Friends since the age of eleven, these two guests, both from (old) England, were taking a vacation together, enjoying some of what a wintery New Hampshire has to offer. Besides alpine skiing at Wildcat and a planned beer stop at one of our local breweries, a half day snowshoe hike was the order of the day. On lead for this was Redline Guide Mike Cherim.
When they met at our Basecamp in Intervale, Mike, with some options in his head, asked a few questions about where their priorities were: Did they care about crowds? Did they want elevation gain and summit acquisition? Did they want views? Did they really want to try snowshoes? Their answers to these questions, along with the limitations of a half-day booking, led him to choose the 52 With a View Peak, Mt Willard (2850′).
It was a fine choice as it turned out. Both guests had some experience hiking and were able to sustain a nice enjoyable pace — not too fast, not too slow. They made all the obligatory stops along the way, enjoying great footing as they went. Upon reaching the summit the team went to the other lookout to the west. This, as it turned out, was harder than normal to locate as it was filled in, snow-laden branches obscuring the way.
Due to cold breezes on all of the exposed view ledges, the team opted to layer up and take a break in the shelter of the gorgeous, crystalline forest. It was there Mike broke out some spiced chai with its delightfully seasonal bouquet. His thinking: They’re from England. They’ll want hot tea! Banking on a stereotype to make a good impression? Well, yes. But for what it’s worth, he was right. Good call, old chap.
Here are some photos of their snowshoe hike…
