We’re a seasonal company, but one with something to offer in all seasons (even weddings). In the spring and fall we hike and climb and offer a wide variety of outdoor education classes. Winters are even busier with more classes and myriad opportunities to climb, hike and snowshoe, ski, even get some mountaineering in. Our busiest season, however, is summer. We offer the classes but hiking and backpacking take center stage here in the White Mountain National Forest. From professional and technical leadership, to simple companionship, we are meeting the needs of many people, forming relationships, making new friends along the way.
We try to document some of this, mostly notably our adventures since they are more varied, interesting, and uniquely personal, but sometimes we fall behind resulting in a frantic post like this. Here we will still acknowledge our guides as we like to do, and we will bullet point what they’ve done with our guests, but we won’t get it all, or dive into much detail. The problem is we blinked. One day we’re on top of it, two days later we’re twenty hours behind. So, without further ado, here’s a rough and ready re-cap starting with Bear Repellent. Remember her?
Debby Takes on Vermont
We’re not going to take a deep dive here because Debby “Bear Repellent” Roberts isn’t quite done with her flip-flopped AT thru-hike yet, but she is getting caught up in the fray somewhat as she’s up there with Redline Guide Arlette Laan as we write this and there’s still more to do. She’s in the thick of it right now, but she is part of what’s going on. In the meantime, we would like to say congratulations to Debby.
In this case, this photo is just a teaser. Stay tuned this month for more on Bear Repellent’s grand adventure.
Wedding on Cardigan
Moving along, detailing one wild weekend, next up we have a loving couple getting hitched atop a mountain on 9/2/22 by NH Justice and Redline Guiding owner, Mike Cherim. Specifically they tied the knot atop the 3155′ Cardigan Mountain in Orange, NH. They worked to attain the summit but they did it and quickly appreciated the rewards offered to them being in such a place and at such a time. Really, there are few mountains that can compete with Cardigan’s stunning brilliance and offer such bang for the buck, as they say. It’s not our first wedding up there, and like the previous couple, they selected a time nearer to sunset. What an awesome time for it. To the couple, congratulations!
Five for Mt Washington
Five friends from farther south in the Northeast wanted to try their hand at not just hiking — a first for some of them — but to take on the region’s crowning jewel: namely the weather-notorius 6288′ Mt Washington. It’s a big day, requiring some gear, but with our help, it happened. With Redline Guides Pat Ferland and Phoebe Seltzer leading, the group ascended the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail from the trailhead (not the Cog), made the ridge, then carried on further to the summit. There the group ate, waited in line for the summit having to complete with flatlanders who had taken the train or driven up, then fought the temptation to actually hop on the train themselves.
Their desire to beat the mountain and walk themselves down won out and they succeeded. To aid the process Pat had the team take the Cog road down. Once at the bottom, he also had them wait while he got his truck to offer them a lift. Meanwhile Phoebe slowed her pace to accompany one guest with sore feet. All in all, everyone did what they set out to do and they all have a reason to be proud of their accomplishment.
Congratulations to the team!
Rock Climbing Family
Families are awesome, especially when they have something unique going on like all having similar sounding names that either begin with the letter ‘K’ or a hard ‘C’ — it makes them unique. What’s even more awesome is when this familial unit becomes a team of adventurers wanting to learn something new (rock climbing in this case). The family’s patriarch, a returning guest of ours, was planning a vacation with his family and wanted to get himself and his kids out on some rock. The plan was to swing by our area for a day so we put Redline Guide Pat Ferland on the job, tasking him with teaching the CK/KK family — dad and three kids ages 5, 7, and 9, in this case — how to scale some vertical rock. Pat also taught them some knots and hitches, and how to belay.
Not Alone on Isolation
One of the seemingly more remote and definitely more aptly named 4000-footers, the 4004′ Mt Isolation is known and admired for its stunning views and unique perspectives of the Presidential/Dry River Wilderness, the Southern Presidential Range, and of Mt Washington itself. It’s also one of trips Redline Guide Phoebe Seltzer seems to enjoy the most so she’s always enthusiastic about taking a guest or few up to the summit — and back. Here are some photos of her most recent trip with a southern New Hampshire hiker up for the day, working on her list.
