Eli, 11 (front) and his older brother Able, 14, went on without their parents to summit two more Adirondack peaks. ( Photo by Raheli Harper) The year our kids outhiked us When I began writing this column 10 years ago, I was carrying around babies on my back while trying to get out into the woods,... Day Tripper 25 Nov 2025 | 09:53
The view from Peekamoose Mountain, where the writer contemplated a big question: whether to pocket the pen she’d used to register. ( Pamela Chergotis) Where obsessions intersect New York’s trail registers haven’t changed in generations: hunter-green metal boxes on cement posts. Hinged covers that drop... Day Tripper 21 Nov 2025 | 10:31
Henry gets a lift from the writer. He rarely used to need one, but routinely does now, usually after lunch. The long walk home Henry’s getting old. Our seven-pounder has pounded many trails, but he’s feeling his age. We all are. Every morning we shake... Day Tripper 19 Sep 2025 | 01:58
Many states have monuments that mark their highest points, but New Jersey’s obelisk, built in 1930, is the grandest. Getting there is going to chew up your boots, though. ( Pamela Chergotis) Local hikes, global gear So glad I already have all the outdoor gear I need! I’ve been looking more closely into our global hiking supply chain. My... Day Tripper 09 May 2025 | 11:55
The ridgetop known as Jensen’s Ledges is crowned by a series of sculptures created by stacking bluestone slabs. ( Pamela Chergotis) Upriver energy Along the Upper Delaware River, way upriver, is a teensy place called Lordville, where you’ll find a trail to the top of... Day Tripper 18 Mar 2025 | 11:30
Henry on the Overcliff Trail, Mohonk Preserve, Kerhonksen, N.Y. (Photo by Pamela Chergotis) Benched After many weeks submerged in his recliner and packed in ice like a halibut, Tom was desperate to get back on the trail.... Day Tripper 02 Jan 2025 | 01:29
The view from Split Rock Lookout in the remote western Catskills ( Photo by Pamela Chergotis) Last licks The branch had to go. It was blocking the topmost spot on the communal kayak rack, where our new sit-ons would fit perfectly.... Day Tripper 26 Aug 2024 | 01:24
This wide-open view overlooking Culver Lake is an ideal spot for a picnic. ( Photo by Pamela Chergotis) All paths lead to the A.T. We discovered two new climbs to the Appalachian Trail, up to that prickly, spiny rock nougat that makes your fancy hiking... Day Tripper 13 May 2024 | 04:14
‘I wanted to sit on the frozen bank and the watch ducks fly in that way they do, in tight formation a foot above the water.’ ( By Pamela Chergotis) Alone with the river We had avoided the faintly blazed, indifferently cleared, ridiculously steep Pioneer Trail for a long time. Then one day,... Day Tripper 02 Apr 2024 | 01:43
An unremarkable stretch of the Appalachian Trail, at any moment, can become a wonder. ( Photo by Pamela Chergotis) The whoosh of a living cloud The newly fallen leaves were making walking difficult. We were on the Appalachian Trail, normally an easy trail to follow,... Day Tripper 28 Dec 2023 | 11:39
A bust of a Boy Scout with a thousand-yard stare sits atop the Tower of Friendship, a Depression-era obelisk on newly public Scout land in Tusten, NY. ( Pamela Chergotis) Orange means go! I’ve been reminded lately of mornings growing up in my gritty industrial town in North Jersey, when I’d sniff the air for... Day Tripper 20 Sep 2023 | 11:16
The Delaware River blanketed in smog from Canadian wildfires on June 7, less than a month after the pandemic was officially declared “over.” ( Pamela Chergotis) This time, there’s no safe bubble After the United Nations produced its we’re all going to die climate report in March, Al Franken looked into the camera.... Day Tripper 08 Jun 2023 | 02:06
We have time: a busy family’s mantra There is a sense of urgency in the spring. Even as the days warm up and we spend long afternoons enjoying the sun and shirking... Day Tripper 01 Mar 2023 | 10:27
Home sweet base camp If I made an activity chart of my retirement so far, the biggest slice would be devoted to cleaning. In nine months I’ve... Day Tripper 27 Feb 2023 | 11:16
Breaking free of the desk chair My Fitbit, like a secret spy, has spent the past dozen years creating a dossier on me. I bought it to replace an old-style... Day Tripper 22 Nov 2022 | 11:45
