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You can make fun of Yak Trax if you want; but I find they are just the thing for fall and spring conditions where there are patches of ice between rock and bare ground. Microspikes will quickly get worn down under those conditions unless you have the patience to keep taking them off and putting...

I agree about mistakes in the 14th edition of the NH Delorme Atlas. A friend with snowmobile trails through his land used to get pretty fed up with hauling stuck SUVs off his property in the summer time. He prevailed upon Delorme to fix the map in its latest version. Also I've gotten mis-led...

Thanks for the reminder. Last November I hiked Kinsman Ridge on an Indian Summer day. Because it was so warm below, a number of the hikers I met had decided to leave their traction devices behind, and were struggling along the icy trail. I was happy I had my Yak Trax Pros and poles. Although...

Yesterday evening while I was taking the dogs for a walk in the woods, I heard animated chatting, as at a cocktail party . . . . then I looked up to see a V of geese flying overhead.

Great photos so far. Goes to show that even in a relatively dull year, there are still some beautiful opportunities out there. Maple Palette on Moss by Elizabeth W.K., on Flickr Maple Palette on Moss

Heavy Breathing A few years back when hiking I would occassionally hear a rasping, animalistic wheezing noise. The sound sped up when I sped up and slowed down when I did. I would stop to listen and the noise would cease. I was sure something was stalking me through the woods. Then I got...

Good article. Outlines the options and provides intelligent analysis. A nice summary of why SAR professionals are opposed to requiring these devices, and why the legislation has never gotten off the ground.

Actually that loud crack/boom sound happens when ice is being formed on a lake and the pressure ridges are surging against one another. As a Nordic skater, I welcome that noise as a GOOD sound. There is a different kind of cracking sound made when the ice sheets are actually breaking apart...

According to Simon and Garfunkel it does.

Several have mentioned burbling brooks already. I think they sound best in winter, under a layer of ice. Even if you are not a winter hiker, I recommend finding a frozen brook this winter and stopping just to listen. If you get to see a nice half-frozen waterfall at the same time, so much the...

Glad to learn of some purpose for those overgrown zucchinis other than sneaking them onto the front seat of your neighbor's car at night.

Our group biked on carriage roads around Eagle Lake on Friday and hiked Beech Cliffs and Beech (up from Echo Lake, down S. Ridge w/car spot) on Saturday. Kayaked in the later-afternoons. Lefty, we must have just missed you on Beech. Also did not have time for popovers. Good excuse to return...

Another vote for Cabot My first overnight backpacking trip with my dogs was to Horn and Cabot, with a night at Unknown Pond. I'd recommend it. Hope your dog will sleep better in an exciting new outdoor setting than mine did! Photos of our Cabot trip here...

I disagree that the footbed of the trail is nearly always clear unless snow-covered. Perhaps true on heavily-used trails; but not so on many. In spring there may be quite a bit of blowdown and in fall dry leaves can obscure a trail. I've never been badly lost; but have gotten inadvertently...

St. Sauveur Mountain on the west side of Somes Sound is my favorite of the less-crowded hikes. I didn't mention it earlier, because I have only done it from Valley Cove, and I suspect most people on this thread are not visiting by boat. However, I would guess that the trail from the land-side...

Me too. Maybe we will meet on a mountaintop somewhere. I have hiked the Beehive and Precipice Trails - which are both good for a challenge. Both trails have very steep, open parts with ladders - not good for dogs or people with vertigo issues. Have also hiked the Bubbles, which provide a...

Virginia Creeper by Elizabeth W.K., on Flickr Virginia Creeper, Lyme, NH, Sept. 6, 2010

Terrific adventure. Great narrative and pictures.

I'd recommend camping at Unknown Pond and including Horn in your hike. The Unknown Pond campsite is nice. Horn is a very worthwhile mountain to climb (with a more satisfying summit than Cabot) and is reached by only a short detour. This route adds some nice scenery-bagging to your...

My father had a loon steal a trout off of his line while fly fishing in northern Maine. Apparently the loons there have learned to hang around fishing boats. Although stealing right off the line is perhaps somewhat unusual, it is (he was told) common for them to take advantage of the "catch...