Rick (61) and Lisa Fregeolle (62) are the primary couple, and Lisa, the second lady, to complete the New Hampshire Triple Crown of Climbing, ending the White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid, The White Mountains Redlining Path Record, and Climbing New Hampshire’s 500 Highest Mountains in October 2024. That is essentially the most troublesome mountaineering problem in New Hampshire and has solely been accomplished by six individuals beforehand, together with John Gutowski in 2019, Invoice Cronin and John McHugh in 2020, Zach Porter and Denise Stassis in 2021, and Liam Cooney in 2022.
Ending the New Hampshire Triple Crown requires mountaineering:
- The White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid includes mountaineering all 48 of the White Mountain 4000 footers in each month of the 12 months, for a complete of 576 peaks. It takes about 3300 miles of mountaineering with 1,000,000 toes of elevation achieve to finish. 187 individuals have completed the grid thus far, some a number of occasions.
- The White Mountains Redlining Path Record requires mountaineering all the trails listed within the Appalachian Mountain Membership’s White Mountain Information which lists 664 trails for a mixed size of 1478 miles. On common, it takes most individuals near 2500 miles to complete it as a result of the paths usually are not contiguous and repeats are sometimes mandatory. 110 individuals have completed thus far, some a number of occasions.
- The New Hampshire 500 Highest requires climbing the five hundred tallest mountains in New Hampshire that are unfold out everywhere in the state, many in the course of nowhere. A number of hundred of those mountains don’t have trails, which makes this a really difficult record, as a result of you must navigate off-trail to climb them. Nobody’s counted up the miles or elevation achieve required to finish this record but, however it’s loads. To date, simply 24 individuals have accomplished this record.
Finishing all three of those mountaineering lists is a critical problem requiring years and infrequently many years of mountaineering. For instance, it took Rick and Lisa 20 years to finish the White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid, 10 years to climb the New Hampshire 500 Highest mountains, and 20 years to complete Redlining the White Mountain Trails, though they accomplished most of that remaining record over the previous 3 years.
When requested which was their favourite of the three lists to finish, Rick and Lisa mentioned the White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid was their favourite as a result of they loved seeing the woods change every month of the 12 months. “However we additionally cherished the remoteness, artifacts, logging roads, and herd paths that you just discover whereas bush-whacking the New Hampshire 500 Hundred Highest and the various fascinating trails we hiked to complete the White Mountains Redlining Path record.”
Rick writes “We wish to thank the many individuals we met alongside the best way with particular due to Nancy and Charlie Foote who impressed us method again when. They’re wonderful! Additionally, Hiker Ed, an incredible hiker who evokes so many. We admire all he does. Additionally, due to Brian Cuddihee for sustaining the NH500 highest record & map and his recommendation. Thanks additionally to Philip Werner for all his analysis, and articles, and for sustaining the Triple Crown finishers record.
Congratulations Rick and Lisa!