The goal was to get Mts Monroe and Eisenhower for their winter 48. The plan was to climb the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, get on Crawford Path to the Monroe Loop and take it to the Monroe summit before reconnecting with Crawford Path, jump on the Eisenhower Loop to its summit then reconnect with Crawford Path once again before exiting the ridge just short of Mt Pierce (which they had already). It was a solid plan but the snow was so deep and drifted on the ridge it really slowed the team down. So much so that while on the Eisenhower summit the team decided to backtrack to Edmands Path and exit to Mt Clinton Road that way. This would include more deep snow hiking albeit downhill, plus a couple miles of road walking, but overall it was thought to be the easier of the options and the team had indeed met their goals for the day. Was it the best choice? We don’t know for sure. Redline Guide Ken Hodges did struggle with this — but all professionals do. Dropping back down via Crawford Path would have been easier for sure and a car did await them. But getting there could have been tough. We do know the snow between Eisenhower and Pierce would have been just as deep if not deeper thanks to the increased amount of krummholz along the way making for an extreme physical and navigational challenge. At the end of the day our guests were extremely happy overall, and they all had a terrific day, including Ken. We’ll call that a win. Here are some photos, taken by all.
With a long history of guiding and search and rescue experience, decision making often isn’t easier. In fact it’s quite often more difficult. But getting it right the first time does improve. —Redline Guiding
