Love and Loss in the White Mountains: Grief and Endurance Projects

About the speaker • Nick Higgins grew up outside of Boston and moved to the town of Lincoln, NH during the fall of 2021. He works at Burgeon Outdoor in Lincoln, helping to strengthen the fabric of our community stitch by stitch. Nick has completed two rounds of the Lincoln 100, the White Mountains Direttissima, and is closing in on 100 Pemi loops as some of his bigger projects. In 2024, Nick tragically lost his best friend, Chris Roma, during a winter Pemi hike gone wrong. The loss catapulted Nick into action; he has spearheaded multiple hiking safety clinics and hiking fundraisers in honor of Roma.

About the presentation • You'll hear about Nick's history and how he found community in the White Mountains. He will share the story of his friend, Chris Roma, who lost his life on a hike in winter 2024, and describe the endurance projects he took on in the wake of this tragedy. Nick has completed the Lincoln 100, originally conceived by Roma. This year he created and attempted the Wôbanaki Lakann Trail, which connects the White Mountains Diretissema, Cohos Trail, and Long Trail. Nick's hiking endeavors are deeply intertwined with grief, trauma, and finding a way to take back the trails that took something so special to him.

This event is free; bring a dish to share at the potluck and a cash/Venmo donation for the speaker.

The sunrise hike • On Sunday morning, Nick and Fireside Chat director Philip "Finding Philip" Carcia will hike Osceola and East Osceola starting at Tripoli Rd. Anyone is welcome to join, however, the hike is unguided; participants must have prior experience hiking 4000’ers in winter and be prepared to hike solo if needed. Hiking start time from trailhead is TBD.

To attend

Doors open at 6 pm. Bring a meal if attending the potluck from 6-7 pm. The presentations run from 7:30 to 8:30 pm followed by Q&A 'til 9 pm. Arrive early; seating is limited. To attend:

1) Book a stay at the Notch on the night of the presentation, park in the main lot.*

OR

2) Show up anytime after the doors open to the public at 6pm. Bring a meal to share for the 6-7pm potluck dinner. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are NOT a guest at the Notch, you must park on Lost Valley Road (not Lost River Road!!!) behind the hostel's picket fence and walk through the backyard. In the event of a snowstorm, no street parking is allowed so members of the public may need to walk or shuttle in from town.

OR

3) Tune in via Instagram Live; we'll be streaming from our account @NotchHostel.

*Note: If our overnight accommodations fill up, please don't let that deter you from joining us for dinner and the presentation. These talks are open to the public. There are other local hostels like the Barn Door Hostel in Rumney, or the Coho Hostel over in Conway, that may still have space.