Climbing Mt Katahdin, 5,270 ft (1,610 m) located in Baxter State Park in Maine is otherworldly, remote, and demanding, and that’s in the spring, summer, and fall. In the winter these attributes are even more pronounced. Even getting there is a trial unto itself. Moreover, being that it’s in Maine some will tell you that “you can’t get there from here, ayuh.” But we know better […]
Five people were supposed to join this class but one succumbed to a flu-like illness making its way through the northeast so only four made it. This Hike Intro (winter version) Course was a fun and informative class and everyone had a terrific day. The forecast called for clouds but full sun and pleasant temps were the order of the day. Leading was Redline Guide Mike […]
Sometimes Owls Head is a nice walk in the woods. And sometimes it’s a challenging slog. Funny the difference armpit deep snow makes. Okay, the last comment is an exaggeration, but there was snow, it was deep, and it was a challenging slog. But the team — one oft-returning guest and Redline Guide Chase Hall — did make it… well, to the base on the Brutus […]
Our friends over at Hiking Buddies created an event meant to help hikers and others stay safe in the winter. Aptly named the Snow Safe Summit (SSS), this was their first go at it and despite a significant snowstorm, the two-and-a-half day event was well attended. Our role was two-fold: On day one we offered a “skills station” going over simple traction devices and snowshoes helping […]
Mountains of snow atop mountains of lost rock defined the story and set the stage. Not all was lost, though. Out of three mountains in their sights, two were successfully summited. And the third, you may wonder, will indeed be there another day. This task was broken into two days led by Redline Guides Chase Hall (three guests) and Debra McCown (one guest left), respectively. What […]
A couple from Mass have some big plans to hike the Continental Divide Trail soon. They wanted to get some mountaineering skills training in so as to be prepared for some of the conditions they are expecting to have to deal with. Another couple was supposed to join in and planned to tackle Mt Washington tomorrow but the weather got the better of them — but […]
About a week ago we were able to get a returning couple to the summit of Mt Washington in some gnarly conditions allowing them the finally tick that box. On this trip they wanted to do some ice climbing and Redline Guide Glenn Van Neil had one of his favorite spots in mind: Parasol Gully. It was a beautiful day in a great location. The team […]
Along the Presidential Range, two mountains were needed. Two mountains both of which can be difficult to conquer in the winter. For this particular assignment we had Redline Guide Eric Hansen out there. We’ll let him give the details. He tells it like this: We had a great day to hike Mts Madison (5367′) and Adams (5793′). Our route was Valley Way to Madison Springs hut, […]
A guest from New York State came to visit for a couple of days. She was partaking in our two-day Mt Washington program consisting of a day of training followed by an attempt on the summit of the Rock (and Ice) Pile. Day one went well enough, they got everything done they wanted to get done, but looking at the weather forecast the team, led by […]
The objective was to clear treeline, see what all the fuss is about, and then climb Mt Washington with the goal of summiting. Being there was a small weather window, it looked like it’d be on nicer side up there for a change. On lead for this hike was Redline Guide Debra McCown, who supplied the short summary and photos below. Our two guests were hoping […]
A returning guest wanted to take on a couple of winter 4ks so he reached out. The plan was to take on Monroe (to settle a score, so to speak) and then hike the Tripyramids. The score with Monroe remains unsettled due to some extreme cold weather so Carter Dome was put in its place. For now, anyway. What follows are some photos from both trips. […]
It’s been said that doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results is a sign of insanity. But not always. Sometimes doing the same thing over and over again eventually leads to success. That was the case on this trip. The oft-returning couple had done all sorts of cool things with us, but one thing kept eluding them. That one thing was […]
