Category Archives: mtnEDUCATION

5 Must See Trails in the WMNF – Number 2

Posted On 16 Sep 2016
By NEM Guides
In A Guides View, Beyond The Bunkhouse, Trip Reports

Dry River Trail

This is the fourth installment. Check back each week as we count down to number one!

CONTRIBUTION BY ELIZABETH KANE

Lakes of The Clouds Hut marks one end of the Dry River Trail.

History: This area was logged in the 1890s, and sections of the first five miles of trail follow vestiges of an old logging railroad bed. Originally there were three shelters along the route, but only Dry River Shelter #3 remains. The trail was closed in August of 2011 after being absolutely ravaged by Tropical Storm Irene. The storm both widened the river’s path and washed out significant sections of trail. It was reopened late in 2014 under a new designation as a primitive wilderness trail. A sign near the trailhead warns of ‘navigational challenges’. Continue reading →

Knowing When to Turn Around

Posted On 12 Sep 2016
By NEM Guides
In A Guides View, Around The Bunkhouse, Stories

Ultimate Success: The Unspoken Truth

There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.

— John F. Kennedy

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As climbers, we seek adventure and exploration. But, why? What is it worth? And how do we define success? “If we go for it, there is a probability that we aren’t going to come back,” asserts Jimmy Chin, world-renowned climber. Yet, the allure of the mountains continuously pulls us back in search of something sacred and uniquely individual. Continue reading →

Climbing Ecuador’s Volcanoes

Posted On 11 Sep 2016
By NEM Guides
In Beyond The Bunkhouse, Experience, Stories, Trip Reports

Mountaineering attracts an eclectic mix of people from weekend thrill-seekers to hardcore life-long adventurers. They travel to — even enjoy — some of the coldest and highest places on the planet. Why do they do it?

— An Excerpt —

CONTRIBUTION FROM STEELE BURROW

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The Highlands of Ecuador would be hard to describe without a mention of volcanoes. They occupy the skyline, the local history, even the original recipe for traditional ice cream.

unspecified-2 Volcanoes’ prominence in Ecuador’s landscape is exceeded only by their place in local folklore. Stories scatter the landscape. Spanish conquistadors established their first fort on the slopes of a crater near Volcan Cayambe and the earliest forms of local ice cream — so the legend goes at least — were made from ice harvested from the upper slopes of Cotopaxi. At over 19,000 feet, that’s not exactly a short walk to Baskin & Robbins.

We were in Ecuador to attempt climbs on two of the country’s highest volcanoes—Cayambe, 18,996 feet high, and Antisana, a more technically difficult climb at 18,714 feet. Our group included two New Yorkers, three Washingtonians, and a lone Texan. Between the six of us, we each had our own reasons to be there, but we all wanted an adventure.