After you complete the Long Trail, you can apply for a certificate from the Green Mountain Club celebrating your achievement. You must submit a summary of your end-to-end (E2E) hike to apply for this handsome document. Your write-up can be up to …
Read More »Philip Werner
Tetanus Guide for Hikers and Adventurers
Everyone knows that if you step on a rusty nail, you should get a tetanus shot. But people don’t realize that tetanus can be contracted in other ways. The fact is, that any puncture wound, especially a deep one, can be infected …
Read More »Hiking in Scotland: The TGO Challenge
Warning: Another big adventure in the works. I’ve decided to apply to the 2010 TGO Challenge, an annual, non-competitive, coast to coast hike across Scotland, sponsored by a UK magazine called The Great Outdoors (TGO). The walk is between 180-200 miles, depending on the …
Read More »Ultralight Mini Grater
Here’s a must have for the backpacking gourmet: an ultralight mini grater (available on ebay) for grating and adding fresh cheese, ginger, cinnamon, or chocolate shavings to your freezer bag meals and drinks. Weighing only 0.6 oz, this 4 sided box grater …
Read More »Hiking in Aruba
Hooiberg Mountain, located near the center of Aruba is the 3rd highest peak on the island at 168m and featured on the Aruban flag. When you land at the airport in Aruba, Hooiberg looks very close, but it is about a 20 …
Read More »AT Section Hike: Walking on the Treetops
Winter Section Hike I just got back from an incredible 2-day backpacking trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We had fantastic weather and took full advantage of it by extending our hike, doubling our planned mileage, and bagging a few …
Read More »Mt Monadnock – Southwest New Hampshire
On Sunday, I finally got to climb Mt Monadnock (3,165) in New Hampshire or Grand Monadnock, as it is also known. This mountain is the second most climbed peak in the world with 125,000 visitors a year, second only to Mt. Fuji …
Read More »Ultralight Snowshoes: Northern Lites
I purchased a pair of ultralight snowshoes this winter designed for mountaineering and winter backpacking that are manufactured by a company called Northern Lites. Weighing just 43 oz per pair, these 30″ snowshoes are 57 oz lighter than 30″ MSR Lightning Ascents …
Read More »Mt. Major – Central New Hampshire
I got out Sunday for a hike up Mt. Major (~2,100) in Southern New Hampshire about 90 miles north of my house. We had a pleasant 3 hour, 5 mile hike up to the summit and down on a snow-packed treadway with …
Read More »Camping Pillows
As a side sleeper, I have a hard time getting to sleep outdoors when my head is not propped up. This is not an problem during the winter when I have enough extra down or synthetic clothing to bunch up as a pillow, …
Read More »Welch and Dickey Mountain Loop – Central New Hampshire
On Sunday I climbed Welch Mountain (2,605 ft) and Dickey Mountain (2,734 ft), both on the 52-with-a-View List, with a meetup.com group called the New England Hiking and Adventurer’s Group. This is a very active group of hikers, climbers and peakbaggers that …
Read More »Zpacks Ultralight DCF Backpack Cover
Over the holidays, my wife gave me an ultralight cuben fiber backpack cover from Zpacks.com. Weighing 1 oz, it replaces a silnylon Equinox pack cover I’ve been using the past few years that weighs 3.2 oz. A backpack cover is an important …
Read More »Marmot Precip Full Zip Pants
Marmot makes two styles of Precip Pants: Full Zip Precip Pants and Regular Precips. The Full Zips are designed for winter hiking, backpacking and climbing. They are sometimes called “New Style” Precips by online retailers because they were introduced after regular Precips (also called …
Read More »Mt. Tom State Reservation – Western Massachusetts
Hiking the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail I went for a very pleasant 5 mile ridge walk last Sunday at the Mt. Tom State Reservation in Western Massachusetts, overlooking the town of Northampton and the Connecticut River Valley. I used to live in this area …
Read More »