The Single-Day Pemi Loop: Secrets for Success
Over the last 10 years, the Pemi Loop has grown in popularity with hikers of all ability levels. It logs more mileage and vertical climbing than the Presidential Traverse, and leads you across some of the White Mountain's most celebrated stretches of trail: Franconia Ridge, Garfield Ridge, and Bondcliff....
Philip Carcia’s New Notch Video Says it All
On this day in 2020, I had just made the heart-wrenching decision to close the hostel early, cancelling dozens of reservations and a long-anticipated Fireside Chat. I shut the heat off, fired up the wood stove in Crawford Room, and met with my staff to research health protocols and...
12 Scenic Hikes Within 30 Minutes of the Notch Hostel
Deciding what to hike when visiting the White Mountains can be a difficult decision. There are so many excellent choices. Here are some of our favorite hikes near the Notch Hostel, ranging from easy walking trails to strenuous multi-day hikes. Easy Hikes Lincoln Woods: Length: Flat 2.9-mile long walking...
AQUAMAN: WORTH EVERY MILE
Guest author Dave Chandler, aka Music Man, shares his piece published in the February 2023 ALDHA Blaze. Calm skies and six inches of fresh powder covered the lawn of The Notch Hostel in North Woodstock, New Hampshire on the Lunar New Year. It was a mere dusting compared to...
The Day I Deleted My Grid
I’d been hiking New England 4,000-footers in all seasons for four years before I ever started a “peak-bagging” list. The notion of “collecting mountains” never resonated with my raison d’etre for hiking. For me, hitting the trail is about having fun, getting exercise, and experiencing gratitude for the views...
White Mountains Circuit
The White Mountains Circuit classic route encompasses 130 miles of cycling over three days. It is suitable for road bikes; gravel enthusiasts can also enjoy additional back roads and The Presidential Rail Trail that parallels Route 2. Not ready to tackle the entire circuit in one go? Start by...
Stopping Asian Hate On and Off the Trail
The following piece was written by Kathy Chau Rohn, a Vietnamese-American woman with whom we connected through her participation in the 2020 Summits in Solidarity event. Kathy is an avid hiker who has completed her NH-48 and is working on her Winter NH-48, New England 67, and a Vermont...
I’m not Racist, I’m Redlining.
Written by Serena Ryan and Philip J. Carcia, co-founders of Summits in Solidarity. Carcia has hiked the White Mountains Redline in 99 days. Ryan owns and operates the Notch Hostel in North Woodstock, NH, where Carcia has been working since 2018. Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank Mardi Fuller (@Fattoosday) and Lillian-Yvonne Bertram for...
One Wild White Mountain Winter
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Seeing Triple: Declan Kiley Hikes Three Rounds of the NH-48 in a Single Winter
To my knowledge, only two people before me have completed the Triple SSW, and no one reached as many 4,000 footers in the White Mountains in the winter of 2019/2020 than I did....