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It's the yellow jackets that nest in the ground. Often the nests are just a quarter size opening. Often they nest in abandon chipmunk holes on trail. Those are the worst, and hikers that pass over them can get multiple stings, a disaster for those who are allergic, or those that didn't know...

Ha ha, wind speeds! Yes, I usually divide online accounts of wind speeds by 2 to get the accurate reading. Before carrying an anemometer I was guilty of the same over estimates. When its blowing 30mph above treeline, it feels like 50 - 60mph, but isn't. But sadly, no, I don't think I am...

Brian, I would summarize this year's general crowd level mid-week as fairly normal for summer, with a little less pure touristy types but more crowded than normal if the hike involves list based hiking objectives that have large facebook groups, most especially the 4ks (even more than before...

The biggest thing is to carry a large enough (gallon or maybe bigger) ziploc bag to put the camera body and any lenses that have been out in the cold and put them sealed in that bag before you bring it into any warm area like a car or house. If you don't do this the lens will fog up for a long...

Thanks all for the info! I appreciate it!

What kind of snowpack there is right now in Connecticut along the AT? I was thinking of hitting that area for a section hike early this season, and although snow is fine, don't want to hit it with lots mushy snow and deep ponding. Being from NH I have no idea what its like over there. Thanks.

Thank you so much. Good to know about Kinsman Ridge! That is what I thought about the Dilly Trail-- I wonder why the USFS thought differently?

Earlier this year, the 3 or so miles north of the AT north of Kinsman Notch was closed due to last fall's fire, and the AT was being rerouted to use the Gordon Pond trail. I called the US Forest service today, and the woman I spoke to said she thought the Kinsman Ridge section of the AT was no...

The school is Wyoming Catholic College, a small school near the Wind River Range.

A different approach: ALL students do a 3 week long backpack in grizzly country A Wyoming college apparently has different risk calculations as it requires as orientation a 3 week backcountry orientation that includes 100 miles of hiking, 13k summit, and fly fishing. Yes, all in grizzly...

Thank you for posting this. My condolences to his family. Al literally lived down the street from me and I would often see him pass by on his long daily walks. I had the pleasure of hiking with him a few times, especially early in my winter hiking career when I was just learning the ropes...

Alpine Garden Area update: Next weekend will probably be the best. I checked out many of the alpine flower areas (but did not make it to the Alpine Garden itself) on Saturday. Things seemed early and just starting, though there were some nice areas of diapensia which seemed furthest along...

Brian- I am very sorry to hear about the situation with the mastiff and your loved one. I can imagine how damaging physically and mentally that can be for all involved. A few more general comments: To be clear, yes, most of the dogs on trail (and dog owners) are responsible and under control...

Brian, I was bit pretty significantly by a dog in the summer of 2014. Rounded the bend to a viewpoint on a local trail here in Concord NH and had two Australian Cattle dogs (off leash) immediately run from their owner 200 feet away who was sitting having a snack break. One of them circled...

Temps is the 30s with rain (esp with wind, but even without) is absolutely worse than dry and 0 degrees for developing hypothermia. The former were the conditions he was caught out in. Sadly many think "oh it's above freezing" so even if it's raining that is fine to hike in in winter because...

Quote Originally Posted by Krazo View Post Drank water from the spring Friday on a Pemi Loop and still standing! When I was still a relatively new backpacker I drank untreated water at Guyot for the night and morning we were there. The group said it was safe to do and the only person with...

Wow, this sounds like an awesome hike! Thanks for posting this because I had no idea it existed and its not super far away. I had always thought that if the cutler coast loop was a longer hike I'd probably be more interested in backpacking it. But this is long enough to make a long drive...

I went up it a few years ago and looped over Franconia Ridge. It had wet spots even though it was dry summer conditions and definitely has many places where you have to carefully use handhold/foothold if you stay on the rock as opposed to using the bypasses. Whilst on the ridge, I chatted with...

Summitseeker-- I had the exact same experience as yours not too long ago. Starting in March 2014, I began to have the sensation of what I thought were "tight" and then "sprained" hamstrings. First in one leg, then both. I went to the orthopedic doctor and she said it was sprained hamstrings...

You can find many more photos and full trip report here Last Saturday, I was able to take a trip up Mt. Lafayette. I was actually not even sure the extent to which I could hike that day given some family situations. After squaring things away at home, I headed north and decided to pull over at...