[…] stay away from this decommissioned wooded lump of iron. What with all the trees on it, chunks of iron ore scattered all over, and terrible trail erosion, this mountain is losing it. It even has bugs on it and in the air, sometimes. And don’t even get us started on the long, bumpy Class Six approach. It’s no wonder this mountain was taken off the […]
Once you get moving it is often better to stay in motion. Momentum is your friend in the right instances. We shared this sage advice during a tricky section of the trail where we thought it may help with a returning guest who was just with us on the Bonds. We hinted in that story that there was much more to tell, a secret we couldn’t […]
It seems like Redline Guide Arlette Laan was just there, guiding on the Bonds, moose and squirrel nodding their hellos upon seeing her again. And so soon. This time she was leading one woman who wanted these amazing and remote 4000-footers for her list — naturally adding Zealand. The plan was to bag North and South Twin, then head toward the Guyot tent site to settle […]
What seems like two or three years ago — well, way back in early 2020 anyway — we were going to have a women-only introductory backpack but then something came along that changed our minds. But finally, pandemic aside, barring civil unrest, we have partially opened and we were able to partially make this event happen. With one of the original guests, plus one returning guest, […]
The problem in need of a solution is how to best assure nobody contracts the coronavirus — guides or guests — and that we all stay safe while still conducting quasi-normal business operations. Particularly as we start edging into the colder months and want to move indoors to warm up. Thankfully at Redline Guiding we don’t really do much indoors and our outdoor pursuits are usually […]
A New England family came to us looking for a 3-4 hour half day hike that was just right… meaning not too easy, and not too hard — a Goldilocks hike. Views were also requested, but they didn’t want to try out one of the common, often crowded peaks (can’t blame them). They wanted something special. These criteria are fairly typical so this was easy. We […]
We were asked: Is it possible to hike up Mt Washington and take the Cog Railway down? Yes. A round trip ticket is needed to assure the train will be available, but this is certainly an option. And it’s not a bad one. Naturally the team ascended from the west side of the mountain taking the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail option, then hitting Crawford Path the rest […]
Four days, three nights, and let’s throw in one tropical storm — Isaias — because we want to be unique. This was the situation with a backpack led by Redline Guide Nico Dubois. (Yep, he was at it again.) This time our group, four buddies looking for adventure, wanted to get out and do something different. Something exciting. They actually had an adventure lined up, but […]
It’s been on her list a long time. She heard the stories when she was a kid. Her grandfather had once hiked Mt Washington and spoke of his adventure often. Now it was her time to try her hand at the Rock Pile. True to its form, of course, the mountain threw in some sit-you-down winds. This proved to be a challenge, especially for our guest […]
For one guest, this is just the start of an extraordinary finish. We won’t go into too many details for privacy reasons, but this trip is just one small part of a larger endeavor that saw its share of joy, accomplishment, setback, and sadness. Though the latter for reasons we cannot yet say at this time. With this guest we have one more hike coming up […]
We are in the Great North Woods in the middle of nowhere between Maine and Canada, and we are not lost That’s what we do in Maine, that is. Helping folks with their “New England Hundred Highest” (NEHH) peaks or helping them tackle the great Mt Katahdin or other Baxter peaks. Of course, guests from out of the area are required to quarantine for 14 days […]
One of the great places to be in the White Mountain National Forest on a hot summer day is down in the Ice Gulch in Randolph. The reason is that ice can be found there basically year ’round. It’s so refreshing, like taking a break in an air conditioned room. That said, now that we talked it up, it takes a special kind of nutty person […]
