Alex’s Story

While working for the Pinkham Info Desk at the AMC, I got a phone call from a woman in Ontario wondering about the conditions between Woodstock and Gorham, NH because her son would be heading through there. I told her that might be a bit of snow, but that the roads shouldn’t be too bad, and the DOT usually did a good job at keeping them clear. She clarified that her 17-year-old son would be hiking from Woodstock to Gorham. In January, as his first winter hike, alone. I suggested that she call her son, Alex, back and suggest that his itinerary wasn’t the best idea. A short while later the mother, Donna, called back and said that Alex was set on his trip after speaking with her. She asked if I could call Alex and speak to him about his plan.

I called Alex and tried to explain that following the Appalachian Trail through the Whites in winter is an extremely serious and dangerous endeavor not suited to someone new to winter hiking. It’s a route that was not completed until 1989 by Guy Waterman. Alex countered that he had summer backpacking experience and had consistently gotten himself in over his head on previous trips and it all worked out fine. 

I took a few minutes to think about my best course of action, then reached out to our SAR coordinator to give him a heads up about Alex, as I worried we may be hearing about him later. James spoke with Alex, then called me back to let me know Alex would be calling to look for an alternative plan.

When Alex called back, I suggested that he try camping at Lafayette Place and using it as a basecamp to gain experience in winter on day hikes; that he could carry all his gear but stay close to the road and summit the Kinsmans, Cannon and Franconia Ridge along the way. After discussing what gear he was carrying, it appeared Alex did not have goggles, snowshoes or an ice axe, and was confused about what crampons were. Alex told me he would re-think his itinerary and stop at Lahout’s when he got into Lincoln. I reached out to Lahout’s to let them know that Alex was coming.

James and I both called Donna back to tell her that we thought we had Alex on a better path to gain experience, have a good trip and be much less reckless with his life. Alex called again to discuss his new plan of ascending Liberty Spring Trail, heading over towards the Osseo Trail to get deep into the Pemi and head towards Stillwater Junction, then loop back around to eventually descend Liberty Spring. I told Alex that his new plan was a route that would avoid a lot of the above treeline exposure of his original plan, but that he would be going into very, very remote terrain where there’s a chance no one will travel until the snow has melted. And that it would also not be a good route for a new winter hiker; there was plenty of adventure to be had based out of Lafayette Place. Once again, it seemed Alex would set off on a safer and fulfilling trip. 

Alex set off at about 11 am that day and called 911 around 6:30 pm approximately 2.5 miles up the Liberty Spring Trail because he was cold, dehydrated, and unable to set up his tent or operate his stove. Fish and Game reached Alex sometime near 10 pm and had him safely back at the trailhead around 1 am.

I tried. So hard. But Alex didn’t freeze to death, and then his mother paid for him to take some winter mountaineering courses.