Every New Year’s Day for 45 years Upper Valley hikers have trekked to the 4,802-foot summit of Mount Moosilauke on a pilgrimage to celebrate the new year in the glories of the alpine world. No matter the conditions—sun, snow, rain, fog, or bitter cold—hikers will be climbing the trail embraced by forest, fresh air, brisk vitality, and cheerful “Happy New Year” greetings from fellow pilgrims.

Most of us take the Glencliff Trail, a 7.5-mile out and back with a 3,300-foot elevation gain that follows the Appalachian Trail. The trail is gradual for the first two miles then pitches to a steep slog to reach the saddle between the north and south peaks.

The summit is a mile beyond the saddle, but it’s here that hikers break for a snack, talk about conditions of the day, get advice from those who’ve already summited, and greet friends we may see only this one day each year. Ascending hikers will prepare for the last mile, adding layers, a face mask, and ski goggles if necessary. Those coming down will break here to shed their summit gear, join the conversations, and even pop a bottle of champagne to toast the mountain and the New Year. Some with enough gumption to spare will detour up the 0.1-mile trail to the south summit, which offers stunning views of its own. The Carriage Road Trail junctions here, and a few backcountry skiers may enter the scene from that side.

Beyond the saddle, the trail follows the north-south ridge through a magical forest of small spruce and fir, shrouded with snow and rime ice. Then, with the summit in view, it breaks out to an open world of granite and krummholz—those clusters of small, gnarly old trees that hunch closely to the ground. Tall cairns, like giant beehives, mark the way to the summit. This enchanted landscape is usually covered with snow and ice and swept by powerful winds. One year it blew so hard that even with poles and crampons, I was on my mitts and knees to keep from blowing away, crawling back to the shelter of the woods. You need to know when to turn around.

A View Worth the Climb

Twin nieces Elizabeth and Rebecca Helfer with Priscilla Reinertsen at the summit. In her early 80s, Priscilla plans to make her 29th New Year’s Day hike January 1, 2025. Selfie by Elizabeth Helfer.

Moosilauke is an Abenaki word meaning bald place, no doubt because of the wide-open summit. On those stellar days when the sky is clear, the 360-degree view is astounding. Among the mountains seen are Washington and the Presidentials, the Kinsmans, Franconia Ridge, Smarts, Black, the Whites to the east, and Moosilauke’s South Peak. The Connecticut River Valley and the mountains of Vermont spread to the west. From the summit sign, we may see a few hikers coming up from the Gorge Brook Trail to the east or the Benton and Beaver Brook trails to the north. That’s the long view, but when it’s hidden by fog or blowing snow, the immediate views are reward enough. The ice and snow will frost trees, stones, cairns, and signposts to create an altogether new and exotic world. Clouds swirl, rise, and fall.

On a day when the wind behaves,
pilgrim-hikers linger for a bite to eat and to revere this bit of paradise, sometimes sheltering from the breezes in nooks behind the foundation ruins of the old Tip Top House, a hotel that burned in 1942. And always, working quickly with cold fingers, there are photographs around the summit sign.

The Making of a Tradition

Doug Teschner

The New Year’s Day hike began in 1981 when Michael Penkert and Peter Ely of Pike made the climb. The numbers grew steadily each year, as friends and colleagues joined in. Jeff Goodell joined the hike in 1988 and today his family, friends, and dogs are among the largest of the regular groups. He, along with his son Carter and friend Becca, were among the very few who touched the summit in 2018 when it was 20 below zero. Mike Penkert made the hike over 30 times.

By 1996 we counted 33 people. In 2012 Willem Lange made the hike with a film crew from New Hampshire Public Television for an episode of Windows to the Wild, adding to its popularity. Today, if the weather is good, there will be up to 100 celebrants on the mountain.

Every hiker has their own adventure to tell, but my favorite is when the late Put Blodget and his hiking partner Priscilla Reinertson broke out of the trees into 70 mph winds. Undeterred, Put led as they bushwhacked through deep snow around to the east side of the peak in the lee of the wind. They touched the summit sign and headed back to the woods. Put was an experienced and hearty hiker and he knew the mountain well. At 81, this was his last hike up Moosilauke. Priscilla, now in her early 80s, will join the New Year pilgrims again in 2025 for her 29th ascent.

The Long Descent

Bruce Atwood, John Wilmot, and Tom Kidder collecting frost. Photo by Bill Young.

The trip down is its own adventure. The wind often blows from the south, so turning from the summit means facing the cold blast. Masked by balaclava and goggles, we might pass close to friends unrecognized! Back at the saddle, some will visit the south peak, then it’s time to remove a few layers, compare notes, and have a snack to fortify us for the downhill trail. Gary Moore and Don Kollisch might open a bottle of champagne, and Bill Young will offer his homemade buckeyes all around.

And the long descent continues. Hiking downhill can be a long slog, but if the snow is right, a bum slide down some of the steeper sections speeds things up. After the exhilaration of the ascent, and having touched the summit, there is the sweet satisfaction that we’ve met the challenge, that we’ve started the new year with this inspiring pilgrimage, graced by nature and friendships. We step into the future with eagerness and hope. See you at the summit!

Author’s note:
Thanks to Doug Teschner, Bill Young, Gary Moore, Priscilla Reinertsen, and Jeff Goodell for help with this story.