Winter Hiking: Climbing Day (Day 5)

The Winter Hiking group went to Concord Climbing & Fitness for the final day of project week. Rock and Ice climbing are their next level of development as mountaineers. 

 

Winter Hiking (Day 4): Franconia Notch Exploring

 

The crew went up to Franconia Notch for some exploring. Many blisters and sore legs prevented an extended hike today.

 (Peak Hydration)

Winter Hiking: Day 2 (Preparation day)

 

Project Leader, Cody Heartz, breaks down trail details for the group during the morning trail meeting. The group then went to rent gear from International Mountain Equipment in North Conway

Winter Hiking: Day 3 (Lions Head, Mt. Washington)

 

Heading up to summit just after hitting the Lions Head rock formation the trail is named for. The summit of Washington is 6,288 ft above sea level. 

A description of the trail can be found here: All Trails: Lions Head

Below: These photos are taken on the same ridge as above during the descent. Wildcat ski area is in the background on the last photo. The stacks of rocks are called Kairn's and help to guide hikers when snow covers the trail. 

Mountaineering - Day 2: Resilience and Adaptabilty

Due to extreme winds on our intended route, the Mountaineering Project Week group has decided to pivot to a secondary objective. Our new route has a higher likelihood of success. While participants are disappointed that we won’t be tackling the Presidential Range traverse, everyone understands that dangerous weather, especially in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, is a red line objective hazard that we can’t take chances on.  

Our back-up objective is to hike from the Mount Garfield trailhead to Lincoln Woods over Franconia Ridge. This trip is equal in length and technical difficulty to a Presidential Traverse, however, it is lower in altitude and offers easier access to camping sites below the tree line. You can see a map of the new route below:

Participants have plotted the new route and are ready, equipped, and excited to head out tomorrow morning.

Winter Expedition - Day 1

The Mountaineering Trip traveled to North Conway to plan, get outfitted and sharpen their alpine skills. The weather was exceptionally warm for the north country in early March today. However, with 70-90mph winds predicted on the higher summits for later in the week, we're keeping an eye on the forecast. The group may decide to take on a secondary objective if conditions are too extreme. Nevertheless, the group is excited to get out and have an adventure in the mountains.

Some additional 2020 labels

Winter-X: Gorgeous Summit Day

While the members of Winter-X have not been able to post to the blog or social media due to their remote location and lack of technology, Mr. Mansur was able to sneak out a text yesterday with a picture and a quick update. The group successfully made it to the summit of the South Peak of Mt. Moosilauke and all are doing well.

Thursday (Part Two): The Long Cold Night

After we summited our second peak, also with phenomenal views, we trucked down and made it to our campsite with the last light of the evening. We quickly packed down tent sites and built a kitchen, working together as the temperatures dropped quickly and the wind picked up. Our water bottles had all frozen on the hike and we were most concerned about getting more drinking water. First one stove then another stopped working, and those with water set about helping those without. It was too cold to risk waiting for dinner to cook, so we feasted on our snacks, trail mix, and one of the Summer Sausages Mr. Brummer had thought to pack in order to fuel up for the night.

While we waited for the water to heat up enough to sanitize, we kept our minds occupied with ghost stories and quoting Step Brothers. It's surprising how much time you can pass with those characters. This was by far the longest and toughest night and we were happy to see sunrise on Friday.

Thursday: Up to Mt. Willey and Mt. Field

Thursday dawned overcast and windy. We stared a little nervously at the sky while we made our oatmeal, but in general we were feeling strong. Some in the group reported feeling a little less rested and a little chillier than the day before - Savannah had to warm her boots up in her jacket and everyone had a couple extra layers on. After breakfast, we broke down camp and got ready for our day of summits. Unfortunately, we got out of camp behind schedule, which meant we had to make up time on the hike.

Making up time was not going to be easy on a trail where a significant portion of the middle stretch was practically vertical. Drew Muzzey took over point and was able to run up these patches with his fully loaded pack. Unfortunately, this was the point at which Conor Soucy's snowshoes gave up the ghost and he had to make the climb in just his boots. This was by far the toughest part of the hike we had experienced.

BUT, when we got to the top of Mt. Willey, the views were spectacular. The early clouds had burned off and we had the clearest skies and views for miles and miles. Each peak was outlined distinctly and it was easy to see how the White Mountains once had the stature of the Himalayas. We were joined by a Gray Jay who happily ate trail mix out of the hand and kept a close eye on us. We couldn't linger long as the time was getting late and we still had to scramble up Mt. Field.

Wednesday: Hiking to Ethan Pond Shelter

We woke up Wednesday on Burleigh and headed north. Anticipation was high and we were ready to hit the trails. It took us a while to sort out snowshoes at the trail head, but with a wave to Mr. Leung who dropped us off, we turned our backs on school and phone service and went happily into the trees.

The terrain was relatively manageable on that first real hike; still, it was an adjustment to use the snowshoes. We quickly came to appreciate them when tramping off trail and realizing without the snowshoes, we'd be in up to our hips. Little did we know what lay ahead...

But for now, we were enjoying the journey. Students were quick to observe the ways in which time passes differently when you are on the trail - hiking a mile is different than walking or driving one, especially when all you have is your imagination to keep you entertained. Conversations ranged from body building, thanks to the Con(n)ors, to past lives to re-quoting full movies.

We pulled into Ethan Pond shelter mid-afternoon. Kayla went over the Leave No Trace principles before we set up camp, which really helped to impress on us how special it was to be where we were. As a group we became more aware of our surroundings throughout the week and how little we matter out there; it's all about the nature.

Packing down tent sites was much different off Burleigh; the snow was easily two feet deeper up there, which we fully understood once we realized we were standing on the bear boxes. We were able to dig out the vestibules of the tents, so there was a nice area to stand up to take off boots before scrambling into the tent. That night it snowed about 3 inches and we woke up to the tent flies bowed with the powder. We shook off the snow and our sleep and got ready to make breakfast.

Tuesday: Day One in the Snow on Burleigh Mountain

We spent our first day "off campus" getting used to packing down places for tents and building kitchens and living rooms. Kayla taught us everything we needed to know about setting up tents and making sure things were done as efficiently as possible.

Then, of course, there was the sledding. The slope was fast and the day was warm. Everyone took at least 3 runs and most people got some air off the jump. A small scouting crew went all the way up to the top of the mountain and got a glimpse of snowshoe hare tracks.

By the end of the day we were ready to eat our pita pizzas cooked over the open fire. We lounged in our "living room" and eventually called it a night. Several of us planned to sleep out because the night was so warm, but the onset of rain sent us into the tents. We woke up early the next morning, packed up camp, and headed out.

Hanging out in the living room

Winter X 2015 - New Schedule, New Route, Same Challenge

Ms. Cornog and Mr. Brummer are excited to be taking 10 worthy students into the White Mountains this March for Winter-X. 

We will spend two days on campus before setting out on our “expedition”. The first day we will enjoy the comfort of Alumni Hall as we become familiar with the equipment we will be using during our trip. We will cook a meal on the camp stoves and build a snow shelter. The next day we will apply our skills by spending a day on Burleigh Mountain.

On Wednesday morning, we set out to Crawford Notch for a three-day backpacking trip. We will summit three 4000 foot mountains: Mt. Willy, Mt. Field, and Mt. Tom.

We have a great group of students, so I have high hopes that we will complete our route this year.  

Gearing up for Winter-X 3.0

Ms. Cornog and Mr. Brummer will be leading 10 students into the White Mountains on Winter-X for this year's Project Week. Our Essential Question for the week will be: 

How can I collaborate with group members in order to safely complete the challenge of a wilderness winter backpacking trip? 

Each student will be challenged by cold conditions and exertion. Thinking of the group instead of oneself is an important life skill. Other objectives of the trip are: 

• winter camping craft
• embracing process as well as the goal (the mountain summit )
• leadership 

We are currently getting the students "geared up" with clothing that will keep them warm (relatively) in the coldest weather. Let us hope for a milder March than last year!

Ethan Pond Shelter: Wednesday night destination.

Winter X 2.0 Update

When we started this week, I did not expect to be writing this post while watching our group of hardened students play Scrabble in front of the fireplace in Alumni Hall. We started the trip as planned. We were dropped off at the trailhead to Jeffer's Brook Shelter and hiked a difficult mile into our campsite. We prepared dinner, boiled water for hot water bottles, and set up the shelter. After a hearty meal of mac and cheese, we quickly went to our sleeping bags as the temperature dropped. Few members of our group slept more than an hour or two due to the frigid weather. Temperatures were around -20 degrees Fahrenheit, a few degrees lower than our 0 degree sleeping bags!

We woke up, ate an excellent breakfast of oatmeal, and headed for a hike up Blueberry Mountain. The hike was amazing with views of Mt. Moosilauke along most of the route. After the hike, we decided to come back to campus due to reports of continued frigid temperatures forecasted through the week. 

Since Tuesday, we have been "camping" in Alumni Hall (thank you, Menkes) and embarking on day hikes during the day. On Wednesday, the group hiked to Burleigh Mountain to learn how to set up a winter camping site. We pitched tents, dug a fire pit, and had a good day of sledding. Today we hiked Cardigan Mountain. The group did a great job hiking and snowshoeing on a very nice mountain on a perfect day. Ice kept us off the summit, but we were rewarded with amazing views on several occasions during our hike. I am impressed with the flexibility and perseverance of our group. It has been a great week, although not what we anticipated!

Photos from Winter-X

Please enjoy these photos of Winter-X. Great job everyone, and welcome back!

Warm, Dry, and Well Fed

We've been running outdoor programs at New Hampton School like WinterX since 2001 but it's been a few years since I took kids out into the backcountry myself. It's particularly exciting for me to be heading out with this energetic, talented, and excited group of students on WinterX!

We won't be writing on the blog much during Projects Week but we'll have plenty of stories and pictures to share when we get back!

What do we hope to do and learn on the trip? Well I have several goals for the program:

• First that the students are relatively warm, dry and well fed. After we do that the magic can happen!
• Next that we learn something about ourselves, and our peers. How we lead, how we react when times are tough, and how we come together to make the trip happen.
• Finally I hope that we enjoy one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in the United States, I love the White Mountains, and this is a lovely time of year to explore their beauty.

We look forward to sharing our adventures with you when we return!