In addition to climbing Mt Cabot last weekend, I bagged a second Trailwrights 72 peak, another 4000 footer called Mt Field, in wintry conditions with about 6 inches of loose, unconsolidated snow. I hiked this one solo, starting from Crawford Depot at …

I went for a long AMC hike over the weekend up to Mount Cabot (4,170 ft), which is the northernmost peak on the White Mountain 4,000 footer list. Situated in the Kilkenny Range, Cabot is about a 4 hour drive north from …

I hiked a tough traverse of the Wildcats over the weekend with a half dozen other hikers in wintery conditions. The Wildcats are a series of 4000 footers in the White Mountains that run parallel to Mt Washington on the other side …

I’ve been having  lot of fun lately discovering affordable lightweight backpacking products that won’t break the bank. Here’s another fantastic find from Australian Terra Rosa Gear, called the Wandering Tarp (8.3 ounces in Tyvek), which is priced at $50 AUD ($52 USD) …

This past weekend,  I went on a two night backpacking trip with a bunch of other northeast hikers who are active on the Backpackinglight.com Forums.  Clint, Ryan, Seth, Ben, Steve, Bryce, Eric, Walter, Greg, myself and Peter (not shown) all met up …

The Zealand Falls Hut is one of the easiest Appalachian Mountain Club huts to walk into, making it very popular with families and young children, and in summer it’s an easy 2.8 mile walk from the upper Zealand Road parking lot. Built …

Nature Girl and I took a very long hike to South Twin Mountain (4,902 feet) on Saturday, one of my favorite Autumn viewpoints in the White Mountains. We had glorious hiking weather with 50 miles views from the summit. The leaves in …

My Father celebrated his 90th birthday this week. Pretty incredible, huh? Even more so because he’s still working, he remains very active, and is as inquisitive as ever. I hope I’m in as great shape, when I turn 90. Being 90, my …

Every year, I like to name a piece of backpacking gear that has had a transformational impact on my hiking and backpacking experience and recognize it by giving it the Section Hiker Gear of the Year Award. To qualify for consideration, the …

I quit my corporate job, a year ago this week, to go my own way. After 20+ years of work in the software and internet industries, I was bored with what I was doing and I couldn’t see that my work was …

My interest in forest fungi started when I was hiking Vermont’s Long Trail in 2008 and I kept coming across these white fiddlehead looking plants called Indian Pipe or Ghost Flower. I took photos of them and the other new plants, trees, …

I spent most of my formative years as a backpacker in the Catskills, a 700,000 acre forest preserve, located less than 100 miles north of New York City. It’s a beautiful place full of rivers, streams, valleys and mountains that maintains a …

When I go backpacking, I carry a small stuff sack with my tent stakes and extra cordage. I typically carry betwen 6 and 11 tent stakes with me, extra paracord and Kelty triptease. This is one of the more general purpose elements …

I just got back from a very quick 1 night backpacking trip into the heart of the Pemigewasset Wilderness in the White Mountains. My final destination was a set of three 4,000 footers called the Bonds that include: Mt Bond, West Bond, …