2021 Year in Review, White Mountains - As the year comes to an end, I don't have much to say. And like many of you, I am looking forward to the start of the new year. What a year it has been! This year I am going to keep it short and just make a handful of comments about my favorite images of 2021....[Continue reading] ...

Identifying Historical Artifacts, White Mountains - If you are picking up trash in the New Hampshire White Mountains during the 2020 human impact issue, please educate yourself about historical artifacts and the laws that protect them. I now know of two instances where do-gooders picking up trash removed artifacts, thinking they were trash, from the White Mountain National Forest...[Continue reading] ...

Mount Tecumseh, 4,000 Footers Hiking List - On the same day that I publicized my Owl’s Head, Conserving Wilderness article, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) posted an article about some of the mountains on the White Mountain 4,000 footers hiking list may not be over 4,000 feet. Being over 4,000 feet is one of the requirements for a mountain to be on the list. While our articles focus on different mountains on the hiking list, they both suggest that the ...

Random History, White Mountains - My work as a photographer has allowed me to explore and document many historical sites in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. And it really has changed the way I view the White Mountains. It amazes me that Darby Field made the first ascent of Mount Washington in 1642. And farming settlements and grand resorts were scattered throughout the region in the 1800s...[Continue reading] ...

Mount Tecumseh Vandalism, Illegal Tree Cutting - Since 2011, Erin Paul has been unofficially volunteering his time to document illegal tree cutting on Mount Tecumseh, New Hampshire. And he reports any findings to Forest Service's law enforcement division. Forest Service is investigating this vandalism, and if they can determine who is doing it, they will hold them accountable. The higher elevations of the White Mountains are home to rare bird habitat. And Mountain birdwatch results indicate that between 2000 and ...

Mt. Tecumseh Trail, New Hampshire - This photography focuses on trail work. Since 2011, there has been an excessive amount of stonework done on the Mt. Tecumseh Trail. Sections of trail where four or five stone steps would have done the job have been transformed into one hundred foot long elaborate, unnatural looking, staircases. Trail stewardship groups preach that low-impact trail work entails building stonework in such a way that it looks natural and blends into nature, and man’s impact ...

Tecumseh Rapids, Waterville Valley - Located on Mount Tecumseh in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire is the small but picturesque Tecumseh Brook. Here in the White Mountains region, you will find that many of the smaller brooks, like Tecumseh Brook, will have at least one interesting cascade along them. Today, I am going to introduce you to Tecumseh Rapids, a forgotten feature of Tecumseh Brook...[Continue reading] ...

Shell Cascade, Waterville Valley – Located on Hardy Brook, a tributary of the Mad River, in Waterville Valley of New Hampshire is a small, but unique, cascade known as Shell Cascade. This water feature isn’t visited often because of its location. It is not in a remote area by any means, but no official trail leads to it. And for this reason it is kind of considered a lost waterfall....[Continue reading] ...

Sustainable Trail Work, White Mountains - Here in New Hampshire, all we hear about is environmental friendly and sustainable trail work. And how important it is to conserve the trails for future generations. As an environmental photographer, I support this approach to preserving the trail system. And up until a few years ago, I have always believed that the organizations maintaining our trails practiced what they preached...[Continue reading] ...

Trail Work, Poor Trail Blaze Removal Practices - In October 2011, Erin Paul photographed newly painted trail blazing along the Mt. Tecumseh Trail in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. And sometime in the spring 2012, poor trail stewardship practices were used to remove one of the trail blazes. The bark where the blaze was had been cut and peeled away from the tree, and a large wound where rot, fungus, and insects could enter the tree was visible. Most trail maintenance ...