A long time guest returned once again, chipping away at her 4000-footers list. In that we develop friendships doing what we do, she was led by her go-to Redline Guide Mike Maciel. The secondary objective was Galehead and the Twins. Other ideas were on the table but this one seemed to be the best thanks to the heat and humidity, the team opted for more shade. As he usually does, Mike penned a summary to go along with his photos, as follows…
Decision Making
I went to Crawford Notch Friday with the intention of hitting Isolation from the Dry River. By the time I arrived around mid-morning the winds were already ripping down low, and it was raining at a decent clip. I was solo, which is rare for me, and I know that cell service is dismal in that area. As a volunteer trail maintainer I’m intimately familiar with what the wind can do to the trees around here. So let’s do the risk assessment math: I’m immediately going to soak a layer, in a place with dangerous crossings if it starts to pour, so I can head up on a ridgeline known for fir waves/blowdowns in hurricane force winds and hypothermia conditions, traveling solo on sparsely traveled trails with little ability to check in or call for help.
Annnd it’s time for a pivot. I don’t care if it’s the last chance to check a box on a random list that I now won’t be able to finish until next year. I’m familiar with the heuristic trap of ‘summit fever.’ My GI Joe cartoons taught me that ‘knowing is half the battle’ and I’m aware that without my side goal there is 0% chance I’d even be sitting at this trailhead on a day like today.
So instead I head up Mt Pierce to do a quick recon on the trail my friends and I have adopted. I get blown around at the summit. It’s fun, productive, and at no point is it a level of risk that I am uncomfortable with. From what I hear through the grapevine the calls for help above treeline that day will range in the double digits.
Our number one job as guides is to reduce risk and no matter what, that never changes. Fun, learning, teaching, goals, reducing impact… these all move around a bit depending on the day and the guest, but the primary responsibility stays the same. Get down safe!
Monday I took out one of my longtime guests. We have worked on pursuing her 48 together for five years now. Our original plan was JAM (Jefferson, Adams, Madison), with a fallback of Twins/Galehead (for 40, 41, and 42). Five years ago I would have made the decision for her that we should probably stay out of the Northern Presi frying pan during a heat advisory (what a playground we have, from hypothermia to heat stroke in 72 hours!) and take cover in the shade. Yesterday she made the call all on her own. It was my third time on the Gale River Trail in the last five days after back to back SAR missions Thurs/Fri, but I was ok with it. Leftover hut pancakes, shade, and plenty of cold water availability on the walk out in the afternoon heat made it a fair deal. She even got to meet fellow Redline Guide Mr Chase Hall at the hut and thank him for breaking out Isolation a few winters ago (his tracks set us up perfectly for the following day). Could we have done JAM? Absolutely. But we had other options and it’s never a bad idea to take some of the risk (and potential sun induced misery) off the table when you can. She’s still careful on the rocks, but our guest moved with a confidence she didn’t have when we first met. It’s amazing to see how far she has come during this adventure and I’m excited as we head down the homestretch with only six more to go. A JAM and the Bonds, there’s nothing more majestic than that. —Mike M.
