♪♪ Good morning.

It's New Year's Day, and we're at the foot of Mount Moosilauke near Glencliff, New Hampshire.

And we're about to have another exciting adventure.

♪♪ Welcome to Windows to the Wild, I’m Willem Lange.

It's the 1st of January, and I'm standing at the foot of Mount Moosilauke near Glencliff, New Hampshire, in the White Mountains.

Moosilauke is a little over 4800ft high, and it's the westernmost of the 4000 footers in the White Mountains.

We'll be climbing up the Glencliff trail today, which goes up fairly gradually for about two, two and a half miles and then steeply for half a mile up to the ridge of the mountain.

And then it's one more mile along the ridge on the old carriage road to the summit.

Total about four miles.

Eight miles up and back and we'll probably be coming down in the dark now on my little adventure today.

I'm with a bunch of old friends here whom some of, some of whom you may have met before.

Gary Moore from Bradford, Vermont, who was with us on the Falling Waters Trail.

Right.

On the really Falling Waters Trail, God it was wet.

His old friend Don Kollisch and another old friend of mine, Eric Saylor, who was a charter member of the Geriatric Adventure Society and a mad man, canoeist and a friend of mine from Montpelier, Ken Hertz from the Green Mountain Club.

That's the dramatis personae for today.

So off we go.

Shall we, gentlemen?

♪♪ [Water flows] ♪♪ I'm stripping.

This is a hot climb.

These guys are setting a hot pace.

[Willem laughs] You two call yourselves the persist-The persistent plodders.

That’s Don and I.

Well, it's a it's a pretty good plan.

I must say, this is the, this is your normal pace?

I think Eric was was moving us a little bit faster than-I see, okay.

We've experienced uh, not hiking Where we’re hiking at the same time.

Yeah?

Eric and Pat, have a pace that's about four times what Don and my and Don and I have.

Ah, I see.

Well, And we like to talk, so it's Imagine that.

So it's it's hard to hard to talk when, when you're breathing 30 times a minute.

Yeah.

[Willem laughs] Well.

All right.

So why don't you guys set the pace?

Okay?

And don't be don't feel pressured from behind.

Okay.

♪♪ That's a help.

♪♪ Our goal today is the 4802ft summit of Mount Moosilauke in Benton.

It's somehow become a tradition among Connecticut Valley hikers to climb the mountain every New Year's Day.

No matter what the conditions, this makes the adventure a little hairy at times.

But this New Year's forecast was for above freezing temperatures, a south wind and clear skies slowly giving way late in the day to clouds and rain.

If ever I was going to do it.

Considering the quickening march of time, this was the year.

♪♪ Not too far up the trail the first hiker passed us.

Going up, not down.

I wondered why she wasn't wearing creepers for traction.

You got creepers on there?

I have em in my backpack.

That's a good place for creepers, as a rule.

That’s right!

That way when you fall down they-You don’t skid so far!

Well, Ah, we're already overheated, so we stopped to remove a layer.

Same problem.

Yeah.

I need to get contacts for the outdoors.

I tell ya Will, you will know a good share of the people who are up here.

Yeah.

And you will know them all.

Well, actually, as Eric and I were just talking, there'll be lots of people here that we see every year.

I don't even know their names, but you just know who you're going to see.

♪♪ It's amazing to me that somebody climbed Mount Washington only 20 years after the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

That's a pretty fast penetration of the woods.

♪♪ Lots of old friends up here.

Some four-footed ones too!

God, Is he happy or what?

Oh, yeah.

Just a good way to start the New Year, with uh, exercise.

Can we go back and get ole grumpy?

[Willem laughs] you can tell who's older here.

Yeah.

[Willem chuckles] Hey hey hey Hey buddy How are ya?

And, of course, Don knew their owner.

Hi how are you?

Good, happy new year!

Same to you!

Can you believe the weather?

Oh, no.

Good morning.

I was looking for you!

Oh, you found me.

[Laughing] It’s been years, Don.

[Inaudible chatter] [Willem laughs] ♪♪ Oh, yeah.

You think we're making a mile an hour Eric?

You think so, eh?

♪♪ Okay, playthrough.

Let's go.

Happy new year!

Thank you, thank you.

And all is well so far.

You're Willem Lange?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Hi.

Nice to meet you.

Who are you?

I love your radio shows, oh just one of your many listeners.

Come on, who are you?

John Nininger.

Oh, yeah, John!

Oh, we [Laughing] Where are you from?

Newbury.

Right across the river.

Very nice.

What do you do?

What do I do?

My favorite thing.

No, no.

What do you- [Laughing] One of my favorite things?

Yeah.

Actually, I tell you, because you'd probably know I built, log shelters in the White Mountains.

Really?

Just built Garfield shelter.

Oh?

And built Kinsman in Eliza Brook also.

So I should go give it a shot?

Yeah.

Yeah.

They're beautiful.

They're handcrafted log buildings.

I'll be there next summer.

Cool.

[Water flows] Wow.

January 1st and running water?

Good thing there's a bridge to get us across, it would be kind of a rough day if we started out with wet feet.

♪♪ [Water flows] ♪♪ We love Willem!

My parents watch him.

Don’t tell him that.

Yeah.

We have to live with it.

♪♪ Oh, hello!

I watch you all the time We're big fans, [Laughing] Nice to meet you.

Good to meet you.

Where are you from?

Londonderry and Concord.

Can we actually get a picture with you?

Hi, so nice to meet you, wow!

Can we get a picture with you?

Would that be okay?

You got five bucks?

[Laughing] [Laughing] Can someone, uh do the honors?

♪♪ Oh it’s slippery!

It's always pleasant to take the time for a photo with a fellow hiker.

Kind of humbling too, at my age, to be recognized by somebody who wants to have his picture taken with you!

Did you get it?

As your publicist, I'd make sure all your fans get to see you.

Yeah, five bucks he says.

♪♪ I've been up on Moosilauke dozens of times.

Once even on another New Year's Day.

1969, in a howling blizzard, in a whiteout.

But never since then, in winter.

And only once in 1955.

By the Glencliff trail.

To say the prospect of this climb dominated my thoughts for over a week before.

Would be an understatement.

I'm 43 years older, 32 pounds heavier.

And much patched by orthopedic wizards.

So I've been a bit doubtful of the outcome.

♪♪ Watch it behind you.

Howdy!

Oh, we might make it.

Okay.

Thank you.

How are you?

Not too bad.

You.

Good morning.

I think I remember you from last year.

Same time, same place.

Nah, wasn’t me.

We were probably just as slow last year.

Remember those guys?

Okay.

♪♪ Don't slip.

Don't slip.

♪♪ I brought a dog.

He’s amazing.

No, I can't keep up with the two of them.

♪♪ We're following the Appalachian Trail here.

Glencliff at the foot of the trail has a little tiny post office soon to be closed.

That's always been a popular place for Appalachian Trail through hikers to pick up packages from home before they tackle the White Mountains.

These white paint blazes on the trees here are reminders of a long love affair with the trail that started almost 60 years ago.

When I first hiked through here.

♪♪ Before your group, I think I passed somebody who was counting.

And so they were up to about 41 before your group.

Before us?

That were on the mountain.

♪♪ Look at the sky!

Ain’t it nice?

Yeah.

[Inaudible] overhead, we got blue skies!

Beautiful.

[Wind blows] How far into the carriage road?

Oh, I don't- 20 minutes we’ll be there.

20 minutes eh?

Yeah.

The AMC guidebook mentions a half mile steep stretch beginning at 2.5 miles and ending at the ridge of the mountain where the Glencliff trail merges with the much gentler carriage road that once provided access to the long extinct summit House hotel.

We're in the middle of that steep stretch.

It's steep, all right, and the stone steps that normally make it easier are coated with hard flow ice.

I can feel the lactic acid building up on my quadriceps, and my breath is a little labored, but I know for sure that whatever prospect this steep slope presents, I'm going to make it.

♪♪ How are you doing?

I’m good!

How are you doing?

Good.

You made it in good shape.

We did make it in good shape.

All by yourself?

No.

My family is up ahead with the dog.

You’re a jolly bunch.

♪♪ Hi.

Hey, what are you doing up here?

Good to see you!

Happy new year!

I haven’t seen ya since the last time we had a pause Yeah, well, I knew I’ll hit it I think you wrote a little, a little article about my pratfall, I believe were the words you used.

He took a, it was a beauty.

♪♪ Doesn’t look to me like you’re over.

♪♪ Let me see.

Where's the maître d’?

[Indistinct chatter] I made a reservation for a table.

Where is it?

[Laughing] That way.

♪♪ This is the usual lunch spot.

♪♪ [Indistinct chatter] We finally finished the much feared steep stretch here coming up the last of the Glencliff trail.

We're at the junction now with the carriage road, which goes on from here.

Not quite a mile to the summit, but much more gradual and out in the open.

It’s still a beautiful day, but we have some wind coming in from the south, and mare's tail clouds up high, so we ought to get down sometime before dark if we can.

It's going to get a little rugged later, but we're on our way and you're welcome to join us.

That's right.

Okay.

I'm goin’.

I'm goin’.

Let's go!

This is the easy part.

I hope so.

♪♪ Doesn’t get much better than this?

No.

You cheated death once again there Tom.

Yeah, yeah.

[Laughing] Well, not yet!

[Laughing] You know what the Norskis always said, never count a day good till it is gone.

That’s great, good seeing ya.

Yup.

♪♪ This is very nice going.

♪♪ I think we may make it Eric.

I see the Tip-Top house up there.

♪♪ An easy, spectacular mile on gleaming crystalline snow above timberline took us up the gently rising ridge to the ruined foundation of the summit house up on top.

The south wind was, just a bit brisk, blowing patches of mist up and over the ridge.

We saw quite a few familiar faces coming down that had passed us on the way up.

Hello.

Howdy.

We expect to see you here next year.

You do huh?

[Willem laughs] We might, who knows?

See ya.

♪♪ This is the last of the first.

Oh, yeah.

[Wind blows] Well, as you can see, we've made it.

And it's an absolutely beautiful day.

I don't know how it could be any better.

There's a heavy undercast so the valleys are hidden, but all the highest peaks are visible and Washington.

Oh.

They're beautiful.

4800 and 2 feet.

[Willem laughs] And now we get to go back down.

♪♪ Now, Gary grew up in the shadow of Moosilauke.

He and the mountain are old friends.

He gave us a quick, icy tour of the former Summit House.

These are the corners, 1860 I believe they built the first one.

They changed it once.

It was called a prospect house.

Then they call it the Tip Top house and later the Summit House.

So between 1860 and 1942, when it burned, this was it.

♪♪ It must have been spectacular waking up on a clear summer morning and just watching the fog burn off in the valley.

♪♪ I've been climbing, Moosilauke, usually several times a year since I was a kid.

Because I grew up looking at it.

I grew up right over there in Vermont.

♪♪ Nobody knows who first came up with the idea of climbing Moosilauke on New Year's Day.

But their tradition not only continues, it gets more popular every year.

For some, it's a challenge.

For others, it's kind of a party.

For me, It's a chance to get above Timberline and sometimes, like today, above the clouds, and experience once again the beauty that captivated me first over half a century ago.

All right, now you've been doing this for a year or two, right?

A year or two plus ten.

Really?

Yeah.

Since, the year I guess 2000, I think was, was when I started.

So every new year, the two of you come up here.

Yeah, I think we've missed 1 or 2.

One that I know of.

Yeah, but otherwise it's a good way to start the year.

Oh, yeah.

It's great.

Terrific.

If you survive it.

Oh, it’s terrific.

Actually I started, I looked at my logbook yesterday.

Yeah.

My first winter one was, was, 95.95?

Eric, you've been comin’ up, longer than that.

Before that, probably, yeah.

You in part.

Yep.

[Willem sighs] So we'll have a moment of silence for those who are not with us today.

God bless them.

The couch potatoes.

Yeah, no they’re, they re hurtin’ potatoes.

Well, actually, when we get to when we get down to the saddle, I've got a, uh.

Yeah?

A bottle of champagne.

You're kidding!

Would I kid you about something like that?

Yeah you might.

A small one?

Oh?

Small-enough that we each can take a slug.

Yeah?

And I have one also.

So we get a double slug?

Well, is it because, well, to honor those who are not with us.

The first year that I came up.

Yeah.

Well, about two months before that, my, hiking partner, died, had a heart attack on Mount Madison.

And, and a friend of ours who hikes here.

Told me to get back on the, on the horse.

Yeah?

He said, she said, you know, there's Saylor.

You know, Saylor?

And I said, yeah, she said he hikes Moosilauke with me every New Year's Day.

So I hitched myself, my car to his horse.

[Willem laughs] And two months later and, and ran into Gary.

Okay.

On the mountain.

That’s good.

Oh.

So we've been doing this, Yeah.

Ever since.

I think, as you notice today while coming up, it's a it's a real social event.

Everybody is-It’s fantastic!

We see people once a year and this is where you see them.

They come from all over.

Yeah.

New Hampshire, Vermont and you see them next January 1st.

That's great.

We should do it another year.

Yeah.

I don't know about that trail though, holy toledo.

There's more than one trail.

Yeah.

Maybe next year the carriage road.

We're going down-I'm going down by the carriage road.

That's really steep and icy.

Good, yeah.

The way we came up.

Won’t be till midnight gettin’ down We're lucky today, though.

It's.

We can see a long ways some days y-It’s just gorgeous.

Can't see the next cairn.

I think we'll all chip in and buy you some better ice scrapers No never mind, I'm going to go get them myself as soon as and if I get home.

[Laughing] And, you know, the carriage road.

Some people ski up it.

Yeah, right.

And I guess, you need skins.

Say, Eric, you've skied it several times.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Several times.

There's some more people comin’ up.

I don’t think I can come up here again.

It's never going to be this nice.

Did you?

Yeah.

We’re here.

This is- Happy New Year!

-very unusual [Laughing] Okay.

What do you say we start down?

♪♪ It was just a few minutes back down into tree line and the junction of the Glencliff trail, and the carriage road.

A great spot out of the wind to take a break with old friends.

And split the traditional bottle of champagne before the long descent to the foot of the mountain.

♪♪ Well, as you can see, the mountain has allowed us to climb it once more, one more time.

We've made it.

We have!

And we're on our way down.

I presume we're all going to get to the bottom.

We're definitely going to get to the bottom, hopefully in one piece.

That is correct, okay.

So actually the people we’re with this year, Gary and Don have a tradition they follow every time they climb the mountain They come half way back down and open a couple of bottles of champagne.

I think that's a very, that's a nice thing to do.

Yes.

We like to, propose a toast.

Let’s see if Don gets.

Let's get this thing open without spraying Oh, they split.

[Champagne bottle pops] There.

Oh.

Smooth as silk, okay.

Here we go.

A toast to-To hikers who are no longer with us.

[Bottles clink] Well, we've come once again to the part of the program I like least, the time when we have to say goodbye.

So, we'll do it.

You all are going down that trail.

We're going down this trail.

We’ll meet, if not today, in the great hereafter.

Absolutely.

[Laughing] I hope you enjoyed today's adventure as much as we did.

I'm Willem Lange and I hope to see you again on Windows to the Wild.

♪♪