There is a test of courage and sanity on Elephant Mountain in Maine (one of the New England Hundred Highest). And by that we don’t mean the act of summiting — or figuring out where to start this bushwhack for that matter. The real test is whether or not to don the brittle plastic/rubber elephant trunk mask found at the summit. It’s nasty, mice chew it, […]
All of our famed NH 4000-footer peaks may be accessed by different trails (or from different directions) affording hikers a change of pace if taking them on more than once. This also affords them an opportunity to go the short/easy way, the long/hard way, or in some cases, the scary/technical way. For example, two peaks on the Franconia Ridge, Mts. Flume and Liberty (4329′ and 4457′, […]
With us again, returning from last year, are two youth groups, this time both opting for Wednesday, July 10th, coincidentally (and giving us the opportunity to lead the largest number of guests ever in a single day). These youth groups were Camp Tel Noar and Forever Friends International. It was a terrific time for both groups. Read about last year here (CTN), and here (FFI). Now, […]
A “wonderful hike” were the words used by our guest to summarize her ascent of Mt Washington with Redline Guide Arlette Laan. This hike was on the good day, meaning Friday in this case. There’s not a big story here to tell, we received a short-notice request we were able to accommodate. Boom. Here are a few photos of the day, revealing some of its wonderful […]
Huntington Ravine was on the table, but the air was so wet, the clouds coming and going, and morning sprinkles added to the soggy problem. A little wetness is okay, but the more of it there is, the more dangerous the hike becomes, especially if Huntington is on the agenda. Tuckerman Ravine was Plan B and that is the plan Redline Guides Chase Hall and Gregg […]
As much as we like variety, the number of options is indeed finite. Thus, for those working on their GRID of all the 4000-footers in every month, repeats are inevitable. And that’s okay. Many of the trails are worth repeating several times anyway — and just stick with that mindset to protect your sanity. Leading this oft-returning guest on Mt Isolation — again — is Redline […]
A family from Alabama reached out hoping to book a non-specific nature tour. When asked what our prospective guests at the time might like to focus on — us offering topic examples like history, geology, sociology, environment, flora and fauna, and teachable moments — the reply we got to all that was “yes.” For those not in the know, this translates to: “we’ll take it all.” […]
Two days, in a row, without some rain? Is that even possible? Not that rain seems to stop the guides around here. They’re out there hiking and backpacking in it all the same, and even rock climbing — though that part was done between rains, as if by magic. We were worried. The notion of two consecutive days… was it fantasy? As it turned out, however, […]
And on this trip there was one. This Hiking Buddies Intro to Backpacking experience was close to full, but then things happened, numbers thinned, though plans were in motion and they stayed that way. Redline Guide Debra McCown ended up having only one student, but this did not diminish the experience. What follows is a step-by-step summary from Debra along with one zillion photos. A Chill […]
When asked our students usually either want get to know the typical navigational tools and how to use them while staying on hiking trails, or how to orient themselves if lost (like an orienteering class — which this isn’t, really), or to go all-out and hike anything, anywhere, trails optional. Our Wilderness Navigation class focuses on the whole range, offering students what they want but weighing […]
Gridding is a name for the pursuit of summiting NH’s 48 4000-footers every month of the year. According to the math, that means we are multiplying 48 (peaks) by 12 (months). No need to go for your phone; it’s a whopping 576. If that seems like a lot of redundancy, it may be, unless you explore your options. Such as: Combining peaks — which is quite […]
This past weekend began with two women’s-only groups, the first of many parts of a season-long offering to our friends at the Hiking Buddies (reach out to them to learn more). Thanks to life and mechanized things whittling down our numbers, the two groups, ultimately consisting of five participants, became one. Leading were Redline Guides Arlette Laan and Debra McCown. The destination: Perkins Notch and the […]
