Waumbek
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Larry Garland is the AMC mapmaker who just finished hiking all the trails on the 6 maps included with the AMC WMG. This was reported in a Marty Basch column in the Concord Monitor.
[start quote]
He's taking the red line
Garland maps the Whites
August 07. 2005 1:57PM
With one step, Larry Garland closed a chapter in his life that began with just one step about 20 years ago.
On the last Friday in July, with just one step on the Pemi Trail in Franconia Notch State Park, Garland had hiked all of the trails in the White Mountain National Forest, Squam Lakes area and Maine's Mahoosucs region published on the Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide maps.
That's six maps and more than 1,400 miles.
"Hiking is what I do," said Garland on his final 2-mile stretch between Lafayette Place Campground and Profile Lake. "It's my life. It's part of the fabric of life."
Garland, of Jackson, is the guy who makes those maps found in the back of the AMC guidebooks. So some might say, big deal, it's his job to get out there in the woods and trudge the trails. He estimates about a fifth of those miles were on company time. As for the rest, he's out there on his own, often solo.
In the world of White Mountain hiking feats, Garland may have a first. He's not the first person to "red-line"those trails. He thinks there's another. He's a guy who has climbed all of New Hampshire's 175 3,000-foot mountains in winter. He may be the first guy to do both peaks and trails.
Garland's red-line hikes began in the mid-1980s when he was a White Mountain weekend warrior from Boston. He started taking a red pen to the trails he hiked, outlining them on the maps after he completed them. The red lines grew and, next thing you know, Garland's nearly got them all. Taking the job as AMC cartographer in 1996, Garland was closer to the mountains he loves.
The silver-haired Garland is a hiker, runner and Nordic skier. Hiking is his life and part of his lifestyle. Though he is passionate about it, it is not all consuming. On a rainy day, there are others things to do. When he bought a house, hiking rested while he painted, played handyman and did yard work. He strives for balance.
Hiking brings all those lines on the maps to life. On the map, there isn't sun, rain, bugs, marshy sections, outrageous vistas and fellow hikers carrying a radio antenna so they can listen to a Red Sox game while camping on Webster Slide Mountain (a true story).
Maps are just the outline for adventure. One has to get outside and experience it, fill in the space between points A and B. It is a stress-reducer, an activity filled with cathartic moments, a chance for Garland to take "manageable risks" and be rewarded after doing business with Mother Nature. There are pitfalls. A tree branch snapped into his face, nearly hitting an eye. Winter hiking, which Garland prefers, has its sub-zero degree dangers as well.
His hikes took him to new and relocated trails. He also biked and bushwhacked. Some trails dead-end. Garland would sometimes spot a bike in the woods and use it as a loop link, driving to pick up the bike after a hike. He would also bushwhack to complete circuits. Then again, he would also do out-and-back hikes, noting things on the way back he hadn't seen on the way in.
"When I bike, it gives me an appreciation of what I have to hike," he said.
Planning was key. He carried what he deemed essential gear, but no cell phone. He primarily did day hikes, but appreciated the early morning and late evening settings overnight trips bring. He braved blisters and honed his skills with map and compass, terrain navigation, food and hydration. Though the journey brought him up mountains, it also brought him to New Hampshire's past, walking by old cellar holes, cemeteries and stonewalls. He found gems like secluded swimming holes and time to pause and reflect, recognizing the personal and spiritual nature of time spent in the woods.
"A line on a map can't tell you what you are going to experience," said Garland. "By hiking the trails, you are opening yourself up to what nature has to offer on that particular day, particular season and particular year."
Garland's accomplishments go beyond recreation. There is a symbiosis between his job and his passion. Land conservation is a keen interest of his, as he's a board member of a land trust. With all he's done, he knows that all it takes is one step to start another chapter in life's journey.
No doubt he's already taken a step to a new one. [end quote]
[start quote]
He's taking the red line
Garland maps the Whites
August 07. 2005 1:57PM
With one step, Larry Garland closed a chapter in his life that began with just one step about 20 years ago.
On the last Friday in July, with just one step on the Pemi Trail in Franconia Notch State Park, Garland had hiked all of the trails in the White Mountain National Forest, Squam Lakes area and Maine's Mahoosucs region published on the Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide maps.
That's six maps and more than 1,400 miles.
"Hiking is what I do," said Garland on his final 2-mile stretch between Lafayette Place Campground and Profile Lake. "It's my life. It's part of the fabric of life."
Garland, of Jackson, is the guy who makes those maps found in the back of the AMC guidebooks. So some might say, big deal, it's his job to get out there in the woods and trudge the trails. He estimates about a fifth of those miles were on company time. As for the rest, he's out there on his own, often solo.
In the world of White Mountain hiking feats, Garland may have a first. He's not the first person to "red-line"those trails. He thinks there's another. He's a guy who has climbed all of New Hampshire's 175 3,000-foot mountains in winter. He may be the first guy to do both peaks and trails.
Garland's red-line hikes began in the mid-1980s when he was a White Mountain weekend warrior from Boston. He started taking a red pen to the trails he hiked, outlining them on the maps after he completed them. The red lines grew and, next thing you know, Garland's nearly got them all. Taking the job as AMC cartographer in 1996, Garland was closer to the mountains he loves.
The silver-haired Garland is a hiker, runner and Nordic skier. Hiking is his life and part of his lifestyle. Though he is passionate about it, it is not all consuming. On a rainy day, there are others things to do. When he bought a house, hiking rested while he painted, played handyman and did yard work. He strives for balance.
Hiking brings all those lines on the maps to life. On the map, there isn't sun, rain, bugs, marshy sections, outrageous vistas and fellow hikers carrying a radio antenna so they can listen to a Red Sox game while camping on Webster Slide Mountain (a true story).
Maps are just the outline for adventure. One has to get outside and experience it, fill in the space between points A and B. It is a stress-reducer, an activity filled with cathartic moments, a chance for Garland to take "manageable risks" and be rewarded after doing business with Mother Nature. There are pitfalls. A tree branch snapped into his face, nearly hitting an eye. Winter hiking, which Garland prefers, has its sub-zero degree dangers as well.
His hikes took him to new and relocated trails. He also biked and bushwhacked. Some trails dead-end. Garland would sometimes spot a bike in the woods and use it as a loop link, driving to pick up the bike after a hike. He would also bushwhack to complete circuits. Then again, he would also do out-and-back hikes, noting things on the way back he hadn't seen on the way in.
"When I bike, it gives me an appreciation of what I have to hike," he said.
Planning was key. He carried what he deemed essential gear, but no cell phone. He primarily did day hikes, but appreciated the early morning and late evening settings overnight trips bring. He braved blisters and honed his skills with map and compass, terrain navigation, food and hydration. Though the journey brought him up mountains, it also brought him to New Hampshire's past, walking by old cellar holes, cemeteries and stonewalls. He found gems like secluded swimming holes and time to pause and reflect, recognizing the personal and spiritual nature of time spent in the woods.
"A line on a map can't tell you what you are going to experience," said Garland. "By hiking the trails, you are opening yourself up to what nature has to offer on that particular day, particular season and particular year."
Garland's accomplishments go beyond recreation. There is a symbiosis between his job and his passion. Land conservation is a keen interest of his, as he's a board member of a land trust. With all he's done, he knows that all it takes is one step to start another chapter in life's journey.
No doubt he's already taken a step to a new one. [end quote]
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