Richard Masta April 27, 2015 at 4:45 pm

It’s sprung spring finally and it’s almost another summer. Two weeks ago I drove up to N. Conway NH to check out the last of the skiiers in the shadows of the White Mtns and this weekend I watched spruce tips and scarlet oak leaves bud on Walden Pond in Concord, Mass. Next weekend, I’m camping at Blueberry Crossing up in the White Mtns. My gal and I are going to hike Mt. Hale the next day. I’m making it a point to get out and forage more. Lily pads, cowslip, ramps, purslane: you’re all on my list, so lookout! I’m going to hike the Bondcliffs in the White Mtns, which don’t offer views, according to the trail book, they “command” the most wild views of the mountains than any in the region. This is because they are completely isolated from roadside trails and touristy things. I’m also making it my goal to sleep at least 37 nights in my tent this year, just about everywhere. I want to try this. I might just go pitch it in the Rec Trail behind my house and see what happens. Nine of those nights in a tent will be at Porcfest in northern New Hampshire! If you haven’t been to this then go to porcfest.com or read my articles from last summer on my wild ride! site. It is the greatest summertime adventure gathering of libertarians of all time. I’ll be at one of the sites #50. there will be a coffee pot and a tent and me writing in a moleskine and probably a bunch of guns too, if I know my bunkmate @adamhoisington well.

 

What’s on your itinerary this season, explorers?

Toni Sopocko April 27, 2015 at 4:52 pm

Took me awhile to see this.  It’s massively big and my computer is ridiculously small!

Still can’t get to NH yet, but I do have plans to go back to SE AK to see my bffs, and go up the Taku River to their fishing cabin for a week.  No power, no running water (except the river.  Note to self: purchase camping water filter) so that should be the most exotic summer excursion this year.  Perhaps a trek up to the hot springs outside Skagway as well. . . never know what will happen in AK till it’s happening!
Hope you’ll be writing about PorcFest again, though.  Daily diary?

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Richard Masta April 27, 2015 at 6:01 pm

@tonisopocko, you were spot on when I posted. I edited it down right after. tricky stuff. I LOVE your trip to Alaska. All the local names remind me of all the local native names here in NH. Turns out the Abenakis are connected to all the tribes up into the other places our current overlords don’t want us to know about.

Anyway, you can darn well bet that this year at the FSP Porcuine Festival, I will be daily blogging. I have a ton of great ideas, actually. Probably cos I’m heavily influenced by Brett Veinotte at SchoolSucksProject.com. Last year, I published a live piece on my cell phone called “RICH IS AT PORCFEST.” I only posted it because I knew it was amazing that I had lost my phone in the rain, found it fine, and could do such a thing in the WHITE MOUNTAINS OF NH. But those days were early for L.me. I think next year I’ll have a better home base. We’re determined to chronicle it al. And I’ve met many FSP’ers since then, so I want to work together and make this the best PF ever.

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Toni Sopocko April 28, 2015 at 9:27 pm

Any word on when/where the general availability of palcohol will happen?  I was thinking it would be convenient for packing up the river for those long and light evenings at the hut.  But haven’t been able to get any info other than that it’s already illegal to sell it in AK.  I figure I could bring it with me, since I’d have no intentions of selling the stuff.

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Kirsten Tynan April 27, 2015 at 4:53 pm

This summer I’m hosting the 4th annual Camp Moxie summer camp for grown-ups here in Montana, and we’ll be inaugurating the 1878ers Club. Sure, everyone is all big on bagging the highest peak in each state or whatnot, but the 1878th highest peak in each state is what I’m aiming for, starting with Montana. Also this summer, I have a hike-in fire lookout tower reserved for four nights. Looking forward to that!

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Richard Masta April 27, 2015 at 6:04 pm

that might be my street in raymond, NH. it has a hill. I’d love to host y’all sometime. my tiny back porch is a staircase and it might beat the elevation by 100 feet. BBQ on me. 😀

But seriously, that’s great. I love it! I just walked around the Mecca that is Walden pond and was unimpressed, mostly because it was so state-dominated. Getting OUT THERE is all that matters. Being human is what matters. Being individual. It can be anywhere. If someone on here replies they are going to walk to a grocer, I’d be happy.

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Tom April 27, 2015 at 5:29 pm

I’ll get out and about in the snow this winter i think. Take the girlfriend snowboarding!

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Mike Reid April 28, 2015 at 4:21 pm

Fingers crossed, this summer I’ll successfully teach my 2yo daughter to sleep in a tent.

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Richard Masta April 28, 2015 at 5:38 pm

oh man, most of my fondest memories growing up are camping-related with my dad. and plenty of tarp-involved camping-related memories as well. that sounds like a fun time, @mikereid!

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Toni Sopocko April 28, 2015 at 6:31 pm

COOL!  I’ve loved camping since I was a pup. . . are you going to start with a night out in the back yard, or dive in full speed out in the great wilderness?

Either way, you MUST write about it!

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Mike Reid April 29, 2015 at 12:04 am

I’m thinking about actually starting with a night in the tent in the sun room.

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Rick Rule April 28, 2015 at 11:38 pm

At the risk of being exposed for the lucky soul that I am:

snorkeling and diving off of Irian Jaya, and then swimming with Whale Sharks at Bahia De Los Angeles

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Mike Reid April 29, 2015 at 12:03 am

OK, that’s awesome.

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Rick Rule October 22, 2015 at 9:57 pm

Bonnie and I just did Cape Breton, in Nova Scotia, for fall colors. We got very lucky, warm clear weather, psychedelic forests. Highly recommended

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Richard Masta October 23, 2015 at 4:00 am

‘Psychedelic forests’ has become a permanent fixture in my vernacular, thanks. Living in NH, I do forget about the foliage often but I’ve just been inspired to try to enjoy it this weekend!

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Rick Rule October 23, 2015 at 10:40 am

New Hampshire is the one state in the nation I have not visited, and I look forward to correcting that.

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Richard Masta October 23, 2015 at 10:51 am

That’s ridiculous! And you have a whole plethora of liberty events you can choose from too 😉

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Rick Rule October 23, 2015 at 10:57 am

Guilty as charged. I’ll look for some hiking recommendations when I correct that mistake.

 

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Peter Lawson October 23, 2015 at 6:32 pm

I’m about halfway between Cape Breton and NH @rrule

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Tom October 23, 2015 at 4:14 am

I walked up into the “Remarkables” in Queenstown. Took the TIGR in case of snow zombies.

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Jorge Trucco October 25, 2015 at 2:52 pm

I’ll be doing a lot of fly fishing in Patagonia. You’re welcome to join me!!

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Rick Rule November 18, 2015 at 9:56 pm

Just tucked in a brief walking trip in Machu Pichu, Peru, around a business trip. Wonderful place, great anonymous Liberty.Me companions.

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Rick Rule November 18, 2015 at 9:58 pm

Looking forward to 3 hikes on the south island of New Zealand next March, Abel Tasman, Queen Charlottes, and Banks Peninsula- Akaroa. Looking forward to meeting any L.ME types around Nelson

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Roger Browne November 25, 2015 at 2:09 pm

Managed a couple of wonderful day hikes during a brief visit to Bolivia: Palca Canyon and Isla del Sol. It was supposed to be a rainforest trip, but the connecting flights got canceled due to mechanical problems, so it became a “do things within easy reach of La Paz” trip instead.

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Richard Masta December 22, 2015 at 7:20 pm

I took a walk in the New Hampshire woods yesterday, and over the lightly snow-dusted peaks of South Hancock and North Hancock, both around 4400 feet. The hike through the woods was quiet, christmasy and beautiful, but the brook crossings were sketchy, as the water was high and there was ice. And once I got to the mountain, itself, it was up…straight up. But someone put christmas ribbons on the summit and the wind was so loud I couldn’t hear myself talk. It was a great day. here’s a pick of north hancock summit, and a view of the lonely sawyer river valley, ah so peaceful even with all the violent wind…

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Rick Rule December 22, 2015 at 10:40 pm

we need more posts here. I’m trying to wean myself from work addiction, and this is the best bet, especially Jorge.

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Mike Reid December 23, 2015 at 10:08 am

That is beautiful, Richard!

My toddler daughter’s Christmas present this year is an overnight ski trip in the Whiteshell park with her grandpa and uncle. I’ll try to get some pics of the adventure after the fact.

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Roger Browne December 23, 2015 at 6:45 am

I’ve been having a lot of fun taking PhotoSphere pictures when I’m out hiking.

PhotoSpheres are 360 degree photos that allow you to look around, just like Google Street View. In fact you can upload them to Google Maps so that everyone can see them.

Here’s one which I uploaded to Google Maps. It’s from a day-hike I recently did in the Palca canyon near La Paz in Bolivia:

https://goo.gl/maps/6aDPa73eRHS2

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Mike Reid December 23, 2015 at 9:45 am

That photosphere pic is awesome!

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Matt Anderson December 23, 2015 at 7:48 am

I’ll be taking a ski trip with my wife to Park City, Utah this March. I’ve never been there before. Does anyone have any sight seeing suggestions for the surrounding areas there?

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Rick Rule December 23, 2015 at 9:34 am

Yes. Drive east from Park City to Kamas Utah. Proceed about 18 miles up ” Weber Canyon Road”. You will pass sign posts for ” and “Weber River Corp”‘ before coming to a small community, ” Holiday Park”, on your right. About 300 metres past Holiday Park, on your right you will come to a trail head for ” Fish Lake”. This is the best day hike I know of in the Uinta Range. About 18K round trip, the final uphill to the lake is a bit steep. A spectacular  day hike.

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Rick Rule December 23, 2015 at 9:35 am

sorry, I just saw March. The whole canyon will be snowed in until mid May

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Matt Anderson December 23, 2015 at 10:48 am

Oh bummer. Sounds like a fun hike. Maybe we will drive up there anyway just to see if we can access a little bit of it. Thanks for the suggestion.

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Rick Rule December 23, 2015 at 10:50 am

check local road conditions, the road is likely snowed in. The trail head is at 8000 feet, and the last 20+ Kilometers of the road are unpaved.

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Matt Anderson December 23, 2015 at 12:37 pm

Okay, will do. Thanks for the tips. I’ll post pictures of our trip when we get back for all to see.

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Matt Phillips January 22, 2016 at 10:06 pm

Anyone interested in joining me on a Grand Teton backcountry backpacking trip during the 3rd week of July this year? I’m looking to spend 3-4 nights in the backcountry.

 

Also going to do a two night trip at Savage Gulf State Park in TN on the weekend of 3/12/16.

 

The more, the merrier, so let me know if you’re interested. I’ll be road-tripping from the Chicagoland area for both trips and I’m happy to carpool.

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Ken Jons-un January 22, 2016 at 10:24 pm

Hit me up on the Savage Gulf. We have done a little bit of hiking in that specific area and a lot of others within 200 miles. Can carpool or convoy from Nashville to there, so I’m probably on your route via 65.

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Matt Phillips February 16, 2016 at 8:58 am

Ken – I’ll be arriving in the Nashville area around noon on Friday the 11th with 1-2 buddies. I’ll be picking two more guys up in Mt Juliet. There’s plenty of room for you in the minivan. I’ll drop everyone off as I pass through Nashville late in the morning on Sunday. The topo maps make it look like there may be a couple of rough climbs, but it should otherwise be a pretty intermediate hike.

Let me know if you’re still interested so we can make sure that we’ve all got the right gear.

 

 

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Ken Jons-un February 16, 2016 at 9:38 am

sounds good, I’ll message you for details

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Daniel Seelhorst April 4, 2016 at 10:23 pm

Matt, I was there that weekend also. My wife and I plan to go back and do some more lazy camping, hiking and creek swimming when it gets warmer. Incidentally I cooked the best camp dinner I’ve ever cooked on that trip. We had a blast. I hope you did too.

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Richard Masta January 22, 2016 at 10:39 pm

was totally going to snowshoe this weekend, but then I learned the storm isn’t going all the way up into new england. rats! instead I’m going to go into the yard and try to figure out which non-cat creature has been leaving tracks everywhere. Might be a skunk, a raccoon, or something from a Bosch painting.

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Rick Rule February 5, 2016 at 10:16 pm

Borrego Springs tomorrow. Likely beginning of wildflower season. 75-80 degrees, hard to get better than that.

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Roger Browne February 18, 2016 at 7:07 pm

In Sydney now, planning to go bush in the Blue Mountains and the Budawang Ranges. Might do some canyon trips too.

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Tom February 19, 2016 at 12:47 pm

Nice Roger! When you get to Lawson, have a look at 330 Great Western Highway….It’s a big old Nuns convent. I grew up with 11 bedrooms, poor as shit. Figure that one out. I miss the blue mountains.

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Roger Browne March 19, 2016 at 4:39 am

Christian, I did actually go through Lawson and I checked out 330 Great Western Highway. If that’s where you grew up, it has since been torn down and rebuilt. But 331 GW Highway does look like an old Nuns convent with 11 bedrooms! Maybe you had a typo above.

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