Category Archives: Hiking

Posts about hiking in New England and beyond.

Finding the fountain of youth (maybe) on Iceland’s Laugavegur trek

As we begin our hike from Landmannalaugar, I feel like I am 25 again, discovering new worlds for the very first time:  vast green alpine fields, steaming fumaroles, a wide open landscape that stretches for miles.  A dark cloud chases … Continue reading

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Bushwhacking on Mount Tecumseh

Impossible as it may seem, within a few minutes of our hike up Mount Tecumseh in Waterville Valley, my friend and I have lost the trail, and now find ourselves bushwhacking through a wet humid forest. Technically we are not … Continue reading

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Brutal Beauty on Beaver Brook, Mount Moosilauke

Be careful, to avoid tragic results. Great. A punishing hike is exactly what I hoped to avoid when I set out on this day in mid-June to climb a 4,000-footer and decided to make my first ascent of New Hampshire’s 4,802-foot … Continue reading

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Refuge in the sands

As all hell broke loose that Friday in Boston, the beach at Morris Island stretched for miles, empty and unpeopled, like the city in lockdown.   Instead of fear, the beach inspired tranquility and an almost medically-induced sense of relief at … Continue reading

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White elephant in a green valley

Here at Evergreen Valley, the outside temperature is 12 degrees, but a full 28 degrees warmer, at 40, inside our “villa.”  We lost power yesterday (2/17), late in the afternoon after a day of wild snowless winds. Now, this morning, … Continue reading

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Winter dreams of summer days on Mount Washburn

On this cold winter afternoon in Maine, I am dreaming about summer days on Mount Washburn. The temperature is even colder today at Mount Washburn, but this past August, we slathered on sun screen and wore shorts and t-shirts when … Continue reading

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Exploring Caves and Climbing Ladders in the New Hampshire Lakes Region

  Our only regret is that we have arrived at the cave too late.  This roomy cavern, formed by boulders and slabs of rock that fell from the mountain long ago, offers both space to spread out and shelter from … Continue reading

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In the Wild River Valley, a November blizzard, deep snow, and a man who perseveres to save his cat

We are hiking along Blue Brook and up the Basin Trail through a golden forest of beech trees, the color made more vibrant by the gray background of an overcast sky.  Halfway up Blue Brook, a granite cliff towers over … Continue reading

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Rock scrambling on Welch-Dickey Loop Trail

After a mile of hiking at a moderate grade, we burst into sky as we reach the open ledges on the side of Welch Mountain.  My three 11-year-old hiking companions skip across the flat patches of granite to the ledge … Continue reading

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The agony and ecstasy of climbing four-thousand footers: Mounts Willey, Field, and Tom

Okay, so the tight contour lines on my map suggested that the route up to Mount Willey via the Kedron Flume Trail was horribly steep.  And the guidebook described this upper portion as a “very rough and steep climb,” as … Continue reading

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