The hiking teachers

GILFORD — When you gather a group of people with a similar interest, the talk often turns to the things others cannot understand.

“I got engaged when we were hiking,” one woman notes. “I’m a fair-weather hiker,” says another. “I hiked up Cannon and learned it wasn’t the moderate hike I thought it would be,” concludes another.

The group of people are hikers who have completed or are in the process of completing the New Hampshire 48. For those unfamiliar with the term, it represents the 48 mountains 4,000 feet (or above) in New Hampshire. Hiking the entire 48 mountains is a challenging feat, but something many hikers want to do or are in the process of completing.

Hiking the New Hampshire 48 was in the headlines recently when Lyvie Beyrent, a music teacher at Gilford High School, completed the 48 hikes. Her first hike was up Cannon Mountain; fittingly, that is where Beyrent’s last hike of the 48s was done a few weeks ago.

Beyrent is modest about meeting the challenge and said many people do the 48s, and most don’t make a big deal of it. She was featured on WMUR Channel 9, and many of her students saw it. Thus began the school-wide attention her hike generated.

In a goal to include others who have hiked the 48, Beyrent gathered some of the teachers and staff of the district together to discuss hiking and what they experienced when climbing the New Hampshire 48. She says she is among many who have hiked the 48 and feels everyone should be acknowledged.

Scott Piddington, a theater technical director, is the most experienced hiker at Gilford High School.

“When I was 10, my parents and I hiked in Franconia Notch and Cannon. We also hiked Mount Washington," says Piddington, who lives in Sanbornton. "It was in the 1960s, and things in the mountains were much different back then.”

Piddington has completed the New Hampshire 48; his first time doing so was in 1979. He says at the time, there were fewer people on the trails. “But forest protection didn’t exist then, and there was more litter on the trails. There also was erosion because many hikers wore big, heavy boots.”

With the advent of COVID, and although many people took to hiking and the trails were heavily used, there is greater awareness of keeping the forests free of erosion and trash. Various organizations are informative about protecting the woods and trails.

Some of the district staff in Gilford hike and train together, while others get out and take to the trails with their families, friends or on their own. “I hike sometimes with Anthony,” explains Beyrent, referring to Anthony Eldridge, a district employee in Gilford.

Sarah Hengstenberg, a science educator in the Gilford district, lives in Ashland, which places her geographically closer to the White Mountains and its many hiking trails. She hikes with her husband and laughs as she recalls the day he proposed while on a hike.

“We were sitting on a rock, and when he took out the ring box, the ring fell out. I was afraid the ring would be lost, but I managed to save it!”

Joe Maslow, a Gilford special educator, is also an experienced hiker.

“I went to a Winnipesaukee summer camp as a kid and did a 9-mile hike when I was 11. Hiking is hard but very rewarding,” he said.

As with others who have hiked and completed the New Hampshire 48, Maslow had to curtail his hiking somewhat due to this summer’s rainy weather, but he looks forward to future hikes.

Beyrent adds she is now ready to tackle the New England 67 (a group of 67 4,000-footers around New England) and is hiking in Vermont and Maine. Her fellow district employees are cheering her on and may join her on the trails at some point.

Should someone want to start hiking and eventually challenge themselves to do the New Hampshire 48, the hikers have good advice, most drawn from their own experiences.

They advise starting with day hikes and constantly checking the weather forecast. Maslow stresses by "the weather," they mean the mountain forecast versus a generalized prediction of the conditions. “Bring water and good footwear,” he adds.

Piddington agrees. “Getting footwear that fits you well is important. You want footwear with good soles that don’t stick to the rocks when hiking. Get footwear a bit bigger than you need, as well.”

He continues, “Pack a waterproof layer, bring a compass and paper map because GPS may not always work, water, food, a fire starter, a whistle so you can signal should you need to, and a medical kit. Also, a headlamp.”

Byrent says to bring extra socks because your pair will invariably get wet and to also bring flip-flops. “After I hike and return to my car, I like to take my hiking boots off and put my flip-flops on for comfort,” she says.

After hiking the New Hampshire 48, Beyrent, Piddington, and Maslow have their favorites among the many miles they have traversed.

“I would say my favorite is Waumbek in Jefferson. I did it on a gray November day and enjoyed the birds and woods,” Beyrent says.

Piddington muses for a moment and then says he cannot choose just one favorite mountain/hike. “I’ve hiked 17,000 miles and experienced many long-distance trails. I just cannot choose one I like best.”

Maslow says his favorite was Carrigan, with its 360-degree view. He adds that being safe while hiking is important, as is respecting the condition of the trails. There are many resources to give information, such as LNT.org (Leave No Trace), NH Hike Safe, and 10 essentials from the NH Park Service. The Gilford hikers agree it is good to have a NH Hike Safe Card, which offers rescue services if needed, as well as helpful hiking rules and suggestions.

As Beyrent begins her goal of hiking the New England 67 group of 4,000-foot mountains, she can count on her fellow district teachers and staff for encouragement and advice if needed. It is just part of hiking, a unique pastime that, for some, has become a big part of their lives.