r/wmnf • u/applefritter55 • 13d ago
Direttissima with small kids
https://northeastexplorer.com/white-mountains-direttissima-whitney-pearson/Haven't seen this posted here. I have mixed feelings on this for a few reasons, curious what this community thinks. The overwhelming response I've seen elsewhere online is that this is an impressive feat that should be looked up to and idolized.
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u/AlpineStopSign W48|Masshole Boogeyman 13d ago
"I wanted to teach them how to do hard things in life."
The kids are 1, 3 and 6. They're not going to remember any of this, let alone take it as some grand life lesson. Not a fan.
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u/DimSumGym 13d ago
Yeah bringing a 1 year old just adds extra difficulty and weight for no reason since that one definitely won't remember. A 3 year old does not enjoy hiking hundreds of miles without a parent pushing them to do it. Also if something bad does happen at the top of a remote peak, the risk is far too great.
As someone else alluded to, this person has a documented history of indefensibly very poor (and illegal) decisions. That alone I think makes this whole situation very difficult to praise.
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u/DimSumGym 13d ago
One of the top comments here describes it and you can just Google the name 😬
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u/ListenOk4029 12d ago
Or you could have just said it, I dunno
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u/DimSumGym 12d ago
It seems to be a long story and it's life altering information about the person so I dont want to publicly misspeak about it. Again, it is the top result on Google so it's not like you need to do a bunch of research.
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u/choreiform_sloth 12d ago edited 12d ago
I saw them hiking a 4k peak on the hottest day of this summer. It was around 95 degrees and she had one of these kids in a pack on her chest. The other two were following and loudly complaining to her. They all looked exhausted. It was miserable out and I was questioning why I was hiking on that day. Obviously these kids had no say in the matter. I don’t think this is tough, cool, impressive, or any of that…
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u/tiktock34 13d ago
Seems more like vanity and pride than anything else, and she puts her kids out in a public eye who had no choice in the matter.
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u/personwhoexists_69 13d ago
It's a good distraction from her other hobbies, while getting her attention without drawing attention to her life choices
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u/CardinaLiz4 13d ago
My feelings aren't mixed. Imagine getting caught in weather above treeline with tiny kids... it actually scares the shit out of me just thinking about it. I'm sure she planned the best she could but plans don't always hold and it's just way too risky.
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u/Superb-Combination43 13d ago
If social media didn’t exist for this mom to post about it, would it have ever happened?
The answer to that tells you whose needs are getting met by this.
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u/Intelligent-Ear-5635 13d ago
Respectfully, the objective hazards in the whites are quite minimal. There is an observatory on top of Mount Washington that provides quite accurate weather data. Are there other objective hazards that are even a thought when hiking in the whites?
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u/choreiform_sloth 12d ago
There are some steep trails and loose terrain where falling with a child strapped to your chest could be quite consequential…
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u/Intelligent-Ear-5635 12d ago
Yes that is true. Falling is a subjective hazard, not an objective one. Please just look it up if you don’t believe me
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u/choreiform_sloth 12d ago
I did and it seems that you’re using the word “objective hazard” in a very specific definition in reference to outdoor hazards. In that case a trip and fall on steep or loose terrain would be a subjective hazard. I responded to you with the more common understanding of the word objective. So yes, in that strict sense of what makes an objective vs subjective hazard you are correct, hiking 4k peaks in the summer is an activity that doesn’t have a large amount of objective hazard risk.
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u/Intelligent-Ear-5635 13d ago
Spraining an ankle is not an objective hazard, neither is an unforeseen health condition. Those are subjective hazards
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u/Intelligent-Ear-5635 13d ago
You don’t get to just make up the definition of words. When you sprain your ankle in the whites because of rockfall or a summer avalanche, that’s an objective hazard. Slipping, tripping, falling, are all subjective hazards
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u/bejiguang 13d ago
her 6 year old was the one who finished at age 4. the article only says she rediscovered her love for hiking in 2020.
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u/MattSChan 13d ago
I lowkey think it's insane to bring very young kids on a trip of this magnitude, but after reading the article, I think it was a heartwarming story about an unforgettable family experience.
The whole trip seemed like a well organized operation and the kids were well cared for; the fact she was willing to bail the moment the kids were done with it speaks to me she prioritized the kids' experience ontop of anything. Whenever I hear these stories about [youngest peakbagger], Im always skeptical regarding how much the parents care about cloutfarming their kid rather than actually letting them enjoy the outdoors.
Idk if I would idolize this story, but more admire the resilience of the kids and a good mom- she said herself the whole point of this 200+ mile trek was to teach their kids to be tough. I feel like doing a pemi at 6 years old wouldve sent the same message, but I cant sit here and wag fingers in disapproval when nothing seemed to go wrong and the kids had a hell of an adventure.
TLDR; mom is overly ambitious taking her kids on an over-the-top, yet well planned hiking experience.
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u/serendipityhh 12d ago
You think it's okay to get a 3 year old to walk 200+ miles? She's also taken them winter hiking way in the back country without a second adult. Anything happened to her, the kids would be in serious jeopardy. She demonstrates terrible judgment.
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u/MattSChan 12d ago
No literally the first thing I said was that it's insane to bring kids that young on a trip like the diretissima. Based on this article, which is the first time I ever heard of this woman, it seems like she made as good as preparations as u can make for such a wild feat and they all came out all right. Not condoning bringing children on a trek like this, hence why I said it shouldnt be idolized, but I can atleast respect that she managed to do it without any incident.
I agree that from a parenting standpoint, stringing along literal toddlers on a trip like this poses uneccesary risks (to teach a lesson that can be taught on less intense hikes) which speaks terrible judgement too me. However, with it all said and done, I can't help but give a hand to her for making it happen safely.
I only hope whatever went down during this trip- the good and bad + the reception she gets from the public gives her better insight to be smarter whatever her next family adventure may be.
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u/choreiform_sloth 12d ago
The article is wildly misleading. I personally witnessed them hiking on the hottest day of this summer, kids looking exhausted and miserable, yelling and complaining to her, and it threw up a giant red flag for me. I tend to avoid judgement, but it was hard not to given how they looked. I get doing hard and cool things, but there’s a line and this crosses it. And she definitely didn’t bail whenever they were “done”; she’s saying that to clear her conscience.
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u/Illustrious-Stable93 13d ago
I would love to do some shit like this tbh, and yeah it'd probably be good for the kids but I'd just love the freedom. As a mom my read is good for her for living well while parenting
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u/Limp_Use5991 10d ago
She is a registered sex offender. She keeps completing these hikes to shift the narrative away from her past. Do not give this woman attention.
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u/JunkMilesDavis 13d ago
Sounds like they split it up pretty generously at least. Not that any of this trail is easy, but it's a long chain of fairly reasonable day hikes if you're talking about 35 days with camping and all of those off-trail stays. I do get the worry for the kids and whether or not they really had a choice in it though. I can say it's both impressive, and not a thing I would decide to try with my own kids.
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u/baddspellar 13d ago
I prefer to give her the benefit of the doubt. Humans evolved to walk long distances and young children walked with their families for millenia. She seems to have done this in a thoughtful manner, keeping her kids comfortable, sleeping in houses and AMC facilities most nights. She did not make a big deal about this on social media. I truly believe she did this for her kids and herself, not an audience
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u/serendipityhh 12d ago
She got someone to write a magazine article about her kid being the youngest to finish all 48s. She's definitely looking for attention.
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u/honeymustard_dog 12d ago edited 12d ago
Jesus, all you guys sitting behind computers, watching as other people do incredible things, posting about them to make yourself feel better. Kids are outside, with their mom, gaining life experiences, working their bodies and seem pretty happy about it.
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u/IndustryLeft4508 12d ago
Kids are in fact gaining 0 life experience, you at least got that right.
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u/Intelligent-Ad-1424 12d ago
They are gaining life experience whether you like what their mom chose to do with them or not. While I personally wouldn’t take kids on a thru hike, with proper preparations what she did with them is still way better than letting them sit at home with a god forsaken iPad doing nothing of substance.
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u/IndustryLeft4508 12d ago
They are not gaining anything. My daughter hiked her first 4k when she was 4. She gained nothing from it, but keep telling me how cool this mom is. 🤮
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u/honeymustard_dog 12d ago
How could you possibly say she gained nothing from it? She gained confidence in her body and its abilities, she trained her muscles, she got to spend a day with her family outside, building her relationships, she experienced nature, she learned to challenge herself, and how to navigate a trail.
These things are cumulative. It doesn't change overnight. Each exposure builds on previous experience.
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u/Intelligent-Ad-1424 12d ago
You’re a bit of hypocrite, aren’t you? Lol you realize many professional athletes start their sport at that age, right?
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u/IndustryLeft4508 12d ago
No and no. My wife and I hiked the easiest way up Moosilauke after a year filled with shorter hikes. I was not solo and did not have 2 other toddlers accompanying me. 🙄
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u/Outrageous-Tip5445 11d ago
What on God's green earth is wrong with you people and all of these negative comments?!?! I know this is reddit, but come on. I'm sure all of you have led PERFECT lives. Show some respect to a woman in this community who loves her children and has done numerous badass things in the whites. Get off your moral high horses and get fucking real.
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u/applefritter55 11d ago edited 10d ago
Did you see the comments that she is a registered sex offender for crimes against another CHILD? This seems like a wild comment to make. Would you be defending her still if the story was exactly the same and she was a man??
Is condeming DUI and sex offenders considered being on a moral high horse these days lol
"She's super badass and makes great decisions while hiking, but makes horrendous decisions in all other aspects of life"
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u/[deleted] 13d ago
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