Ritzhikes

Where: Kinsman Pond When: 2/23-24/02 With: Chip Back around the holidays I got the usual "Winter hike this year?" email from Chip, to which I replied, "Maybe." We chatted a bit and marked our traditional Superbowl weekend as a target date. We considered a number of routes and destinations and decided to revisit Kinsman Pond Shelter. Several years ago we'd made three attempts to reach it via various routes (the Hell & High Water series of hikes) before finally succeeding by coming in from the west. This time we planned to try a new route from the east, a direct line from the highway using the Lonesome Lake and Fishin' Jimmy trails. Only about 3.5 miles total distance, with a couple of 1000-foot climbs along the way. It fit our new criteria for winter hikes (shorter, easier routes) and offered a shelter and nice surroundings for the night. To make things interesting we figured we could return via a ridge walk to Cannon Mt., making the hike a loop and p...

Where: Guyot Shelter When: 3/25-26, 2000 With: Chip At last! Four years after we made our first attempt we finally got Chip to Guyot shelter. Can we stop winter camping now?! But seriously, folks... As usual, chat about the trip started in early January, with Chip aiming for a date in mid-February. My schedule was already booked, so we pushed it out to early March. Our initial plans were for a ski trip to 13 Falls, hauling our gear on sleds. It was my suggestion, based on my walk along that route last summer. It seemed like a relatively easy trip, though long and somewhat mundane. No climbs, no summit assaults. Chip was agreeable and had three friends from Topsfield lined up to join us. March came and Chip called to say his friends had decided to opt out, so it was just the two of us. Given that, I suggested we take another shot at getting to Guyot shelter. I'd hiked the route last summer so I had a good recollection of the route, and it seemed feasible for us to do. Chip w...

Where: Imp Shelter, Carter ridge When: 3/11-3/12, 1998 With: Brian White, Brad Hennemuth Buoyed by our success last year, the Crag Camp Crew started to make plans for another winter trip. After a bit of discussion we decided to head for the Carter range, just across the valley from Mt. Washington. The area offered some challenging hiking and spectacular scenery. Instead of an enclosed cabin, this year we’d be roughing it a bit more. Brian was interested in spending a night in a tent above tree line, and even went so far as to purchase a 4-man mountaineering tent. The plan was to spend the first night at Imp shelter, an open front shelter between Mt. Moriah and the Carters. The second day we’d hike the ridge south to Mt. Hight, where we’d set up the tent camp. The third day would be a short hike down to Carter hut, for a rest day in relative comfort, and the final day would be a hike out over the Wildcat ridge. Some tough hiking, but all doable. We made plans to go during the Ma...

Where: Mt. Moosilauke When: 1/17/98-1/18/98 With: Chip As usual, this wasn't the trip we'd originally planned. Tradition dictated yet another attempt to get to the Guyot shelter, but things happened. First, there was an ice storm up north that threw most of eastern Canada and northern New England into darkness for several weeks as all the power lines came down. Electricity wasn't a big concern of ours, but the storm had caused extensive damage to the forests in the White Mountains, at least that's what the reports said. The AMC website warned of obliterated trails and hazardous conditions, while trail reports told of paths that were impossible to follow. Still, we stuck to our plans for Guyot. These included driving up Friday night, hiking in a bit, and setting up camp in the dark. We figured that would give us an early start and a good shot at Guyot. It was not to be though. Andy woke up sick Friday morning, so I stayed home with him. That nixed my plans for an e...