Summit Mt Washington is more than a hike

Our 12th annual Summit Mt Washington hike for mental health is in the books, and it will be remembered for years to come!

The experience that this hike creates for the hikers and volunteers is impossible to describe. The only way to give a sense of what it is like to be there is to share the after-hike comments from the hikers and volunteers themselves:

“Thanks so much for an awesome weekend; I still can’t believe we did what we did.”

What a wonderful experience yesterday with the Hike for Mental Health crew! I came to the event alone, knowing no one there, and ended up making lots of new friends. ❤
Maybe next year I’ll even get a few views! 😃

“What a weekend it was!”

This hike is all about supporting and understanding the challenges of mental health. The majority of people who join this event are generally nervous their first time, just like I was but show up anyways because the importance somehow outweighed that overwhelming anxiety that stops so many others. If showing up to the hike and seeing your hike leader wearing a bright orange tutu🤣 can give someone that little bit of confidence they need to open up and enjoy the event then I would put it on 1000 times over❤

“Thanks to the encouragement of all the hikers I met, I made it to the top!”

I’d also like to thank all the volunteers. This event is so wonderful and that’s thanks to all the hard-working volunteers.

“Roo and I just want to say how wonderful it was to see everyone on Saturday! You’re all incredibly special, and we’re grateful for your allowing us to be a small part of such an important event. Thank you for all you do for such an important cause! 🥰”

A couple pictures (below) from yesterday. After we made it to the summit, we did take the Cog back down. It was an amazing experience and thanks to all the volunteers who helped make that possible.

“Thank you to all the volunteers who helped organize this event! It was wonderful meeting new people and supporting such a great cause.”

Folks, all I can say is that despite seeing most of you only once a year, I consider you family. The support, the enthusiasm, and just everything about each and every person who shows up is beyond amazing. Sorry for the crappy weather. But I do hope getting back to your camps a bit earlier in the day allowed you time to chill out and enjoy just being…in the woods, with family, with friends. Until next year🧡

“I want to thank the organizers and volunteers for hosting an amazing event. You all are rockstars!!!!”

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers! It was wonderful getting to meet you all! It was a great day. I knew deep in my heart down to my toes I HAD to summit. I hope we didn’t make any of you nervous by us going ahead. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and a goal for a year. It gave me a lot more time to pray for the people I hiked for. It was amazing.

“My offering of a few pics from todays hike. Thanks to all who made this great day possible.”

Thank you again for a wonderful event! #NHSneakerBrigade had 8 people on the summit this year but a total of 15 fundraised. #forwardisapace

“Wow! What can I say? Amazing day! Awesome volunteers, great hikers.., just wow! Thank you to the volunteers for ALL YOU DO!”

And word from our leader

And finally, a comment from our volunteer coordinator for this year, Mark Langdon:

Yesterday was an incredible day, for so many reasons. But I wanted to publicly thank all of the volunteers who stepped up and into a serving role this year, I was so grateful for each and every one of you this year.
Having the chance to serve as a volunteer coordinator of sorts, was a great privilege for me, and hearing different folks come back and share positive feedback, stories, and their overall appreciation for our team, really meant a lot.
Do we have opportunities to get better? Absolutely, but man, did our team knock it out of the park yesterday. Adjusting to circumstances beyond our control, being flexible to the needs of our hikers, and just stepping up in every way possible. So, thank you! ♥️🙏

There are so many other people to thank for making this hike possible, safe, fun and meaningful, and if I start listing names I am going to miss someone. But I do have to call out, in addition to Mark, the other members of the core planning team who meet year-round to organize the event. Thank you, Staci Formaggia, Dana Kedziora, Sue Twombley, Suzanne Gould, Diana & Paul Huffman, and Donna Chapman. And there are so many more – our hike leaders and sweeps, those who help with registration and transportation, and the many hikers themselves who encourage each other up the mountain, who exude acceptance and love and make this event what it has become each year. Just incredible!

In addition to the amazing experiences created on the hike, we also raised a whopping $32,326.21 for brain & behavior research and for trail maintenance! Thank you to all the hikers, and all their supporters, who made this happen! (If you raised $100 or more and didn’t get a shirt at the hike, it is being mailed to you.)