Forest fire lookout towers are a common feature of mountain summits here in the Northeast. Made up of a cement base with a wooden compartment above it on stilts, with a ladder or stairs leading…
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The Right Time to Bail: Outdoor Safety Tips Every Hiker Should Know
On a freezing night in early May, a search and rescue crew set off into a squall on a high-stakes mission: a 63-year-old man had vanished somewhere near Franconia Ridge. He’d been missing for three...
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I first stumbled upon the Bay Circuit Trail (BCT) while on a hike in Bradley Palmer State Park in spring of 2018. At that time, I was 30 years old and had recently gotten sober…
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It seems appropriate to share our annual Photo Contest winners just as winter gives way to spring. As the views we see outside our windows and along the trail begin to change, we’re excited to…
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On January 22, Yvette Austin Smith became the new Chair of AMC’s Board of Directors, accepting the baton from outgoing Chair Elizabeth Ehrenfeld, who has led in that capacity since 2018. We recently connected…
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AMC’s high-mountain hut system in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest was well-established by the early 1970s, having provided shelter and beds to three-season hikers for decades. In December 1972, Zealand Falls Hut became…
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Throughout our nation’s history, Black Americans have broken barriers and made great advancements in outdoor conservation and recreation—even in the face of obstacles that frequently impeded their access to outdoor spaces (and still do…
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The following is a sneak peek at one of the presentations scheduled for AMC’s 146th Annual Summit. Summit gives members of the AMC community a chance to hear from outdoor experts, honor volunteers and sit…
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The following is the prologue of Andrew Vietze’s This Wild Land: Two Decades of Adventure as a Park Ranger in the Shadow of Katahdin, available for purchase now from AMC Books. Justine looks like…
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Some people come into our lives to rekindle our spirits, motivate, and inspire us. A dozen years ago, Alison Darbee, Joe Murphy, and I—three strangers in whom an interest in hiking and mountain climbing…
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