Rain, Rain, Go… Well, Okay

We’re an all-weather crowd, willing to pretty much hike in anything. And that’s good because while the lower elevations saw clouds slowly and eventually being vaporized by the sun, the higher elevations saw pretty much steady rain for most of the day. And this was the case for a hike up Mt Pierce (4310′) — a NH 4000-footer — led by Redline Guide Ken Hodges. So did Ken and his guests suffer and complain? No way, they saw the upside. It was cooler, there were no bugs, and the sunglasses and sun block weren’t needed. It was rather wild up there, gnarly is the word we want, and our guests loved it. This proves once again that enjoyment of the mountains can be found on almost any day. When no distant views present themselves, the up close takes on special meaning and everything else becomes the unknown. Spooky and cool, right?

During this time, of course — the time of coronavirus — the up close is kind of scary. That said, Ken reported during the day’s debrief that the process went smoothly — our test questions, the temperature and blood-oxygen saturation checks. Everything went well, people really don’t seem to mind playing it safe. More and more we are convinced we can do this and do it right. Use our heads, trust the science. Safety first.

Ken also reported that it was good to get back out there and guide. The team summited their first 4000-footer, taking on the mountain via the historically significant Crawford Path and Webster Cliff Trail (the Appalachian Trail, AT). After summiting they dropped down to the Mizpah Spring Hut and took a break. Finally the weather was fading. There they enjoyed coffee before taking the connector trail back to Crawford Path and eventually the trailhead. Mt Eisenhower was on the table in consideration, but the weather wasn’t that great! Next time.