How to reach the top of Mount Washington and other hiking tips for enthusiastic newbies
An experienced hiker shares how to go from your couch to the summit of the highest mountain in the Northeast.
Are you thinking this is the summer you’ll finally hike New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern U.S.?
If you’re new to hiking, you’ll want to take a few steps first.
Drew Baldassarre, of Jamaica Plain, has been leading hikes for Airbnb since 2017, taking folks to spots like the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton and the Boston Harbor Islands with Airbnb Experiences, a program in which local residents host local activities. He’s now gearing up to take hikers on a two-day hiking and camping excursion on Mount Washington through Airbnb Adventures, Airbnb’s new program in which residents host local “bucket-list worthy multi-day experiences.”
Baldassarre, who has hiked Mount Washington as well as Mount Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine, offered the following five tips for first-timers who are preparing for a challenging hike.
1. Ask yourself: ‘Have I hiked before?’
Mount Washington, which some consider “the Holy Grail of hikes in New England,” according to Baldassarre, requires some hiking experience.
“Mount Washington is over 6,000 feet tall,” Baldassarre said. “It’s the tallest mountain we have here in New England. If you’ve never done an organized trip to hike up any mountain at all, then maybe you’re not ready for Mount Washington yet.”
An organized hike can mean hiking with a guide or hiking with your family, he said. But you should have experienced a hike on an incline, on any mountain at all, he said, and not just an outing where you’re, say, walking your dog in the park.
“Once you’ve gotten a few smaller, less steep hikes under your belt, then you can say, ‘OK I want to try Mount Washington,” he said.
If you’re wondering if you need a guide, you should ask yourself, “How comfortable do you feel out in the wilderness by yourself if something goes wrong?” Baldassarre said.
“When you’re outside, you might think, ‘Well, nothing can go wrong,’ he said. “But what if someone twists an ankle? What if someone breaks a leg? What if a bear approaches you on the trail? How prepared are you to deal with those things? If you aren’t, then maybe you need to have a guide with you.”
New England has many trails where you can gain experience, he said.
“If you can do the Blue Hills hike, you kind of get a taste of what it’s like to do a hike, a climb,” he said.
Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, N.H. — which is about half the height of Mount Washington — is a very popular option, Baldassarre said.
2. Make sure you have the right gear.
Once you’ve hiked enough to feel comfortable, it’s time to get prepared.
“Mount Washington is considered to have some of the worst weather in the United States,” Baldassarre said. “So you definitely want to have the right gear for hiking.”
You’ll need a rain jacket, water-resistant pants, a sturdy hiking shoe or boot, a non-cotton shirt, and wool socks rather than cotton ones, he said.
“Cotton is just the worst possible fabric [for hiking], because anytime it gets wet, it stays wet,” Baldassarre said. “Cotton socks just get absolutely destroyed. If you get any water into your shoes while hiking, cotton socks will just give you blisters.”
Also, make sure you have the essentials for hiking, Baldassarre said: a map, compass, sunglasses, sunscreen, extra clothing, a headlamp or flashlight, first-aid supplies, a firestarter, matches, a knife, and extra food.
3. Bring water and snacks.
Speaking of food, you’ll want to eat a meal an hour before you hike and then bring snacks to munch on as you hike, Baldassarre said.
“Granola bars are good, because they’re a carb boost and some of them can have good nutritional value,” he said.
Baldassarre likes Kind, Clif, and Larabars. He also enjoys making his own trail mix full of nuts, raisins, and M&Ms.
“Making your own trail mix is a fun part of hiking,” he said.
And you’ll need water — at least two liters of it. He recommends using environmentally friendly Nalgene bottles because they are reusable and BPA free.
4. Be prepared for an emergency.
You’ll be in the wilderness for several hours, so it’s important to pack any medication and medical equipment you may need, such as allergy medications, insulin, inhalers, or an EpiPen, Baldassarre said.
“Making sure you know your own medical preparation is important,” he said.
You also want to make sure you can contact someone in the event of an emergency, he said. It’s a good idea bring a portable charger for your phone. If you’re out of cellular range, products such as SPOT offer satellite messaging.
“If you have an emergency, you just push a button,” he said.
5. Unplug and enjoy nature.
“Be prepared to disconnect,” Baldassarre said. “Part of the reason you go outside is to disconnect from the world. Be ready to be in nature. Be ready to be present in the outdoors. Facebook is still going to be there when you get back.”
