We sometimes leave the hiking life by the side of the trail, often with the hope that it be picked up later like one of those little doggie poo bags. This may occur for myriad reasons such as relationship changes, kids and their demands, work or school obligations, even relocating to a place with no trails or mountains to hike. Some folks get so wrapped up in these other things that they never return to hiking — now too much a parallel to those little poo bags. Now and then, though, the sport of hiking is re-exposed, and rises to the top of our consciousness as it comes rushing back into our lives, as if filling a void (because it is). This is a nice thing to see and be part of.
It begins as a spark. A tantalizing memory of conifers, their scent, the stunning silence, the otherworldly views, and so much more. We remember how we felt — the satisfaction — during and after the hikes of our past. Often clawing all the way back to childhood to reacquire this image.
This is one of those stories. We won’t dive into the whys and what-fors: In essence the guest left the sport, took a 20 year detour, then swung back into the lane. In that time she had lost some of the essential knowledge needed and, worse, some of her confidence was temporarily missing as well. To reclaim these missing bits, she came to us. We’ll let Redline Guide Chase Hall give a summary of the day.
Today’s guest took a 20 year break from hiking the Whites, with such a long break, I decided to take her up to visit the summit of the 4052-foot Mt. Jackson. It’s a wonderful mountain in winter. The trail is very popular and that can help with packing it down, making it a lot easier for beginner hikers to enjoy, rather than arduously breaking it out. The views at the top are worth the 2.6 mile hike up. The Webster-Jackson trail today was rich with hiking enthusiasts out and about enjoying the winter weather. The summit revealed one of the best undercasts of the season. The clouds were like water stretching across the horizon. You could see the tips of the mountains peaking above the clouds. It was spectacular. Our guest was happy to see this rare event as well. —Chase
