Father And Son Share Peak Experiences
Father And Son Share Peak Experiences
By Dottie Evans
Bondcliff, Galehead, Flume, Isolation, Wildcat, Owlâs Head.
These are some of the more romantic-sounding names on the Appalachian Mountain Clubâs (AMC) official list of 48 âNew Hampshire 4,000 Footers,â and by the end of the day on July 18, Tom Tella, 55, and his son, Ed Tella, 21, had climbed every one.
To qualify for the list, each White Mountain peak must rise 200 feet above the low point of its connecting ridge with a higher neighbor. The AMC criterion was established in 1957 and since that time, hundreds of climbers have dedicated their lives to mastering the list.
They call themselves peakbaggers, and the Tellas, both former Newtown residents, successfully joined their ranks exactly one month ago.
Most likely, it will be 4,680-foot Mount Carrigain that stands tallest in their memory since that was the last on the list and marked the culmination of their ten-year goal.
Mr Tella described the July 18 climb as fairly routine, but he noted that when they got to the summit they didnât have long to savor the moment.
âWe took a few pictures and rested a bit. Then we saw the clouds closing in and a storm coming on. After the lightning started, we made a beeline for the trail and got down as fast as possible,â he recalled.
He spoke about the pairâs peak-bagging experiences for The Bee during a phone interview held August 17 from his home in Wolcott. The Tellas had lived in Newtown from 1985 until two years ago, and Tom Tella remains involved in the community as an adult leader of Boy Scout Troop 70 and as a member of the Cullens Youth Association board of directors.
Ed Tella went to Middle Gate and Newtown Middle School, and he graduated from Newtown High School. He attends Western Connecticut State University and majoring in liberal arts, and he lives in Watertown.
âAlthough it took us ten years to do this, the real truth of the matter is Iâve been after it for 44 years,â Mr Tella said.
âI started as an 11-year-old in 1960 when I climbed Mount Washington [6,288 feet], the highest peak in the Northeast. Itâs in northern New Hampshire in the heart of the White Mountains.
âThe idea for our quest actually came from Ed. The two of us were sitting in an AMC hut called Lakes of the Clouds, located at the foot of Mount Washington. He saw a brochure about climbing the 48 4,000-footers and said âLetâs do it!â
âI said âOK, youâre on.â I felt no hesitation because we had already climbed a half a dozen,â Mr Tella said.
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Staring Down A Moose
Over the years, Tom and Ed Tella, both members of the Appalachian Mountain Clubâs Connecticut Chapter, have studied all the AMC books, magazines and journals, and they have attended many lectures.
âWe are always very careful and we follow all the recommendations. We hike with cell phones, although there has been some discussion about that. Cell phones have definitely increased the demand for services from search and rescue people. But they are a plus, safetywise.â
Their climbing routine is well established. Sometimes they manage to climb a peak in one day ââ rising at 4 am and driving four or five hours, then climbing and returning home that night. More often they take two days, camping or staying somewhere nearby the peak on the night before. Edâs younger brother Michael often goes along, as do uncles and friends.
âMore than half we did alone ââ always together,â Mr Tella said.
He says he can remember the details of every single climb, including some frightening moments that stand out vividly.
âWe were on the summit of Mount Lafayette and an extremely violent thunderstorm came up. It was very scary. Bolts of lightning were hitting all around us. We got down below the tree line fast and just hunkered down under the emergency tarp for about two hours. Michael was along that time.â
On their way to Mount Isolation, which Mr Tella noted was âaptly named,â it took a long time to simply hike to the foot of the mountain. When they got there they were surprised by a mature bull moose that stepped out onto the trail just five feet away.
âWe were looking at each other eyeball to eyeball. I was so astonished at the size of the creature. He was bigger than a horse, more like an elephant. We stood frozen and started murmuring to each other about what to do. We knew moose are prone to charge. So we slowly started walking backwards and never took our eyes off him. Eventually, he wandered back into the woods,â Mr Tella said.
That encounter happened only two years ago, but he remembers it like it was yesterday.
A Stroll Through Heaven
âI remember once a hike we took across the Northern Presidentials, which include peaks in the highest part of the White Mountains. We lucked out because, for once, there was incredible visibility. It was like taking a stroll through heaven. Our hiking time slowed down because we kept stopping to look around,â he recalled.
âThe Presidentials are not the highest mountains in the world, but they have the worldâs worst weather because of a naturally occurring jet stream. World record high velocity winds were recorded there in 1931 and the temperature is never higher than 72 degrees ââ and itâs usually a lot lower.â
On Mount Adams one July, âwe went sledding on the winter snow pack.â
On Mount Mariah near the summit, a woman with her son climbing nearby seemed in trouble. She had become hysterical thinking her husband, who had gone on ahead, had been murdered on the summit.
âShe had encountered a kooky person on the trail and got this idea that he was after them. I got on the cell phone and called the New Hampshire State Police, and just at that moment her husband showed up and said âWhatâs wrong, Honey?â I think she was hyperthermic,â Mr Tella said.
Now that Tom and Ed Tella have reached their goal of climbing all 48 New Hampshire 4,000-footers, Mr Tella does not anticipate he will sink back into his easy chair or put away his hiking boots. Far from it.
âWeâre both in good shape. Ed is a proficient technical rock climber and he even tried to get me into it. But weâre still going to be climbing mountains together. Our latest thought is to notch some winter climbs.
âTomorrow at 4 am weâre going right back up there to Mount Washington to the AMC hostel Lakes of the Clouds where it all began.â