Another day of chipping away at the Grid — hiking all 48 4000-footers each month — brought one of our oft-returning guests three peaks closer to the end of his very long tunnel: North Twin, South Twin, and Galehead. Much of this progress process has been under the watchful eye of Redline Guide Chase Hall. Chase is particularly qualified to lead these trips as he has […]
We have guided our guests on all of the 4000-footers on multiple occasions, but some have been requested more than the rest. The northern Presidentials, for example. Additionally Isolation, the Bonds, and Owls Head are requested quite often. This trip, hinted at in the title, was for the Owl. Leading this trip was Redline Guide Chase Hall. What follows is his summary of the tour along […]
The notorious Mount Washington is known to be the “home of the world’s worst weather.” And often times — most of the time, actually — it lives up to its reputation, especially in the winter and spring. The weather up there offers brutal cold, extreme winds, and lots of snow and rime ice. Read about it here. On other days, however, it’s a real gem. And […]
Another person working on their 48 came to us looking for a companion/guide, and we were happy to help. As many people have come to realize, hiring a guide offers a host of advantages, not just a competent companion, but so much more. On point for this particular trip — which was to bag the summit of Mt Jefferson for #45/48 — was Redline Guide Chase […]
It’s spring in the Valley but still very wintery at higher elevations. Despite this fact, however, most folks are in spring mode. As if to punctuate this, Redline Guide Debra McCown checked in at the AMC Trails Desk at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and suggested it was time to close the Lion Head Winter Route. This decision is one the USFS “Snow Rangers” make, but […]
The difficulty of any challenge is defined by those who attempt it, meaning it is always a matter of perspective. Regardless of said perspective, though, we can all hopefully agree that New Hampshire’s Mt Washington, at only 6288′ above sea level, is a pretty tough mountain to beat. The relentless incline, the steep sections, and some often wicked ground conditions mean this stubby mountain is no […]
Good day, good conditions, and good times on the old Rock Pile. Our guest reached out wanting to ski in Tuckerman Ravine and had a special interest in Left Gully. We were up to the task so on the calendar it went. Leading on this backcountry ski adventure was Redline Guide Glenn Van Neil, and he did great. Our guest mentioned this afterward: “I had a […]
About an hour before the team was to get up for their alpine start on summit day a large serac about the size of a small house, precariously perched along the up-hill edge of a massive expansion zone crevasse, fell into the depths with a thunderous crash. This crash was both heard and felt by everyone and those who had managed to actually fall asleep were […]
Some hikes are tougher on some days and easier on others. It’s the nature of the beast. And when Gridding — hiking all those 4000-footers each month of the year — one gets to see them all complete with varying stages and varying outcomes. The objectives on this particular hike — Zealand, West Bond, and Bond — did not come easy this time. But the team […]
It was one of those perfect days. Blue skies, comfortable temps, okay ground conditions, and Redline Guide Chase Hall was livin’ in the moment, helping an oft-returning guest work on his 4000-footer Grid attempt. Just plugging away! April 17th: Mt Field and Mt Willey. The Conditions were excellent for early spring. Threw on the snowshoes at the Mt Tom Spur. The snowshoes giving us the extra […]
The plan was to head up the Ammo with our oft-returning Gridder guest, wander over to George, then double back to finish a Southern Presidential Traverse. And the trail conditions were awesome until Redline Guide Chase Hall and guest got to the Lakes of the Clouds hut. Everything after that was icy — like crampons-icy. This slowed the team down a lot and they pivoted, deciding […]
There are four distinct seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. But in the mountains, especially, the lines between these seasons can become blurred and indistinct. Case in point, one day it’s warm and sunny and very spring-like, surfaces getting softer as they melt in the sun, and the next day it’s full-on winter, all that melt water frozen creating a treacherous surface to climb on, with […]
