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This morning I climbed Arthur’s Seat (250 m), an extinct volcano that towers over the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, at dawn. I climbed this same hill almost 26 years ago, to the day, after arriving here as a graduate student in 1983. I remember scrambling to the top then, along the steepest possible route: pure enthusiasm, but little finesse. This …

I love hiking in the forests of New Hampshire, especially in the White Mountains where it’s solid trees as far as the eye can see. But there was a time in the not to distant past when the area was entirely clear-cut by lumber companies. During the second half of the 19th century, the State of New Hampshire sold off …

I love maps but the thought of replacing them with a GPS makes me uneasy. The fact is, I very rarely get lost because I know how to read a map, I’m an expert with a  compass, and I carefully chart my progress during the day by frequently referring to my map and watch. As a map addict, the thing …

This past Saturday, I finished hiking the last section of the Southern Presidentials on the New Hampshire Appalachian Trail. The weather was incredible, with bright sunshine. However, winds on the western, exposed sections of Mt Washington (above) reached 40 miles an hour, necessitating extra layers and gloves. Total mileage for the day was 11.0 miles over 7 hours with an …