GORHAM, N.H.
Mount Washington, the highest peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, is famous for epically awful weather that includes a 1934 record-setting 231-mph wind gust. In winter, the mercury routinely plunges past 20 below, and punishing storms move in quickly.
Seems like a good place to avoid. But on a Friday afternoon in February, I arrived at the Joe Dodge Lodge, in the shadow of the snow-covered 6,289-foot peak, to attend a Women’s Winter Adventure Weekend organized by the Appalachian Mountain Club. The next day, we would ride a four-track all-wheel-drive vehicle up the steep and winding Mount Washington Auto Road, then snowshoe down. To tell the truth, I was kinda terrified – of the cold, of snowshoeing (which I had never done) and, mostly, at age 48, of spending the weekend with 13 strangers, including two who would be my roommates.
Kim, 54, another Women’s Weekend participant, didn’t seem daunted at all. Like other women in our group, Kim said she likes woman-only organized outings because they are safe, supportive, and “you’re not always trying to compete with men.” She was planning to go on at least two other all-female adventures: a Yukon trip by canoe and bike, with WomanTours, and a Minnesota hiking and camping trip with Adventures in Good Company.
A year earlier, Kim, owner of an auto body shop in Cranston, Rhode Island, had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. On the advice of her doctor, she began lifting weights, then going on weekend hikes with an AMC group in Rhode Island. When her local trails disappeared under snow, she decided to learn how to snowshoe with other women before heading out with her mixed-gender hiking group.
“So I bought all the gear, and I signed up for this weekend,” she said, her voice as matter-of-fact as a shrug.
Although woman-only outdoor travel is not new, it has taken off in recent years, said Marian Marbury, founder and guide of Baltimore-based Adventures in Good Company, which promises “adventure travel for women who want an active outdoor vacation.” In 1999, the company’s first year, about 100 women signed up for 20 outdoor adventures, she said. This year, more than 600 women have planned to test their mettle in 54 domestic and international offerings, including a Grand Canyon backpacking excursion and a safari and trip up Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro.
Most of her customers are in their 40s and older, she said, and about 75 percent sign up solo.
“I think there’s a camaraderie; that’s probably the biggest thing,” she said. “There’s a lot of laughter and sharing.”
Her customers choose all-female travel, she said, because “in that sort of supportive atmosphere, you’re much more likely to try new things and much less worried about looking stupid. There’s a lot less fear of being the slowest or the least experienced.”
Sarah Delucia, adventure program supervisor for the Appalachian Mountain Club, said the nonprofit organization, founded in 1876, began regularly offering woman-only winter adventures in 2012, and they typically sell out. In 2015, more than a dozen such outings are being offered, including a rock-climbing day in May and a fly-fishing weekend in June.
For our snowshoeing trip, our group – 14 participants plus four female guides – lucked into an absolutely gorgeous, sunny day, all blue sky and white snow, with hardly any wind. The temperature at tree line was a balmy 14. Previous snowshoers had packed down the trail, making our travel relatively easy.
One of our guides, Nicky, stopped often to point out tracks of snowshoe hares, trees with bark scraped clean by moose, and even, to her delight, scat from a marten. We learned how to trek up steep inclines by digging the teeth of our snowshoes into the trail, and we heeded her reminders to shed layers if we were in danger of sweating.
But the first major trip downhill proved more daunting. One by one, we stumbled and slipped down the trail – learning a new verb, glissading, which basically means “butt-sliding.” But the supportive spirit was evident: Nobody was in a hurry, and everybody cheered as we all made it to the base of the hill, some more gracefully than others.
Rustic and cozy, with simply furnished bedrooms, wood-paneled walls and posters about safe hiking in the stalls of the shared bathrooms, the Joe Dodge Lodge is a scenic three-hour drive from the Manchester Airport, through mountain notches and small towns. The $297 price tag for the Women’s Winter Weekend included two nights at the lodge, snowshoe and cross-country ski instruction, equipment rental, guided touring along the trails, a 90-minute yoga session, hearty buffet-style meals and a SnowCoach ride past the tree line on the Mount Washington Auto Road.
On the Net
Women’s Wilderness Institute: www.womenswilderness.org. Since 1998, the Boulder-based institute has offered wilderness experiences and outdoor adventures for women and girls in the Rocky Mountains and the deserts of the Southwest.
Women’s Adventure Magazine: www.womensadventuremagazine.com. This Telluride-based magazine has been published quarterly since 2003, targeted toward women interested in sports, travel, fitness and lifestyle.
Adventures in Good Company: www.adventuresingoodcompany.com. “Adventure travel for women of all ages,” with destinations including Africa, Europe and U.S. national parks.
WomanTours: www.womantours.com. Founded in 1995, this Rochester, New York, woman-only bike-touring company offers supported inn-to-inn national and international tours for all levels.
