By Dan Mathers
I don’t know about you, but it seems to me like 2025 just started. I could swear we’re only about a month-and-a-half into the year. But I’m told it’s actually December, so it’s time to look back on the past 12 months around the sun.
That look back might hold the reason for why the year feels like it flew by: There was a lot happening in 2025.
It was a busy year for the Northeast outdoors. We covered tragedy and triumph, special places and inspiring people. And we had some big changes with the site itself.
Here’s a look back at Northeast Explorer’s biggest stories of 2025.
Unprepared Hikers Keep Rescuers Busy
Certainly the most frequent story theme of the year was that of rescuers saving unprepared hikers. Barely a week went by without rescuers somewhere in the Northeast having to venture into the backcountry—often in rain, snow, howling wind, or brutally cold temperatures—to help hikers who didn’t have a map or a light, or didn’t bring warm clothes or enough to drink.
Franconia Ridge was a hotspot for inexperienced hikers running into trouble. In October, a hiker who had no water, food, or a light had to be rescued at night on the ridge. Earlier this month, two hikers suffered from severe hypothermia and frostbite and had to be rescued in deep snow and strong winds from Mount Lafayette. Rescuers said they didn’t have appropriate clothing.
In October, it was a mass rescue when 20 hikers who were not prepared for wintry conditions atop Mount Washington had to be taken down the mountain on the Cog Railway. In another rescue that month on Mount Washington, officials described a hiker as “absolutely unprepared” and without appropriate equipment after they rescued him in windblown snow.
In April, New Hampshire Fish and Game officials billed two rescued hikers for being unprepared. The hikers were climbing Mount Cardigan and became “stuck” near the summit because of steep, icy terrain. Officials said the hikers did not have microspikes, food, extra clothing, or headlamps. Officials said they were also going to bill another hiker they rescued on the Garfield Ridge in May who didn’t have a map.
In May, New York forest rangers had to rescue three hikers overnight who did not have lights. In October, rangers had to search overnight on Mount Marcy for a hiker who had no light. Rangers in New York also had to rescue a hiker attempting the Cranberry Lake 50 without a light.
In Vermont, two hikers without headlamps or appropriate clothing were rescued on Mount Mansfield in November. In November, hikers with no lights and who were reportedly not dressed for the cold had to be rescued overnight on Mount Monadnock.
To make sure you’re prepared before heading into the backcountry, check out our hiking safety tips.
Record Breakers
This year saw some incredible Northeast athletes set mindblowing records. In July, Andrew Drummond set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the White Mountains Direttissima—probably the toughest trail challenge in the Northeast. To complete it, one must link all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks into one continuous hike. Drummond completed all 48 peaks over a course of 231 miles with an incredible 86,000 feet of climbing. He did it in an astounding four days, 22 hours, and 43 minutes, beating the previous unsupported record of 5 days, 13 hours, 5 minutes.
In August, Tori “Chewy” Constantine set a new unsupported FKT on Vermont’s Long Trail, smashing the previous record by nearly a full day. She completed the 272-mile trail with roughly 68,000 feet of elevation gain in five days, 19 hours, and 29 minutes. And along the way, she inspired those around her.
Also on the Long Trail and also in August, ultrarunner Tara Dower set a new supported overall Long Trail FKT, completing it in just three days, 18 hours, and 29 minutes. Dower is no stranger to FKTs, having set the overall FKT for the 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail in 2024, completing it in 40 days, 18 hours, and six minutes.
Speaking of the Appalachian Trail, in September New Hampshire runner Lyla “Sugar” Harrod completed the Appalachian Trail, setting a new women’s overall self-supported record. In doing so, she became the first known trans person to hold an FKT on the AT or any of the “Triple Crown” routes. Harrod completed the route headed southbound in 52 days, 18 hours, and 37 minutes.
Tragedy On Katahdin
A heartbreaking incident occurred in early June when two hikers—a father and daughter—lost their lives on Maine’s highest peak.
The bodies of Esther Keiderling, 28, and her father Tim Keiderling, 58, both of Ulster Park, New York, were found atop Katahdin in early June.
The two hikers had reportedly left Abol Campground on Sunday, June 1, to hike to the summit of Katahdin. They were last seen at approximately 10:15 a.m. on the Katahdin Tablelands heading towards the summit.
Recorded weather conditions from the area and accounts from hikers on Katahdin that day suggest the hikers likely encountered rain, snow, strong winds, and freezing temperatures.
The body of Tim Keiderling was discovered the afternoon of Tuesday, June 3. A Maine Warden Service K9 search team located his body on the Tablelands near the summit of Katahdin. The body of Esther Keiderling was found the following afternoon between the Cathedral and Saddle Trails off the Tablelands, approximately 1,000 feet from where her father was found.
Autopsy results showed Tim Keiderling died of complications from hypothermia. Officials said the cause of death for Esther Keiderling was blunt force injuries. Park officials said it appeared Esther had continued off trail and attempted to climb a boulder area, but she slid downhill until she hit large boulders. Park rangers said the area was steep, covered in snow, and icy.
Burke Mountain Sold
After years of being in limbo, Vermont’s Burke Mountain Resort was sold in April to a new owner with big plans for the resort.
The resort’s future had been clouded with uncertainty since 2016 when the United States Securities and Exchange Commission announced it was bringing fraud charges against and freezing the assets of Vermont’s Jay Peak Ski Resort and Burke Mountain Resort, saying the resorts’ owners engaged in a massive fraud scheme for years. In 2018, former co-owner Ariel Quiros and the federal government reached a settlement.
The resort was reportedly sold for $11.5 million to Bear Den Partners. Members of the new ownership team, which includes the family that runs Berkshire East Ski Resort, indicated they hope to make big improvements in their first two years. The group reportedly plans to increase snowmaking capacity, add more top-to-bottom trails, build out an intermediate terrain area, add bike trails, and more.
Hikers On Mushrooms Rescued (Twice)
Forest rangers in New York had to rescue hikers who were tripping on mushrooms not once, but twice this year.
In May, two hikers who were lost on Cascade Mountain in New York after ingesting hallucinogenic mushrooms called 911 to report their hiking companion was dead.
When the two hikers encountered the Cascade summit steward, the pair said that they were lost. The steward determined the hikers were in an altered mental state. The third member of their hiking party called soon after and reported he was not injured (and not dead).
A forest ranger escorted the two hikers to a waiting ambulance and another ranger escorted the third hiker back to their campsite.
Just a few months later, in late August, New York forest rangers again had to rescue a group of hikers tripping on mushrooms.
Rangers received a 911 satellite text from a hiker reporting a group of four hikers were lost near Giant Ledge in the Slide Mountain Wilderness. The hiker admitted the group had consumed mushrooms and one of them was experiencing a debilitating high.
Rangers and local firefighters located the hikers and assisted them to the trailhead where they were evaluated by paramedics.
Adirondack Rail Trail Opens
After five years of construction, the 34-mile Adirondack Rail Trail was finally completed and opened to the public in October.
The recreation corridor connects the New York communities of Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Tupper Lake, and is designed for a variety of activities, including hiking, running, biking, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.
The new trail is open year-round and provides access to miles of scenic trails, remote natural habitats, numerous campsites, and abundant waterways in the center of the Adirondack Park.
Wins for Conservation
Conservation groups were able to protect several new properties throughout the Northeast in 2025, including many where they can expand opportunities for outdoor recreation.
In January, the Greater Lovell Land Trust announced the conservation of more than 1,400 acres along the Kezar River in western Maine and plans to build hiking trails on the property. Also in Maine, the Nature Conservancy reached a historic agreement to purchase four hydropower dams on the lower Kennebec River in September. They intend to remove the dams, opening up hundreds of miles of the river to native fish.
In New Hampshire, the Forest Society purchased more than 1,300 acres of land that are part of one of the largest intact forests south of the White Mountains. In Connecticut, a conservation group protected more than 5,000 acres in the northwest part of the state in October, a move that protects the state’s largest untapped drinking water reservoir and opens the land up to hiking and other recreational activities.
In Massachusetts, conservationists protected more than 1,300 acres connecting a state forest and wildlife refuge in north central Massachusetts, and the land will now be open to the public. Also in Massachusetts, the Trustees for Reservations purchased a golf course in western Massachusetts over the summer, and they plan to rewild the property to create a hub for outdoor recreation. Also, an agreement in October conserved more than 2,000 acres of forest in western Massachusetts, protecting public access to sections of the Robert Frost Trail and New England Scenic Trail and establishing two new public forests for hiking.
In New York, the state added 291 acres to Minnewaska State Park Preserve on New York’s dramatic Shawangunk Mountain ridge. The park is one of New York’s largest. New York also added nearly 1,000 acres to Cranberry Lake Wild Forest, and a conservation group protected a property that is home to 187-foot Verkeerderkill Falls—the highest waterfall in New York’s Shawangunks.
Northeast Explorer Joins New England Outdoors Media
Northeast Explorer was started in 2011 with the idea that the region’s outdoor activities and the people involved in them deserve to be celebrated. This year, we expanded that spotlight on the region’s outdoor places and people when we joined forces with New England Outdoors Media.
With a growing lineup of brands that includes New England Boating & Fishing, New England Outdoors is a multimedia company involved in web, print, and television, and they produce the weekly New England Outdoors television block on NBC Sports Boston.
Joining New England Outdoors allows Northeast Explorer to cover the region’s outdoors in new and exciting ways. We’re working on big things for 2026, and we can’t wait to share them with you. Until we can share more of what we’re doing, here’s a hint: “print isn’t dead” and “must-see TV.”
