How to get your teenager to hike with you.
Our 15 year old, Finn, does not like hiking. Never has, maybe never will. He's more into the adrenaline seeking sports like skiing,...
top of page
Latest Posts
Search
Jill McMahon
- 3 days ago
- 2 min
Moat Mountain Trail, White Mountain National Forest
This may be my new favorite mountain range to hike. It's only 1.5 hours from Portland, just outside of all of the shops/restaurants in...
68 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- May 17
- 4 min
City Forest Play: Safe or Sketchy?
When we moved to our house ten years ago, we were most excited about the fact that it abutted Baxter Woods, a 30-acre city forest in...
316 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- May 9
- 2 min
Great Pond Trail, Cape Elizabeth
This trail leads to a massive pond hidden in the woods off of Route 77 in Cape Elizabeth. It's dog-friendly and is conveniently located...
194 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- May 3
- 3 min
We're planning a 1970's Summer. This could be my best OR worst idea yet...we'll know by August.
Here I am, circa 1979, in my Sunday best and webbed lawn chair. I must have had some fancy plans, because I wasn't generally this clean...
103 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Apr 2
- 2 min
10 Hikes to Dream About While You Wait for Summer.
If you are looking for some bigger hikes to plug into your summer schedule, here are 10 of my favorites in Maine and New Hampshire. This...
480 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Apr 1
- 3 min
Baldface Trail, Chatham NH
If you are looking for a challenging hike that will take you on a full day adventure, this is the trail. This hike is one of my all time...
33 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Mar 18
- 6 min
10 Salty Trail Alternatives for Mud Season ('cause March in Maine can be a beach).
Here it is, the muddiest time of year: March and April. This season brings a confusing mess of ice, snow, slush and mud to our trails....
496 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Mar 4
- 5 min
Anzo-Borrego Desert and the "Super Bloom" Phenomena.
There's a funny thing that happens when I'm looking for my next hike - the hike usually finds me. All I need to do is stay curious and...
327 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Feb 14
- 5 min
Bruce Hill, Blueberry Hill & Knight's Pond, Cumberland
If the word "blueberry" transports you to sunshiny mountain trails in the summer months, I'm with you - and we will get there. But for...
126 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Jan 23
- 4 min
West Side Trail, Yarmouth
Here are some of the feelings I'm left with after a day of hiking: clarity, grounding, inspiration, energy, renewed excitement for life....
53 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Jan 7
- 5 min
Tech-No Box: And finally, some sweet relief from screen time.
I've been coming up with inventions my whole life. Some of these not so great ideas have included: an ice cube tray that only releases...
291 views2 comments
Jill McMahon
- Dec 22, 2022
- 3 min
Spears Hill Trail at Broad Cove Reserve, Cumberland
If the idea of searching for a festive tree in the middle of a quiet wooded trail leading to a beach pulls at your heart and adventure...
52 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Nov 30, 2022
- 2 min
Robinson Woods, Cape Elizabeth
Located off of Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth, Robinson Woods Preserve contains 197 acres of woodlands, fields, ponds, streams, waterfalls...
36 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Nov 26, 2022
- 2 min
Waterfalls and Caves along Route 26, Grafton Notch State Park
If you are looking for a fun and easy day of outdoor adventuring, Route 26 in Grafton Notch State Park offers a whole lot. Here you will...
25 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Nov 26, 2022
- 5 min
Table Rock: A Mother Walker of a Hike.
There are three things one should always do before heading out on a hike: Look at a map. Check the weather. Leave your giant dog at home...
80 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Nov 21, 2022
- 2 min
Greely Woods, Cumberland
Owned by the Town of Cumberland and permanently protected by a Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust conservation easement, Greely Woods is...
20 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Nov 10, 2022
- 2 min
Claire Drew Trail & Gorham Skatepark
The path leading me to new trails is not always calculated or well planned. There's no master list or method to the madness. Still, I...
25 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Oct 28, 2022
- 2 min
Rock Ridge, Cumberland
This quiet, 1.4 mile loop follows a stream through thick forest with one expansive opening near the power lines. Hunting, mountain bikes...
83 views0 comments
Jill McMahon
- Oct 23, 2022
- 4 min
The Appalachian Trail: From Keds to Keens
There's something unique and special to every hike and this one was no different. Shortly after summiting Sugarloaf Mountain, we came...
63 views1 comment
bottom of page