Wild River Wilderness Area, New Hampshire

Over Labor Day Weekend, I had the chance to hike close to the Maine/NH border. East of the busy Crawford and Franconia Notches, the Wild River Wilderness was a perfect setting to hike the planned 25 mile loop.

I started my hike at the Basin Trail, just outside the Basin Campground. There, Basin lake was tucked in this basin between low lying mountains. Here is a view of the same lake but at different elevations.


The first day's hike was around 9 miles, most of which was uphill. I camped at a beautiful little spot next to the Wild River and saw the tracks and scat of moose all around. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of one but none had appeared. I was amazed to see just how far moose will go for food. On the steepest of trails and toughest of hikes, I always saw evidence of moose.


I hiked the edge of the wilderness area which took me past Baldface Mt. and into alpine habitat.



I skirted along the northern side of Baldface and winded my way towards the origins of the Wild River. Before I made it to the ponds, I stayed the night at the side of the river. Due to the fact that bears and other creatures are in search of food at this time of year, it is always good to hang your food away from your camp site. I hung my food right along a moose path that led directly in front of my tent. No moose walked by.


The next day, I packed up and headed up to Carters Dome. The hike wasn't bad and the view was wonderful. the 4800 foot peak was more flat than anything which made for an easy summit.


From Carters Dome, the hike became quite steep along the Black Angel Trail. But nonetheless, moose evidence such as this rub could be found. The hike eventually led back to the Wild River where the water flowed faster. The hike was a beautiful experience and a place I would certainly revisit.

Winter Camping at Greylock

Last January break over MLK weekend, I had the chance to escape from comfort and camp at Mt. Greylock in western Massachusetts. The weekend was beautifully warm and comfortably cold. The views were spectacular. My hike began early afternoon at the Haley Farm Trail. From there I twisted my way up the western side of the Berkshires towards my campsite.

My hike was not terribly long, a total of about 8 miles round trip. The experience of sleeping in the cold, amongst the snow burdened trees and blowing north wind is why I went.

I brought along snow shoes and my hiking sticks to combat the snow and ice. My shelter was merely a lean-to with a tarp wrapped strategically to block the wind while I slept.

The night was quiet and the temperatures hovered in the teens that night. I brought a hand cranked radio to listen to Prairie Home Companion on the radio. The turning of the handle helped keep me warm.

The air felt good. It felt different than the air found in the house. This air had a smell of cold in it and bit my cheeks while I laid quietly in my sleeping bag.



I enjoyed the experience and plan to take more winter excursions. There is plenty of beautiful places in New England and winter is a perfect time to see the slender side of wilderness.



If you choose to visit this part of our state, winter is the perfect time to do so because the view of the Hopper is the best. In spring and summer, the hopper is sheltered by millions of leaves while in winter, the trees are stripped bare leaving behind a glorious picture. I stood for several minutes and admired the view. I felt really small.