Youngest Whiteface Climber?

by Steve
(New York)

June 20, 2008

My 7 year old daughter and I climbed from the path entrance on route 86, to the peak and back down again. Required about 7 hours total, and as for her, other than carrying her for 5 minutes toward the end of our descent, she did it all on her own... About 13 of the 13.2 miles. I was the one that ended up with the sore right hip and she was perfectly fine. On top of it we were in and out of a constant pouring rain for the first 3/4 of the 7 hours, entirely drenched. Sounds like an awful dad, but at her urging we continued so long as it was safe, and the temps were well into the 60s, so the wetness wasnt all that uncomfortable or worrisome once we grew accustomed to it, even at the top--though we didnt stay long because of the winds and the possibility of her becoming sick.

Unfortunately, the peak was entirely cloudy and the wild sight and sound of the wind only made being the only ones climbing to the peak that much more eery, for her anyways.

Had I known the majority of the 3000 foot ascent was during the last 2 miles, I would have never attempted this with her. After seeing how well she ascended the steep rocky climbs, we continued on, at her urging, though the last mile seemed it was more like 2.

We originally planned on doing Marcy since I couldnt resist showing her the view which was the most incredible I have ever seen, but I decided against it due to the weather and the distance of the hike. Little did I know that Whiteface, though relatively easy for myself, was a much more difficult climb than Marcy and very much comparable during the last 2 miles to that of Mt Mansfield in neighboring Vermont.

All in all it is an accomplishment she will carry with her for the rest of her life, and will contribute immensely to her character and confidence. Could she be one of the youngest to climb Whiteface or any other mountain over 4000 ft at such a lengthy hike? Had me wondering. In my book she is ;)


	Youngest Whiteface Climber? by Steve (New York) June 20, 2008 My 7 year old daughter and I climbed from the path entrance on route 86, to the peak and back down again. Required about 7 hours total, and as for her, other than carrying her for 5 minutes toward the end of our descent, she did it all on her own... About 13 of the 13.2 miles. I was the one that ended up with the sore right hip and she was perfectly fine. On top of it we were in and out of a constant pouring rain for the first 3/4 of the 7 hours, entirely drenched. Sounds like an awful dad, but at her urging we continued so long as it was safe, and the temps were well into the 60s, so the wetness wasnt all that uncomfortable or worrisome once we grew accustomed to it, even at the top--though we didnt stay long because of the winds and the possibility of her becoming sick. Unfortunately, the peak was entirely cloudy and the wild sight and sound of the wind only made being the only ones climbing to the peak that much more eery, for her anyways. Had I known the majority of the 3000 foot ascent was during the last 2 miles, I would have never attempted this with her. After seeing how well she ascended the steep rocky climbs, we continued on, at her urging, though the last mile seemed it was more like 2. We originally planned on doing Marcy since I couldnt resist showing her the view which was the most incredible I have ever seen, but I decided against it due to the weather and the distance of the hike. Little did I know that Whiteface, though relatively easy for myself, was a much more difficult climb than Marcy and very much comparable during the last 2 miles to that of Mt Mansfield in neighboring Vermont. All in all it is an accomplishment she will carry with her for the rest of her life, and will contribute immensely to her character and confidence. Could she be one of the youngest to climb Whiteface or any other mountain over 4000 ft at such a lengthy hike? Had me wondering. In my book she is ;) Click here to post comments. Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Whiteface Mountain. ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: Blink Del.icio.us Digg Furl Google Simpy Spurl Technorati Y! MyWeb
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