Northern Hiking and Backpacking

Narragansett Chapter Northern Hikes and Backpacking Activities

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General Notices

AMC 4000-Footer Club Membership Climbs Past 10,000

WHITE MOUNTAINS, N.H.-- The number of hikers who have climbed to and from the summits of the Granite State’s 48 recognized 4000-foot peaks and are members of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC’s) White Mountain Four Thousand Footer Club recently surpassed 10,000, according to Four Thousand Footer Committee Chair Eric Savage. Read more...

Brief message from your Northern Hikes Subchair

Mountain hiking is best enjoyed when you are properly equipped and have the appropriate skills to safely travel from trail head to summit and back. Such know-how can be learned by participating in the activities offered by the Chapter’s Northern Hikes program. Throughout the year numerous trips and classes are conducted for beginner, intermediate, and experienced hikers. People new to hiking can greatly benefit from the Step-by-Step series of entry level trips and instruction. For more information, contact Ed Poyer or any of the mountain hike leaders.

Sign up early for trips that involve an overnight stay.

Each of our outdoor activity committees that are involved with overnight trips may or may not have restrictions relative to signing up just prior to the trip. Also, each trip notice may include details concerning any advance registration requirements. As a general policy, it's important to sign up early for trips that involve an overnight stay. Leaders have to reserve spaces at motels or AMC facilities months ahead of time and put down cash deposits. They need to know how many people will be on the trip in time to cancel reservations if the trip does not fill. Therefore, it's recommended to communicate with the leader at least a month before an overnight trip, if possible. Quite often these trips cannot accept more people in the last 2 weeks because of the need for lodging reservations.

Why do leaders ask all those questions?

When you call to sign up for activities, leaders ask questions about your experience, fitness and equipment.
The leaders ask because they want all participants to enjoy the trip. If you are not fit or adequately experienced for an outing, or have inadequate or inappropriate equipment, you and the group may not enjoy the experience. Lack of fitness, experience or equipment may endanger yourself or others.
The fact that the leaders do ask such questions should inspire your confidence that they are working to provide a safe & enjoyable trip for all. If you are unable to join an activity, ask the leader for recommendations for more suitable activities or workshops. This will enable you to gain experience.
Acquiring the fitness level, skills, experience and equipment to do what you dream can be an exciting, invigorating, and enjoyable growth process. The Club provides many opportunities to support this process.

The Step by Step Hiking Program

The Step-By-Step Program is meant to educate novice hikers in skills for hiking. Hikes start at the easier end of the scale, like this one, and gradually increase in difficulty as the summer passes. Additional hiking with other groups is recommended to further enhance cardiovascular fitness and muscle-building. With these tools under a hiker’s hip belt, the best areas of the glorious White Mountains are much more accessible and fun. Read the full article by Shannon Kelley. Trip Report: Step By Step through the Blue Hills

Winter Hiking Clothing and Equipment

The Northern Hiking committee presented a Seminar on winter gear and clothing at REI Cranston on Dec. 2, 2010. This linked article is derived from the handouts provided by the AMC leaders. Information is provided on clothing, boots, gear, and etiquette. Click here to read more.

Personal Safety and Rescue Options

New in 2015 is the Hike Safe Card, offered by the N.H. Forest Service. This subscription would save you the search and rescue charges if you become lost or have an emergency in the White Mountains area, or any other State forest in New Hampshire. Read details in the Resources Page.

Making it easier for rescuers to find your location is critical to help, Fortunately there are many reasonably priced electronic devices, besides your cell phone, that you can carry. Read details on the Resources page.

Leadership Requirements

BACKPACKING AND NORTHERN HIKES (BNH) LEADER QUALIFICATIONS

Potential BNH leaders must be current, adult members of the AMC, and must have a working knowledge of the policies, practices & protocols of the AMC. Leaders should demonstrate common sense & good judgment, and have relevant outdoors, leadership, and interpersonal skills. Candidates must first successfully participate in BNH approved trips led by at least two different leaders, or otherwise demonstrate necessary competencies. Prior to leading chapter BNH trips, candidates must successfully co-lead at least three BNH approved activities at the target level, led by at least two different BNH leaders.

There are four BNH classification levels: Summer Below Treeline (Memorial Day- Columbus Day), Three Season (April – November, no winter conditions expected), Four Season Below Treeline (includes winter), and Four Season. Each level requires various qualifications, such as map & compass skills, Wilderness First Aid training, crampon & snowshoe skills, and/or formal leadership training. Specific qualifications may be waived by the BNH Leadership Committee in light of an individual’s overall skill, experience and training. All leaders must be approved by the BNH Leadership Committee. Full details...

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