Cookie Outdoors

Southern Maine brings it on Day 143 My lovely hosts Matt and Ellen offered to host me for a zero day, which I accepted so I could better time the upcoming rain. My day was spent reading, catching up on blog posts, and hanging out. Sometimes I feel rushed instead of rested on town days getting all my chores done, and it was nice to have extra rest between the Whites and the Mahoosuc Range. Maine has a lot of lakes and ponds Ellen and I went kayaking in the afternoon on a nearby pond. Almost immediately I could feel arm muscles working that weren't used to doing much. Trekking poles do build upper body strength, but apparently it's not the same as paddling. It was a beautiful afternoon, and there were several other paddlers out enjoying it, too. This summer has been exceptionally rainy in New England, and Maine in particular has been hit by a lot of flooding. Rainfall records and storm records were set - hello climate change in action. I was surprised to see this little float pla...

White Mountains up the ante Day 136 Views on views begin Leaving town with a full resupply and a steep climb ahead felt extra tough today. The climb up from Crawford Notch reminded me that yes, the White Mountains have difficult terrain. At first it was mostly just steep, but the very top was climbed using hands, feet, convenient trees, and wishful thinking. The boulder climbing makes you wonder about who decided this was the best trail. Some of these paths (in the Whites specifically) were cut more than 100 years ago. Along Franconia Ridge Franconia Ridge, however, deserves the hype. It's a very popular trail, especially on a gorgeous day like this. Once you're on top of the ridge, the going gets much easier. There's several miles of alpine zone with panoramic views as you walk directly along the ridgeline. I had to continually be gentle on myself as the day hikers, unburdened by such packs, passed me. There was even a little French bulldog - I'...