Posts Tagged: conservation



National Trails Day, White Mountains

03 Jun
2017
Group of hikers travel along the Tuckerman Crossover Trail in the White Mountains, New Hampshire USA during the summer months. Mount Monroe is in the background.
Tuckerman Crossover – White Mountains, New Hampshire
 

National Trails Day, White Mountains – Today is American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day, an annual event held on the first Saturday in June. And the intention of this day is to celebrate and create awareness for America's Trail system. It is also a day to recognize the work of all the volunteers who do trail maintenance along America’s trail system.

As environmental photographer and a hiker of the New Hampshire White Mountains, I appreciate all the work that volunteers do along the White Mountains trail system. And to all you adopt-a-trail volunteers, who are truly only volunteering to give back to the White Mountains, THANK YOU.

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June 3, 2017 | Categories: Stock Photos | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Trail Blazing, Trail Stewardship

14 May
2017
A properly applied trail blaze along the Artist's Bluff Path in White Mountains, New Hampshire.
Proper Trail Blaze – Artist's Bluff Path, New Hampshire
 

Trail Blazing, Trail Stewardship – I have been hearing more and more complaints about trail blazing along the White Mountains trail system. Either the trail is excessively blazed or not blazed enough. Personally, I don’t mind the trails that have little trail blazing. But I am not a fan of the excessive trail blazing. Over the years I have photographed different types of blazing styles and today I going to share a few of them with you.

Proper trail blazing protocol seems to vary among the trail maintenance organizations, but the ending result is the same. And most of these organizations agree that a standard trail blaze is a two inch by six inch rectangle placed about head height on trees. No painting of arrows, only a single vertical blaze, should be painted on a tree. For more information on blazing see the Randolph Mountain Club’s trail blazing protocol page.

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May 14, 2017 | Categories: Trail Stewardship | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Happy Earth Day 2017, New Hampshire

22 Apr
2017
Happy Earth Day! Sunset along the Appalachian Trail (Gulfside Trail) near Mount Clay in the White Mountains, New Hampshire USA during the summer months.
Sunset – Gulfside Trail, White Mountains
 

Earth Day, April 22, 2017 – Happy Earth Day from New Hampshire! Earth Day is an annual day founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. Many consider Earth Day to be the birth of the modern environmental movement. And the purpose of this day is to celebrate and create awareness for the environment.

Earth Day acts as an educational tool and influences all generations to care about the environment. If you have never heard about this day take some time to read up on the history and importance of Earth Day here.

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April 22, 2017 | Categories: Earth Day | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Trail Ladders & Stairs, Trail Stewardship

21 Feb
2017
Franconia Notch State Park - Trail ladder along the Hi-Cannon Trail. This trail leads to the summit of Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains, New Hampshire USA.
Traditional Ladder – Hi-Cannon Trail, Cannon Mountain
 

Trail Ladders & Stairs, Trail Stewardship – Today’s blog article focuses on a keyword search term. I chose one search term, trail ladder, and searched my image archive to see what imagery I have available that represents this area of trail stewardship. And because staircases and ladders are often considered to be one and the same among some hikers, I have included trail staircases.

Here in the New Hampshire White Mountains, we have some steep trails. And if it wasn’t for trail ladders we would have a heck of a time hiking up and down some trails. Can you imagine ascending or descending the Six Husbands Trail or the Hi-Cannon Trail without ladders? Six Husbands Trail would be interesting.

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February 21, 2017 | Categories: Trail Stewardship | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

The Greed of Man, Random Thoughts

11 Feb
2017
The greed of man. Scenic view of the Presidential Range snow covered from along the Presidential Range Rail Trail at Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson, New Hampshire.
Presidential Range – Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge, New Hampshire
 

The Greed of Man, Random Thoughts – As the new year progresses, I find myself re-evaluating my values as both an environmental photographer and outdoor enthusiast. The sacred places I love and cherish in the New Hampshire White Mountains are all falling victim to the greedy hand of man.

The trail system is being vandalized in different ways, the fragile alpine zone is being trampled, and designated wilderness areas are under constant attack by the new anti-conservationist movement. And with social media being what it is, many want social recognition, so they leave their mark everywhere in the White Mountains.

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February 11, 2017 | Categories: Human Impact on Nature | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Pemigewasset Wilderness, Random Thoughts

30 Jan
2017
A hiker takes in the view of the Pemigewasset Wilderness from the summit of Zeacliff during the summer months. This viewpoint offers an excellent view of the wilderness area.
Pemigewasset Wilderness from Zeacliff, New Hampshire
 

The Pemigewasset Wilderness, Random Thoughts – For 2017, I am going to write one blog article a month that is focused on my random thoughts as an environmental photographer living in the New Hampshire White Mountains. I will remain professional when sharing my thoughts but will be a little freer than normal.

Some of you may recognize the above image from Zeacliff Mountain because a similar image is on the cover of the 29th edition of the AMC White Mountain Guide. I look at this image from time to time and think about the solitude I have found in the Pemigewasset Wilderness (45,000 acres) over the years. I also try to imagine how the Pemigewasset Wilderness would look if it was a 45,000-acre condo development.

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January 30, 2017 | Categories: Stock Photos | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »