This is a post about what has become an annual event: The Kara Duval Pilates Retreat organized through Solseed Retreats. The objective is always the same, to hike a mountain, test ourselves on New Hampshire’s rugged trails, all with the intention of summiting. This time, however, due to high water levels thanks to a particularly raining year so far and extreme heat and humidity, we changed […]
A returning student and guest wanted to take on one of those famed New Hampshire 4000-footers. In particular, she wanted one of the ones capable of giving a person that remote, isolated feeling. While the Bonds and Owls Head can and do give hikers that feeling, you know which mountain she was after, right? Well, if you guessed it was the aptly-named Mt Isolation, you hit […]
Three signed up for the experience by their returning grandmother, she wanting them to have an epic outdoor adventure. At ages 13, 17, and 19, this should be easily doable, right? There are myriad options to provide said epic experience, but climbing New England’s highest peak, the 6288-foot Mt Washington, was a clear winner. For bragging rights, to be sure, and earned rights at that. We […]
A new guest, a fit and experienced hiker and runner, wanted company on a trek so we put him with one of our newest Redline Guides, John Bergman. We felt it’d be a good fit. John’s long been an all-season hike leader in this area — new only to guiding for Redline Guiding, but not new to the craft. Having hiked all the 4000-footers in New […]
By way of a special arrangement, stunt double and stand-in guide Kristina Folcik — from White Mountain Endurance Coaching — took a single guest on a one-on-one mountain run today. Our guest’s hope is to start running the Whites and from us she was hoping for some higher level insights. Kristina touched on skills/techniques, pacing, reading rocks, fueling up, hydration, planning, preparation, packing, safety, weather, etiquette, […]
You’ve probably heard of crack climbing, using fissures in the rock to climb and protect a route. We’re going to take that meaning, however, and twist it to suit our narrative. In this case the crack was in the weather as well as in a thin space on the clock. Our guests, a returning couple who normally climb in a gym, were driving up from New […]
The plan was set, we were leading two people who wanted to hike up and summit Mt Washington (6288′). Not given any specifications or requirements, we were going to head up the west side via the Ammo and Crawford Path. That was what we were going to do. Until, that is, our main contact casually asked if she might be able peer into Tuckerman Ravine. Apparently, […]
Sometimes guests come to us looking for a pleasant hike with a focus on the “ahhh factor” or other in-kind experience. Maybe a gentle walk in the woods, or perhaps a light day finding some lower summit. On other days they show up and we learn they’re tough-as-nails Muay Thai artists who want the day to be a cut above the norm. To exercise all eight […]
Our guests were poised to go after Owls Head, but the crazy flow gage rates on the Pemi signaled to us that that mountain was a no-go. Even with the Black Pond Bushwhack, we were afraid that upper-most Lincoln Brook crossing might just be too dangerous, and finding that out after such a long hike would be a bummer. The smart money was on waiting on […]
This weekend was another of the series of “confidence building” backpacking trips Redline Guide Arlette “Apple Pie” Laan has been offering. There’s been a fair amount of interest so as long as that remains, she’s inclined to teach and to share. This weekend had a fairly narrow weather window, but as predicted everyone was safe and they got out before the deluge by packing up and […]
Some people hike to tick off the boxes next to some list — and there is absolutely nothing wrong that — while others hike because they’re drawn to the scenery, they love the fresh air, because it clears their mind, and/or they want to increase their fitness. To HYOH, or “Hike Your Own Hike,” as they say, allows us this freedom to comply or deny when […]
They had just been out hiking with us a couple days prior, and here they are again. This time they took on Mt Garfield (4501′) — one the gems of the 4000-footers in NH. They had a good day for it, albeit humid, though normal for the jungle. On lead for this trip was Redline Guide Phoebe Seltzer. This was a private hike so photo permissions […]
