Let me start by explaining what the Presidential Traverse is. It ranks as one of the most challenging and beautiful hikes in New Hampshire. This hike spans the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in one continuous journey, covering 23 miles, which includes 10 peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation and approximately 9,000 feet of elevation gain. My coworkers and I thought this would be the perfect choice for our group’s overnight hike.

The crew consisted of our HR representative, known as Mama Karen; a bartender with a passion for the outdoors, who went by the trail name ‘Wild Thing’; a soon-to-be golf pro who received the trail name ‘Arnold,’ based on the well-known golf drink Arnold Palmer, which seemed fitting since his last name was Palmer; a waitress who provided most of the entertainment along the trail, and whom we deemed ‘Giggles’; a line cook who earned the name ‘Tekkies’ after completing a trail in a pair of sneakers; an events manager who became known as the ‘Chiropractor’ for providing back cracks after the day’s hike and myself, a server who became known as ‘Paparazzi’ for always having my camera ready to capture the trip’s photos.

We planned to leave at 5 am, so when the time came, we all met outside in the parking lot with our bags packed and ready to drive an hour and a half to the trailhead. Upon arriving at the Appalachia Trailhead parking, we unloaded the car, checked our packs one last time, posed for a quick photo, and began our journey up the Valley Way Trail.

Our legs felt fresh, and the vibes were high as we ventured into the mountains. WildThing thought he was hallucinating after finding a fresh red pepper on the trail and jokingly placed it on a rock to see if any of us would notice. However, we were too focused on our footwork.

Throughout the beginning of the trail, the weather conditions were mostly misty, but we didn’t mind, as the first section of the trail climb had the highest elevation gain to reach the ridge line which would not be fun in the heat. After a bit of climbing, we arrived at the first AMC hut, where we stopped for a quick bite to eat, some coffee, and Arnold enjoyed a couple of pancakes from the free breakfast. I bought myself a bottle as a souvenir after realizing that it was the last water point until we reached the hut campsite. The group decided to leave our heavy packs at the hut so we could summit the first peak, Mount Madison, and then return to continue the route.

After restocking our water, we hoisted our packs onto our backs and ascended into the mist towards Mt. Madison.

There, we paused for our mandatory group summit picture and commenced our descent below the treeline toward the Grey Knob cabin. After much debate about whether to sleep at the cabin or continue to a potentially full campsite, we opted for the cabin, rendering the somewhat heavy tents in our packs useless. We made the most of the lack of electricity by playing chess, savoring the breathtaking view of a rainbow, and indulging in a nostalgic game of I Spy from the cabin’s viewpoint.

It was dinner time, so we unpacked our little stoves and began preparing our pre-planned meals. Mine was undoubtedly the most delicious, consisting of quick-serve General Tso noodle and canned chicken cup.”

After a rather noisy night in the bunks, caused by the tossing and turning on cheap mattresses, and a wake up call for a midnight bathroom break and a quick gaze at the clear night sky revealing the stars, we all woke up at the agreed-upon time of 4 am to commence our dark climb back to the ridge line. Coffee and breakfast in hand, we were on our way.

“We watched the sunrise from within the tree line and savored the remainder of it on a rocky section of the trail, where we found some of nature’s fresh blueberries growing next to the path. We reminded ourselves to look back every now and then to catch the pink skies and the blanket of clouds in the mountains behind us.

There was a brief break in the clouds, which we took advantage of to enjoy the views. Shortly after, we had to add a couple of layers to combat the cold weather as we ascended Mt. Jefferson. The ascent was commemorated with a few pictures, and we even convinced the chiropractor to lick the metal summit point marker.

The next part of the traverse was undoubtedly the toughest section. Mount Clay appeared rather daunting, looming at 5,533 feet and shrouded in clouds, especially considering the fact that the even taller Mount Washington was just behind it.

At this point, the group faced a significant water shortage, and we began rationing as we panted our way up the 6,288-foot pile of granite. I couldn’t have been more excited to summit Mount Washington, eager to quickly escape the crowds of tourists who either took the tram or drove up to the summit for a group picture at the summit post and to find the nearest water source. The group indulged in some non-trail food and drinks at the so-called restaurant atop Washington and congratulated each other on completing this challenging peak of the traverse.

We restocked our food bags and realized that we still had five peaks left on the traverse, and we were only halfway through. This part of the trail was definitely the highlight for me. We were walking along the highest points of the ridge line, and the views of what we had conquered and what was yet to come were incredible.

As the group descended, we reached another hut called the Lake in the Clouds hut, and we soon understood why it had that name. I convinced Wild Thing and the Chiropractor to participate in a photo opportunity, which, in my opinion, was well worth it. However, I’m not sure if he agreed, especially after sinking his boot into almost knee-high mud.

Three peaks later, and what felt like an eternity of walking, we successfully added Mount Monroe, Franklin, and Eisenhower to our list of ascents. The only two left were Mount Pierce and Jackson. Pierce passed by pretty quickly, but the group started feeling the aches and pains of such a long day of hiking. Giggles had injured her knee and was enduring quite a bit of pain on the downhills, but with her and the chiropractor combined, known as Tweedledee and Tweedledum with their matching packs, they kept the positive energy flowing and a go-get-em attitude.

The group separated for a bit along our approach to the final peak, Mount Jackson, as some were moving much faster than others, but we all met at the top and celebrated the fact that we had just completed all the mountain peaks on the Presidential Traverse. My only concern was realizing the fact that we still had to descend, and it would be a lot steeper and longer than we could have hoped.

As it usually is on hikes and in life, when you know the end is near, it seems to take much longer to arrive, thanks to your anticipation. WildThing and Arnold, who were still going strong, broke off ahead of the pack as they agreed to fetch the car, which was parked at the wrong trailhead, and pick us up at the right end point. It started getting dark, and I think most of our moods did too, as the trail down felt never-ending. But to our immense pleasure, our feet hit the tar road as we reached the end of the traverse. The boys had the car parked, music playing, and beers ready as we each arrived. As a group, we lay in the dark, scattered all over the parking lot and enjoyed a highly-anticipated beer in celebration of our journey’s completion.

All in all, it was an unforgettable experience, and I am thankful for pushing through and completing the hike with such a truly special group of friends who made the journey exactly what it should have been.