Welcome!
My name’s Matt, and I love to write and hike. I’m the author of 4000s by 40 and am currently working on book two. When I’m not doing that, I come here to share tales from the trail, reflections on the writing process, and explore hidden truths.
Whether you’re a hiker, a writer, or just someone trying to figure out their own next step, I hope this site encourages you to keep getting outside, keep exploring, and keep making new discoveries. I suppose this place serves as a very public reminder to myself that I need to keep doing the same.
Enjoy it out there!
What’s New
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‘Tis a Steep Climb Up Cannon Mountain
If you’re tackling the 4000-footers or just looking for a big mountain to climb in New Hampshire, Cannon is a good one. It has beautiful views and interesting pitstops along the way, regardless of which route you take. From one approach you can go by Lonesome Lake—a quintessential New Hampshire hiking destination—and pay a visit…
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It’s Still Winter in the Mountains
Sunday we headed up Cannon Mountain for a spring hike, and while I’ve gone there many times in the spring before, it always surprises me how wintery it can still be up there in early May. For the first half mile or so, the trail felt as a spring trail should—brown, wet, and a little…
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Don’t Eat Your Young
So last week I made the decision to leave Instagram. With the chaos and misinformation being put out there these days, I’d been thinking about it for a while, but I couldn’t pull the trigger until one song—and one video—pushed me over the edge. I was making a compilation of all the great winter activities…
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Wide-Brimmed Hat Territory
So I’ve entered an embarrassing chapter in the evolution of the aging hiker: the need for a wide-brimmed hat. As my forties wind down, I’m trying to be good about getting checkups with the dermatologist, and they said it was time for me to upgrade my hat game. After a lifetime of outdoor adventuring, particularly…