Northeast Winter Camping

The snow finally came yesterday. It's all gone now, but my neighborhood's massive baseball field lights kept the kids out throwing snowballs until they finally shut off at 10pm.Here

Suicide

I was asked by a college friend last week to join him and his brothers on their annual winter traverse of New Hampshire's Presidential Range. I am monumentally unprepared to do this infamous hike/suicide mission and the brothers I would be going with might as well be a family of monster trucks. Their idea of bonding on the 4th of July was to create their own triathlon by their house on Lake Winnipesaukee.Here's a little more info on why this is such a bad idea.MP3: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Way

Hammer Down, Heaven Bound

New Hampshire might have lost their favorite Old Man, but up north they still claim New England's reigning queens, The White Mountains. This spring, the Appalachian Mountain Club wants to take you to the alpine zone of the Presidential Range and show you alpine wildflowers while traveling hut-to-hut. The huts in the Presidential Range are some of the best in the country and you'd be real wise to take them up on their offer. An AMC naturalist will be your guide. From the AMC:

This spring, discover the unique and fragile alpine zone, a fascinating ecosystem of delicate flowers, hardy plants, and remarkable wildlife that survive in the harsh climate of the Presidentials. These rare flowers bloom only once a year, and AMC is making it easy for you to plan an alpine garden visit.

One of the stops you'll make is the Lake Of The Clouds Hut (pictured above). God's country.MP3: Magnolia Electric Co - Hammer Down