From afar, when there’s snow, two New Hampshire mountain ranges stand out. Mt Washington and the Presidential Range and the famed Franconia Ridge. Where shades of frozen gray and green bearing slashes and scars dominate the winteresque landscape, these two ridges remain bright and white, glinting in the sun. Above it all — our precious alpine areas, a resource to be protected. Over the past few days we had two trips going to these two places so we naturally made a couple of keepsake videos for our guests.
Franconia Ridge Traverse
First up is this video of a Franconia Ridge hike led by Redline Guide Ken Hodges. They ascended Falling Waters Trail, traversed the ridge summiting Little Haystack, Lincoln, N. Lincoln (Truman), and Mt Lafayette, then descending via Greenleaf and Old Bridle Path Trails to form a loop. This guest plans to come back this summer to take on Mt Washington and has even hinted at the possibility of our leading her on a Jefferson-Adams-Madison or JAM Traverse. That’s a good one and we are standing by!
Extreme Mount Washington
Next up this second video is of three days and two nights of mountaineering/backpacking led by Redline Guide Ryan McGuire. The team established and managed camp outside the Harvard Cabin (reservations now required), delved into the notorious Huntington Ravine for training and climbing, then exited the final day. The extreme weather is normal for up there and as it does to so many, it nixed the team’s chances of summiting. Nonetheless, they had a very legitimate mountaineering experience and the mountain will be there for another day.