People hike for a variety of reasons. Topping the list is probably fresh air and exercise. Sometimes it’s a competitive thing and other times it’s contemplative thing. And for some it helps them forget, like a temporary escape from reality. But in some cases, it helps them remember. What they are remembering can be incredibly personal and often sad. In any or all of these cases, we can only hope the mountains do their job and work their magic. The guest on this hike with Redline Guide Chase Hall was up there for one of the reasons we mentioned — which one we’ll leave as an unanswered question. Together they attempted to summit Mt Lafayette. They didn’t make the top, but we have a feeling that mountains did their job nonetheless. What follows is a summary from Chase and a few photos the team…
The forecast for this particular hike was very tough. We hiked in a snow storm above tree line. It was a hike that I wanted to hike. I felt ready to guide a guest in a snow blizzard. I was confident in my naviagation, I knew where I was going. Ive hiked Greenleaf trail to Mt Lafayette many times. This was my first and I promise you it won’t be my last. I had to turn around a quarter of a mile from the summit of Mt. Lafayette. The winds were too strong and the snow drifts from the storm were up to my waist in some sections. after a while rime ice was starting to form and that was when things started to turn in my head. It’s not getting any easier. I was so amazed by my guest’s resolve to keep going. I showed my guest the new trail up Old Bridle Path which made the hike up to Greenleaf hut very nice. We were constantly checking in with each other at each cairn above the treeline. We both got to a point where the mountain won and we turned around. Safety is always and will ALWAYS be my priority when it comes to my guests. We tried to push forward but the winds and the visibility were just too much for this hike. —Chase
