Nothing says “I love you” like breaking trail, offering up your stash of trail mix M&M’s, or cheering each other up a mountain. For so many in the AMC community, the trailhead has been the beginning of something much bigger than a hike–it’s where friendships deepen, love takes root, and connection grows. And how could it not be? The outdoors gives us space to be our truest, wildest selves. It’s where we learn to lean on each other through mud, fog, snow, and 60-mile-an-hour winds (hello, Mt. Washington). It’s where the real stories come out.
Here are three personal stories from AMC members who found their people outside and decided they never wanted the adventure to end.
Got a story of your own?
Kristen Brassard, Vickie Castine-Donovan, Suzanne Callahan, Cindy Castine and Lori Dibacco on top of Mt. Washington.
Right in This World Again
By Kristen Brassard
We started out on our first winter hike with excitement, hiking in pouring rain and later in a wintry mix while pulling two full ice fishing sleds, two boxes of wine, ten gallons of water, cord wood, and enough food to last us for much longer than we were staying. As we were struggling up the 1.4 miles and 2,450 feet of elevation gain to the cabin, we came across a man skinning up the mountain. He passed us three times before we could even reach the top, but we kept going, even as the day grew shorter and our legs and egos grew weaker. Eventually, we made it to the very dark cabin, changed into fresh clothes, got the woodstove burning and made ourselves one of the best meals of our lives. We settled into our bunks, and the mice came out to play.
When we awoke in the morning, our spirits were happy and our souls were filled with promise and sheer joy. We looked out the window and saw the most spectacular view of Mount Washington. It was such a beautiful, sunny day, and we couldn’t wait to explore. Later we sat on our sleds, basking in the sun and admiring the view. As we looked at one another, we realized we must be thinking the same thing: When are we doing this again?
Every year, we try to do one winter hike, one summer hike, and a bunch of smaller hikes in between. We’ve climbed 22 of the 4,000-footers and will continue to check more off the list. Some of our most amazing hikes have been the times we’ve stayed in the AMC huts. It’s so nice not having to hike in all of the food we need. We have a roof over our heads and an amazing Croo to provide us with anything we need, even entertainment! Zealand, Lonesome Lake, and Carter are open without services in the winter, and we’ve had wonderful stays cooking great food, gazing at the stars through a telescope, and taking in the crisp mountain air.
Our friendships have grown throughout the years because we share this love of the outdoors and each other. Our lives are busy and going in different directions, but we try so hard to get out into the woods and hike. We help push each other to our limits. At one point or another each of us has doubted our abilities to go on, but in this group no one is left behind, and we continue to push and motivate one another.
These hikes are our respite from the demands of life. We’ve been through so much in all these years…childbirths, joys, wins, loses, promotions. We connect, listen, share, console, laugh, cry, love and support one another. Some of the best moments are when we take the time to truly listen to the silence. Our world can be such a noisy place, but it’s the stillness and the wisdom of the woods that keep us coming back time and time again. The mountains heal our wounds and make us feel a bit more right in this world again.
Deb Dunn & family stand atop Mt. Bond after completing New Hampshire’s 4,000-footers.
Love Affairs
By Deb Dunn
When I was thirteen, my brother hitchhiked across the country with his best friend and went rock climbing at Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. I thought that was the coolest thing in the world and I wanted to be just like my brother, but I didn’t know any rock climbers and had no idea where to learn. My father instilled a love of nature, camping and hiking in me at a young age, but I didn’t know other people who loved what I love—the mountains.
In my early 20s, I moved to the Boston area and heard about AMC. Thinking this might finally be where I would learn how to climb, I joined immediately. I pored over my first AMC Outdoors magazine, reading it literally cover to cover. Every article, every page spoke to me. I was getting closer to finding my people! I signed up for workshops, including hiking leadership. Not long after, I finally saw what I had been searching for all those years—an intro to rock climbing course, sponsored by the Boston chapter. My love affair began at once! Learning how to rock climb changed my life. Over the years I have met hundreds of fellow climbers, traveled to many states and several countries to climb, taught climbing to children and people with different abilities, and had a short stint as a guide. Most importantly, I gained confidence in many realms of my life and learned that I am much bigger than any perceived limitations.
Even though I had actualized my climbing love affair, though, I continued reading every issue of AMC Outdoors cover to cover, including the personal ads. Around this time, I was feeling ready to find “the one.” My parents suggested I put my vision out into the universe. I’m a big believer in our ability to manifest what we desire in life. And then one day, even though I only read the personal ads for entertainment value, one caught my eye.
What did I have to lose? I called him. Our first date, we went for a hike at Kent Falls in CT. We wore the exact same hiking boots (Scarpa, full leather) and the same exact fleece jackets. We had many more hiking adventures over the years, but the hardest part of our relationship was reconciling my love of the mountains—my happy place, the place where my soul sings—and his life on an island. After five years together and many, many hikes in the White Mountains, we figured it out.
In 2002, we were married. We continued hiking in the Whites throughout my pregnancy, and then with our new baby as soon as we could carry him in a chest pouch. Throughout his childhood he accrued many miles, including the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail to the summit of Mt. Washington on a very chilly October day when he was 6. I’ve always valued rites of passage for young people. When he was ten, we asked our son if he wanted to hike all 48 of the 4,000-footers before he turned 13. He readily accepted the challenge. For the next two years we spent many glorious (and some arduous) days planning and hiking and backpacking as family. Two weeks before his 13th birthday, we stood atop our 48th peak—Mt. Bond.
Jesse and Christine. Photo courtesy of Jesse Waites.
Surprise at the Summit
By Jesse Waites
I am the Chair of the AMC Boston Chapter. In addition to my duties as Chapter Chair, I also volunteer with our winter hiking and ice climbing programs each winter. Last year, I learned that the AMC Annual Summit was scheduled during the same exact weekend as the ice climbing program–I was double booked!
As the ice climbing event is one of my favorite volunteer events, I tried very hard to get out of the Annual Summit, but alas, I could not find anyone to cover for me. I regrettably declined helping out with the ice climbing program so I could tend to my Chapter Chair duties.
In a funny twist of fate, I met my future wife, Christine, at this Annual Summit event that I tried so hard to get out of attending! She was looking for a place to eat during our lunch break and asked if she could sit at an empty seat at my table. We had an instant connection, and a mutual love of volunteering and the outdoors, and have been pretty much inseparable ever since. We are now engaged to be married and are honored to be members of what people jokingly refer to as the “Appalachian Marriage Club.”
Find your people in a community that values conservation, joyful connection, and outdoor adventure.