Your Questions, Answered

Guineafowl will make up to three designated stops for pick up and drop off:

• Boston, North Station Garage, Causeway Street entrance
• Cambridge, Alewife Train Station, Pick-up and Drop-off entrance
• Andover, Dascomb Road Park and Ride Lot.

Totally fine! We will still pack all the gear you need, guide you for the day with the rest of the group and make sure that you are perfectly taken care of from your car to the summit and back! Please note that pricing does not change if you are choosing to drive yourself.

A day pack, hydration bladder and tube, water, hiking poles, and other basic safety gear such as bug spray, sunscreen, headlamp, snacks for the hike, and resources for emergency “potty” breaks if necessary.

The most important thing to have with you is a pair of hiking boots or trail running shoes. If you do not have either of these things, and don’t want to rush out and buy them, a pair of athletic sneakers with reasonable tread will be fine for day hiking. You should review the weather, and dress accordingly, based on your own comfort. It is generally a good idea to carry or wear layers because you will get warm while hiking (even in colder temperatures), but the temperature will drop the higher up you get, so, having layers you can add or remove helps balance your body temperature in varying conditions. A water resistant or waterproof shell layer is always good to carry, and is generally lightweight. 

Other than thousands of miles hiked and warm, caring personalities, guides all have CPR and First Aid certifications as well as Wilderness First Aid, and in certain cases Wilderness First Responder certificates. 

Guineafowl Adventure Company guides hikes rain or shine, (and snow or shine!) unless the weather is dangerously inclement. If the weather is dangerously inclement, and we need to cancel our trip, we will let you know within 24 hours of your pick-up, and you can choose to refund your trip or reschedule to another date where the same or a similar hike is offered. If you personally do not want to hike in the rain, (for example) and want to cancel based on a dreary forecast, you can reschedule to another day, but a refund will only be issued in the event of dangerous conditions.

At trailheads with restroom facilities, we will arrive early enough so that all clients have the opportunity to use the restroom before heading out on our hike. If the trailhead itself does not have facilities, we will make a stop on our way up, prior to getting to the trailhead. While we will take all measures reasonable to afford this restroom stop, in the event we are on our hike and nature calls in an alarming fashion, we can direct you how to take care of it yourself, and the necessary (ahem) equipment, is carried by your guides.  

We generally will not have the ability to provide a full lunch option, however we will provide energy / granola bars, trail mix, beef sticks, and other individually wrapped snacks for clients. If you prefer to bring a sandwich, or specific foods or drinks along with you, we will have a large hard shell cooler that you can store these items in for the trip, and you may carry them along with you on the hike, or eat them after the hike at your discretion. Just be sure you pack out whatever you bring with you on the hike and leave no trace! 

We use the National Park Service’s rating calculation to determine the difficulty of hike based on the amount of elevation gain (EG) multiplied by two, multiplied by the total distance (D) of the hike. We then take the square root of that product to determine the rating. Hike Score Formula: EG x 2 x D = PRODUCT, SQRT = SCORE

Because Guineafowl Adventure Company offers day hikes exclusively, the longer hikes are expected to be completed at a faster pace, so that we are still off the mountain and back to our transport before we lose daylight. We provide everyone with headlamps, but we don’t intend to use them!

Heck yes! Guineafowl Adventure Company can host corporate and private outings of all kinds for groups. We can tailor the hike location, distance, difficulty and timing to your needs, and can offer co-branding opportunities for apparel and gear as well to make for a memorable and rewarding experience. Please head to the “Private Adventures” or “Corporate Outings” sections of our website to submit an inquiry, or feel free to email info@guineafowladventure.com or call (617) 852-0597 to let us know your specific request.