Alex, Sage, and Trish discuss finishing the Grid, and what hiking the 4Ks has meant to them over the years.Door Patricia, Alexandra, and Sage Herr

Phoebe Seltzer is an ultra runner with White Mountain FKT records, and she is an avid hiker and skier. In this episode, Phoebe talks to Alex and Sage about her experiences in the mountains and answers some questions about four-season trail running logistics. We’re proud to be in Feedspot’s 2021 Top 25 Outdoor Women’s Podcasts.…

Retired music teacher and White Mountain hiker Karen Ann talks to the girls about her adventures hiking the NH4Ks, the 52WAV, and the Belknaps. https://logcabininthepines.com GraniteGals is proud to be included in Feedspot’s 2021 Top 25 Outdoor Women’s PodcastsDoor GraniteGals (Alexandra and Sage Herr)

Strength and nutrition coach Sarah LaCourse talks to Alex and Sage about her enjoyment of and experiences in the White Mountains. We’re proud to be in Feedspot’s 2021 Top 25 Outdoor Women’s Podcasts!Door GraniteGals

Stephanie Cawley is a trans woman who is a nurse and an avid White Mountain hiker. In this episode, we speak about hiking the 4Ks and Stephanie's experiences on the trails. A note: we had some phone connection issues in this episode. We did the best we could to make everything clear and for the most part all is well, but there are still some small …

Michele Hernandez Bayliss is an avid all-season hiker of the northeast’s highest and most rugged peaks. Her accomplishments include (but are not limited to) the NE111 and the Terrifying 25. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Bayliss about her love of winter hiking, her adventures on the northeast’s most difficult mountain ranges, her non-hiking hobb…

Alex and Sage have a fun conversation with Jen Clark, the creator of the new podcast, Guides Gone Wild, and the owner of the Evans Notch Lodge in Gilead, Maine. Jen is an avid northeast hiker who enjoys sharing the trails with her teens. She and her family have also hiked in many National Parks. Listen as Jen talks about her adventures, animal enco…

Join Alex and Sage as they talk with Azra Palo, a librarian who hikes the Whites. Azra talks about dealing with exercise-induced asthma while pursuing the 4Ks, her adventures with a porcupine, her favorite non-hiking related book, and more.Door GraniteGals - Alexandra and Sage Herr

Nicole Hamel is a Travel Nurse who hikes the Whites whenever she is in the New Hampshire area. She recently finished the Terrifying 25, and she has also hiked NH’s 48 Four Thousand Footers. Nicole has a lot of experience hiking outside the Whites too; in this interview, we discuss Nicole’s trekking adventures in Iceland, Panama, and other parts of …

In this episode, Mia Heacock, White Mountain hiker and climber, talks about her love of adventure and the joy she finds leading an active outdoor lifestyle. Mia also discusses Indonesian Three Magnolias, the nonprofit organization which seeks to improve the quality of life and education of women and children in West Java, Indonesia (https://www.ind…

There's a new hiking list for kids under the age of 13. It's called 13 Before 13; Alex describes it in this episode and two girls who are hiking it, Alice Marcotte and Ella Harris, talk about their experiences.Door GraniteGals, Alexandra and Sage Herr

Aubrey Voelker, an Animal Care Associate at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness, NH, talks to Alex and Sage about her love of hiking the Whites, the fun she has taking care of otters and other species, and why “abandoned” baby animals found outside should be left alone (they haven’t been abandoned!). This was a great interview. :)…

Serena Ryan, owner and manager of The Notch Hostel, talks to the girls about hiking in the USA and the origins of her popular White Mountain establishment.Door GraniteGals (Alexandra and Sage Herr)

Hello everyone! We hope everyone is staying safe and well during this pandemic. We took a break from doing the podcast for a few months as we both became very busy with our schoolwork and extracurricular activities. We are glad we now have an opportunity to continue the interviews. We look forward to releasing more episodes over the next few months…

Well, we tried something different the past couple of months that didn’t quite work out. We wanted to record ourselves while we hiked. That’s a departure from the usual format of this podcast, but we wanted to try something new. We learned that recording while hiking does not, for us, make for a good podcast episode. We forget to record half the ti…

We had such a fun time speaking with Alyssa, the Mountain Model! Alyssa is an accomplished hiker and a Registered Esthetic Nurse who models on mountains for Instagram. Alyssa discusses her job, modeling, hiking, the importance of sunscreen, and much more in this lively and enjoyable interview. Please note that there is a faint reverb on some of the…

We interviewed a fellow kid hiker, Alina Sawady, for the first podcast episode of the 2019-2020 academic school year. Alina lives in Massachusetts and hikes with her family; the Sawady clan can often be found on the trails in the Whites. Alina and her family are currently section-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Alina (second from left) with her famil…

We are on break! We’ll be back for another year of interviews with more amazing Granite Gals starting in late August. Have a great summer, everyone!Door Patricia Ellis Herr

Alex had the pleasure of talking to Jill Kropp, the woman responsible for her son’s recent completion of the New Hampshire Four Thousand Footers. Carter began hiking the 4Ks when he was four and finished when he was six, becoming the second-youngest boy and the fourth-youngest person to have ever completed the list. Carter’s success depended greatl…

Susan Reenan is a Rhode Island middle school teacher and an avid hiker of mountain ranges all over the United States. She is currently working on, and almost finished with, multiple lists including the Colorado 14ers, the Northeast Winter 111, and the New England Winter 67. We spoke with Susan over the phone, and the recording is in mono vs stereo.…

This episode features Katie Callahan, the GIS coordinator for New Hampshire Fish and Game. Katie talks to the girls about the wonderful variety of experiences she enjoys within the realm of her work, her love of the outdoors, interesting animal encounters, and more.Door GraniteGals

We had a great time interviewing 11-year-old Ella Ronci, a hiker who is almost finished her first round of the NH48. Ella is homeschooled, like us, and, in addition to being an avid hiker, Ella loves to ski. Listen as we discuss hiking, homeschooling, books all three of us love, and more. Alex (left) and Sage (right) with Ella Ronci (middle)…

Anish just finished her record-breaking hike of the Triple Crown (the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail) in less than one calendar year (close to eight months!). In this telephone conversation, she talks to us about hiking in general, reflections on her most recent feat, being stalked by a mountain lion, s…

We had a wonderful conversation with Donna Dearborn, author of the book Every Sunday: A Father and Daughter’s Enduring Connection and avid all-season hiker of the northeast and beyond. Donna talks about how she began hiking, the many lists and peaks she’s hiked, her love of winter hiking, encounters with wildlife, and more. Donna is as experienced …

We had the pleasure of interviewing Katie Bernard (middle in the photo) on September 2. Katie is a talented writer who keeps a blog of her hiking adventures called “Girl in the Woods” (48summits.com). Check it out! She is tracking her progress of her first round of the Four Thousand Footers.Door GraniteGals

Arlette Laan speaks with Alex and Sage about her experiences on many of the National Scenic Trails (she is a Triple Crown-er), her doll making business, her love of hiking in general, and more.Door GraniteGals (Alexandra and Sage Herr)

This episode was recorded in Karen’s high school, so there is a bit of background noise.Door GraniteGals Alexandra and Sage Herr

This episode was set to be released three weeks ago, but alas, the computer normally used to edit podcast episodes suffered a fatal accident. Data could not be retrieved from the laptop from local experts. There are usually back-ups of everything that is worked on, but in this particular instance, the episode had not been saved elsewhere. Sage re-e…

This was a fun interview with Gale Straub of She Explores, the popular podcast featuring female adventurers around the world. Gale hiked the Wildcats with us, then hung out with us in our car while we did this interview.Door GraniteGals (Alexandra and Sage Herr)

We were fortunate to be able to interview Whitney "Tip Toe" for this episode. Tip Toe talks about her adventures on the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, and of her love of hiking the Northeast. Tip Toe has done the Four Thousand Footers multiple times (including winter), she has done the New England 67, and she is one of the few who h…

Alex had the pleasure of interviewing "Monk," more formally known as Bella Dalzell, for this episode of GraniteGals. Monk is a nine-year-old four-season hiker who hikes the Whites with her mom, Jen Lemire. Monk currently has 15 Four Thousand Footers under her belt and looks forward to finishing the 4K list over the next couple of years. Alex's inte…

In this delightful interview, Alex speaks with Jen Lemire, aka MurdaPanda. Jen is a four-season White Mountain hiker currently pursuing the Grid, and she enjoys summit jumping and wearing a scary panda mask on the trails. Jen also enjoys hiking with her daughter, Bella (aka Monk). Alex also interviewed Monk; that interview will immediately follow t…

Sage interviews Jen Adams, one of her Girl Scout Leaders. Jen is an avid outdoorswoman who recently completed her first round of the NH Four Thousand Footers, and who enjoys sharing her love of the outdoors with the next generation. NOTE: Alex is away from the podcast this week due to having to study for five imminent midterm examinations. Trish (M…

Alex and Sage interview Nancy Griswold, a professional artist who depicts scenes of and from the White Mountains in her beautiful oil paintings. Nancy talks about the outdoors as inspiration, and she describes the process that goes into her work.Door GraniteGals, Alexandra and Sage Herr

Alex and Sage first met Alexandra (Alex) Garcia a couple months ago in the parking lot of Mt. Washington's Cog Railway, after everyone had done various long hikes in the Presidentials. Alex is originally from Puerto Rico and now lives in Virginia; she hikes all over the world and recently discovered a love of the White Mountains. In this interview,…

Alex and Sage had the pleasure of speaking with Professor Mary Ann McGarry last Monday. Professor McGarry is the Chair of Plymouth State University's Department of Environmental Science and Policy. In this episode of GraniteGals, Professor McGarry discusses hiking the Four Thousand Footers, hiking with her daughter, the importance of Bicknell's Thr…

Dr. Linda French, astronomer, Program Director at the National Science Foundation, and Professor of Physics, discusses hiking the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Professor Linda French with Alex and Sage, and Prof. French's husband Ron EmmonsDoor GraniteGals, Alexandra and Sage Herr

77-year-old Allmuth "Curly" Perzel, Triple Crowner (she has hiked the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail), world trekker, and recent redline finisher (she has hiked all the trails in the White Mountain Guide) discusses her love of hiking, the adventures of redlining, the time she was benighted on Caps Ridge…

On this episode, hear seven-year-old Zoey Ceriello-sachetta talk about why she likes hiking the Four Thousand Footers, when she plans on finishing her first round of the NH48, scary snake encounters, and much more.Door GraniteGals, Alexandra and Sage Herr

Rachel Kowalsky and her intrepid dog, Isis, are avid four-season White Mountain hikers who have hiked New Hampshire's Four Thousand Footers, Vermont's Long Trail, and sections of the Appalachian Trail. Her hiking continues in spite and because of her diagnosis with Hashimoto's Disease and, more recently, rheumatoid arthritis. In this episode, Rache…

We hiked the Cohos Trail over the last couple of weeks so we have not been able to interview anyone recently. We will be back to posting interviews in a fortnight. You can read about our Cohos Trail adventure here.Door Alexandra and Sage Herr

In this episode, Liz Wyman talks about her hiking and guiding adventures in the White Mountains. She discusses guiding, animal encounters, and how her knowledge in botany positively affects her hiking experience. This is Alex; I was at camp when Sage interviewed Liz Wyman, so Sage was the sole interviewer for this episode. Although Sage interviewed…

In this episode, four-season hiker Tammy Daugherty talks about surviving breast cancer, hiking with her daughter, her plans for The Grid, sexism when it comes to hiking, and much more. Since Alex was at camp, Sage interviewed Tammy and edited this episode on her own. Tammy Daugherty hiking with her daughter, Emma…

For our sixth episode, we interviewed Allison Driscoll, creator of the Trail to 4K Challenge, avid four-season White Mountain hiker, local media marketer for Gossamer Gear, and 2014 John Muir Trail thru-hiker. You can read more about Allison and her adventures on her blog, www.trailtosummit.com. In our interview, Allison speaks of her experiences h…

Hello everyone! We went on vacation with our dad for a few weeks and the timing of the interviews was thrown off a bit. This week, so we can release an episode on time, we decided to interview Trish Herr, our mom. After this episode, we will go back to interviewing other, non-family, female hikers. Trish (Mom) is the person who has taken us hiking …

This episode features Paula Santucci, co-creator of the popular NH Women's Hiking Group on Facebook and avid White Mountain hiker. Highlights include learning how the NH Women's Hiking Group got started, how female hikers in the Northeast are providing such a strong atmosphere of support for other hiking women, and how Paula's wife almost stepped o…

We had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha Brady for this episode of GraniteGals. Samantha is a Search and Rescue volunteer and an avid four-season hiker, and she works at the Mt. Washington Observatory. In this recording, Samantha talks about her favorite and least favorite 4Ks, the ups and downs of working on the Northeast's highest summit, her…

For our second podcast episode, we had the pleasure of interviewing Pam Wilmot, four-season White Mountain hiker and Appalachian Mountain Club group hiking leader. We interviewed Pam at Common Cause Massachusetts in Boston, MA. In this interview, we discuss everything from Pam's favorite Four Thousand Footers to her experiences on Rainier to her en…