Category Archives: Mountains

24 hours/four seasons: a spring hike on New Hampshire’s Mount Lafayette

On that 95-degree Thursday afternoon in May, we headed north from Kittery, seeking cooler air and adventure. But at 4 p.m., when we pulled into the Franconia Notch parking lot for the Old Bridle Path trailhead, the car thermometer read … Continue reading

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Jurassic time-traveling in NH: A hike to Mount Shaw

Up in the White Mountains,  winter hangs on long past its official ending date, especially this year, when most of the snow fell in March and April. Even as I write this post in mid-May, iced-covered trails and unstable snow … Continue reading

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Mountain Day on New Hampshire’s Mount Washington

On August 11, 2016, Japan’s inaugural Mountain Day holiday, I was climbing Mount Fuji with my son and thousands of other hikers. We didn’t know it was Mountain Day, but later, when I learned about the holiday, aimed at getting … Continue reading

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36-hour Montana Road Trip: Driving into the Big Hole and the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway

In 1905, Montana pioneer Joe Maurice experienced the worst possible losses. Although blind in one eye from a horse kick, the Belgium immigrant had persevered in eking out a living at the homestead he’d established on Gold Creek, supplementing cattle with gold … Continue reading

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Mount Roberts: The rich legacy of a bankrupt millionaire

Mount Roberts, a small peak with big views, is “such stuff as dreams are made on”:  one man’s dream, for building castles in the air. Although he can’t claim credit for creating  the mountain itself, shoe magnate Thomas Gustave Plant paved … Continue reading

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The Little Lodges that Could: Exploring Maine’s North Woods with AMC

I stepped outside the Library to watch the sunrise glow on snow-covered Long Pond. Not a soul or a sound deep in the North Woods of Maine. Instead of the buzz of the snowmobiles that flock to these parts come … Continue reading

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Celebrating the new year in hut heaven: Champagne toasts at Maine Huts & Trails

At Poplar Hut, nestled on a hill in Maine’s Carrabassett Valley, the staff sets out the champagne glasses at 9:30 p.m.  By 10 p.m., most guests will be fast asleep in their bunks, worn out by an afternoon of snowshoeing, … Continue reading

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A September walk in the woods: Mount Cabot to Unknown Pond

Mount Cabot or the Carters? As I drove up Pinkham Notch early on a lovely September Saturday, the many cars spilling from every parking lot cinched my decision: on to Mount Cabot.  I would escape the crowds on this gorgeous … Continue reading

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Caps and castles on Mount Jefferson

On Friday, prospects for a hike up Mount Jefferson looked gloomy. The higher summits forecast called for steady 50 mph winds, with hurricane force gusts, and winter temperatures in New Hampshire’s Presidential Range, as one weather system collided with another. … Continue reading

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The loneliest road in southern Utah

As the road changed from pavement into dirt, and the canyon walls pressed in on both sides, it seemed that we were heading deep into a wilderness where we might be stranded by a broken axle or punctured tire. We … Continue reading

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