Gordon DuBois

January 1, 2011

After two knee operations (a total right knee replacement in 12/07 and a revision of that replacement in 10/08) I have returned to “active duty”. In the summer of ’09 I hiked a 40 mile section of the Long Trail with my daughter Annemarie, and this past summer completed a 20 day hike on the IAT from Post Jean in the Mantane Wilderness to Cap Gaspe, Quebec. With my hiking partner Bob I plan to continue the quest to winter summit the 100 highest in NE, 29 to go, along with completing the AT from N. Adams, MA to Springer Mt., GA, which I started in ’08. I also plan to complete the IAT in the coming years. Hopefully the knees will hold out long enough to meet these goals.

In September 2006, I retired from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and I am now able to devote more time than ever to my passion, winter mountaineering. I worked for 40 years in the disability field in Maine and New Hampshire and most recently for the NH Bureau of Developmental Services. Currently I work on a part time basis consulting as a trainer for CSNI, a human services organization in Concord, NH and I’m on the faculty of the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability-Family Leadership Program. I have also completed a movie documentary on Laconia State School, NH. The movie, Lost in Laconia premiered in the fall at the Red River Theater in Concord, NH . I have also been an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern Maine, University of New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire Technical College System. I live with my wife Nancy in New Hampton, NH. We have 2 dogs, 12 chickens and 80,000 bees to care for.

I grew up in up-state New York, and spent many summers as a young boy with my aunt and uncle who lived in the Adirondack Mountains. It was there that I learned to love the outdoors and I spent many hours hiking, swimming and fishing near their home in Raquette Lake, NY. After graduating from College, SUNY at Cortland in 1968, I landed my first full time job as a special education teacher/recreation director at a residential facility for people with disabilities in Pownal, Maine. In 1977, with my wife Nancy and our four children, we moved to Laconia, NH. However, it wasn't until 1980 that I climbed my first 4,000 ft. mountain, Mt Washington. I hiked it with my son Matthew, who was 9 at the time. From that point forward hiking in the White Mountains became a regular activity for our family.

It took another 10 years to begin winter hiking. In February, 1990 a friend invited me to hike with him into Zealand Hut. It sounded very risky but I was up for the challenge. The trip was most memorable and it got me started on the winter quest. We climbed Mt. Hale on a crisp, clear day and the view was overwhelming. The sky was cobalt blue and the mountains all around us were glistening in white. From that point forward I knew I wanted to spend more time hiking the White Mountains in the winter. A few years later I met Bob and I invited him on one of our hut excursions. He became 'hooked" and since that point most of our hiking has been in the winter. It has become my passion and I continually look forward to the winter solstice as the start of the winter hiking season.

I can be reached at forestpd@metrocast.net