Trip Reports

Blueberry Mountain is a small mountain in Evans Notch that has an easily accessible alpine zone and great views without a lot of climbing. It’s located near Brickett Place off Rt 113 and overlooks a private estate, pond, and well-maintained trail system that the owners have made accessible to hikers. …

West Royce Mountain is the site of an old fire tower that overlooks Evans Notch near the New Hampshire/Maine border. It’s a rugged area of the White Mountain National Forest to hike in with lots of steep climbs that rival the 4,000 footers in difficulty even though they’re not as …

I like to keep track of what gear worked and what didn’t on my backpacking trips for future reference. If you’d like to see the complete list of gear I brought for this, the southern half (140 miles) of the Cape Wrath Trail, it’s detailed in this (linked) gear list …

The Cape Wrath Trail runs from Fort William to Cape Wrath on Scotland’s northwest coast, for approximately 280 miles. The CWT is more of a route than a trail because it’s not blazed or way-marked and because you can connect the endpoints using any sequence of trails, 4×4 tracks, paths, …

The Cape Wrath Trail travels up the west coast of Scotland, beginning in Fort William, and ending at Cape Wrath which is the northernmost point of Britain. It’s not actually a trail though, but a route. What’s the difference? You can connect the two endpoints by hiking over any trails …

The Cape Wrath Trail is considered the hardest trail in the United Kingdom because it passes through one of the wildest, most rugged and remote sections of the Scottish Highlands. Technically, the Cape Wrath Trail is more of a route than a trail, and while there are some guidebooks, maps, …

Ancient Lakes is a popular east-side backpacking destination in Washington State, especially early in the season when the Cascades and Olympics are snowed under. The area consists of two 1.5-mile-long coulees (box canyons formed by eroding basalt) separated by a 300-foot-tall “rib” or wall. The western ends of the coulees …

The White Mountain National Forest is located about 2 and 1/2 hours north of Boston, 6 hours north of New York City, and about 2 hours from Portland, Maine. It’s visited by over 6 million people per year, and provides numerous recreational opportunities including hiking, backpacking, camping, climbing, skiing, ice …

“You know, thirty-below isn’t that bad if you’re dressed properly”, said Eliot, as we stood in the sun by the South Kinsman Mountain summit cairn. We were suited up in full above-treeline regalia including balaclava, facemasks, and heavy gloves. It was so cold, that I was even wearing long underwear, …

Water is heavy and the last thing you want to do if you are climbing a peak in New Hampshire’s Northern Presidential Range or doing a Presidential Traverse is to carry extra drinking water. As it turns out, there are several spring-fed, above-treeline water sources that you can resupply water …

When hiking the Appalachian Trail, you always want to bring some kind of camping shelter, be it a tent, floorless tarp, or hammock, because there’s a very real chance that the shelter will be full when you arrive. Shelter occupancy is first come, first serve. Next, there are plenty of …

Most winter hikers in the White Mountains check the weather a few times every day, so they can grab a good weather window to climb the more challenging above-timberline peaks and enjoy the view. With temperatures forecast in the ’30s and a calm wind, I knew this would be a …

The Imp and North Carter Mountain are in Pinkham Notch across from Mt Washington and the Great Gulf. The Imp, or Imp Face as it’s also called, is a picturesque cliff and viewpoint overlooking the Presidential Range. North Carter is a 4000 footer, but not one listed on the AMC …

While the White Mountains have a reputation for being very hardcore, they are in fact very accessible for hikers and adventurers of all levels of ability. If this is a region you’d like to learn about more for family adventures and recreational day hiking, I’d recommend the following resources, which …