Start the spring with a 7.5 mile hike through the Blue Hills. Begin at the Trailside Museum (Milton) and finish at the Shea Rink (Quincy). Spotting cars is necessary. This hike is for all levels, but geared towards beginner/intermediate hikers. Must be in good physical condition. L Stacia Zukroff, CL Andrew Shearer. 45 minutes north of Providence, half an hour south of Boston. It's free, but please register online.

(Trip sponsored by the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Boston Young Members and cross-listed with the Narragansett Young Members.)

Join us for a (free) hike on Saturday, Sept. 23, with the Appalachian Mountain Club Young Members. ("Young" usually means 20s and 30s, though there’s no hard limit.)

This hike is in the Blue Hills, midway between Boston and Providence. It’s a great area to explore whether or not you have a lot of hiking experience.

See the trip posting for more information and to sign up.

Every Thursday evening this summer, there’s a pickup Ultimate game at Narragansett Town Beach. This is what yesterday’s game (19 pictures) looked like.

Catching up on photo collections I’ve posted in the past few weeks:

• A 4-day camping trip in the White Mountains with the Appalachian Mountain Club Worcester Young Members, in which we hiked a few mountains, took turns jumping from a ledge into Emerald Pool, and watched the fireworks display at the Mt. Washington Hotel.
• My Blue Hills beginner hike, which drew a huge crowd. I took the first 25 to sign up, and could run another trip with the rest.
• The RIPUL tournament, where a relatively low-ranked Ultimate frisbee team went to near the top, in spite of my presence on it.

See what Acadia National Park in Maine looks like. I took a trip there a couple of weeks ago with 17 people from the Appalachian Mountain Club Worcester Young Members (an unofficial event). Great biking, trail running, kayaking, and sunrise on Cadillac Mountain—see the pictures. Thanks to everyone involved for a memorable weekend.

There was a snowstorm in Providence last December 9. Most people left work early and traffic was backed up for hours, so I took the scenic route, with a camera pointed out the window.

I’m co-leading a kayak trip in Providence this Sunday, June 26, with the AMC Narragansett Young Members. If you’d like to sign up, we have available spots and a few kayaks for cheap rental. Since it isn’t a purely flatwater trip, you should be comfortable with sitting in a kayak, but don’t need a lot of experience in order to enjoy it.

You can sign up online.

Trip description:

We’ll spend time enjoying downtown Providence from the river, and also paddle outside the Hurricane Barrier to get a taste of Narragansett Bay. Not literally. L Bev Thomas, CL Andrew Shearer. The route is similar to the one in these pictures.

Just to keep everyone current who’s playing along at home: I recently became chair of the Narragansett AMC Young Members, which until we get some more leaders to post is practically my other weblog.

Also, my application with the Boston AMC Young Members to become a 3-season dayhike leader was approved. And I’m now a co-webmaster of the Boston AMC Young Members site. Busy, busy.

I’m going to co-lead a beginner/intermediate day hike with the in the North Pack Monadnock area on Oct. 10. It’s a Boston AMC Young Members event. Most participants will be in their 20s and 30s, but there’s no age limit. AMC membership is encouraged, but not required, and the trip is free.

See more details at the Narragansett AMC Young Members site, which I just set up a few days ago.

I’m co-leading two upcoming New Hampshire hikes for the Boston AMC Young Members.

On Sunday, Oct. 3, join us for an interesting beginner hike on Squam Mountain during foliage season. 5 miles. Read more information and register.

On Sep. 17-19, we’ll have car camping and a somewhat advanced 10-mile hike over the Baldies loop trail, summiting North and South Baldface. It’s known as one of the best hikes in the White Mountains. We’ll have some terrific views of the Presidentials. Includes some steep, exposed ledges, and finishes up with a visit to Emerald Pool. Waitlist only. Read more information and register for the Polish Off the Baldies trip.