A lot of hiking (and a bit of skiing too!) on a fantastic trip put together with Set Forth Adventures

Standing in the lower snowfields looking up at the bowl at Tuckerman Ravine is awe inspiring. From this vantage point, the trails and routes that visitors to this ski-mecca all talk about suddenly come alive. Although I had been hearing about this iconic New England ski venue for over 50 years, it wasn’t a pilgrimage I thought I’d ever take. But, one April a couple of years back, my son Nate suggested that we should take a ski tour up to “Tucks”.

This outing to Tuckerman was a leap of faith for me. I wasn’t young, was new to ski touring, and not entirely convinced that it was a trip I was ready to tackle. But, I trusted that Nate understood my hesitancy and that he was realistic in his assessment of my skill level. Ultimately, his enthusiasm for sharing this adventure with me, despite our very different skill levels, carried the decision.

The day before our skin up to Tuckerman, I joined Nate and a couple of his friends on a little ski tour up one of the trails at Wildcat Mountain which, despite the 8 inches of new snow, was closed for the season. This was a fun warmup and fully within reach for me, a relatively new alpine touring skier.

Our overnight before the adventure at the Joe Dodge Lodge, right at the start of the trail up to Tuckerman’s, was great fun. At dinner we spent some time comparing notes on the gear, clothing, food and water for the trip. Nate and I had discussed the necessities and options in the planning stages and this was a chance to check in. It was good to confirm, now that the trip date had actually come, that we were on the same page.  

Breakfast the next day provided a good opportunity to talk to the Forest Service Rangers at Pinkham Notch about the trail conditions, snow levels, and weather forecast for the day. We learned that because it was spring, we would carry our skis on our backpacks up the first part of the trail and then, about 1/3 of the way up, be able to skin the rest of the way. 

With a little bit of doubt on my part, and a lot of enthusiasm from both of us, we were off just after breakfast. As expected, there were many others heading up to the Ravine — some carrying skis, others with snowshoes or just boots. The other enthusiasts made for a good level of excitement along the route. After an hour or so we were able to put on our skis and skin up the rest of the way. As we approached the Hermit Lake Shelter, the sun had come through the morning clouds, and the deck and surrounding area was abuzz with people. There were rangers on hand to answer questions about various routes and trails above. After a snack break, we resumed the trek — it is less than a mile from the Hermit Lake Shelter to the floor of Tuckerman Ravine.

The trail conditions from the Hermit Lake Shelter to the base of the Ravine were good spring conditions: corn snow, plenty of cover, and the sun was coming out. As we got closer to the base of the Ravine we began to get glimpses of the main “headwall” and the trails to its left and right. As we arrived in the Ravine on this sunny, late April morning, it became clear that the skiing conditions in the bowl itself were prohibitively awful. Because it had been raining earlier in the week the snow surface ranged from scoured ice, to frozen hardpack, to nearly unbreakable crust. Just a brief look around was enough to convince me that I wasn’t going to be climbing much higher on this day! I took off my skis and pack and took a seat near the bottom of the left gully, which Nate had decided was worth a small investigation.

As I watched Nate climb steadily up the left gully, I saw a few other intrepid skiers tackling small parts of the bowl, but there weren’t many who deemed the place skiable that day. Nevertheless, the general enthusiasm was high and the friendly groups gathered exchanged pleasantries and information about routes that had been attempted. After Nate had been out of sight for some time, I saw him making his way, gingerly, down the trail. As suspected, he reported tough conditions and a ski that I might not have enjoyed. This was fine with me as there was still the Sherburne ski trail down from the Hermit Lake Shelter to the parking lot still to look forward to. The ski down did not disappoint—plenty of spring snow (not all the way to the parking lot, but close), only a couple of streams to jump, and lots of fun. It was a great culmination to a really fine trip.

When I think back on this journey, in addition to remembering the great fun day we had, I realize how fortunate I am to have had Nate’s encouragement to take this tour. Through a few conversations in the weeks beforehand, Nate was able to assess my ski touring capabilities, and address my hesitation, while planning a trip that suited my ability and interests. It was a great luxury to have him plan a trip that I will remember fondly for years to come.