Over the years we’ve had a lot of people ask us for help with bits of certain lists. The motivation behind these requests varies a bit. Sometimes it’s the remoteness of trails (or lack thereof), or their technical difficulty, or the exposure they offer. Occasionally it has to do with notorious river crossing, and some it’s simply a worried spouse at home looking for some certainty. In this case…
A returning guest came to us looking to have our company on a couple more hikes. The first — day one — was Rogers Ledge in the Kilkenny Forest and day two was North Percy in the Nash-Stream Forest. Both excellent objectives and both are on the 52WAV list. Leading this was Redline Guide Rhonda Willette. Her comments and photos follow… Northern New Hampshire gave us everything we hoped for: quiet…
We had a returning guest reach out for another list-assist and we were glad to help. Last time he grabbed Cannon, diverted there thanks to the winds. This time was going to be a little more exciting with the hike taking place on Mt Jefferson, more so as this time they’d hike up and back on Caps Ridge Trail of T-25 fame. Leading again was Redline Guide Tim Jones. He also produced the detailed…
A hiker with lots of home-based experience here in the Whites under her belt, was being held back, so to speak, by piece of mountain that persistently and hauntingly stood in her way — and it was time to take it on. The mountain, of course, is Mt Washington, but in this case the challenging bit was the notorious Huntington Ravine Trail. It was time to put the rumors to rest. This trip was led by…
A returning guest, having hiked Jefferson with us, reached out with yet another objective as he makes his way toward the end of the playing field. He had two pair of objectives when he booked. A couple of mountains in the Sandwich Range and a couple more sitting on the northern rim of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. Namely The Twins: North and South — and in that order. The guest wanted stunning…
The first and second in a series of backpacking trips with porter assist are behind us, now with only one more trip to go. Leading, like other two trips, was Redline Guide Debra McCown. Here’s a quick summary of this trip to Carrigain along with some randomly-ordered photos… Halfway Through the 48 For these two friends from New Jersey, there’s a unique unit of measure that they use on New…
A guest came to us from a city in Illinois. She reached out hoping to have a guide for a one-day Presidential Traverse. She did great with the difficult northern half of it but was taken aback by one thing: Rocks. Lots of rocks. Too many rocks. Rocks everywhere. Nothing but rocks. Here, living in New Hampshire, of course, all we can say is: “talus about it.” (Yes, that was a dad joke and I will…
The general consensus is that ice leaders should stay well below their grade and increase this limit slowly over time. The reason for this is safety. As we’ve heard over the years, taking a leader fall on ice is unacceptable. Leading well means staying in control. There are otherwise too many sticky bits and pointy things to ruin your day. But we’re here to help by offering 3 Day Learn to Lead…
We’re happy to have just finalized our Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course dates for 2027, including the regular DPR/AED option available. To learn more about these classes and to reserve your seat in one of them, please check out this page. The new dates are as follows: Nov 14-15, 2026 (last 2026 class) Feb 20-21, 2027 Apr 17-18, 2027 Aug 14-15, 2027 Nov 20-21, 2027 Learn More & Sign Up Now »
A returning guest signed up for an epic adventure with us requesting Redline Guide Arlette Laan to be her guide. Arlette was more than happy to help. The objective, a Southern Presidential Traverse. We’ll let Arlette tell the best parts. A returning guest wanted to see what a Presidential Traverse would be like. Having previously day hiked up to Mount Washington she wanted a fuller experience and…
The first in this series of backpacking trips with porter assist was described here. This segment is number two. Leading, like last time, was Redline Guide Debra McCown. Here’s a quick summary of the trip along with some photos (posted in random order)… These guests returned for three more peaks: Carter Dome, South Carter, and Middle Carter. We spent a night at the Carter Notch Hut and enjoyed a…
The title makes sense to us. A fellow with a dog came to us wanting to experience a few things: night hiking, taking on Mt Pierce while on a backpacking trip; to see the 9/11 Twin Towers memorial of lights (25 years since this tragic event), and to do all this with his best friend. The mission was a successful one. Leading this was Redline Guide Debra McCown. Her brief summary and and photos…
A returning guest came to us seeking a “knowing companion” to hike with him on one of a handful of choices including the likes of Mt Isolation, the Twins, Zealand, and a few others (he was 32 out of 48 at the time). After some discussion the team — led by Redline Guide Rhonda Willette — decided to focus on Mt Jefferson which is the third highest peak in New Hampshire. The plan Rhonda opted for…
It’s that time of year when Redline Guide Arlette Laan comes back from her personal adventuring elsewhere to lead some hikes and backpacks. We’re super stoked to have her back, even though it’ll be for a short duration visit. For this trip she was taking a guest and the guest’s niece on a four day, three night Pemi-ish-Loop-a-Like, though with some of the windy, foggy weather and with part of…
A couple of folks reached out to us with a plan to do a series of backpacking trips with a porter assist. This first installment targeted Franconia Ridge with day one covering the ridge to Liberty Spring Tentsite, then doing an out back to Flume, getting Liberty along the way before exiting via Liberty Spring Trail. What follows is a summary penned by Redline Guide Debra McCown along with some…
A family reached out to us stating that they would like to take on Mt Washington‘s Huntington Ravine together, as a unit. Both parents and their two kids were very fit and had plenty of experience hiking the Whites ranging from hiking all of the 4000-footers to even taking on a one-day Presidential Traverse. They had even completed many of the T-25 trails (but not Huntington, yet). They were…
Of the 48 4000-footers needed to complete this couple’s peak-bagging experience in New Hampshire, only one remains — and we’ll get to that in due time. For now let’s focus on celebrating the three mountains captured during this backpacking trip: West Bond for #45, Mt Bond for #46, and the gorgeous and relatively remote Bondcliff for #47. The retuning couple ended up with a glorious weekend as…
