A now-returning guest who had hiked Mt Washington with Redline Guide Chase Hall last year came to us looking to take on the northern loop on Franconia Ridge — you know, the one involving Falling Waters, Franconia Ridge, Greenleaf, and Old Bridle Path trails (the loop we’re going to do by the light of the moon on August 23rd). This famed loop isn’t the only thing […]
When the title of this post arrives as feedback on a trip we led or a class we taught, we know we did something right. It doesn’t mean we over-delivered, but clearly we didn’t under-deliver. It usually means that we nailed it, offering our guests exactly what they wanted (or needed) — meaning we met their expectations. So, you may wonder, how does simply meeting expectations […]
A long time guest returned once again, chipping away at her 4000-footers list. In that we develop friendships doing what we do, she was led by her go-to Redline Guide Mike Maciel. The secondary objective was Galehead and the Twins. Other ideas were on the table but this one seemed to be the best thanks to the heat and humidity, the team opted for more shade. […]
Just one day ago it was very hot, very humid, and the insects were loving being able to hang out with some nice sweaty hikers. Today things were a lot different. The heat: gone. The humidity: also gone. And the bugs: well, they were blown away by the strong breezes. A delightful day to hike, to be sure. And our guest was grateful. She arrived yesterday […]
At 3997-feet Mt Tecumseh — a long-established 4000-footer — isn’t actually 4000-feet. It remains on the list, for now, and seems to be grandfathered, so to speak. That said, we know one guy who claims to be done with Tecumseh. Like, he’s over it. We suppose we know what you may be thinking at this point so well let Redline Guide Chase Hall clear things up… […]
Some hikers skip gleefully across the Bonds during their traverses, but not all. Other hikers will take all the help they can get. This is sometimes a choice but in other instances the decision may be driven by the level of conditioning, or a disability, or perhaps just the result of age. We’re not here to judge, only to help. And by help we mean hut-to-hut […]
One of our guests seems to be closing in on his multi-year objective: “The Grid” (to hike all the 4ks, every month of the year). Again he was out there with his safety backup, Redline Guide Chase Hall, checking off another mountain as “complete.” In this case it was Mt Moriah, taken on a very hazy, but nice, smoke-filled (from Canadian fires) day. Now let’s check […]
The call came in from an assistant for the founder of a security company in New York. Her boss — an experienced White Mountain National Forest hiker — was looking for a good hike with some third class terrain on which to scramble. While actual third class terrain is not very common in the WMNF which offers mostly 2nd class scrambles and 5th class climbs, we […]
We encourage our guides to briefly summarize the day allowing us to better capture and record the event and create a keepsake for our guests to share and enjoy. While we know the mountains and all that goes with hiking them, not being on trail with the guests makes it hard for us to solidify the image of the moment. Sometimes our guides summarize things so […]
Hiking the Seven Summits — scaling the tallest mountain from each of the seven continents — is a daunting project involving some extraordinary physical, mental, financial, and geographical challenges that need to be overcome. While we don’t have exact numbers, according to AI, approximately 3500 people attempt this challenge annually and we can safely say only a tiny percentage of people succeed. Again according to AI, […]
Jefferson Notch Road is closed, gated, as it usually is at this time of year, so this was going create a problem as they knew. Ideally the team — consisting of Redline Guide Chase Hall and an oft-returning Gridding Guest — wanted to hike up Caps Ridge Trail to the Mt Jefferson summit. They felt going up Jewell or any other route was going to be […]
The “shoulder seasons” — one in the spring and one in the fall — demarcate winter and summer, but do not do so with an exacting edge, to be sure. One day it’s warmish and sunny, on next day it’s socked-in and rainy, and then you have one of those ridiculous May snowstorms. Our guests didn’t ask for this, but they did clear treeline on the […]
