People often seek us out when they are prepping for bigger things. The come looking for relevant classes, or some mountain time, or both. Case in point: a recent testimonial from a couple thanked us for helping them prepare to take on Gran Paradiso in Italy and Mt Blanc in France. And it’s not the first time, to be sure. Being just a tiny part of these sometimes once-in-a-lifetime challenges feels awesome — and this is even before they reach out to say thanks and share their glory. What follows is one such situation — a group who will be attempting an Everest Basecamp Trek. And with that we are going to hand over our digital pen to Redline Guide Mike Maciel and let him tell the rest.
Training: Round Three
Earlier this summer a group reached out as part of their preparation for a fall trek to Everest Basecamp. We set them up with a series of adventures that got increasingly more difficult through a variety of terrain:
Trip One was a day hike to South Moat to get a baseline understanding of where they were at. Check out this “Moats Again” post for more info.
Trip Two was a Mizpah Hut overnight with Jackson/Pierce/Eisenhower. Check out this “Training Adventures” post for more info.
Trip Three we kicked it up another notch with Monroe and Washington and a night at the AMC’s Lakes of the Clouds hut.
This last adventure put them in some difficult terrain as we negotiated the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail on a misty day. The rocks were slick and above treeline the visibility was limited. After a break at the hut and happily unloading their overnight gear, the guests were eager to head up Mt Monroe and were still smiling when we made it to the socked-in summit.
The evening and morning weather updates unfortunately indicated more of the same for Day Two. The plan had always been to ascend Mt Washington, views or not, and after breakfast we headed up into the abyss. While the original plan was to descend the Jewell Trail to complete the standard loop from the west, we called an audible and went down the Cog right-of-way to keep our guests off of those notorious northern Presi rocks. They have some big things ahead and it just wasn’t worth the risk. They achieved their summits and while there wasn’t much for long views, our guests got some important experience in adapting to the less than ideal conditions. —Mike M.
Now it’s time to check out some photos Mike captured from this trip.
