Maine’s Great North Woods

By Brian Irwin | July 8, 2015

This past weekend we stepped back in time.  My family and I boarded a float plane for a foray into Maine’s Great North Woods.  Our destination was Second Debsconeag Lake in the Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness Area, a 500,000 acre plot of land that was saved from logging by purchase by…

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God’s Country

By Brian Irwin | November 13, 2014

    Gods Lake in Manitoba, Canada was so named without a possessive apostrophe in error. While some controversy exists over the validity of this name, one thing is not controversial: Gods Lake and the river that drains it into the Hudson Bay is one of the most idyllic, preserved…

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D.C. On A Dime

By Brian Irwin | October 21, 2014

In October Andy and I took on a challenge: spend three days in Washington D.C., round trip from North Conway, NH, for under $1000.  It was a success, thanks largely to the free Smithsonian and his tiny appetite.  It was a wonderful experience.  He saw the nation’s most important exhibits,…

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Redfishing on The Lower Laguna Madre, Texas

By Brian Irwin | August 15, 2014

The Lower Laguna Madre is a hypersaline bay on the southeastern tip of Texas.  Over 400 square miles in area, the estuary has almost no fluid exchange with the Gulf of Mexico to the east.  It receives most of its fresh water input from the Arroyo Colorado River, a gentle flow of water…

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Simple fly fishing, Tamworth, NH

By Brian Irwin | June 7, 2014

Over 100 years ago Dr. Remick was the only town doctor in the small community of Tamworth, New Hampshire.  His legacy was passed down through the years, as many other physicians accepted his torch from their predecessors.  His farmhouse has since been converted into a museum rich which history.  Children…

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Glamping and photos alike

By Brian Irwin | April 29, 2014

This past week a torch was passed.  The venerable Anne Fitzgerald, my Travel Editor at The Boston Globe retired her post, only to be replaced by Christine Morris.  If only the two could both steer the helm we’d be amazed at what they’d produce, but the time came for the changing…

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Bringing it back to Inner Harbor, Baltimore

By Brian Irwin | April 6, 2014

I grew up near Baltimore, Maryland.  Some of my earliest memories were in its Inner Harbor.  Sharks at the aquarium.  Submarines and civil war ear sloops of war.  Crabs.  Oysters.  I recently had the opportunity to return for a medical conference with a side project being an upcoming article for…

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Skiing and Mushing Mont Tremblant, Quebec

By Brian Irwin | March 8, 2014

This winter our family headed to Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains to Mont Tremblant to taste the European flare, shimmering dogsled trails and miles of trails.  From the children’s favorite waterpark, La Source, to the summit restaurant, it was a memorable experience for all of us.  Read about it in the Boston…

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Angling for Atlantic salmon on the fabled Restigouche River, New Brunswick, Canada

By Brian Irwin | December 18, 2013

The Restigouche is a stately flow, winding through northern New Brunswick on its way to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  At its mouth rests the hamlet of Campbelton, a village with a penchant for Atlantic Salmon, the community’s lifeblood.  They hold a multi-week salmon festival.  There’s Salmon Avenue.  And the…

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3rd Annual Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop

By Brian Irwin | November 13, 2013

On November 9, more than 150 skiers and snow enthusiasts converged on North Conway, N.H. for the third edition of the Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop (ESAW). Having doubled enrollment since its inception, the full-day event brought in presentations from some of the most revered avalanche experts in the country.…

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