37 miles on the AT

I took this week as vacation, and even though I didn’t travel far I got off the grid for a few days of backpacking along the Appalachian Trail. My plan was to go solo, but as it turned out I had plenty of company: a multitude of mosquitos and black flies joined me for every step. Nonetheless it was a great trip— the terrain is beautiful, it was quiet, the weather was good enough, and I feel so accomplished for having done it!

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Opting outside

The Covid-19 pandemic has upended a lot of cherished traditions in 2020, but I’m happy to report that this year I was able to keep my longstanding tradition of not participating in Black Friday shopping. Taking a page from REI, I spent the day after Thanksgiving on a hike up and back down Sabbaday Brook trail.

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Famous for a reason

I’ve written before about my love of ridgeline hikes, so it should come as no surprise that I love Franconia Ridge trail. Unfortunately this is a trail in danger of being loved to death. It’s one of the more spectacular sections of the AT, part of the increasingly popular pemi loop, and frequently featured on lists of the best hiking trails in the state/nation/world. In good weather and on weekends I avoid it, because the last thing I want when I venture into the mountains is to join a conga line of other hikers, but on a weekday with clouds flowing through Franconia notch, I took my chance.

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