Mountains of snow atop mountains of lost rock defined the story and set the stage. Not all was lost, though. Out of three mountains in their sights, two were successfully summited. And the third, you may wonder, will indeed be there another day. This task was broken into two days led by Redline Guides Chase Hall (three guests) and Debra McCown (one guest left), respectively. What follows are their words and images.
Day One: MT PIERCE
Notes from Chase
Today’s returning guests wanted some help with grabbing the Southern Presidentials, but deep snow might have had a different idea. It’s always an exciting moment to watch our guests summit a mountain for the first time. It’s one of the many cool perks of being a guide in the White Mountains.
Today, however, we could only get one summit because when we reached the summit of Pierce the trail leading onwards to Eisenhower was lost in several feet of snow. The trees were covered and the drifts were just too high. It wasn’t worth the risk of become trapped on the way to Mt Eisenhower. We all enjoyed a sunny Mt Pierce and made the decision to turn around and plan a return visit to grab Eisenhower on another day. —Chase
Day Two: MT JACKSON
Notes from Debra
Just a few feet below the summit, my guest told me she was stuck. She wasn’t stuck — at least not physically. It was the last little steep bit below the summit of Mt Jackson. Sometimes that spot is a scramble, but not today; it was a ramp of snow drifted well above my knees, and as I broke it out with some effort, she followed cautiously behind.
She said her snowshoes were sliding a little bit, but the real issue was that she felt nervous about the exposure and did not feel confident. So I gave her a task: Kick into the snow with the crampons of her snowshoes and take tiny steps. Slowly, she got started again. With small steps, she made it to the top and followed me in wind speeds she’d never felt before across the rocks to the summit. She hugged the sign post at the top like a bouy in the storm and proudly proclaimed that she didn’t believe she’d done it!
Just a few months ago, this guest had a similar moment on Mt Garfield and decided, just feet below the summit, that the final scramble was too much. This time, she pushed through the fear and got herself to the top. It was a few small steps up a snowy hill and into a scary wind — but a big leap in confidence and an instant expansion of her comfort zone. She began the day unsure if she’d be able to conquer this peak in winter — but now she wants to come back and do more like it.
It’s always cool to witness someone have a breakthrough moment, when they overcome a challenge to accomplish a goal. I’m so proud of her for conquering her fear. —Debra
