Seems like there are all kinds of “Grand Canyon of X!” Whether it’s Linville Gorge in western North Carolina or Gulf Hagas in northern Maine or…all right, those are the only two that come to mind, but there are probably others. […] “Hiking Gulf Hagas, the “Grand Canyon of Maine” (ME)”
AT
Hiking Old Speck, Maine’s 4th-highest mountain (ME)
In the post for Mount Megunticook in Camden Hills State Park, I mentioned that my brother and I intended to climb Old Speck that day.
We didn’t.
Today was our opportunity to fix that! And our brother-in-law tagged along.
Grafton Notch State Park is about 3 hrs from my starting point, so I got up at 0400, chugged a cup of coffee, and—wait: did I eat breakfast? […] “Hiking Old Speck, Maine’s 4th-highest mountain (ME)”
Backpacking in Jefferson National Forest (Mount Rogers, Wilburn Ridge, the Scales, and more) (VA)
A few years ago, Matt M. and I made a trip north into Virginia to hike through parts of Jefferson National Forest, including Mount Rogers, Virginia’s highest peak. Both of us agreed that this is a great region for backpacking, so this time, we tricked invited four additional friends to come with us. […] “Backpacking in Jefferson National Forest (Mount Rogers, Wilburn Ridge, the Scales, and more) (VA)”
Spending the night next to Little Wilson Stream in Maine’s 100 Mile Wilderness (ME)
Not too far from Borestone Mountain, either before or after the bridge over Big Wilson Stream (depending on whether you’re coming from Monson or Willimantic), there’s a small day-use area right along the banks of Little Wilson Stream. When I was a kid, this place was a campground: I remember spending the night here at least a couple of times. […] “Spending the night next to Little Wilson Stream in Maine’s 100 Mile Wilderness (ME)”
Backpacking through parts of Shenandoah National Park (VA)
I originally planned to return to the Smokies and hike from Newfound Gap to Fontana Dam, but Hurricane Helene intervened. While it’s possible we might have been able to make it west across the state, we opted not to chance it and pivoted toward someplace north instead. […] “Backpacking through parts of Shenandoah National Park (VA)”
Backpacking the Tricorner Loop: Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NC/TN)
Update [August 4, 2026]: I revisited my old footage and recut this trip into a single video! Since all the stuff I wrote below is still true, I opted to place a link to the new video in this post:
[Note: this trip covers four days (well, three and a half, really), but rather than write a separate post for each day of our Tricorner Loop trip, I’m going to consolidate my thoughts into a single post. […] “Backpacking the Tricorner Loop: Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NC/TN)”
Hiking part of the AT over Barren Mountain (ME)
When I was in high school. a friend invited me to hike Barren Mountain with him and one of his other friends. Back then, the fire lookout was still intact—I remember napping in the cab. It’s gone now—it had been before the last time I climbed Barren, which was…I don’t remember. […] “Hiking part of the AT over Barren Mountain (ME)”