Completing the Saranac Six mountains
Composting Privvies – how do they work?
During my summer as a Maine Appalachian Trail caretaker, I was “privileged” to take part in an event called “a mixer”. All 4 caretakers, plus some MATC volunteers, converged on the Horns Pond shelter area for a mid-year roundtable summit, a bit of a swim, and some hard, disgusting labor. Horns Pond is high…
Trip Report – VT 4000 footers
I spent 3 days in Vermont, bagging the 4 remaining 4000 footers (I did Pico/Killington years ago). New gear / new hiking methods tried this trip: Coolmax socks + coolmax/silk liners – giving this a try since I still get these weird blisters on the outside of my heels Skipping breakfast and eating on the trail…
Glaciers might be forming on Ben Nevis in Scotland
A repost from the Beeb. I saw snow on Ben Nevis when I hiked the Great Glen in 1993. “Neve” snow is the snow that lasts from year to year, and can form a positive feedback loop as it keeps the surrounding area cooler and more reflective (higher albedo), which can lead to the…
2002 Caretaker season logs – Piazza Rock, Maine
I found my old logbook from when I was a caretaker at the Piazza Rock shelter area on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. What a terrific experience, it really opened my eyes to Leave No Trace as a philosophy, and the overall effect that small impacts have when multiplied by hundreds. I spoke to hundreds…