Destinations

What do your favorite guides and guidebooks have in common? Let me guess. They are relevant to where, when, and how you backpack. They are comprehensive, yet succinct, and not so detailed that they spoil your sense of adventure. And their forms …

  Mohonk Mountain House is one of the last great inns in the Hudson River Valley, just 90 miles north of New York City. It’s a special place for me because I rediscovered my love of hiking there amidst the Shawanagunk Mountains …

Cold River Camp is a rustic, family style camp run by the Appalachian Mountain Club in the Evans Notch on the border between New Hampshire and Maine. It’s unique among the AMC lodging facilities because it’s managed entirely by volunteers, although there is paid …

I arrived in Beirut three days before the start of my month-long hike in the mountains of Lebanon, the eastern Mediterranean nation bordered by Israel and Syria. I wanted to explore Beirut before heading off into the countryside, but I knew no …

Make no mistake about it, while the 22 mile trail to the top of Mt. Whitney is no Everest, it does take preparation and planning to summit the tallest mountain in the continental United States. One part physical training, two parts logistical …

If you drive up to the White Mountains for hiking or skiing there are a couple of notorious speed traps that you should be aware of. Twin Mountain The tiny town of Twin Mountain, New Hampshire is located at the junction of …

The Catskill’s Escarpment Trail is notable for its open vistas and fine views of the Hudson River Valley. This 23.9 mile hike is moderately challenging and is best spread over a 3 day trip, including shuttles, so you can enjoy the views …

The Cohos Trail runs the length of Coos County, starting in the White Mountains to the south, and threading its way through Northern New Hampshire to the Canadian Border. While I’ve hiked most of the southern sections of the Cohos (pronounced co’-haus), …

The Perch Shelter – Randolph Mountain Club Last weekend, I spend a night at The Perch Shelter and Campsite located on Mt Adams in the Northern Presidential Range of the White Mountains. It’s located between the Israel Ridge Trail and Randolph Path, …

Shenandoah National Park is a hiker’s park. Never mind that eighty five percent of the visitors never lose sight of their car. With their extensive trail system, almost any part and feature of the park is accessible to anyone willing to walk …

Tumbledown, a secluded ridge in western Maine, has come to exemplify all that I love about hiking. The Loop Trail, in particular, has a little bit of everything that makes the mountains of Maine so unique and beautiful. Most visitors stick to …

All the time, we hikers and backpackers look the ordinary little dangers of the outdoors in the face. And we laugh. Blisters, sunburn, and chafing; scrapes, cuts, and abrasions; poison ivy, stinging nettle, and assorted brambles; hornets, ants, and mosquitoes—they are the …

Few destinations in New England – or the world, for that matter – boast as many wild trails as Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak. As the author of AMC’s Best Backpacking in New England, I traipsed most of them while doing field …

I left Nazareth for Capernaum on the first exploratory trip with a loaded backpack and sense of the uncharted, heading north from the Old City spring over the hill that follows goat paths to the ruins of an ancient Roman city. Little …