Arthur Comey, shown on the first-ever ski ascent of Katahdin, was an experienced backpacker active with AMC in the 1920s. The New England Trail Conference published his “Going Light” pamphlet in 1924. Here is that publication in its entirety. PHOTOS: COURTESY AMC LIBRARY & ARCHIVES

















might seem like a modern phenomenon, featuring the latest and lightest high-tech materials, but the idea dates back to the very beginning of organized hiking in New England.

More than two dozen outdoor organizations attended the first meeting of the New England Trail Conference (NETC) in 1916. These college outing clubs, hiking and conservation groups (AMC among them), Boy Scouts, and more shared the common goal of creating and maintaining “a system of connecting trails in New England.”