The idea Redline Guide and Gossamer Gear Ambassador Arlette Laan had was to offer an educational overnight — a backpacking clinic, free, to four qualifying people. We were there to support the event, offering gear if needed, and Gossamer Gear was to outfit the group with packs (which they got to keep) and cover costs. To qualify, hopeful participants had to be ‘true beginners who could […]
It was a wedding gift. Tickets to ride. A honeymoon of an atypical sort. We like atypical things so we were stoked for it. Ordered up was a backpacking trip into Baxter State Park in Maine, home to the famed Mt Katahdin (5268′ Baxter Peak and 4756′ Hamlin Peak). On lead for this adventure was Redline Guide Arlette Laan. What follows is her telling of the […]
The distance and depth spark intrigue, there nestled deep within the Pemigewasset Wilderness, one will find Owls Head. At 4029-feet it’s a stout 4000-footer, not the favorite to many, and it has a large footprint. It’s the grand lump in the middle of it all. It’s the mountain many people mention when pointing out other mountains. Cooler mountains. It’s the incidental one. Owls Head is the […]
Portering is an appealing concept to many people and long in practice on some mountains — like Everest with its Sherpa porters, for example. You start off in the morning with your day pack and set off on that leg of your journey. Many hours later, tired, hungry, ready to rest up for the day, you wander into camp and straight to your tent, already set […]
This class was a small one, specifically meant for leaders of future leaders: an Intro to Rock course meant to help leader members of the Friends Forever International group prepare for a larger group visit next month. This class’s students, instructed by Redline Guide Pat Ferland, will be helping belay more students on their next visit and will have much better oversight into how things run. […]
The team carpooled to the trailhead as it made the most sense. It was to be a simple out-and-back, no “car spots” needed. The plan was to hike up to Mt Jefferson (5713′) — number three on the list of 4000-footers and number three on the list for our guest. They were going to do this via the Caps Ridge Trail. For those not in the […]
Porterers of dreams. Your imagination coupled with our local knowledge and brute strength can make some pretty cool things happen. Examples might include helping someone enjoy a less-effort backpacking experience, or helping someone avoid carrying a lot of extra weight on particularly technical or worrisome terrain. Expect to hear more about this service in action very soon. Right now, however, we just helped one couple — […]
It was as if a white veil was dropped over us as we reached the “Cow Pasture” located next to the Mt Washington Auto Road, which bisects this flat area. This is all happening not terribly far from the 6288-foot summit, and that was our goal. The original plan, to be specific, was to hike down to Lakes of the Clouds from said summit and tie […]
Back at again, Redline Guide Arlette Laan just did two trips back-to-back. The first was a hike, the second a 3D/2N “Semi Pemi” educational backpacking trip. For those who don’t know, a Semi Pemi is a shortened “Pemi Loop.” In this particular case, the team skipped Franconia Ridge altogether. From this point, since Arlette kindly shared these details, we’ll let her tell it. DAY ONE: Lincoln […]
There are 48 mountains in New Hampshire that quality as so-called “4000-footers,” even though some that exceed 5000-feet aren’t prominent enough to actually count. It’s complicated, as they say. If you really want to know the sordid details, you can find them here. In any case, hiking those 48 peaks begins the process for some. It’s not just “Hiking the Whites.” For many people, it is […]
First we want to congratulate our couple on their beautiful June 10th Wedding. We know there were concerns about the weather, the wind, the clouds, the rain, and the thunderstorms. All of it, we knew, was a possibility. And all of it, as it were, amounted to nothing more than a possibility. As it were, we all enjoyed sun and clouds and breezes enough to keep […]
The bulk of the instruction during our full day Wilderness Navigation course — a.k.a. map and compass — is in the classroom, though we do venture outside for a bit first thing, and again during most of the afternoon. Say, it’s about 60/40ish… depending on the weather, its affect on our sight lines, and our ability to teach triangulation and sighting in the afternoon. We are […]
