Phil Somers hikes.

Since he was a teenager in Norway, he has spent as much time as humanly possible outdoors. He and his primary adventure partner, wife Darleen House, enjoy skiing, camping, bicycling and kayaking, among other activities, but mostly hiking.

The duo seldom goes a week without hiking at least one trail, even in the dead of winter. They have hiked every section of the Appalachian Trail in Maine, as well as many sections in New Hampshire and Vermont, summited all but one of the region’s 4,000-foot peaks (Redington Peak, near Sugarloaf, is the only one they haven’t hit).

The couple has also completed several trails in the country’s Southwestern desert, including the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Zion and Escalante. They’ve traversed the Canadian Rockies, and done trails in Quebec and Newfoundland. They completed the Muir Trail in California, a journey of more than 200 miles, over the course of 16 days. They have hiked New Hampshire’s Presidential Traverse, covering 24 miles and 11 summits, in a single day – not just once, but twice.

Somers has also attempted, with three friends, to ascend Mount McKinley, the tallest peak in North America and the third tallest in the world, though House sat that one out.

While tourists and locals alike flock to Maine’s unparalleled coast, with its sandy beaches and rocky cliffs, North Turner residents Somers and House are much more at home in the mountains.

“Our love is the inland area. We love the smells, sights and sounds of the hills: the smell of spruce or hardwoods, the sound of a brook or a waterfall or a blackpoll warbler,” said Somers, who appropriately is a veteran sales clerk at L.L. Bean and has taught numerous classes for its Outdoor Discovery School.

Given his seemingly insatiable drive to power over roots, rocks, sticks and streams in search of one breathtaking vista after another, one might assume Somers, 55, was born with trekking poles in his hands. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Somers completed his first long-distance hike over Labor Day weekend in 1971. He had tagged along with his older brother and some friends from college as they spent three days hiking a 32-mile segment of the Appalachian Trail through the Mahoosuc Range. He was only 13.

“I hated every minute of it. I was just a kid, and it was a very rigorous trail,” said Somers of the 10-mile-a-day slog.

The teenager had gone expecting a fun walk in the woods, and was totally unprepared for the reality of undertaking one of the most difficult sections of the entire Appalachian Trail, let alone in Maine.

Years later, after traversing countless miles in Maine, Somers said his first hike is still the most difficult he’s ever done in the state.

“There is just a lot of gain and loss of elevation, every inch of it choked with roots and rocks,” said Somers.

Not only did he have to keep up with a group of much older, stronger guys, he also ended up with painful blisters from shoes that were too heavy and not properly broken in.

On top of that, the weather was foggy, so there were no stunning vistas to reward the group for their hard work as they painstakingly dragged themselves up peak after craggy peak.

Despite a less-than-inspiring debut, Somers caught the hiking bug almost immediately after that first outing. Once the trip was over, the memory of all of the misery he’d experienced was replaced by elation at his accomplishment.

“The next day, I got home and started thinking about where I’d been and what I’d done. I got out the AMC guide and tried to learn more about where I’d been. I thought it was so cool to carry everything you need on your back like that,” said Somers.

He decided to set out for the Mahoosucs again the following summer, this time accompanied by a few friends closer to his own age. Miraculously, all of the boys’ parents agreed to let them go on the unsupervised trip.

This trip was better because Somers knew what to expect, and because he took some of the pressure off by allowing an extra day to complete the trail. And this time, they were able to enjoy the scenery.

“The views were incredible. To be able to look down the mountain range and see where you would be tomorrow or next day or the day after that was just amazing.”

That trip was followed by many others. The following year, Somers and his friends hit New Hampshire’s Carter-Moriah range. During the school year, they would go on short overnight trips into the nearby Oxford Hills to tide themselves over until the longer trips they’d planned for summer.

In all of his years of long-distance hiking, Somers has been very fortunate not to encounter any major issues. After his first experience, he learned to choose his footwear more wisely, and hasn’t had any serious blisters in more than 30 years.

One of the most dangerous situations Somers has experienced was a bout of hypothermia during his teenage years. Between his sophomore and junior years in high school, he and some friends got caught in a June rainstorm during a day hike up Baldpate Mountain.

“We were saturated, shivering and not very motivated to do much about our situation. Fortunately one of my buddies had presence of mind to feed us jelly on saltines and coerced us to keep moving,” said Somers.

“After that, we realized we needed some better rain gear.”

Somers hasn’t had any dangerous brushes with wildlife, though a bear did visit his campsite twice in the same night while he and House were in California’s Sierra Mountains. The couple walked away from the experience unscathed.

The wildest thing Somers has ever encountered wasn’t an animal at all, but a naked hiker at Gulf Hagas near Greenville.

“There were two hikers coming toward us. One was clothed and the other one had on socks, shoes, a backpack, a walking stick and that was it. Conceptually, it was just nothing I ever expected. After they’d passed, we just stopped and laughed about it,” said Somers.

Despite the long list of trails Somers has completed, he only finished the entire Maine section of the Appalachian Trail five years ago. He had once dreamed of completing the entire 14-state, 2,184-mile journey, but set aside that fantasy a long time ago.

“The AT is a serious time commitment, and we like to do so many other things,” said Somers.

About 20 years ago, he and House joined the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Every year, the couple spends some time maintaining a portion of the trail. L.L. Bean also adopted a portion of the trail several years ago, and Somers is one of many employees who volunteer to maintain it.

After taking so much pleasure from Maine’s many miles of unspoiled wilderness, picking up litter, blazing trails and building bog bridges to protect sensitive habitats is the least they can do to give back, he said.

Somers has also been a Registered Maine Guide since 1987. He took the preparation classes and tested to be a guide at the prompting of his employer, which was just in the beginning stages of creating its Outdoor Discovery School. Over the years, Somers has taught classes on winter camping, map and compass, and more for the store, and has led camping and bicycling trips for both customers and employees.

The main thing preparing to become a guide taught Somers is to always think ahead and have a plan B.

“When I was younger, I just got very lucky. There are a lot of situations that can happen, and they may not happen to you. They may happen to someone in your party, or even in another party. It’s important to know what to do in those situations.”

We asked Somers to share a list of his favorite treks in Maine and New Hampshire. Though he likened the task to choosing a favorite child, he gamely agreed. Accompanying this story are Somers’ top picks, in his own words.

The right stuff

Working at L.L. Bean is a perfect fit for Phil Somers, who enjoys experimenting with new gear.

“If I sell it, I want to really know it,” he said.

Though he has tried a lot of fancy equipment over the years, he still swears by a list of 10 essentials first put together by The Mountaineers Club in the 1930s. Somers always carries these items, even if he’s only walking an hour from the car. They are:

* Whistle

* Flashlight

* Fire starters

* Map

* Compass

* Extra Clothing

* Extra food

* First aid kit

* Sunglasses

* Knife

Other gear to consider bringing:

* Bug dope

* Sunblock

* A hat for sun or rain

* GPS

* Camera

* Bandanna

* Repair kit – duct tape, needle and thread, buckles, safety pins, etc.

* Pen and paper

* $20 bill

* Field guide

* Trekking poles

* Gaiters

* Watch

* Plan B (and C)

Always remember . . .

* Inform a responsible person of your itinerary, and let them know when you’ve returned.

* Familiarize yourself with your gear and wardrobe. Start slow, warm up and adjust layers accordingly. Once you stop on cool or cold days, you have about 5 or 10 minutes to put on extra layers before the “big chill” hits.

* The temperature drops an average of 3.5 degrees for every 1,000 feet ascended. The wind speed increases as well.

* Take 1 to 3 liters of water per person, depending on how long your hike is.

* Keep a comfortable pace so you don’t expend all of your energy early on. You should be able to comfortably have a conversation without huffing and puffing.

* “Leave No Trace.” Always leave a wilderness area looking just the way you found it.