Recent content by Peter Miller

As it so happens I am a professional psychologist (retired), also a veteran hiker (43 years) but not a peakbagger (nor a peakbgr either). My opinions may not be worth even two cents. I have expressed them on VFTT and AMC message boards now and then. They beget hostile responses. It's not...

Teahouses: There are two of them, Plain of the Six Glaciers and Lake Agnes. Both serve excellent refreshments. For hours of service, check at ranger station. Canoeing at Moraine Lake: I suggest you NOT hike to Moraine Lake from Lake Louise. Few rewards. Better to drive by car. The...

I guess the challenge is to build a lot of variety in, so your lady friend is rewarded with non-hiking adventures for the hiking she does consent to do. Some non-hiking thrills: 1. Hot springs at Banff. 2. Gondolas at Banff or Lake Louise. 3. Tractor ride on glacier, Columbia Icefields. 4...

Before my parents died, I visited their home south of Tucson fairly often. They would update me on local puma predation on humans when relevant. The attacks I know of all involved small children. I suspect the size of a person may be a critical factor in triggering or discouraging attack. If...

The presence of mountain lions in our hiking area gets debated on message boards from time to time. I haven't followed all the threads, so if the info that follows is redundant with previous postings, my apologies. This information comes from Dr. Rick Van de Poll, the ecologist hired by the NH...

This is the first golden I've owned, and she's only two years old, so we're still developing a sense of teamwork. I marvel at her ability to track a trail through deep, unbroken snow, even when no humans have passed that way for weeks. In really deep powder, though, she prefers to walk behind...

This is the first golden I've owned, and she's only two years old, so we're still developing a sense of teamwork. I marvel at her ability to track a trail through deep, unbroken snow, even when no humans have passed that way for weeks. In really deep powder, though, she prefers to walk behind...

For a dog, especially one of the tracking breeds, there is no such thing as a pure bushwhack on the 100 highest. A trail-experienced dog will pick up and follow the scents left by other bushwhackers (and possibly their dogs), so your dog could lead you up a frequented route that is not yet a...

For a dog, especially one of the tracking breeds, there is no such thing as a pure bushwhack on the 100 highest. A trail-experienced dog will pick up and follow the scents left by other bushwhackers (and possibly their dogs), so your dog could lead you up a frequented route that is not yet a...

Ossipee Range Trail Map There is a lot to be said about the Ossipees. I'll try to be brief and to identify resources for you to follow up. The Ossipees are one of the finest volcanic ring dikes in the world. They hold much interest for naturalists. The unique bedrock makes for a unique...

16 Tick Day The three of us, two humans and one golden retriever, included a short bushwhack through mostly open woods in our NH Lakes Region hike today. Our "reward" was 16 ticks (and counting), fairly equally distributed between the three of us. This was in an area we have very rarely...

A few black flies were buzzing at base elevation in the NH Lakes Region today. How can these little buggers survive the January we had?

One of the sets of trails I maintain and hike in a lot is a deeryard. The tick population has exploded here. Ten years ago, our older dog picked up a few ticks annually. Last year, we pulled at least 500 ticks off our new dog, a golden. 90% had not embedded yet. This dog has been getting...

Good to hear from first-time respondents Monadnockvol and Lamerunner. We're going to need lots of different perspectives to comprehend this winter's tragedies. Regarding turning around: We may yet hear more from Russell Cox as to why he and Brenda chose to continue ascending. Regarding...

If only hikers could agree to give the mountains a respite during mud season. This year, the combination of deep frost, below average snow cover, and heavy rains has already created intense mud conditions at lower elevations. The trails are more fragile than usual for early spring. One of...