Backpacking Trips

Jumping Brook is a mountain stream that’s pretty close to the geographic center of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. It drains the eastern slope of Mts Guyot, Zealand, and the Bonds, before it meets the North Fork of the Pemigewasset River. The closest trail …

The Wild River Wilderness is the wildest designated wilderness area in the White Mountain National Forest spanning New Hampshire and Maine. I hadn’t been up that way for a few years so I planned a backpacking route that followed the river from …

South Shoal Pond Peak, also known as Twintop or Mt Quinn isn’t a popular destination in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. But I had a hankering to go climb it if only because it gave me an excuse to backpack out to the Thoreau …

The Dry River is one of the wildest parts of the White Mountain National Forest, located below Mt Washington in the Presidential Range-Dry River Wilderness Area. The most direct way to access it is by following the Dry River Trail, which runs …

“The Lincoln Brook Trail is beautiful in the morning sun”, I thought as we hiked back after camping near the base of Owls Head Mountain, deep in the Pemigewasset Wilderness.  My friends Ken and Karen and I had backpacked in the day …

The Willey Range includes three peaks: Mt Willey, Mt Field, and Mt Tom.  All three peaks are located along the same ridgeline, so you can climb them all at once. Most people start in Crawford Notch and hike this route as a …

My friend Guthook (Ryan Lynn) and I try to get together every few years for a backpacking trip to reconnect and catch up. We’re in touch online, but there’s nothing like getting out into the woods, climbing a few mountains, and camping …

October is always a month of transition in the White Mountains from the peak foliage of Columbus Day to the onset of winter on the higher summits. The mood of the weather gods can seemingly change overnight, so it’s best to take …

The Sandwich Range encompasses the southwestern portion of the White Mountain National Forest including everything, roughly speaking, from the Kancamagus Highway south to Squam Lake. While it includes several 4000 footers and the region is heavily forested, the terrain is quite varied …

Autumn has arrived in the White Mountains, but leaf-peeping season is still a few weeks out. The Forest has been surprisingly empty the past two weeks and you can hike all day and just see a handful of people if any. I’ve …

The Fire Warden’s Loop climbs Mts Hale, Zealand, South Twin, and North Twin Mountains, with an optional extension out to Mts Guyot, West Bond, Bond, and Bondcliff. It begins and ends along the North Twin Trail, making it a convenient loop for …

The Bonds – Bondcliff, Mt Bond, and West Bond are three of the most scenic 4000 footers in the White Mountains, a place with no shortage of mountaintop views. They’re eleven miles from the nearest trailhead, smack in the middle of the …

Castle Ravine and Jefferson Ravine are two glacial valleys in between Mt Adams and Mt Jefferson, the second and third highest mountains in New Hampshire’s Northern Presidentials. I did a one-night trip last week where I climbed both on successive days, with …

Stairs Mountain is a peak in the Presidential Range – Dry River Wilderness Area south of Mt Isolation and off the Davis Path. It’s the site of a magnificent cliff with far-reaching views of the southeastern White Mountains and several major peaks …