Larger than the state of Rhode Island and laced by a thousand miles of trails, the White Mountains have long been a hiker's paradise. Here is a first-person account of the world that begins where the pavement ends. Fishermen, backpackers, trail-bikers ... goofers, peak baggers, and through hikers ... you'll find them all in the White Mountains, and you'll meet them all in the pages of this compelling book.The year is 1975, when it was still possible to find space in a lean-to shelter, when the Old Man of the Mountains still showed his splendid profile over Franconia Notch, and when hikers still smoked.