Since the time of pioneer settlers Abel and Ethan Allen Crawford, explorers and adventurers have been lured by the stunning peaks and lush valleys of New Hampshire's White Mountains. In the nearly two centuries since the Crawfords constructed their first crude footpath onto the heights of Mount Washington and the Presidential Range, the White Mountain trail system has evolved into an intricate network featuring more than 1,400 miles of marked paths. Retrace the steps of early mountain guides such as Charles Lowe and Allen "Old Man" Thompson and learn how these early path-makers made New England's most popular and extensive mountain trail system possible. Longtime northern New Hampshire hiking columnist and guidebook author Mike Dickerman traces the fascinating story of this evolution with this new collection of profiles and reflections on the early trails and trailblazers of the region.