HIT THE TRAIL
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“ ... you pass all these different cascades along the way, and it's like a true hardwood forest experience in there.” — Andrew Drummond
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P H O T O S C O U RT E S Y
the Airline Trail to bring you back to the parking lot. “All these trails are very well maintained by the Randolph Mountain Club,” Drummond says. Its scenic qualities and the trail system’s adaptability make it a great spot for trail running, hiking, snowshoeing and more. “I've utilized this route to get to get into King Ravine for a ski trip. I've used it for a bigger traverse across the Presidentials, to connect from Randolph to Bartlett, which is a whole crazy thing. I've used it in late fall, when there's bad weather, to still get a nice trail run in and get some elevation without having to go above the tree line,” Drummond says. “It's just this impressive network of trails. It's neat, the way they weave in and out, and highlight all of these different cascades and waterfalls in the area. There are small bridges. It's very scenic and there are lots of beautiful spots to take breaks along the way.” For runners who like mountain trails, the benefit of this system is that spots where you have to stop running and do some serious hiking are limited. “There're some trails in New Hampshire that are just pure hiking for 99% of the runners, but this one isn’t that type of trail,” Drummond says. "While it's a sustained climb, it's one that you can practice. You can do intervals. You can break up your run, and do sections of running, sections of hiking, to really improve your uphill fitness.” Trail running is a great way to cover a large amount of terrain in a short time to make the most of the mountain experience, Drummond says. He is a native of the Mount Washington Valley. “I grew up ingrained in the ski culture, as an Alpine racer, but I kind of fell out of love with skiing. Once I discovered backcountry skiing, that's really what drew
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