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 […]
Are you ready to ski in the backcountry this spring? Mother Nature has been signaling to us that the time is here. New snow in the mountains as of late is being measured in feet. So, if you’re sitting at home right now, the brown grass starting to green up, it may be a mental challenge to get into ski mode, but in the gullies and […]
Want to get out there and winter hike? Here’s what you need to do… Do you have a winter hike or snowshoeing adventure in your future? Counting down to the main event is not the time to be idle while you wait. If a winter outing like that is on your agenda, the real time to start preparing is now. It’s a definite must if you’re […]
Reality check. You might think that with more experience, more assurance would naturally follow the hiker or outdoorsman, but often the opposite is true. The more experience you have, or the more others depend on you, the more you are likely to waffle on some of your decision making, struggling at times. Second-, third-, even fourth-guessing yourself is commonplace, especially among the pros. The more one […]
Teaching Wilderness Navigation is challenging because learning it is a challenge. Furthermore, once it is learned, it is easily forgotten. After our classes we provide homework whose main purpose is to help our students identify their own weaknesses and to gain a greater retention of the material. We even offer resources and lend our personal support to the cause. We don’t want our students to forget […]
We could say it’s all about… Finding North It’s 8:09AM, class. Let’s head over to the bar at Stonehurst Manor for one of their powerful espresso martinis. What? No, you say, it’s too early to drink? They’re not even open at this time? Are you going to let time control your life?! Those numbers, they seem to have a lot of meaning to you, don’t they? […]
A little while ago the Appalachian Mountain Club published the 31st Edition of the AMC’s White Mountain Guide Book. There was talk of modifying the list now that GPS technology continually improves and LIDAR allows us to “see” like never before, but thankfully for peakbaggers, it did stay the same. Well, mostly. The 48 mountains listed remains the same, even though one of them, Tecumseh (grandfathered), […]
Leave No Trace (LNT) is a detailed subject with certain nuances, some of which we go over in an article we wrote some time ago. As a lighter introduction, however, we decided to put together this little educational video (below). This was done with the help of Redline Guides Mike Cherim (host, script, direction), Mike Maciel (videographer and consultant), and Pat Ferland (consultant). Pat is an […]
She was taking a full day navigation course with us in preparation for a solo thru-hike of the 100-Mile Wilderness in Maine. In that class, even though it is not an orienteering course, per se, we do discuss what to do if you find yourself lost on a hike. We always suggest looking behind you for starters. People are turned and misdirected by water bars and […]
It’s getting to be that time of year: Spring, a whole new season of hazards to contend with. A time of year when staying dry is a real challenge thanks to all the various forms of water out there. And crossings… oh, my. That ice cold and sometimes turbid spring snow melt rushing toward the sea — standing between us and our next 4000-footer or 52 […]
Nowadays there are undoubtedly thousands of how-to resources about hiking, maybe even hundreds of thousands. Or more! There are blog posts, articles, books, videos, documentaries, podcasts, as well as clubs, groups, and organizations all vying to teach their readers, viewers, listeners, or members a thing or two about hiking. We’re guilty of it ourselves on this blog, and on our Resources page. And we bet that […]
The question: “Should hikers wear mountaineering boots in NH’s White Mountains? Well, the short answer is yes if they will be using crampons. The performance of mountaineering boots with crampons greatly exceeds the performance of hiking boots with the same crampons. The main reason is the unyielding stiffness of mountaineering boots offering the wearer superior support. This is critical to effective climbing (or hiking on trails […]
