If we had to point out one guide over all our others and say that that person is our in-house backpacking guru, we’d have to point to Redline Guide Arlette Laan. There’s a ton of backpacking experience among our guides, it’s true, but she’s hiked all of the National Scenic Trails in the United States. Do you have any idea just how many overnights that entails?! […]
When the quarterback of an American “football” team changes his mind and wants to edit the play at the last second, it is referred to as “calling an audible” — for whispering the change among the offense, we’d guess. One reason a quarterback might want to do this is to respond to changes to the defensive line of scrimmage, for example. While the term was once […]
A returning guest from last year was hoping to finish off the 100-Mile Wilderness in Maine, part of a greater AT quest. The last trip, involving flying in a float plane, only led to a partial completion. Bits remained, and some still do thanks to rainy weather causing high water challenges. On lead for this trip was Redline Guide Ken Hodges. We’ll let him summarize and […]
There are so many interesting tidbits regarding this hike. For one thing it was one participant’s tenth birthday (happy birthday). Moreover this oft-returning peakbagging family also got numbers 6, 7, and 8 of their quest to climb the 4000-footers of New Hampshire. On lead for this two day event involving a stay at the AMC’s Lakes of the Clouds hut was Redline Guide Pat Ferland. The […]
What does a person do when they have a credit with us and have already hiked New Hampshire’s 48 4000-footers? There are many options like working on other lists, for example. Another is to enlist others. Stoke the passion. Spread the word. That’s what one returning guest did. She came back with friends. We approve. We helped her along the way on her journey, and she […]
The idea Redline Guide and Gossamer Gear Ambassador Arlette Laan had was to offer an educational overnight — a backpacking clinic, free, to four qualifying people. We were there to support the event, offering gear if needed, and Gossamer Gear was to outfit the group with packs (which they got to keep) and cover costs. To qualify, hopeful participants had to be ‘true beginners who could […]
It was a wedding gift. Tickets to ride. A honeymoon of an atypical sort. We like atypical things so we were stoked for it. Ordered up was a backpacking trip into Baxter State Park in Maine, home to the famed Mt Katahdin (5268′ Baxter Peak and 4756′ Hamlin Peak). On lead for this adventure was Redline Guide Arlette Laan. What follows is her telling of the […]
The distance and depth spark intrigue, there nestled deep within the Pemigewasset Wilderness, one will find Owls Head. At 4029-feet it’s a stout 4000-footer, not the favorite to many, and it has a large footprint. It’s the grand lump in the middle of it all. It’s the mountain many people mention when pointing out other mountains. Cooler mountains. It’s the incidental one. Owls Head is the […]
Portering is an appealing concept to many people and long in practice on some mountains — like Everest with its Sherpa porters, for example. You start off in the morning with your day pack and set off on that leg of your journey. Many hours later, tired, hungry, ready to rest up for the day, you wander into camp and straight to your tent, already set […]
This class was a small one, specifically meant for leaders of future leaders: an Intro to Rock course meant to help leader members of the Friends Forever International group prepare for a larger group visit next month. This class’s students, instructed by Redline Guide Pat Ferland, will be helping belay more students on their next visit and will have much better oversight into how things run. […]
The team carpooled to the trailhead as it made the most sense. It was to be a simple out-and-back, no “car spots” needed. The plan was to hike up to Mt Jefferson (5713′) — number three on the list of 4000-footers and number three on the list for our guest. They were going to do this via the Caps Ridge Trail. For those not in the […]
Porterers of dreams. Your imagination coupled with our local knowledge and brute strength can make some pretty cool things happen. Examples might include helping someone enjoy a less-effort backpacking experience, or helping someone avoid carrying a lot of extra weight on particularly technical or worrisome terrain. Expect to hear more about this service in action very soon. Right now, however, we just helped one couple — […]
