Mount Washington, New Hampshire: The Presidential traverse considered by some the most roughed and extreme terrain east of the Rockies, offers hikers incredible views as well as the most extreme weather flucuations on the planet. It can snow any month of the year and the highest ever recorded wind speed was set here in 1932. ( at 235 mph the wind instruments broke) In August of 2000, Tonya and I hiked the entire northern traverse and 17 hours later returned to our campsite. Black fly season is mid-June thru July. Mt Washington is second only to Mt Everest in fatalites with most deaths occuring from hypothermia and avalanche. Be prepared for any weather condition. |
| Appalachian Trail National Scenic Trail, Maine: The AT in New England goes from suburbia in Conn to the hunderd mile wilderness in Maine. This image was taking on Mahoosuc Ridge looking southwest towards the Presidential Range in NH. |
| Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland: Setting up the tent in the dunefield and going to sleep hearing the ocean waves is but one of the great reasons to visit this location. Surf-fishing, and kayaking along the shoreline is a few others. |
| George Washington & Jefferson National Forest's, Virginia: With nearly 2 million acres of protected forest ,hiking,backpacking,and camping are just a few activites too enjoy. Spring is our favorite season to visit when the Catabwa Rhododendron ( aka Great Laurel ) and mountain laurel are at peak bloom May through about the second week of June. |
| Laurel Fork, Virgina : The key attraction to Laurel Fork, seclusion. Sitting just to the east of the Alleghany Plateau, Laurel Fork is one of the many streams that form the headwaters of the Potomac River. Rare flora and fauna are abundant. Orchids and ferns line the over 28 miles of trails. Camping in mid-summer you might see the fisher, and northern flying squirrel. From the parking lot you walk down through red spruces and northern hardwoods (Red Maples in Autumn) to the beaver ponds. Getting to Laurel Fork is not quick, it can take four to five hours from the Metro DC area. |
| Old Rag Mountain, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia: The most celebrated hike in the park. The circuit hike is about 7.2 miles and as you approach the summit the trail becomes an exciting and challenging bouldering course. Old Rag is a most hike destination in the fall, during "peak color", expect huge crowds and try to plan a trip early to mid-week if possible. In recent years the Park Service has begun to issue hiking permits due to the increased traffic. View's from the summit are 360* and on one clear September day in 2006, I used my 400mm lens to see the Washington Monument and Capitol Dome over 70 miles to the east! |
The Billy Goat Trail, Maryland: Just thirty minutes from downtown Washingto DC, The Billy Goat Trail, offers hikers of all ages exciting hikes over steep rocky cliffs along the Potomac River Gorge. Wildflowers bloom along the trail from late March to the first frost. Study footwear is a must due to rocky river terrace landcape. Every outdoor recreational activity can be found here from rock climbing at Carderock to biking along the C&O Canal towpath, to kayaking the whitewater of Great Falls. |
| Maryland Heights, Maryland: Dominates the landscape surrounding Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The hike is relatively short and steep, but the overlooks provide sweeping visits of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Its only a short walk over the river to historic downtown of Harper's Ferry. |
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| Spruce Knob & Seneca Rock National Recreation Area, WV: West Virginia's highest peak and famous rock formation called Seneca Rock are not the only things to see and do here. The Seneca Creek Wilderness provides miles of trails for backcountry adventure. Driving the forest roads at peak fall foilage is a wonder to be hold. Not as crowded as Skyline Drive eithier. |
| Dolly Sods Wilderness, West Viriginia: A slice of Canada here in the Mid-Atlantic States. Considered "Otherworldly" by the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Mid-Atlantic States , Dolly Sods is located along the Alleghany Front, the eastern edge of a great plateau found in the Appalachian Mountains. Fourteen trails cover 45 miles throughout the wilderness. It can snow up to 12 feet and still have snow into May. A walk along the ridge tops in late September when the huckleberry and blueberry bushes are set ablaze in firey red color is a once in a life-time sight. Dolly Sods is probably the most well known wilderness area in West Virginia. Should you choose to go just alittle further west , Otter Creek Wilderness awaits with fewer crowds , denser vegetation and isolation. |
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| Pawnee Buttes, Colorado: Rising 300 feet above the surrounding praire this location is home to almost 300 known species of birds and other wildlife spotted in the Pawnee National Grassland. |
| Carpenter Peak, Roxbrough State Park, Colorado: Over a million people visit this state park not 20 minutes from downtown Denver, yet you can still have solitude and great views of the Front Range on weekends. The tilted red sandstone formations make this location as impressive as "Garden of the God's" down south in Colorado Springs. |
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| Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado: North Vista Trail, follows the north rim of the canyon providing dramatic views. Winter is a great time to visit however fewer trails are open. |
| Crag Crest National Recreation Trail, Colorado : The Crag Crest rises from 10,150 feet at Eggleston Lake to 11, 189 feet along the backbone of Grand Mesa National Forest southeast of Grand Junction. Not a 14er by any means, however this 10.3 mile hike through an interesting contrast of Supalpine fir, open meadows, numerous lakes and small ponds blanketed by dark green conifers, quaking aspen, to very narrow and steep drop offs along the Crest trail offering fantastic views of the West Elk Wilderness, Uncompahgre Wilderness, and Raggeds Wilderness, and distant views of the La Sal Mountains in Utah. Making this a great day hike location. A sunset paddle in one of the many Mesa Lakes in the area is a wonderful experience too. |
| Great Sand Dunes National Mounment , Colorado : Hiking the Sand Dunes is an amazing experience. Winds from the San Luis Valley and Sangre de Cristo Mountains have helped to created the tallest Dune complex in North America. Temps in the summer can exceed 110*F so hiking the 39 miles of Dune fields is best done in Spring, Fall, and Winter, or at dawn/sunset. Everyone, has to walk to the highest dune, however if you follow the same footsteps (there are no trail's on the dune's) up and reach a point where the ridge goes up to the top and too the right, we followed the ridge to the right and found a great view of the entire dune field. Begin your hike at dawn or predawn, not just for the cooler temp's, but the early morning light is amazing to see on the dune ridges, and the crowds ( I mean CROWDS) between Memorial Day, and Labor Day, begin to swarm up the dunes by 9am. Also, there was a point when in the middle of the Dune field where I thought for a moment I was on Tatooine. |
Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde, Costa Rica : In 1972, organizations like The Nature Conservancy & the World Wildlife Fund purchased land ajoining the original Quaker settlement. The reserve is about 17,000 hectares combined with another 7,000 hectares of the neighboring Children's rainforest. You should expect rainy muddy conditions most of the year, the "dry season" is supposed to be late-December to early-May. I say "supposed" since global warming has caused weather patterns to shift and you might have rainy weather in January like we did. Rain or not it is called a "Cloud Forest", so you should expect it to be wet. Many guidebooks comment of the apparent "lack of wildlife" in the Cloud Forest, that is true of our experience in 2001, however most rain forest creatures are nocturnal. So do not have expectations of the "Jungle Book" when you visit. |
The Tongariro Crossing, New Zealand: The traverse through spectacular volcanic terrain of Mt. Tongariro makes this trek the "best"day hike in New Zealand. Tonya and I waited eight days, yes eight day's for the stormy spring weather to clear up enough for the trip. Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in NZ, as well as a World Hertiage area. The trek is 17 km one way ( 6 to 8 hours) the crossing begins and ends at different points and return transport must be arranged. There are numerous tramping and trekking destinations throughout NZ, however these excursions require detailed planning and advanced reservations (without knowing the weather). Thats why we felt Tongariro would offer the trekking experience we were looking for and we wanted to walk through Mordor and Mt. Doom. |
