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)”
Historic structures
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)”
“The Castle” on Sebec Lake (and the Ice Caves on Granite Mountain) (ME)
When I was a kid, my grandparents had a small “camp” on Sebec Lake, near the Narrows. Oftentimes during the summer, we’d either motor out past there in a beat-up aluminum boat, or maybe just a canoe or kayak, where the Big Lake opens up. […] ““The Castle” on Sebec Lake (and the Ice Caves on Granite Mountain) (ME)”
Kayaking down the Deep River past Mermaid Point (NC)
After borrowing my sister’s kayak to paddle out to a tiny island in Lake Onawa (Maine), I got the bug to go kayaking down in North Carolina. I haven’t been able to get out on the water as often as I’d like, but hopefully I can fix that this coming summer. […] “Kayaking down the Deep River past Mermaid Point (NC)”
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)”