The Presidential Range Traverse

August 8, 2022

Arrival at Highland Center

Tackling New Hampshire’s Presidential Range would form the centerpiece of my recent New England high point road trip. The massive peaks rise head and shoulders above any other peaks in the Northeastern US. A majority of the journey takes place at or above the treeline. And a series of huts, shuttles, and base camps run by the storied Appalachian Mountain Club can make the ambitious journey a touch bougier and more European.

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Sandy Stream Pond (Baxter SP)

August 5, 2022

Arrival at Baxter State Park

Talk to hikers in the Eastern US and Baxter takes on a seemingly mythical quality. Up there, deep in the heart of the Maine Woods, lies Katahdin. The peak sits surrounded by think, wild forests. The wilderness in turn sits surrounded by vast tracts of forest, like the “hundred-mile wilderness.” It’s the terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The end of the line.

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Hunter Mountain via the Devil’s Path

August 2, 2022

Arrival at Notch Lake

I grew up roughly an hour from Hunter Mountain, in New York’s pastoral Hudson Valley. But ironically, Hunter would become the very last mountain I would hike among New York’s 4000-foot-plus set. Growing up, we never skied Hunter (“too many New Yorkers!”), and chose the Adirondacks over the Catskills for vacations (“too many New Yorkers!”). If there’s one thing New Yorkers despise on vacation, it’s other New Yorkers. Especially ones from farther south.

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Hanging Lake

June 26, 2022

Arrival via i-70

My day began zipping along the winding curves of Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon. This breathtaking stretch of highway involves a continuous series of bridges and tunnels over the Colorado River and through rocky canyon walls. This short section opened in 1992, among the last major links in the interstate system. At its heart, lies Hanging Lake Canyon.

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