Some people dread getting out of their warm bed and making the drive up to the White Mountains from Massachusetts and other surrounding states. They still do it, our mountains call to them, but they don’t love it. We can’t blame them. Getting up so early and doing it takes some real determination to push past the shackles that try to hold them back. Hitting snooze is dangerous.
Now imagine you’re from Kentucky and you want to hike Mt Washington. As one guest just did: he drove to the airport after working all day, hopped on a flight to Portland, Maine, rented a car, drove to North Conway, met (our newest) Redline Guide Eric Hansen at our Basecamp in Intervale, went over gear that night, drove to a hotel, got up early again, drove to our Basecamp again, met Eric again, drove to the west side of Mt Washington, parked and hiked for ten hours on a classic Ammo-Jewell loop, battled winds and cold, summited the tallest peak in the Northeast, got back in the car, drove back to Basecamp, then back the hotel, rested for a day, then got up early again, drove to the Portland Jetport, then flew back to Kentucky, drove back to his home, ready to report back to work Tuesday morning.
Apparently he really wanted it. According to Eric he had a great time and plans to come back for more. Not sure he’ll be bagging the 47 other 4000-footers, but we think that if he decides to, he will. He apparently has the drive to get it done.
For more details about the trails and the hike, check out this summary from Eric:
It was a fantastic day in the alpine! We hiked the classic Ammo/Jewel loop, enjoying crisp air and clear skies. Summit temps were in the low 20s and jacket-flapping winds hitting 30-plus. Our guest got a nice ‘taste’ of winter-ish conditions on the northeast’s highest summit.
Trails were mostly dry except for icy spots on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail which we were able to maneuver around and avoid without having to put on our spikes. The brook drainage had plenty of ice already and was beautiful to see. Frost-tipped fir and spruce started as we approached the hut. At the Lakes of the Clouds hut we took a nice break out of the wind, had some food, and layered up for the summit push.
The trails weren’t crowded, we probably saw fewer than fifteen hikers all day, but everyone was super friendly and supportive. When people learned that our guest was from Kentucky just for this hike, they were super impressed and offered a lot of extra encouragement. So nice to have the White Mountains hiking community welcoming our guest and making his day even better. The descent down Jewell Trail was lovely. We enjoyed the golden hour and a nice sunset just as we finished our hike. —Eric
