The Outside Story

In Leicester, Vermont, up a rutted driveway off Route 7, Kevin New cobbled together a sugarhouse out of an old goat barn and plywood. He boiled a lot of sap this spring, long after most…

Have you noticed a few more wisps of gray of late? An ache in your joints? Crow’s feet clawing around the corners of your eyes? If so, you’re well on your way to becoming a victim…

Hikers in the mountains of the Northeast spend most of their time in the forest, emerging above the timberline for the occasional long view, then plunging back again into the greenery. The…

If you’re one of the 10 to 20 percent of the population who’s afflicted with seasonal allergies, you know that spring is in the air – literally. While the itchy eyes and…

An encounter with fairy shrimp is one of the great joys of visiting a woodland vernal pool. These small, shrimp-like crustaceans are as ephemeral as some orchids – appearing in…

Rugged overthrust ridges, deep shady valleys, mysterious caves, lush forests, buried rivers, and barren wastelands. Weird, wonderful, and sometimes sinister creatures prowl the land, lie in…

In case you missed it, there’s a natural gas explosion going on around us, not of the smoke and flames variety but rather of exploration and discovery. Enough natural gas has recently…

Whether we see them slinking silently through the shadows of a quiet forest, darting across the road, or standing alone in a yellowed field, the sight of a whitetail buck touches some ancient…

The onset of spring brings many changes to our part of the world. The longer days and higher temperatures entice plants to emerge and trees to bud. On our lakes, the ice begins to melt. We…

This past winter is on pace to have one of the lowest snowfall totals in 100 years – just as last year’s snowfall total was one of the highest ever recorded. A winter with so little…

Although weasel species tend to look alike, with low-slung bodies, sleek heads, and long tails, the marten stands out. They’re thoroughly mid-sized – considerably larger than mink and…

Back in January, taking advantage of the lack of snow, I was out hiking with a friend along a steep hillside not far from my house. Usually this hillside is too slippery for wintertime travel,…

Most of us have been at least annoyed, if not infuriated, by porcupines from time to time. Their desperate need for salt in the summer months gets them in big trouble around the house. They…

Ah, to be in the woods on a winter bluebird day. Crisp, clear, and cold, with an unimpeded view to the cloudless sky above. The sun has lifted itself out of the December doldrums and it now…

“What do you think, Chuck, oak or beech?” This was my forester asking, and my immediate response was not to say anything because I was gasping for air after pursuing him up a rocky…

One frosty winter’s day, while tracking a mink along the edge of a stream, I discovered some tiny winter stoneflies creeping on top of the snow. Unaccountably, the stream-dwelling…

A New England January would be hard to bear without that winter essential: the puffy down jacket. It’s a great accessory for leisurely walks, but when we exert ourselves and speed up the…

Ever wonder why those Angry Birds on your smartphone app are so mad at those pigs? It’s probably because the pigs are feral. According to estimates by the U.S. Department of Agriculture…

Winter can be a lean time for birders. The vast majority of our avian diversity has moved south, and watching the few species that visit our birdfeeders from the comfort of a cozy living room…

Spreading salt to make treacherous ice disappear must have seemed brilliant in the early days of its use. Naturally occurring, abundant, and cheap, road salt allows people to get to work on…