Nonfiction Commons^™

Skyline Sketches: "Luckily, I Remembered My Gloves", Laura Russell

Appalachia

In 1949, a Dartmouth student described a spontaneous climb of Mount Washington in a letter home to his parents.

Skyline Sketches: The Certain Slant Of Light, Daniel Hudon

Appalachia

Considering Emily Dickinson while climbing Mount Willard in autumn.

The "Boring Forest"? Canada's Boreal Forest Is Actually A Breathing Mass Of Life, Alicia J. M. Colson

Appalachia

An archeologist argues that the vast forested region of the Laurentian Plateau holds a soul and value of its own and does not deserve the disparaging attitude some hold toward it.

Matty's First Hike: Hiking Spain's Northwest Coast With A Baby And A Beagle, Katy Dycus

Appalachia

New parents venture along the coast of Galicia, from the Cliffs of Loiba to O Esteiro and back, with their son in a carrier.

The Wild Winds Of Fortune: Encounters After Falling On A Gentle Acadia Path, Elissa Ely

Appalachia

On a familiar and well traveled path, a hiker learns how easily one can fall and what happens when people stop to help.

The New England Trail, End To End In Five Days: A Running Couple Test Their Limits, Scott Livingston

Appalachia

A moment-by-moment narrative of a grueling run from Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire to Guilford, Connecticut from June 17 through June 22, 2020.

Barefooting The Northeast 111: A Hiker Discovers The Intensity Of Pinpricks, Grit, And Mud, Kenneth A. Posner

Appalachia

Climbing without shoes in the Catskills, then the Adirondacks, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Maine, he learned to focus on the here-and-now.

Over The Influence: Considering Scenarios Sponsored Adventure Influencers Find Themselves In, Mike Cherim

Appalachia

An experienced mountain guide sketches three situations—promoting clothing, going fast with minimal gear, and making the reaching of an iconic scene look easy—where social media influencers could misinform the public.

Navigation By Smartphone: A Field Geologist Argues That Devices Complement Physical Maps, Richard Allmendinger

Appalachia

An argument that smartphones—in the right hands, and with the right app—replace gadgets like alarm clocks, cameras, and weather radios and can outpace physical maps with the right apps.

Yes, Instagram Has Led To Overcrowding In Yosemite. That's Ok: A Professional Climber Reflects On The Bad And Good Of A Tourism Spectacle, Beth Rodden

Appalachia

Social media has Instagrammed the outdoors but also cultivated community. The crowds who flock to the park in February to see Horsetail Fall deserve to enjoy public lands, too.

Burning Solitudes: Mountain Storytelling In The Age Of Social Media Reproduction, Katie Ives

Appalachia

A deep exploration into the contradictions of recording mountain experiences while having them.

The Long Way Home: A Moment In Time Before Agony Ridge, Christine Woodside

Appalachia

An encounter with a father and son partway up New Hampshire’s Mount Lafayette suggests how to lead someone with kindness.

Appalachia Summer/Fall 2025: Complete Issue

Appalachia

Summer/Fall 2025 - Volume LXXVI, Number 2 - Issue #260. On the Ground and Screen: Stories of smartphones in wild places.

A Peak Ahead: Dark Places, Christine Woodside

Appalachia

No abstract provided.

Books And Media

Appalachia

Reviews of: A Light Through the Cracks: A Climber's Story, by Beth Rodden; Blood Sweat Tears, edited by Christine Reed; Pack Light: A Journey to Find Myself, by Shilletha Curtis; Alpine Rising: Sherpas, Baltis, and the Triumph of Local Climbers in the Greater Ranges, by Bernadette McDonald; Headstrap: Legends and Lore From the Climbing Sherpas of Darjeeling, by Nandini Purandare and Deepa Balsavar; Tramping Monadnock! New Discoveries with Henry David Thoreau, by Robert M. Young; Ghosts of Glencoe, by Chuck Schwerin; The Lifer: Rock Climbing Adventures in the Gunks and Beyond, by …

News And Notes

Appalachia

Reflections on the December 18, 2023 flood caused a 6-inch rainstorm across northern Carroll and southern Coos Counties, New Hampshire. Appalachian Mountain Club trail builders create an All Persons Trail at AMC Cardigan Lodge in Alexandria, New Hampshire. Mountain author Mike Dickerman shares a photo memory of a bushwhack to Carrigain Pond in 1988.

Research

Appalachia

The seasonal snowpack’s decline is affecting plants and animals.

Alpina

Appalachia

Reports of mountaineering in the greater ranges in 2024 include a free climb of the central tower of the Torres del Paine in Patagonia, a first ascent of Hungchi in Nepal, toilet problems on Everest, a first ascent of Muchu Chhish in Pakistan, a difficult route on Wyoming’s Devils Tower, and a tribute to the late David Breashears, TM Herbert, and Lou Whittaker.

Accidents

Appalachia

Reports of rescues and accidents in the White Mountains of New Hampshire from the cold season of 2023-24. Thoughts on the Pemi Loop, the 31-mile passage around the Pemigewassett Wilderness. Hikers call for help but then hike out another way while rescuers search along Signal Ridge Trail. Chris Roma perishes while attempting a solo Pemi Loop in January. Skiers trigger an avalanche in the Great Gulf. Hypothermia puts one of a threesome in grave danger on Mount Monadnock. An ill-prepared hiker becomes dangerously cold after heading into frigid snow-blowing conditions on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail. Sledding down Mount Avalon ends …

Letter

Appalachia

Patient privacy and accidents.

Skyline Sketches: A Journey Through The Boundary Waters, Derick Lugo

Appalachia

A man who has never canoed paddles through Minnesota’s Boundary Waters.

Skyline Sketches: Turning Around, Morgan Kennedy

Appalachia

A backpacker turns around after a late start up the lonely Watson Path.

Skyline Sketches: Survival Of The Timid, Jessica Kulynych

Appalachia

A mother and daughter retreat in bad weather, showing that timidity saves lives.

Waterman Fund Essay Winner: Old Friends In The Alpine: Field Scientists On Vermont's Highest Peak, Catherine Wessel

Appalachia

In this winning essay of the annual contest sponsored by the Waterman Fund, a young scientist meets Bill Howland, who studied the same vegetation in 1991, at their study site high on Vermont’s Mount Mansfield.

Poetry On The Mountain: Hiking Moosilauke In A Mood, Elissa Ely

Appalachia

Near the summit of Mount Moosilauke, someone hands a hiker a copy of a Billy Collins poem with a typo.

Editor’s note: We have redacted the quoted lines of the Collins poem. Appalachia’s agreement to reprint part of “Night Letter to the Reader” covers only the print edition of the journal. Physical copies of this issue can be purchased at outdoors.org.

Last Hike On Mount Monadnock: Friends Confront Time And Mortality, Eric D. Lehman

Appalachia

Two friends push up the southern New Hampshire peak, sensing but not knowing that it will be the last time for one of them.

Debacle On Mount Pierce: A Self-Rescue Story, Heidi J. Downing

Appalachia

Two friends take a wrong turn heading down Mount Pierce in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, navigating several errors of judgement.

When Powder Skis Became A Thing: A Winter's Tale Of Engineers And Unbroken Fields Of White, Rick Spedden

Appalachia

Powder skiing used to be the domain of an adventurous fringe element, but with the manufacturing of specialized skis, it is now a mainstream pursuit.

Return To The Cuyahoga Valley: From Toxic Dump To National Park, Christopher Johnson

Appalachia

Once known as the place where a river caught fire, today’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio attracts boaters and hikers.

Rotors, Not Propellers: A Tribute To A Dedicated Helicopter Pilot, Sally Manikian

Appalachia

A tribute to Carl J. Svenson, a pilot who for three decades flew supplies to huts and shelter sites for the Appalachian Mountain Club before his death in a crash in Croyden, New Hampshire, in October 2023.