at about the 9.6 mile mark (there's water, but it's a 10 min walk away...or if you're a sweet talker you can just walk over to the Madison Spring Hut, which is 0.2 away, to see if you can mooch some water, but don't count on it. There's also a river crossing 4 miles in so you can fill there, too.) This will get you up onto the ridge, as it's over and beyond majestic Mt. Madison.

When you wake up, as long as you keep going, the final 17 miles aren't strenuous, but jaw-droppingly beautiful, so I recommend you break camp early and take breaks along the way. If you have 2 nights, then shoot for the Nauman tentsite the second night, which is right next to the Mizpah Spring Hut (there is a fee for both of these tentsites, FYI, due to demand and traffic, so call the Appalachian Trail Club (AMC....I think they're still in charge of this section) in advance to ask about planning your trip. Can't stress this enough, as there are quite a number of rules to be followed regarding where you camp, and there are rangers around to enforce. From there it's just 6.4 miles to the car at Crawford Notch.