If you were always curious about reindeer hearding but were afraid to ask...
Pretty snow
On the Appalachian trail near Linden, Virginia Microspikes and poles are your friends.
Echos of Earl
Earl Shaffer and Chester Dziengelewski at "The Cabin" in Maine Echos of Earl In the 18 years I spent section hiking the Appalachian Trail I kept running into "Echos of Earl". Earl Shaffer was the first-ever AT thru-hiker, completing the trail in 1948. In 1998 he came through on his third and final thru-hike at …
Reflections from an 18 year hike
These are some stories and reflections written shortly after I finished my Appalachian Trail (AT) section hike. I finished on 7/26/2025 on Mt. Washington after 18 years and 2,190 miles. It all started in Shenandoah: The AT hike began when my son needed a 50-mile backpacking trip for the Boy Scout hiking merit badge. We …
Done
2190 miles an 18 years later...
6 miles to go
The crew for the last 12 miles Today was 6 miles up to Madison hut. 3 miles in a little under 2 hours. The next 4 took about 5 hours ... 4000 feet up or so over Mt Madison (can you say "false peaks"?) with 50+ mph sustained winds with higher gusts, occasional rain that …
The last descent
Mt Washington Today was the last major descent of my entire 18 year odyssey of hiking the Appalachian Trail. Something like 2500 feet down from Mt Moriah. On the last descent I tried something new: coming down without poles. It worked. My knees were less happy, but I think it was faster. To the very …
Mt Washington, version 1 done
We arrive at the top of Mt Washington. 45 mph winds. 55 mph gusts. 37 degrees. At least no rain 🙂 No lightning! We hiked 6 miles from mitzpah springs hut to to top of Mt. Washington with a stop at the lake-of-the-clouds hut. Hot soup! I saw the fabled "dungeon", a six bunk emergency …
More huts. Actual Trail?
Zealand Falls hut. These are mostly unedited daily notes to self: - read 1st chapter of book about Joe Dodge. He is a legend in NH hiking community. Ran the huts from 1920s to 1959. There are still stories about him.- packed up- breakfast at Zealand Falls hut- ate with older ladies from NC that …
Hut to hut
Greenleaf hut and Mt Layfayett This is a view of Mt Layfayett from Mt Lincoln with Greenleaf hut 1.1 miles out the arm. It's the little white dot on the left. It was the first of 3 huts we've stayed at. Beds. Dinner and breakfast. A large Russian speaking family (families?) came in around sundown …
OutdoorFoo 