Friends since the age of eleven, these two guests, both from (old) England, were taking a vacation together, enjoying some of what a wintery New Hampshire has to offer. Besides alpine skiing at Wildcat and a planned beer stop at one of our local breweries, a half day snowshoe hike was the order of the day. On lead for this was Redline Guide Mike Cherim. When […]
When someone asks, what’s the best way to train for hiking, we respond with “hiking.” When someone asks, what’s the best way to train for winter hiking, we respond with “winter hiking,” which, if you didn’t know, comes early in the mountains. So while one may argue it’s still fall so it can’t be winter hiking — and technically they would be correct — tell that […]
We’re thankful for both our guests and our guides. It is this amazing combination that is magic, and it would never work otherwise. We do not take this for granted and realize we are quite simply, blessed for both — and so much more. Recently we have come to learn (or be reminded) that this thankfulness works in more than one direction. Sure, our guests say […]
She had a few mountain peaks under her belt, both 4000-footers and some 52 With a View mountains. What she didn’t have was experience hiking in winter conditions. That is where we came in. It was anything goes in terms of what was up for grabs so Redline Guide Chase Hall offered Mt Liberty (4457′) and the rest is history. Check out this summary from Chase. […]
Backpack, Shack, and Bushwhack! —Guest Done right, the boredom of winter backpacking will get you long before the cold will. And with good company, the boredom is less of a problem. The darkness comes so early, you see, and once camp chores are done, hitting the hay is the only way to be really comfortable. Conversation remaining possible within the confines of their three-sided Adirondack-style shelter […]
Down low in the Mt Washington Valley it was sunny, nice, and in the sun, out of the wind, you could feel it warming you. Barely, but it was there. Get a bump in elevation, though, climb some 4000-footer, even a smaller one like Zealand Mtn (4264′) and, well… you read the title of this blog post, it was “freaking cold out,” adding “easy sub-zero windchill.” […]
A guest from Indiana came to us hoping to take on a half day hike. A sunrise hike, actually — to do something really special while visiting. Her first stop was in Vermont, and adding a visit to New Hampshire was high on her list as well. And once she realized how close to Maine she was (as we pointed to it), we’re pretty sure a […]
Just like last weekend, we’ve been hanging out with our buddies, our Hiking Buddies, that is. Together, we are making an effort to educate, giving of our time and wisdom. Together we are offering safety through insight and knowledge, leadership, even companionship. Together, we are trying to let SAR volunteers stay home. Like our first group, this weekend’s students were working on earning their three-season Redline […]
Our brains are like sponges and we’re never done learning. —BC The group out there that many of you have heard about — the one called Hiking Buddies — started a thing. Inspired by tragedy, they decided to affect a change — or at least try to. The first order of business: Well, our Buddies don’t solo and the aforementioned tragedy involved a person hiking on […]
A lot of our guests come from far flung locations like various cities and towns located in the northeast. This most recent couple, however, showed we really have some reach. To go on a half-day hike with us they traveled about 1000 miles southward and almost 3000 miles west to meet us. In case you’re wondering and happened to miss the title of this post, they […]
A returning guest asked for a guide for Owls Head (last time it was Isolation). Her aim: to finish the list. This isn’t uncommon as Owls Head can be wild and intimidating. Its remoteness within the Pemi Wilderness, the crossings, the talk of bushwhacks. It’s a tough one for a day hike and after an earlier attempt got her close she figured she would just call […]
The title is in reference to the weather up there. And by “up there” we mean the Northern Presidentials. “Pretty Wild” are the first words we got back from Redline Guide Dominic Torro upon completion of his two-mountain lead. Our guest was looking for a solid hike, something on the tougher side. We thought Adams and Madison was a pretty good call. Those are tough even […]
