2020 Year in Review, White Mountains – As the year comes to an end, I am still trying to understand this pandemic. And I am also still trying to grasp how badly overrun the White Mountains have been this year. While there appears to be a vaccine for the virus, there is no immediate solution for the current human impact issue here in the White Mountains.

If you live in the White Mountains region, did you ever think the outdoor community would be fighting about the definition of “local” and vehicles at trailheads being vandalized just because they have out-of-state license plates? With social media fueling the fire, this year has been an awful display of what the White Mountains outdoor community is all about. For better or worse, social media has changed outdoor recreation.

Overuse (human impact) has been a problem throughout the history of the White Mountains, but I think 2020 has woken up many outdoor enthusiasts to how bad the problem has gotten. And while most of us don’t physically mark up nature, like above, being a responsible steward of the White Mountains involves more than promoting leave no trace principles, completing hiking lists, volunteering to do trail work, and ranting on social media about trail etiquette. Outdoor enthusiasts have to also be willing to give up personal agendas and work together for stewardship to be successful. It will be a group effort to conserve the Forest in the 21st-century.

Because of all the state restrictions put in place throughout 2020, my plans were changed early on in the year, and I ended up shooting local. I spent time in the Kinsman Notch area documenting various segments of the Gordon Pond Railroad (1907-1916). Because of drought conditions this year, the brooks and rivers were extremely low. The above tributary of Lost River I have never seen so low.

I also spent time documenting the short-lived Woodstock & Thornton Gore Railroad (1909-1914). One of the more interesting features of this abandoned logging railroad is the old Tripoli Mill site in Livermore. Owned by Charles B. Henry, son of the timber baron J.E. Henry, this mill dredged East Pond for diatomaceous earth (also called Tripoli) during the early 1900s. Diatomaceous earth has many uses; it is used as an abrasive in metal polishes. The railroad traveled through the mill complex.

2020 has been an eye-opening year for me, and I am sure for a lot of other people. And like many of you, I am looking forward to putting this year in the rearview mirror, and I really have little to say at this point. So have a happy and safe holiday season. And never stop exploring the White Mountain National Forest – you might just find what you are looking for.

To license any of the photos in this blog article for publications, click on the photo. And you can read more blog articles focused on the New Hampshire White Mountains here.

Happy image making..

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Erin Paul Donovan

Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC

Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.