One of the great places to be in the White Mountain National Forest on a hot summer day is down in the Ice Gulch in Randolph. The reason is that ice can be found there basically year ’round. It’s so refreshing, like taking a break in an air conditioned room. That said, now that we talked it up, it takes a special kind of nutty person to enjoy the “trail” that runs through it. Specifically, we are referring to Ice Gulch Path. Now, if you were to look up the word “path” in a dictionary or, heck, even online, you would not see anything even close to what this so-called path dishes up. It’s so gnarly in there it’s one of the “trails” on the Terrifying 25 list, and believe us when we say it earns its rep.
Leading this one was Redline Guide (and owner) Mike Cherim. Our returning guest is working on the aforementioned list but he has some specific concerns that we were able to help out with which is why he enlisted our help. He was happy with his choice, and he got the job done. The beginning was particularly rough, but with some encouragement and coaching, the latter parts were pretty smooth sailing. And when it was done, it was the most pleasant surprise. In fact, check it out in these photos:
An almost hidden, unassuming start.
Unique orange blazes.
Nice “trail” — and so it begins.
Gnar.
Gymnastics are required.
It is such a primitive place.
Very quiet, very wild.
Like another world.
There is ice in there.
Making progress.
There was a fair amount of ice. And it felt nICE.
Love this “path.”
Mike said “smile.” The guest hadn’t yet noticed the sign marking the end or the tough stuff.
Then Mike said “look behind you” and this was the most priceless reaction.
Congratulations! Great job on getting it done! And thanks for choosing Redline Guiding.