I’ve always found my best inspiration in the wild—especially in the mountains. Below is a collection of posts shaped by time on the trail: reflections, stories, and moments pulled from the ridgelines, woods, and summits that continue to influence my writing.
Dispatches From Higher Ground
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Side Quest: Redlining the Wapack Trail -
Butt-Sliding on Cherry Mountain (aka Owlshead) -
Peakbagging or Peak Chasing? -
Discovering Surprises on Middle Sister -
Concerns About the Growing Outdoor “Epic” Culture -
Still Learning Lessons on Mount Tecumseh -
Getting Back to Our Roots -
Bring Out the Imp (and Middle Carter) -
A Blustery Day on Mount Monadnock -
Through the Portal on Kidder Mountain -
Climb Where You're At: Jasper Mountain -
All Alone on Smarts Mountain -
The Uncanoonuc Mountains -
The Everest Question -
The Faraway Guys -
Waiting for My Change -
Finding Solitude at Mount Monadnock's Kiasticuticus Peak -
Patching in for the Belknap Range -
Mountain Disagreements -
Chasing Fall Foliage on Mount Tremont -
The Legend of Joe English -
Scouting Little Monadnock -
Hedgehog Mountain: A Mountain for All Weather -
Only the Mountains -
The Wonderful Welch-Dickey Loop -
Mount Pierce: My Favorite 4000-Footer -
Too Many Pine Hills—Let's Fix That -
Finally! Knocking off the Belknap 12 -
The Search for Stories -
The Webster-Jackson Loop -
Pawtuckaway Not Faraway -
Stop Waiting and Go -
Hiking Solo vs. With Friends -
A Paugus Among Us -
Ranking the 4000-Footers -
Breathwork for the Climbing -
A Window for Bald Peak -
What in the Blazes? -
There's Bears Out Dere! -
Back to the Backcountry! An Overnight at Sawyer Pond -
Round Pond -
Fumbling About the Mack—Klem Loop -
Hatching Plans with the B.I.L. -
Kamikaze Bugs in the Belknap Range
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Peakbaggers = Truth-Seekers -
Pine Mountain and Chapel Rock -
Who Are You, Arthur Josephson? -
An Easy Go on Mount Willard -
Middle Sugarloaf: Dusting off the Hiking Boots -
Cheating on Middle Pack Monadnock -
Why 4000s by 40? -
Ice Climbing Kinsman Notch -
No, the Other Black Mountain -
Hillman's Highway: Learning and Earning Late-season Turns -
Not Smarts Mountain -
On Georgiana Falls -
New Trails and a Happy Return to Winter Hiking -
Way Up There -
Those Summer Days of Autumn -
They Call Him Bilbo Baggers -
Misdirection on Mount Percival -
Looking for Frank on Mount Chocorua -
New Looks at Old Faces: Mount Moosilauke -
The Presidential Traverse: When the Heart Is Bigger Than the Head -
A Celebratory Return to the 4000-footers: The Osceolas -
Getting Back Out There – Mount Cube -
When the Mountain Says No -
My Overburdened Pack -
The Evening Blue -
One Step, Then Another -
Why Climb Mountains? -
Tackling Middle Age in the Mountains
More Mountain Stories
If you’re looking for more stories about hiking and the great outdoors, 4000s by 40 shares what it’s like to tackle the 4000-footers of New Hampshire, highlighting both the successes—and the missteps—one may experience along the way. Currently I’m exploring the 52 With a View peaks, also in New Hampshire, and will be regularly posting stories from those climbs here as well.
Enjoy it out there!