Ah, Mt Cabot (4170′), it’s one of those New Hampshire 4000-footers that can throw you a curve. Many get to the top of that mountain mere moments after inspecting the old fire warden’s cabin, enjoy some restricted views, then swing the party around and head home. Only later to realize another summit — the actual summit — is a few tenths of a mile from there […]
When he finally came back to New Hampshire, Redline Guide Ken Hodges wryly said “ayuh, you ken get theyah from heyah” — obvious to us his stay in Maine had been long enough. As it was he had three backpacking/hiking trips back-to-back-to-back so he got his Maine on. It wasn’t originally like that. Originally Ken was signed up for two trips with a nice rest period […]
We led a Michigan family of four into Zealand Notch to enjoy a legitimate New Hampshire backpacking experience, being mindful that they lacked mountains back home and that the youngest members were only 12 and 13. On lead for this trip was Redline Guide Pat Ferland and he’s the one that penned this excellent plan. Day one saw the family making their way toward the Notch […]
We get a fair number of requests for hiking guides on Huntington Ravine. It stands to reason. Billed as one of the most difficult trails in the White Mountain National Forest, it causes concern for some people, and justifiably so. Huntington Ravine, for some, is really straightforward, even easy. For others, though, the potential for death or injury from very real hazards is very much a […]
The lads were on their way to Eagle — Eagle Scout, that is, and wanted a special trip. Something new, something out there. So they called us. Initially we were thinking a wilderness adventure, but group size was making that impossible due to wilderness rules. The Kilkenny came to mind, but there were limitations there for a four day trip. Then a half Mahoosuc traverse came […]
On September 15th, 2020, Redline Guiding owner and New Hampshire Justice of the Peace, Mike Cherim, officiated the wedding of two young people, Taylor and Eric, atop Cathedral Ledge. It was a very classy wedding. Style to the max! Built upon this first introduction, Taylor bought her dad a gift certificate covering a day of hiking with us. He seized the opportunity and booked a day […]
On the sixth Tuesday of every month people admit that hiking Mt Washington is easy-peasy. At every other time it’s a tad challenging, at least on some physical and/or mental level. Sure there are people that make it look easy, and a good lot can hike it twice, back-to-back, without suffering that satisfying feeling of wooden quads the next day, but for most mere mortals, the […]
Ahh, the soothing sounds the stream gurgling, interrupted only by the rap-rap-rapping of a large pileated woodpecker. The family flew in from San Diego, California. This is where we have to insert the obligatory joke about their arms being tired. Okay, that done, we can move along. They had never been to New Hampshire, but they found value in a guide on another trip they had […]
Of all the Presidentials, the 5372-foot Mt Monroe stands out as one of our favorites. We think this is thanks to a couple of attributes. First of all, unless blowing your mind by coming at it from Mt Washington or from points south, the regular access trail — the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail — is a delight. It’s rugged, quite varied, and even exciting in places. A […]
There are several chunks of New Hampshire that Appalachian Trail (AT) thru-hikers fear/loathe/admire/respect more than others — one notable example being the Mahoosuc Notch, that one billed as “the toughest mile on the AT.” The guide books speak of the wildness or ruggedness of these chunks. The words they use in these tomes may conjure up visions of deep, dark, and prehistoric wilds, the wet rock […]
A couple visiting from New Jersey wanted to get some hiking done on some of the White Mountain’s rugged trails. The group size was variable over time as the planning part went on, and the objectives changed a few times, but finally a plan did come to fruition. Namely it ended up being two days of hiking for two people with two 4000-footers Pierce and Eisenhower […]
This morning a prior adventures guest and student posted on Facebook that she finished her 48 4000-footers. We congratulated her in a comment. She, in turn, gave our comment a heart and thanked us for our help. That comment drove home the point that we help the starters start and the finishers finish. We help bridge the gap between plan and action, either by bolstering the […]
