A somewhat experienced family of three from Barcelona (Spain) came to us with a two-fold plan. The first part was to hike up Mt Pierce. A warm up and intro to New Hampshire’s mountains. The second part was, for two members, to tackle an entry-level mountaineering route on Mt Washington. On lead for these two trips was Redline Guide Debra McCown. The following photos and words are her’s.
The first day was for all three guests to enjoy a nice winter hike, so we went up Mt. Pierce, in the southern Presidentials.
They took note of the snow-crusted forest — a winter wonderland far different from what they’re used to seeing in Spain, where they were visiting from. At the top, we had great views of the rest of the Presidential Range, and I pointed out Mt. Washington, where two of them were headed on the second day.
The weather on the second day was even better than the first — the kind of rare warm, sunny, blue-sky day that you only get a few of per season.
Knowing what the weather is usually like, it was amazing to climb Mt. Washington in January in essentially a long-sleeved t-shirt and be totally comfortable! As we hung around taking in the views on the summit, we were also able to look back over at Mt Pierce and see where we’d hiked the day before.
The snow conditions were great, and the guests were comfortable on the terrain, so they completed the climb quickly. We had a delay on the way down to assist a couple of young men who needed help descending the Lion Head Winter Route, but the guests said they found this interesting. It was also a reminder to everyone about the importance of bringing necessary gear and skills to the mountains.
It’s always awesome when you win the weather lottery! And we definitely did. —Debra
Day One: The Hiking
Day Two: The Climbing
