An oft-returning guest came to us wanting to get the pendulum moving in a full arc once again, so to speak. Apparently it had slowed, or at least it seemed that way, and it wasn’t quite reaching the ends of its swing, a couple times now coming up short. Maybe it was quitting time. The idea was floated. But, no: “No way,” spoke the many voices. […]
They were waiting for the right day and here in the Whites, that can take a year or three. Taking Mt Isolation off the shelf now and then they’d turn it in their hands, carefully examining it, considering doing more, but then penultimately shelving it. Until this trip. So was it worth the wait? Well, according to Redline Guide Mike Maciel, yes. As Mike put it, […]
Snow has fallen in July, and in August, and in any month you may select — at least on Mt Washington. On that mountain the weather ranges from the worst humankind has ever seen to beyond spectacular. This latest trip was on the nice end of that scale. Today was sublime, amazing, and spectacular, the latter tagged as an understatement. The ascent was part of our […]
A large group came to us hoping to ascend Mt Washington. Some in the group were quite experienced, but most were being indoctrinated on-mountain (so we opted for a snowshoeing experience over a mountaineering one). All were hoping to summit, all were hoping to stay safe, all were hoping for a good time. The forecast was chilling, however, but not crazily-so. The sun would be out, […]
The plan was to lead one guest from Brooklyn, NY, to do some on-mountain Mountaineering Skills training on day one, probably heading into Mt Washington’s Huntington Ravine if it was safe. They were going to stay at the Harvard Cabin, then attempt the summit the next day. The intended route was via Diagonal Gully in Huntington Ravine, but as noted in Will’s report, the potential for […]
The sum of several parts, this past Saturday’s group was pretty big. The result of a few classes made joinable by the initiator of each sub-group. Most were there for a full day-one training where Redline Guide Pat Ferland would teach them all Winter Skills in the morning, then take the group, plus a couple add-ins, to one of our local training locations to learn basic […]
We sometimes leave the hiking life by the side of the trail, often with the hope that it be picked up later like one of those little doggie poo bags. This may occur for myriad reasons such as relationship changes, kids and their demands, work or school obligations, even relocating to a place with no trails or mountains to hike. Some folks get so wrapped up […]
The report and photos came in quickly from Redline Guide Will Murphy. He was leading a backcountry ski tour for two fellas from Canada. one from Ontario, the other from Quebec. They were curious about this form of skiing and wanted to gain more knowledge and experience. The objective for the day was the Gulf of Slides. According to Will, that despite the forecast — which […]
Our Hiking Intro Course is seasonal in that its content is adapted to follow the seasons. So, in winter, it really becomes a mirror of our Winter Skills course, with a few tweaks. What changes over that course, in essence, is the scope, scale, and objective. The Hiking Intro course is followed by a 3-4 hour educational hike. There we there discuss some of what was […]
Four folks, neighbors from the next state to our south, wanted to get out there are have a backcountry alpine touring ski experience. We connected them to Redline Guide Will Murphy whose plan was to take them into the Gulf of Slides on Mt Washington. They hoped to take on Main Gully but a lot of backcountry skiers had been on it already so Will moved […]
As a rule it’s generally colder the higher you go up. But not always, which is good since on some days, the ones when it’s already cold enough, “colder” is a real bummer. On some days what hikers want is to flip that weather on its end. Instead of getting colder as we climb, let’s break all the rules and let it get warmer. We’ll call […]
We carry ourselves through the mountains, hiking and climbing them for all the experience has to offer. Some people can almost literally hear the mountains calling to them — we’re looking at you, John Muir — urging them to ascend their flanks, explore their cirques, and traverse their ridge-lines. To stand upon their summits immersed in that amazing feeling of being on top of the world. […]
