I’ve been on some fairly hairy hikes in my life. Sometimes the adventure is in the company: coming face-to-face with Cassowaries in Australia or Black Bears in Yosemite. Sometimes it’s the weather: frigid autumn snow in New Hampshire’s Presidentials or stifling heat in Volcanos National Park.  Sometimes it’s in getting lost: trying to find Seiguera della Dei on the Amalfi Coast, or foolishly cutting switchbacks until I ended up bushwhacking through the dark in Yosemite.

But sometimes, it’s the path itself.  Half Dome in Yosemite and Stairway to Heaven in Hawaii are probably at the top for coolest and scariest experiences. The payoff is always the setting and the scenery.  But as you can see in the video below, I need to return to Spain to check out this part of Andalucia.  Agoraphobes beware!

My friend, Ben Hall, loving life at Bretton Woods

Hello, poor, neglected blog! Here’s a nifty little video I created from my mini ski trip up to New Hampshire and Vermont last week.  The timing for this trip couldn’t have been better.  Snow fell across much of the region for the 3 or 4 days prior to my trip, granting the rare New England treat of fresh powder.  Killington, as usual, claimed the most with 59 inches of fresh white fluffies!  As you can see in the video, I took advantage of the new snow by heading into the woods… a most enchanting experience when the world is made of white.  All told, I enjoyed three days of glorious skiing with some terrific friends.  Monday was Killington, VT.  Tuesday was Bretton Woods, NH.  Wednesday was Waterville Valley, NH.

Back here in CT, I found that by Friday it was already T-shirt weather! My crocuses are peeking out from the cadaverous ground of early spring. It’s amazing how quickly the context changes from spectacular winter wonderland to thoughts of golf… But I’ve got at least a couple of more skiing days left this year.  Mammoth Mountain, California still has two days with my name on it later this month. And I’m in talks with Catamount Ski Area in Massachusetts for a big web site project; and I see at least a few comp runs after a visit there perhaps next week.