4-Year-Old Girl Breaks Record for Youngest Person Ever to Summit 48 of N.H.'s Tallest Peaks

A 4-year-old girl recently became the youngest person to summit 48 of New Hampshire’s highest peaks, an accomplishment she achieved alongside her mom.

Lydia Pearson entered history books on June 16 after reaching the top of Mount Washington, according to local TV station WCSH and Outside magazine.

The young hiker reportedly began her journey less than a year ago when — for the first time on her own — she summited Mount Cannon, one of the 48 peaks in New Hampshire that exceed 4,000 feet in elevation, known as the NH48.

Whitney Pearson, Lydia’s mother, told Outside that she and her daughter had reached the top of the NH48 at least four times together between the time Lydia was born in 2020 and when she began her own journey to climb each mountain.

“It has been incredible to watch her mental and physical growth from the first peak to the last one over the last year," Whitney told WCSH. "The confidence she's gained, the strength, and you see it carry over into everything else she does every day.”

Lydia was just 6 weeks old when she began joining her mom for hikes up New Hampshire’s tallest mountains, according to WCSH. But it wasn’t long until the toddler was climbing the mountains herself.

At age 2, Lydia began hiking under her own power, Outside reported. She was just 3 years old when she summited Mount Cannon on June 29, 2023.

“It was instinct for her to get out of the pack,” Whitney told the magazine. “The outdoors is all she knows.”

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Upon completing the NH48 last month, Lydia was greeted by members of her family at the top of the mountain to celebrate her achievement.

Whitney told WCSH that the accomplishment “seemed super surreal” at the time. “It was really, I think, rewarding for all of us as a family to see her do it on her feet after being in the pack for so long and experiencing the entire journey," the mom explained.

One of the people on Mount Washington the day of Lydia’s accomplishment was Gordon Simpson, who accomplished the same feat as Lydia when he was 6 years old.

“He and his dad drove all the way from Pennsylvania to support her final hike and her finishing, which was really cool,” Whitney said.

Now, Lydia’s mom is sharing her daughter’s story with the world “so when she’s older, she can look back on this and be proud” of her accomplishment, according to Outside.

“She has no real idea of the magnitude of what she accomplished,” Whitney said.