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The hood's creases, chrome ornament on top, windshield shape, and the badge at the top of the grille are all perfect matches for the picture posted by JoshandBaron. I think somebody removed the fenders (to allow bigger tires and/or beefier suspension, for mud / snow / rocks ) and added new...

I've tried a couple of Xero shoes. The running shoes I got (can't recall the model name, sorry) were _very_, _very_ thin-soled. You're probably used to low-drop, but these are a step beyond. Not recommended on pavement, and require an adjustment period even on dirt trails. Even though I...

Try netting. When carried, in front or on back, it's not hard to rig up something that keeps him covered. Baby carrier backpacks often have a sunshade built in that also works to keep the netting out of his eyes and mouth. (Though bear in mind that infants are grabby. There are ages at which...

It depends on what you consider an "ascent," but consider the caretakers who live in Harvard Cabin full-time. They are usually avid climbers who go up one ravine or another almost every day. That would get you about a hundred ascents in a single season, and it's hardly unheard of for the same...

As someone who's worked at the intersection of computer programming and natural language, that was kind of fun. It starts out with a direct quote that's been seen on a few popular websites, but quickly you see the program inserting its own wording. If you are familiar with auto-complete on...

In manufacturing, communications, and many other kinds of operations, dividing a flow (of skiers in this case) into infrequently-processed, large batches is usually the worst way to go about it. You get lines waiting for the tram, crowds at the top as everybody puts on their skis, and...

Be super-cautious in the gorge. We have had a lot of unseasonably warm weather lately, and more above-freezing temperatures are expected this weekend, with chance of rain. The gorge itself is very shady and may stay below freezing, but if not, you do not want to be under the walls when the...

Snow conditions and weight of gear spring to mind. Breaking trail slows most people down considerably. And weight of gear has an inflection point, with a clear difference between "light" and "heavy". In the latter regime, on all but the smoothest trails, you have to slow down and pick your...

(Grumpy old man mode on) Probably not. Accuracy is in tension with simplicity. Pace varies from individual to individual and with conditions (e.g., with gear load, presence of ice), and so does sensitivity to slope. To get much better results than the AMC rule of thumb that you started with...

That photo's a bit deceptive. While the standard routes are just plain hikes, there are also routes that are pretty demanding. This time of year, people like to climb up / ski down the Bowl, which is roughly equivalent to Tuckerman's Ravine. https://davidalbeck.com/photos/2008/baldy2/i32.jpg...

Soft shells are great when you've got the balance right between warmth and conditions - they shrug off minor wind, rain, snow that would be unpleasant, for opposite reasons, with either no shell or a hard shell. Softshell pants for winter hiking, for example, are great for preventing your base...

I'm sure you know this, but for the sake of less-experienced people reading this: "the timing of the weather" is often rather different on the ridges compared to the valleys. If snow is due to start falling in Lincoln at noon, you should plan for near-whiteout conditions on the summit of...

As you suggest, going up Falling Waters has the obvious advantage of getting the most difficult, steep, icy, potentially dangerous (icefall and rockfall are not unknown) section out of the way early when one is fresh and clear-minded, and retracing one's steps if needed is easy. This would be...

For the Presidential Range, the AMC keeps or used to keep a list. (The state park service also keeps one just for Mt Washington, I believe.) The Wikipedia version of that list is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_died_on_the_Presidential_Range It shows 6 deaths in 1996, 5...

Not sure about the X-tools, but the tools I have with changeable picks, you need to use a small wrench on very small nuts and/or bolts. Not something I'd recommend any time there's a chance of a part or tool rolling away and getting lost in the snow. An axe like the BD raven is perfectly fine...

I often carry a general axe in winter, but almost never use it. There are not that many hiking trails in New England where you have the risk of a fall *and* the chance to self-arrest. For the icy, rocky conditions we most often face, something with a better grip would be better. Note that...

That's a heath, not a cranberry. Same family, different genus, rather different growth habits. (It's a big family that includes Rhododendron and Indian Pipe.) If you say "mountain cranberry" I'll usually assume you mean Vaccinium vitis-idea, also known as lingonberry or partridgeberry. It's...

Merino wool used to be big business in New England. Towns like Waltham had huge mills, and practically all the woods nearby were cut down to make room for grazing. As I recall the original breeding stock (a few hundred sheep) was smuggled out of Spain via Portugal, during the Napoleonic wars.

Likewise - though the kid hasn't had an actual overnight backpack yet (it's been either day hikes or car camping), and he's 10. I'm not sure what kind of advice you're looking for. You obviously already know how to mix formula and give it to the kid. Things I might be thinking about in...

For anyone else who was wondering, "Hounds Hump" is the rounded, cliffy peaklet adjacent to Eagle Cliff, i.e., overlooking the bottom of the Greenleaf Trail. Climbers sometimes visit that area; in particular, "the Eaglet", a small free-standing spire on the southerly face, makes for some very...