It was a simple, straightforward request, one we get often: “We’d like to summit Mt Washington via Huntington Ravine.” The requesting brother-sister team had a perfect day for this ascent of the “most difficult trail in the Whites” and with them a terrific guide, Redline Guide Debra McCown to show the way. What follows is a summary written by Debra along with about one-trillion photos.
Weirdest Hikers, Best Snacks
They assured me that the extra weight in their backpacks was ‘just clothing layers and food.’ I didn’t do a pack dump. I took their word for it. But I did kind of wonder how someone ends up with a 23-pound pack when that’s all they’re carrying. At the first break stop, I began to understand. They pulled out multiple bags of heavy sandwiches. A huge spinach canzone. Multiple bags of Rhode Island party pizza. A pan worth of homemade muffins. A gallon bag of ‘puppy chow’ snack mix. And a whole rotisserie chicken, shredded and bagged.
They were there for Huntington Ravine Trail, and it was my first trip of the season on this perennial favorite, which is known for its Class 3 scrambles and has a reputation for being the most difficult trail in the White Mountains. With the smaller of the two guests beginning to tire under the weight of her pack, her chivalrous younger brother offered to carry it for her. He toted it up to the base of the slabs, where safety dictated that she’d have to carry it herself.
The route was a little wet, but safe enough to scramble safely in sticky trail runners that they’d bought in anticipation of their hike. They had a blast on the scrambles, and then we went to the summit, where we ate what was probably the third meal of the day — all of which were way better than anything sold at the summit snack bar. It wound up being a pretty long day, but the weather was amazing — and we all ate really, really well. —Debra
