There are four distinct seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. But in the mountains, especially, the lines between these seasons can become blurred and indistinct. Case in point, one day it’s warm and sunny and very spring-like, surfaces getting softer as they melt in the sun, and the next day it’s full-on winter, all that melt water frozen creating a treacherous surface to climb on, with […]
The day was challenging on a few levels. Mostly thanks to the weather and ground conditions. That said, our guest was out there giving it her all so we applaud the effort. The objective was Mt Cabot (one of those 4ks) and unfortunately they weren’t able to summit, but as they say, the mountain will be there another day. On lead for this attempt was Redline […]
One of the most demanding classes we offer in terms of depth and complexity is our Wilderness Navigation course — ours is not a dumbed-down offering by any means. The “click” from our students’ understanding does occur, but it is definitely hard won. But when that happens, however, it’s immensely satisfying, both for us and our students. We do finish up the class giving homework, which […]
One meaning of the word view, as a noun, is to say it is a sight or prospect, typically of attractive natural scenery, that can be taken in by the eye from a particular place. For example: “The view from that mountain’s summit was sublime.” Inasmuch, one would immediately think this statement refers to seeing something awesome in the distance, far-reaching. But that’s far from correct. […]
With a huge amount of appreciation, we’d like to thank Black Mountain Ski Area in Jackson for allowing us to use their mountain to conduct glacier skills and mountaineering skills courses, the first of the season having taken place yesterday. This isn’t uncommon and has been the norm for us for several years — for which we’ve always been grateful — but this one was different. […]
The title of this post echos words spoken by those who train with us in the art and science of Wilderness Navigation (using map, compass, and brain capable of critical thinking). This time it was the Pemi Valley Hikers. Teaching this course (and several more on the books), as usual, was Redline Guide Mike Cherim along with co-lead Michael Scire. There’s not much more to tell […]
If you’re a New Hampshire hiker and familiar with the 48 it’s more than likely you’ll get more from the title of this post than those who don’t hike here. To those folks the title may seem a little dark or shadowy, or even troubling, or sad. To us, however, the Isolation part of the title is referring to the shorter (4004′) but still amazing high […]
Every 150 years or so, stemming back to the 11th century, indigenous people in the eastern part of what is now the United States and Canada made a collective effort to re-plant and rejuvenate the limited number of alpine areas for agricultural purposes. The absence of trees made these lands convenient planting locations with full sun, perfect for small, hardy plants transplanted from what is now […]
Our guest from Texas plans to come back to hike Mt Washington this coming summer and, wow, he’s going to be shocked by what the southeastern snowfield looks like without snow smoothing the landscape. That section of Lion Head Trail is “wicked” (as we say up here) convoluted. That said, if wanting experiences in life, coming back to see the not-so-white mountain will be worth another […]
It’s almost April so while it’s not totally unheard of while backcountry skiing, having a “powder day” this late in the season is indeed a lucky break, to be sure. We know our guests up from Mass had a great time making tracks up and back. What follows is a short summary from Redline Guide Erik Samia, who led this day of adventure. We lucked out […]
The title of this post is likely going to be taken as a reference to generally bad weather by our readers but, really, its focus is on a specific element of the weather: the wind. On New England’s taller mountains — the ones offering alpine exposure like Mt Katahdin in Maine, Mansfield and Camel’s Hump in Vermont, and Moosilauke, peaks of the Franconia Ridge, and most […]
The mountains will always have the final say and, as mere mortals, we must abide. Winter Mt Washington trips result in a lot of shorted trips going only as far as we can, due to the frequency of impossible weather, but when it comes to things like traverses we have to be somewhat flexible. This is such a case, the guest wanting “something epic,” though the […]
