A Dartmouth alumnus and his colleagues recently completed a six-week, 550-mile backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail, successfully linking existing trails to create a continuous route through the Granite State.
Rick Ouimet '98 and his wife, Allison Coviello, both high school teachers from the Bronx, recently joined their colleagues to create a trail connecting all peaks above 4,000 feet in New Hampshire and additional sites of interest.
"Our route took us over such celebrated southern peaks as Monadnock, Kearsarge, Cardigan and Smarts -- over all 48 4,000s in the Whites -- and through Coos County via the Cohos Trail," Ouimet said.
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After graduating from Dartmouth, Ouimet and his wife took off for five months and completed the Appalachian Trail. Recognizing the absence of a continuous path in New Hampshire, they created their own this summer.
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"We were in the Whites for 300 miles," he said. "Every day you are above the tree line, unlike the Vermont Longtrail."
The majority of their time was spent on trails, many of which are maintained by Dartmouth. Other peaks, such as Mt. Cardigan and Smarts, were crossed with the help of snowmobile paths.
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Ouimet hopes that their trail, which they have named the New Hampshire Trail, will become a popular option for hikers along the Appalachian.
"We are hoping that this trail catches on as a more rugged alternative to the Vermont Long Trail," he said. "You can do it in six weeks."
