Category: Adventures
For many hikers, the ideal trail is a remote trail; the farther from civilization the better. The New England National Scenic Trail (NET) is not that trail. The 215-mile footpath runs from the Long Island Sound in Connecticut to the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border, passing through some of the region’s most striking vistas and dense […]
Whether you believe Robert Frost’s famous line “good fences make good neighbors” or not, there’s no shortage of stone walls in New England! If you’re looking to learn more about these historic stone walls, your first step would be to pick up Robert Thorson’s Exploring Stone Walls: A Field Guide to New England’s Stone Walls. […]
Looking for the best spring hikes in the Northeast, but don’t know where to start? We recently asked the AMC community what mountain they were most eager to hike when spring arrives. Their answers covered a wide range, from close-to-home day hikes to ambitious backcountry excursions. Here are eight of their favorite spring hikes. Make your […]
I first stumbled upon the Bay Circuit Trail (BCT) while on a hike in Bradley Palmer State Park in spring of 2018. At that time, I was 30 years old and had recently gotten sober after 16 years of alcohol and substance use. During the crucial early days of my sobriety, hiking on the BCT […]
This story was first published in the Winter/Spring 2022 edition of Appalachia Journal. The oddest moment that day was when I came to the library—sort of—among the trees. At a complicated junction of groomed and ungroomed trails, I chose an ungroomed one that looked like it would lead to a good hilltop view. A few […]
This story was originally published in the Winter/Spring 2022 issue of Appalachia Journal. The narrator in this piece—determined by a flip of an Old Man of the Mountain New Hampshire state quarter—is Rob Powers. Dedicated to Aunt Abbie Fenn, who heard this story at a Thanksgiving family gathering and insisted we write it. On February 14, […]
The highest point of elevation in Port St. John, Fla.—my hometown—is 84 feet above sea level. There, we’re not taught how to park on a hill. We don’t acclimate to walking on ice. And we absolutely don’t hike for 11 hours in a two-day period. If only my Florida friends and family could see […]
Each year, hikers converge on Springer Mountain in Georgia in early March to begin a 2,192-mile, six-month pilgrimage along the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) with the goal of summiting Katahdin in Maine. Most hikers adopt colorful trail names, like Peregrine or Chilly Willy, as a way to more quickly recall and connect with each other. […]
Have you ever really seen the Milky Way? By that I mean not just some of the galaxy’s brightest stars, but the Milky Way in all its majesty: a bright, oblong stripe that dominates the nightly heavens. Its thousands of individual white specks twinkle through a thin off-white soup which glows with green, magenta, […]
As a teacher, I usually go on a little outdoor adventure trip in the summer. After not having an adventure in summer 2020, and the remaining travel concerns this summer, I was uncertain what adventure we could tackle. I decided that it was time to hike the full 50 miles of the Appalachian Trail […]
I want to smile, but I shiver instead. I should be happy. I’ve been planning my redemption tour of the Pemigewasset (Pemi) Loop, in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest, ever since I had to bail on it last summer because I was pack heavy and suffering the consequences of my own machismo. I’ve […]
In early August 2020, amid the necessary isolation and semi-isolation brought on by COVID-19, I was feeling anxious and blue. I needed a change of scenery and a project. I set my mind to hike the Appalachian Trail in Massachusetts from Jug End in South Egremont, Mass., to the Vermont state line in a […]
Washington, D.C., is known for its monuments, museums, and historic sites, but the nation’s capital also has its share of beautiful parks and trails to explore. Whether you’re a biker, hiker, or just looking for someplace to be outside, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) offers dozens of bus and train routes that […]
Central Park may be one of the world’s most famous, but it is by no means the only one in New York City. The best part? You don’t need a car to get to most of them. From Manhattan to the Hudson River Valley, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) services dozens of outdoor spaces […]
The following essay—adapted here for length and style—appears in an anthology being published by members of Lois’s all-girls high school in Philadelphia. I love to walk. It is what I do. It is who I am: a walker, a hiker. According to my parents, I was older than the average child when I finally […]
Shenandoah National Park has it all: craggy granite peaks rising from pastoral valleys, hushed wooded hollows that open up onto spectacular cascades, and fields bristling with wildflowers. It’s also closer than you might think. Just 75 miles from Washington, D.C., and 100 miles from Baltimore, the Virginia park is a popular destination to beat […]
If you’re an outdoor enthusiast living in Boston, count yourself lucky! Even without a car, adventure is never far away thanks to the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA), a mass transit system that spans the entire Greater Boston area and beyond. We’ve compiled a list of six of our favorite Boston-area outdoor spaces accessible […]
2021 is expected to be an exceptionally busy year for National Parks, so minimize your impact by staying off busy trails and following Leave No Trace principles. The most up-to-date source for COVID-related policies and closures, along with conditions within the park is the park’s website. There’s really nothing else like it. It’s […]
If all you’ve seen of Acadia National Park is Ocean Path and Cadillac Mountain (1,530 feet), look again. Acadia has plenty of other peaks and bits of coastline to explore, especially during peak season when popular trails receive exceptionally heavy foot traffic, and the nearby roads and parking lots are jammed. Choosing a less […]
Naturalist and author John Muir, known as the “Father of the National Parks,” once said, “The mountains are calling, and I must go.” Since about the time I could walk, hiking has been a key part of my life. There is no experience quite like hiking in the mountains, and for me, no mountain […]