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 […]
The Tyrolean traverse utilizes a fixed line over extreme terrain like a steep gorge or a raging, impossible-to-cross river. Using a fixed line a person wearing a climbing harness clips themselves to the rope — along with their pack — and pulls themselves with their gear in tow, hand-over-hand. If done right it isn’t too difficult, scary, or awkward, and it may be aided with another […]
Moving forward our guests will view almost every hike and backpack as an improvement over the rainy one they experienced in October of 2023. Even mediocre conditions will seem great. This isn’t a bad thing. It’s a fine way to form a realistic perspective. Backpacking in the rain isn’t the easiest or most fun, but it is part of the picture. And once acclimated to it […]
Normally we’d come up with some cleaver lead-in, but really, in this case, we don’t need to because Redline Guide Arlette Laan, the lead for this hike, covered that. Inasmuch, we’re ready to dive right in. Here’s today’s story, from Arlette’s perspective… Did you know that our guests are really smart? They want to make sure they can accomplish their hiking goals safely and having us […]
Back in the day there was a prior attempt, but it didn’t happen, they didn’t win. The 3238-foot 52 With a View peak in question — Smarts Mountain — beckoned but they couldn’t heed the call. It was all thanks to the snow. We tried attaching a snow plow to Redline Guide Howard Aronson, but it was too much. The team, Howard and one of our […]
More and more people looking for a fun and relaxed hike/walk/tour in the White Mountain National Forest and general area are turning to our 2-3 hour “Tourist Tours” as we call them. As a way of maximizing ones time while visiting, a tour guide can really add to the value, filtering out the best for our guests and setting aside the rest. That’s what Redline Guide […]
A quick search on our blog will reveal many, many stories about hikes up Huntington Ravine. Guidance on it is requested a lot being it’s such a scary trail — and deservedly so. The Fan, the Slab, the delicate and precarious moves along the way, the over all exposure, and all of it topped off by a Chimney. “It’s the most challenging trail in the WMNF… […]
There is therapy in occupation and it’s serious business — for some. As Mr. Rogers once noted: “Play is often talked about as if it were a serious relief from learning. But for children, play is learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” Those in the know, those whose occupation it is to offer therapy of the occupational sort, for kids, love to play and […]
Back in the day he skied Tuckerman Ravine. Now he wanted to climb the mountain — this time with no skis on his back, from the west side, and probably 25-35 years after the fact. But that’s okay. We serve many much older so we had no doubts. Moreover, to his credit, our guest exercised daily to include mountain biking, tennis, ice hockey, and he still […]
Today was the scheduled hike day for a guest visiting from California. She wanted something pretty, a hike around water, and only for a few hours. On the mission was Redline Guide Mike Cherim and the objective chosen was a circumnavigation of Mountain Pond in Chatham. For those who aren’t aware, Mike is the volunteer adopter/maintainer for this trail (and you can help). For him, this […]
We develop some wonderful relationships with our guests. Some of them literally become our friends. On the first trip with our “friends” we get to know each other a bit, realizing later, by say trip two or three, that Redline Guide Arlette Laan (for example, or whoever they’re assigned to) is awesome. Fun, engaging, knowledgeable, and also approachable. It feeds the fire and they end up […]
