A returning guest wanted a guide on a 4000-footer. Selected were Flume/Liberty by Redline Guide Debra McCown. These two are located on the south end of the Franconia Ridge for those not in the know. She chose Saturday, 9/14, as her day. We mentioned to her that that would be a busy day in the mountains as that would the day many hikers would memorialize the victims and first responders of 9/11 by participating in the annual Flags on the 48 event. She knew, well aware, perhaps more so than others having lived in New York City during that time. It was very meaningful to her. Debra provided some additional thoughts (paraphrased below) along with a number of photos of the hike and the event. Coincidently, in a couple shots our very own Redline Guide Chase Hall is shown as he participated in the event.
Our guest, a serious marathon runner who’s new to hiking declared hiking White Mountain’s 4,000-footers to be ‘harder than a marathon,’ but had no trouble getting to the peak but also decided that hiking one was enough for one day. Flume will wait. Declaring at one point that she “wasn’t a hiker,” but was informed by another hiker that, after hiking Mt Liberty, she is, in fact, a hiker now.
