Dear National Park Service, Let me begin by wishing you a happy belated birthday! One hundred years is no joke! You’re in good company with other centarians Speedo, the Panama Canal, and Merrill Lynch. Surviving, let alone growing and thriving, over the course of ten decades is no easy task. Congratulations and Godspeed. NPS, I sent your present last summer and for the first time ever bought an annual, America the Beautiful Park Pass. The pass paid for itself a few time

The perfect trip for new hikers, kids, and first-time backpackers, Black Mountain is accessible, easy to navigate, and a relatively short hike for big views of Lake George and Vermont's Green Mountains. The NYSDEC trailhead off of Pine Brook Road (43.611765,-73.493109) offers ample parking and a trail register. Most visitors to this trailhead are completing the Black Mountain Out-and-Back or the circuit described in this post. The Out-and-Back variation is approximately on

Lakes of the Clouds Hut and Mount Washington from the Crawford Path, Labor Day Weekend 2015 After last Labor Day Weekend's romp in the Whites, a return visit was a no-brainer. This year, we decided to take-on another one of "America's Hardest Day Hikes"- the Pemi Loop. The loop name is an abbreviations of Pemigewasset Wilderness. To spare our screaming quads and aching knees, we broke the trip into three days and two nights. For good measure, we added an extra 15-miles of

#Travel #PNW #Washington #Hike #Backpacking

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." Ruby Beach is definitely a Must See if you're traveling in the Pacific Northwest. The beach is strewn with logs and flotsam washed ashore and has magnificent views of a multitude of geological formations including Abbey Island. In the early mornings, whales and sea otters can be spotted in the distant waters and eagles can be seen soaring overhead. A beach full of downed logs wasn't going to keep Jo