Review and giveaway: Classic Hikes of North America by Peter Potterfield
Many of the amazing photographs in Peter Potterfield’s book, “Classic Hikes of North America: 25 Breathtaking Treks in the United States and Canada,” have a hiker in the frame somewhere or a tent...
View ArticleCopake Falls campground and Taconic State Park
My column last Friday was about campgrounds that are still open this late in the year. We went because Herb was jonesing to spend at least one more night out (one of his resolutions for 2012 was to...
View ArticleGiveaway: “Hiking the Continental Divide Trail” by Jennifer A. Hanson
In “Hiking the Continental Divide Trail: One Woman’s Journey,” Niskayuna resident Jennifer Hanson describes the epic 2,414-mile hike she took in 1997. Like many books about a hiking journey, it’s a...
View ArticleVischer Ferry Plus – why haven’t I been here before?
We often cross the Mohawk River on Route 146 at sunset on our way back from the Adirondacks. Our view from the Rexford Bridge is of the water in both directions, tinted in the soft light of evening....
View ArticleSpruce Traps (illustrated – barely) and turning around (not illustrated –...
I wrote a story for today’s Times Union sports section about the necessity of sometimes turning around short of your destination while hiking in the winter. In the story, I used the term “spruce trap”...
View ArticleBeauty and beer with views in between
These days, when the sun sets 10 minutes after you each lunch, require getting an early start or doing short hikes closer to home. A few weeks ago (before the snow), we chose a short hike close to...
View ArticleGoing it alone
My column in today’s sports section is about going out alone, as I did on my recent trip to Botheration Pond. Before this year, I had hiked alone just a handful of times, but now going out by myself is...
View ArticleWhat we’re reading: “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed
I expected to love “Wild.” I’d heard great things about it. It’s a bestseller. It’s a true story. Oprah liked it. Oprah. So I got it for my mom, who also likes stories of women outdoors, for Christmas...
View ArticleA little love letter for the bike trail
I wrote this column on the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail almost two weeks ago but forgot to post the link to the story here. I’ve gotten two phone calls since then from out-of-the-area cyclists looking...
View ArticleKindred spirits
If you’ve read “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery, you’re familiar with “kindred spirits,” those “bosom friends” who know us best, and like us anyway. I’m lucky enough to have two of those, my...
View ArticleGear review: Motorola Talkabout MT350R Radios
Herb and I have talked idly about getting radios for use on the trail, so when a publicist offered to send us a pair to review, I jumped at the chance. I found that, like most gear, they have their...
View ArticleGuest post: New York native finds adventure in Alaska
Former Troy resident Aimee Chauvot won a recent book giveaway… but had to have her mom mail the prize to her at her new address in Alaska. I asked her to write a guest post for you, our readers, to...
View ArticleMore Norway: Kongstinden
Our hiking boots beat a tattoo on the paved streets of Svolvaer as we walked. A fresh new hiking map in my front pocket was leading us to adventure in the mountains above town. We had a pick of trails...
View ArticleShepherd’s Tooth with a Shepherd
The Shepherd’s Tooth is a small, rock and alpine grass-covered knob that sticks out like an island above the sea of spruce in the MacIyntrne Range of the Adirondack High Peaks. Until 50 years ago, the...
View ArticleBook review: “The Allure of the Deep Woods: Backpacking the Northville-Placid...
I read Walt McLaughlin’s book, “The Allure of the Deep Woods: Backpacking the Northville-Placid Trail,” just a week or so before Herb and I set off on our own three-night, four-day trek along the...
View ArticleMore gear: A ‘new stuff’ roundup
Sometimes it feels like all my gear starts wearing out at once. This was one of those years. I bought a few items and, after a summer of hard use, I’m ready to report.* Only one item didn’t make it...
View ArticleGoing end to end
The Taconic Hiking Club recently announced its annual end-to-end hike along the 29-mile Taconic Crest Trail. Registration forms are now being accepted. Here’s the announcement, lightly edited: The End...
View ArticleThe Hike Safe card
Think of it as a kind of “get out of the helicopter free” card. New Hampshire is considering offering a card that makes rescues free of charge. Vexed by the high cost of search and rescue, the state is...
View ArticlePeak-bagging
My column from last Friday was about Jerimoth Hill, Rhode Island’s highest point. Herb and I stopped by and grabbed this high point on our way home from a weekend in Cape Cod. He’s now just one high...
View ArticleTough packs, not-so-tough dogs
Most of the time when we run into people with dogs on the trail, the dogs are big: German Shepherds, Labrador retrievers, pit bulls and cattle dogs, etc. They’re working dogs, built to move. You don’t...
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