A selection of photos from favorite trips this year....with thanks to my wife, Carol, who came up with the idea for this blog.
John Compton and Chris Whiton breaking trail en route to the SE cliffs of Owl's Head.
Bond and Bondcliff from the Owl's Head cliffs.
Tripyramids from Tecumseh at two below.
John Compton on the Inlook Trail.
The Franconias and the western Pemi from North Twin.
Passaconaway and Whiteface across the Sabbaday Brook valley, from a ledge on the N spur of The Fool Killer.
The "Sheep-Fold" talus slope on the south face of Mt. Cabot.
Spruce trap on Mt. Waumbek.
On the Bald Mountain ridge, SW of Mt. Tecumseh.
John checks out the view from Hogback Mountain.
Fisher Mountain from an off-trail ledge on Dickey Mountain.
Tecumseh's many spurs seen from a ledge on Cone Mountain.
Crawford Notch from Mt. Avalon.
Ent glade on south slope of South Terrace Mountain.
Talus slope on South Terrace, looking across Willard Basin to South Weeks and Mt. Waumbek.
Birch nirvana, Kilkenny Ridge Trail on South Terrace.
Looking north from an open spot on South Terrace near the Kilkenny Ridge Trail.
Carter-Moriah Range from "Crescent Scar" on Black Crescent Mountain.
Stony Notch Falls, short bushwhack off the Devil's Path in the Catskills.
Canister on Rusk Mountain, a trailless Catskill 3500-footer.
Carol admiring the Blackhead Range from Windham High Peak. (Catskills)
The Devil's Path on Sugarloaf Mountain - one of the more rugged trails in the Northeast. (Catskills)
Twin Mountain from a viewpoint along the Devil's Path. (Catskills)
Nice work if you can get it - counting hawks on the summit of Mt. Crosby, near Newfound Lake.
Carol enjoying the view from White Horse Ledge Trail in North Conway.
Gordon Falls along the Gordon Pond Trail.
Looking down the face of Owl's Cliff, north of the Kancamagus Highway.
Sawyer Pond, Hancock and Carrigain from a ledge on Owl's Cliff.
A job well done: Rick Neville and Dave Stinson take a breather after removing a large blowdown on the UNH Trail.
Smith Pond, a peaceful spot in Bear Brook State Park.
Beautiful Round Pond in Pawtuckaway State Park.
Trout lilies on the Skyland Trail, south of Mt. Cardigan.
Mt. Cardigan and Firescrew from Orange Mountain along the Skyland Trail.
Allen Koop on Mt. Kearsarge, his home mountain, which he has climbed about 1,000 times. Allen gave me an insider's tour of this interesting peak.
John Compton checks out an old logging camp site in Bumpus Basin, on the north side of Mt. Madison.
Mt. Adams from Chandler Brook Trail in the Great Gulf.
Ken and Ann Stampfer relaxing at Thoreau Falls.
Bondcliff and its sharp south spur rise above the East Branch of the Pemigewasset.
Base of railroad signal switch near Camp 22.
A hazy view of Owl's Head from a beaver swamp near the Franconia Brook Trail.
Lazy morning with Carol on Franconia Brook.
Lazy afternoon with Carol at 13 Falls.
The classic view of West Bond from Bondcliff.
The Chamberlain family from Pennsylvania complete their 4000-footers atop Bondcliff.
The summit of Mt. Monadnock from Bald Rock, a bare southern spur.
An alpine pool on Monadnock, with a long view to the north.
View down the Osseo Brook valley from a ledge off the Osseo Trail.
Evening on Mt. Chocorua, when I was the last hiker on the mountain.
The headwall of Castle Ravine from Emerald Bluff, along the Emerald Trail.
The shadow of Mt. Carrigain fills Carrigain Notch.
Looking across the south cliff of Mt. Whiteface to Sandwich Dome in the distance.
North view from slide along the Square Ledge Trail, on the flank of Nanamocomuck Peak.
Looking across the Waterville Valley from Middle Tripyramid.
Mike Dickerman surveys the scene at Black Mountain Pond.
A wetland along the Guinea Pond Trail.
A cascade on Unknown Pond Brook off the Unknown Pond Trail.
"Unknown Ledge" in The Kilkenny.
A Kilkenny beaver pond.
John Compton on the summit of The Horn.
Unknown Pond and Bishop's Pond from a hidden spot on The Horn.
Carr Mountain and the marshes on Brown Brook from a small cliff on the flank of Mt. Kineo.
Soaking up November sun on The Scaur in Waterville Valley. (Photo by Carol Smith.)
Old logging camp on Beebe River Railroad, near the Guinea Pond Trail.
An imposing view of Sandwich Dome from a remote ledge.
An ancient hemlock in the Wild River Wilderness, near the Basin Trail.
A ledge on the east side of the Wild River Valley with a wide view of the Carter Range.
A beaver pond near Perkins Notch in the upper end of the Wild River Valley.
Open hardwoods near Perkins Notch.
Hazy view down the Dry River Valley from a small cliff on the SW ridge of Mt. Isolation.
Mts. Monroe and Washington from viewpoint along the Dry River Trail.
Happy trails in 2010!