Category Archives: Hiking

Posts about hiking in New England and beyond.

When the cold fails, try the warmth

Five things to do instead of skiing during New Mexico’s worst drought ever I am probably the only person in the United States who was disappointed by snowfall totals this winter.  Specifically in New Mexico, where we made plans for … Continue reading

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Missing my (Wild)Cat: Skittering on New Mexico’s ski slopes

Here in New England, skiers are familiar with what I call the “skitter” – the combination of a clattering sound and a slipping movement a skier experiences when she is cruising down a slope and suddenly encounters a patch of … Continue reading

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Art amidst the mills of North Adams

A decaying mill town on a gray November weekend in an isolated corner of Massachusetts might seem an unlikely destination, but North Adams had been on my radar for a while. The  Massachusetts Museum of Modern Art (Mass MoCA) offered intriguing, … Continue reading

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The wind howls, and we stir the pot

As I write at the kitchen table, a pulled pork lunch for 17 simmers in the crockpot and the wind shrieks above the stove vents.  That wind has been howling for the past four days, hitting a peak gust of … Continue reading

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Crisis on Mount Washington: The Empty Sugar Barrel

Saturday was a crazy day for the weather observers, as the information technology observer took down the computer servers for some infrastructure maintenance. As with most IT endeavors, the process took much longer than anticipated.  Usually the weather instruments are … Continue reading

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Cat vs. Camel: An epic battle on Mount Washington provides an opportunity to write about Marty

  Marty, the Mount Washington summit cat, has been an elusive animal this week, slipping in and out of the Observatory staff quarters only to eat and use the litter box.  Apparently he has a friend who stays in the State … Continue reading

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The world’s worst weather: Bring it on!

Spending a week in January on a mountain billed as having the world’s worst weather isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time.  But, I say, why go to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun with everyone else in the world when … Continue reading

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Three blogs for hitting the trails

The Arctic Vortex last week offered a good opportunity to hunker down and work on one of my New Year’s projects, which is to improve this blog. To that end, I am participating in the Word Press “Zero to Hero” … Continue reading

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Time travelling, sea to summit, in the woods of York, Maine

One of my favorite “backyard” walks is the “sea-to-summit” hike from Highland Farm in York to the summit of Mount Agamenticus.  The walk doesn’t actually start at the beach, but at the York Land Trust Highland Farm property, located on … Continue reading

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Living large on the lava fields at the Fimmvörðuháls Pass, Iceland

When we arrive at the lava flows, I am so glad that we opted to make the trek from Þorsmork (pronounced “Thorsmork”) to this misty pass between the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers here in southern Iceland.  Yesterday the forecast looked … Continue reading

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