Trekking in the American Northeast

There are trails so difficult that there is a term to designate the type of hiking done on them: scrambling. There is no real French equivalent to describe what is somewhere between walking and climbing. For want of a better term, we could always talk about scrambling.

Crapahuter is French military slang, it means “to take a long march in difficult terrain”.

There is little hiking in Quebec. You have to go to the American Northeast, to the Adirondacks, the Green Mountains, the White Mountains, to see what’s on offer.

“There are some great classics that are must-dos, where you get value for your money,” says Karl Sanfaçon, a Quebec hiker who has climbed more than a hundred peaks over 4,000 feet (1,200 meters). “People who suffer from vertigo can do it, but they’ll find it much more difficult. On the other hand, someone who doesn’t have a problem with vertigo will love doing scrambling because you have to use your hands, you have to think about where to put your feet.”

The White Mountains of New Hampshire offer several epic trails for adventurous hikers, especially in the Mount Washington area.

The Huntington Ravine trail is a classic of its kind. Some specialist sites rank it among the most difficult trails in the American Northeast.

“It’s not dangerous, but it’s very steep,” comments Karl Sanfaçon.

While the Huntington Ravine Trail leads to the summit of Mount Washington, the King Ravine Trail leads to the summit of Mount Adams, the second highest mountain in the Northeast.

“It’s a must because the sets are fantastic,” enthuses Karl Sanfaçon.

In the same area, the Presidential Mountains, the Madison Gulf Trail is as steep as you want.

This is also the case with the Six Husbands trail, which leads to the summit of Mount Jefferson. “It’s a trail that scares a lot of people, and rightly so,” notes Mr. Sanfaçon.

In the Mount Lafayette area, the Flume Slide Trail is known for its difficulty. Some people avoid the more difficult sections of rock by going through the woods, but these off-trail sections cause some erosion.

Maine is no slouch, especially with Mount Katahdin. You have to put away your hiking poles and use your hands to climb the Cathedral Trail to Baxter Peak, the highest point on Katahdin. The Helon Taylor Trail leads to Pamola Peak.

“It’s extremely steep, there are no chains, no ropes. You have to take your time. The rocks are beautiful, there are nice holds, but it’s scrambling pure. “

In between, the Knife Edge trail is renowned for its aerial character.

Further east in Acadia National Park, the Beehive and Precipice trails have made more than one hiker turn green with fear.

In Vermont, in the Green Mountains, it is Mount Mansfield that has a few trails where hiking is the main attraction, such as Hell Brook, Cliff and North Canyon Loop.

“It’s not difficult, but you can’t do just anything,” emphasizes Karl Sanfaçon.

The Adirondack High Peaks also have some sections of scramblingsuch as the famous wall between Basin and Saddleback Mountains.

But THE scramblingas Karl Sanfaçon says, it is Trap Dyke, which allows the ascent of Mount Colden passing through sections which seriously resemble climbing and an extremely exposed slab.

Yes, there are accidents sometimes. In winter, we are talking about ice climbing, with rope, ice axes and crampons. In summer, a helmet is essential.

There are other precautions to take: do not do scrambling when it rains, because the wet rock becomes very slippery. You also need to plan a loop and not a round trip because going down a section of scramblingit is very dangerous. You also have to plan your exit well so as not to do the difficult sections after dark.

Finally, one should not underestimate the trails of scrambling.

“We’re not in Quebec,” explains Karl Sanfaçon. “There are trails in the United States that you would never see in the province.”

A list of some seriously scary trails can be found on the New England Waterfalls website.

Visit the New England Waterfalls website