We'd run through Windy Pass more than an hour ago on this 28-mile circumnavigation of Mount St. Helens via the Loowit Trail (link to sidebar). The only thing we'd found to be "mostly downhill" since the Pass was our spirits. By 5:30 p.m. on this late July afternoon, when we found ourselves yo-yo-ing up and down gorge after gorge, we had been running, speed hiking and scrambling for over 9 hours.

Five hearty trail tenders braved oppressive heat to build cairns, paint blazes and clip back encroaching vegetation on the Smarts Brook Trail in Waterville Valley, NH. GayOutdoors is supporting volunteer trail work on this trail through the White Mountains National Forest adopt-a-trail program.

(9/8/07) Mark L., Rich T., Rick M., Carlos D., Peter S., Markus D., Jon N. and myself participated in this year's Flags on the 48, joining 47 other hikers who carried the Stars and Stripes to the summits of all New Hampshire's 4,000 footers in memory of all who died on September 11, 2001. Some were hesitant about climbing up the North Slide, but I've always thought it to be fun. It is my experience that New England trails are seldom as scary as advertised.

Haystack Mountain in New York is the third highest peak on the Adirondack 46 High Peaks list.  It’s tucked in behind Mt. Marcy, 10 miles in from the parking area.

Ah, a sock’s life. Absorber of sweat, keeper of odor, it lives entombed within the dark abyss of your shoes. Toenails prod it, footfalls pound it, and friction slowly wears it away as it dutifully protects your foot from blisters and abuse. Socks definitely take one for the team—and yet when was the last time you thought about their well-being?

We headed up to Tunnel Brook Road to the Benton Trail trailhead. The plan was to hike up the Benton Trail, hook onto the Beaver Brook Trail, summit Mt. Moosilauke (4,802’) and return the same way.

Basin (4827') and Saddleback (4515') Mountains are in the top of the ADK 46er list (Adirondack 4,000 footers). Basin is number 9 of 46 while Saddleback is number 15 of 46. Both these peaks are part of "The Great Range."

Nearly at the bottom of the ADK 46er list (Adirondack 4,000 Footers) Dial Mountain is number 41 of 46. At 4,020 feet, it is barely over 4,000 feet. It has long been considered a classic hike in the area.

There are certain immutable truths about the outdoors, among them: If you don’t ask a first-time tentmate prior to a trip whether he snores, he will…loudly. If you decide to cut pack weight by bringing a lighter bag or insulating layer, it will be freezing. And add this contemporary truth: If you don’t use a pack with a convenient hydration system, you’ll drink less water, less frequently, than you should.

The weather predicted a nice weekend over Memorial Day. Time to go hiking! I decided to join Boston’s GayOutdoors group, Chiltern Mountain Club, with their climb to the Osceolas : two 4000-footer peaks in the southern reaches of the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The rainy forecast did not scare us away! Jon and I have been itching to start trail maintenance work on our adopted trail, Smarts Brook in Waterville Valley, NH.

Olancha Peak is one of the 15 emblem peaks of California. These 15 mountains were designated so because they dominate their surroundings.

For most hiking, we seldom need more than a map, and occasionally a compass, to find our way. But for navigating severe weather and whiteout conditions above treeline, or finding your way home through thick off-trail forest or a dense ocean fogbank, a GPS receiver can be a very handy—and potentially life-saving—item.

I really think Andy was an ox in a past life. So I was over-joyed when he volunteered to help me carry 120 lbs of food and water to our cache site Friday night. That night we car camped with two new members, Larry and Nathan. Nathan drove all the way from Scottsdale, Arizona for our adventure through Joshua Tree National Park's Wonderland of Rocks.

Our journey to Borrego Springs started off in Kensington with Glen, Andy, and myself (I'm Allan). After a long hiatus, it was truly a pleasure to see both of these wonderful people. With all the catching up, time passed quickly and we arrived at the visitor's center where we met Larry. This was a good vantage point to see why this peak is named Indianhead. You could imagine a staunch native American donning a full headdress. The view was quite striking as the morning's light cast appropriate shadows.