The Whim of the Great Magnet

29 Days of Happiness #18

2012-02-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

A lazy morning with no rush to get up.

Mother Myricks butternut crunch..... so good.

Showing my parents how to brew beer, specifically a Bavarian Weissen (a wheat beer like a heffe).

29 Days of Happiness #17

2012-02-18T17:13:00.000-08:00

Coming home and finding it warm enough to go for a run in daylight.

Understanding a difference between a karate kata and application and how the kata gets you only half way there.

Painting chaotically until late in the night...

29 Days of Happiness #16

2012-02-17T04:18:00.000-08:00

Receiving my direct deposit from work mere hours before another automatic charge went in place that would have otherwise overdrawn it.

Working on the redesign for justoffal.com and playing for a good chunk of time with layout.

A phone conversation with my Uncle in which my phone managed to hang on despite saying the battery was quite low for most of it.

29 Days of Happiness #15

2012-02-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

Completed a couple of hard things at work that have been on my plate since I started working there and feel like I am making some progress overall.

Granny Smith apple slices, Stilton cheese and honey.... absolutely brilliant.

Good company, good food, good movie... a good way to end the day with Sigur Ros song Seaglopur to finish off the night.

29 Days of Happiness #14

2012-02-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

Mmmm coffee in the morning....

Actually making real progress with a very difficult distributor at works, something that has been non-functional for longer than I have had that job.

Making a twisted anti-valentines day drawing for all my single friends.. which is almost all of them. Weird.

29 Days of Happiness #13

2012-02-14T04:17:00.000-08:00

After not falling asleep until 3AM, waking up feeling bad, emailing work I would be late then getting 3 satisfying hours of sleep followed by a slow morning with coffee. Wish I could have more of those.

Kaitenuchi Otoshi, which is one of the 36 Jo basics (short staff used in Aikido) does this very cool spinning move. Very fun to do once you start to get it.

Venture Brothers along with mac and cheese. Just what I wanted

29 Days of Happiness #12

2012-02-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

Sal curled up on my legs during one of my breaks from working on HTML in the early morning.

A walk, dinner and conversation with a friend.

Finishing working on the website, approximately 20 hours in two days but it is going to look slick.

29 Days of Happiness #11

2012-02-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

It is 2:24AM and I am just getting to this because I have spent almost the entire day rebuilding my website (not ready yet). What I have accomplished so far looks really good which makes me happy so I am putting that down as one.

Troubleshooting HTML5 and getting those small moments of realization and understanding.

Ending the night with a long philosophical discussion with an old friend.

29 Days of Happiness #10

2012-02-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

Although I don't really want to mention work here I still have to say getting two enrollment done (don't worry, know what that means wouldn't help it make any more sense) that were about 6 months in the making.

Gaming long into the night with friends.

Getting something to work on my computer that reminded me that it is easy to look too far when the solution is right in front of your eyes

29 Days of Happiness #9

2012-02-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Mount Mansfield was pink from the setting sun today, I love the view as I leave work.

Actually taking my lunch at home and taking the dog for a walk in the bright sunlight

Getting taxes done! Really who doesn't feel happy to have that done.

29 Days of Happiness #8

2012-02-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

Discovering that while the new web filter at work blocks all news, weather, pandora and almost all the podcast sites out there I can still access Stitcher.com so I can still listen to something.

I pan-fried some Sai fish fillets and it left some very very tasty crispy pieces that tasted like fried chicken.

Writing another epic Aegir short story based on an intense dream I had last night this time involving an ice demon name Havis...

29 Days of Happiness #7

2012-02-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

Cheddar cheese bagel with cream cheese for breakfast (work has free bagels Tuesdays and Thursdays. It means getting there a half hour early to get the one you want but totally worth it.)

Flying at Aikido, specifically the ushiro throw the other person over your head move. Fully airborne, just saying.

Getting ready for bed before 10 so I can get a full nights sleep instead of being sucked into staying up late trying to avoid the dawn.

2-5-12 Mount Philo and a Wildflower Park

2012-02-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

Mount Philo is a small state park on top of a kind of plateau-like hill jutting out of the Champlain Valley flood plains. At the top of the peak of very, very icy trails there are several outbuildings and some amazing views.

More clear skies and a good view of the Adirondacks.

On the return I stopped at a Wildflower Farm which had walking paths. Given the state park had been so busy I figured Sal would be happy to stretch his legs.

I was right.

A small frozen pond

This is the main building with the day's last light hitting it.

This is a cool park although I would return to Mount Philo with my crampons instead of the ice trekkers I have, the paths were like frozen streams and even Sal was slipping. I took the road back down from the top to eliminate the risk of death.

29 Days of Happiness #6

2012-02-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

Seeing the full moon over Mount Mansfield as the snow capped peak is turned orange by the setting sun against the dark blue sky.

The feeling of many small dents on my Jo (a martial arts weapon, a short wooden staff basically) from hours of practice.

Seeing the final product of all the work put into brochures for Aikido for the first time in printed form.

29 Days of Happiness #5

2012-02-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

A slow morning where Sal woke up, stretched his lazy furry doggy head out and rested it on my shoulder, then gave a long, deep, contented sigh. We are Pack.

A solid scramble up ice covered trails to the peak of Mount Philo to discover a sign which names all the Adirondack peaks from their profile as viewed from Vermont. I have been looking for that for a long, long time.

The Rum Diaries, a movie that has kept my up way too late but somehow eludes to some important point, something essential, although I am not sure what yet.

2-4-12 Camel's Hump Winter Summit

2012-02-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

Camel's Hump isn't unfamiliar to me, but climbing it in winter is. I got into the parking lot and as I pulled out my snowshoe a car that was leaving let me know that the trails were crusty enough that I wouldn't need them. Again. What a weird winter.

For about 2/3rds of the trail there were ski tracks. It was impressive given the grade, I am guessing they hiked up and skied down.

Sunlight through all sorts of snow crystals is just beautiful. I would need a 15 megapixel camera and a website that could show it for you to see the amazing covering of snow.

I summited in 2 hours and 10 minutes which is damn good time, and given the crusty snow that was again without snow shoes.

It was such a clear day I could see Mount Washing in NH and Whiteface in NY and of course Canada. This is looking south towards Mount Abraham.

Mount Mansfield in it's frozen glory. I may have to hit that next week. Maybe I can use snowshoes this time.

I tried to take a self portrait to show all the ice on my beard but did not realize the sun was over my shoulder

Slightly better.

I made it down in 1 hour 20 minutes or so. Kinda half running, I tried full running but I could feel my quads were not up for it. It felt great to do my first true solo winter ascent. I left Sal at home not being sure of the conditions and given how cold he can get.

29 Days of Hapiiness #4

2012-02-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

Summiting Camel's Hump in the winter solo to reach the top in amazing time with stunning weather.

A shower and a sniffer of brandy.

Good conversation over good but delayed dinner, then green tea ice cream.

29 Days of Happiness #3

2012-02-03T18:56:00.000-08:00

Getting a new work computer and finding that Pandora was not blocked by the web filters.

Unpacking then repacking all my gear for snowshoeing tomorrow where ever I go, it appeals to the OCD part of me to make sure everything is there and functional.

The sparkling of snow in highly focused moving spotlight on Church Street during a light show. It really looked like diamonds dancing in the night sky.

29 Days of Happiness #2

2012-02-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

Seriously, WTF podcast made my list again as I had to bite my lip from laughing out in the middle of my work cubicle.

My new monitor at work that is double the size of my previous one.

Dinner with my next door neighbor and landlord involving enchiladas, some of my home brew and lots of good conversation.

29 Days of Happiness #1

2012-02-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

Today while at work I listened to this podcast by Shawn Anchor (I highly recommend it). While the talk was amusing there was something compelling in the whole thing. My life, over the last couple of years, has been filled with a great deal of unhappiness and more recently depression. I have been getting out of that depressive state and trying to make my way with my life but I think something Shawn says is very true: "The absence of disease is not health."

So per his lecture I am going to try something, if it works wonderful, if it doesn't maybe I will understand my life much better. For the rest of the month I am going to write three things that bring me happiness in whatever gradients it may come each day. I figure at the end of the month I can look back and realize that maybe my life is actually quite nice. So here it goes:

Listening to the TED talk podcast and having to restrain myself from laughing out loud at work because I am listening to the whole thing over a single headphone plugged into my laptop.

Driving home in the rain, cold in the dark with warm of being in a car rather than a bike and pretending I am a fighter pilot navigating the traffic.

Glorious crunchy fatty crust from an oven baked ham that was delicious, unhealthy and will slowly make me more and more a vegetarian one delicious bite at a time because as I write this I feel way too full and rather gross at this point.

Little Man's Imperial Stout and The Red Scare

2012-01-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

I have two new beers I have brewed, the details can be read on my website for homebrewing. The first was a very high ABV of 9% Imperial Stout. The etymology of the differences between the words "stout" and "porter" can be amusingly vague but an imperial stout is one with a high alcohol content. This took a long to to brew and is taking even longer to develop any sort of carbonation. Still tasty though.

The second was a copper ale I bottled last night. I had fun making the label and given my initial tasting I will thoroughly enjoy drinking it as spring starts to swing around.

1-28-12 Little River

2012-01-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

The weather for this winter has been strange to say the least. There has been little snow fall in Burlington, days that are unseasonably warm and rain in January. Which means getting out on mountains is a bit more complicated because you are completely unsure if you will find ice, snow or mud. Or all three. I decide rather than hitting a mountain top to go to Little River and explore a bit. There was about 4 inches of snow but it was so crusty on top due to recent rain I left my snowshoes in the car.

Sal was ecstatic to get out on the trails.

It was good to see snow as well. There hasn't been more than an inch in Burlington.

A trail sign that has seen better days.

I decided not to forge this icy stream to go up the cut off trail, who knows how solid the ice was adn dips in a stream where not what I was looking for.

There used to be a sawmill here but I didn't get far enough along the trail to find it. I did find this though, which I believe implies there once was a farm here. Hardy folks.

12-27-12 Snake Mountain with Dani

2012-01-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

A long time Vassar friend Dani came up to visit me. In order to give her the full flavor of Vermont I took her to Snake Mountain. There was some ice, some mud but as always a great view.

The view...

Dani, optimistic as always...

And now the combination...

12-17-11 Mount Elmore

2011-12-18T14:29:00.001-08:00

Mt. Elmore is a new hike for me. This is at the north end of the Worcester Range in Vermont. I have climbed all the other peaks in the range and this one was the last to cross off my list.
It was 22 degrees outside.and a tad windy. It was cold enough that my camera couldn't handle it. This was the only picture it took before it died.
There was mixed clouds, the view was rather limited but I have a feeling with clear skies this would be amazing.

Almost a clear shot. At least my phone managed to capture these. It was damn icy at the top and I took my time. And half way down I realized my keys (specifically just my house keys) had fallen down a hole in my pockets. I hiked half way back up before just turning around. Luckily it had fallen inside the liner so the keys were not lost.

Explosive New Cider

2011-12-17T06:09:00.000-08:00

I made a new cider this month with unpasteurized local cider, honey, brown sugar and molasses. It hovers around 9% alcohol and tastes pretty good, much better than the first one I made. I think it will age well in the bottle.

However when it came to bottling I put in the normal amount of corn sugar I was suppose to and it seems to have produced volcanic results. the instant you open it it flows out of the bottle all over wherever you are standing (preferably a sink). So I made this label:

New (used) Car!

2011-12-13T17:17:00.000-08:00

Due to the unfortunate failure of my 1983 Mercedes Benz 300SD Turbo I had to get a more reliable car. After two weeks of riding my motorcycle into December I finally found this

This is a 2000 Honda CRV. It is in really good shape and I am grateful, the person who sold it to was the original owner and cared for in a way most people never would and now it means I can go back to the mountains on the weekend.

Home Brewing Website and recent Brews

2011-12-03T22:11:00.001-08:00

I finally got around to making a website for all the home brewing I have been doing. Please take a look, it is well worth your time... https://sites.google.com/site/greenmountainboysbrewery/home/brews

The most recent brews I have done would be the hard cider I made with local unpasteurized cider. It was tasty but not anything like Woodchuck or most hard ciders you are used to. The Champagne yeast made it more like wine than beer.

Here is the label. The name is an old joke from an underground paper my father and uncle did back when they were in college, sometime in the Bronze Age. This seemed a fitting honor.

I also made a bitter-ish brew that I called Wanker. It has only gotten better in the bottle and I look forward to drinking this for a while to come.

I have an imperial porter and another hard cider made with honey and molasses fermenting quietly in the corner.

11-12-11 Hurricane Mountain

2011-11-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

I may have been to Hurricane Mountain more than once. Actually more times than I can count. Originally I was thinking of trying for Giant Mountain but the unfamiliar nature of the hike and the time required combined with a late start made me switch destinations. There was snow at the top. I had put on my trail running shoes, which were not enough for this. The mud was crazy too so wet shoes plus snow not ideal. Still it was nice to see snow.At the top the winds were in the 20-40 mph range, I was bundled up but I didn't dare spend too much time taking pictures because I didn't want Sal to get to cold. It was ana amazing view though.
The mountain in the distance is Whiteface, one of the few that have a ski resort on it. There were a lot of these, tons of swamp and bog. A new beaver dam flooded part of the trail and had to figure my way around to find the trail again.
Ready to rock and roll. This is my usual winter set up and as always worked really well. Even though it was in the low 40's most of the hike I didn't have the orange windbreaker on.
A parting shot. What an amazing view.

Chapter 2 new endings and old beginnings

2011-11-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

I found a draft that I had forgot about:

A busy couple of days have left me puzzled. Some things I saw coming, some I did not. And again probabilities start collapsing like tunnels caving in on an unstable mine. Things are starting to resolve themselves again and I start being presented with life-altering choices. It is the time of the great deciders.

So how do I revisit the past to strengthen my future? What is the worst that could come of this? The question was never if she would change

Over the last couple of months a great deal has changed in my life. I figure most of those who read this are friends and family so you probably know this all but still... this public spot is still sometime a good time to share what I am sure all of us have gone through.

If you have looked through more than one of these post there was the occasional appearance of Heather, my compatriot and girlfriend for the last couple of years. Our paths have diverged so now this journey is with just Sal, my furry friend. Since the woods were where we spent much of our time it took me a couple of months to get back to documenting this, and equally as long to not feel at a loss when under the trees without her behind me on the trail.

When I first started this blog it was a dare to Charlotte (http://mercuryinmotion.blogspot.com/) who had trepidation about starting one herself. It has grown to document much of the last few years of my experiences, a reminder to myself of the things I have done and what I am capable of in those times when I feel like I have neither.

So I stand at another chapter in my life, terrified by all the changes that I have faced and the hard winter coming. Unlike the generations before me my successes and failures are documented here, set in a digital stone so when I have lost my direction and can look through this again and remember where I have been. And then the rest I leave to the whim of the Great Magnet to point me to where I need to go.

11-5-11 Snake Mountain

2011-11-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

Snake Mountain was not a hike I had heard of but the route to the Adirondaks took me past it all the time. Original plans of heading to Mount Washington were scrapped so this was a close and new place to go. I had run into it in a random blog that I don't even remember how I stumbled across it that gave me the need to climb there (http://sobvt.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/snake-mountain/). While the parking lot was obvious when driving down Mountain Road the trail head was hidden to the side of this building.

This is around a 4 mile round trip and some elevation gain. The trail was very muddy but people has created secondary trails. Apparently this is a very popular spot, the lot was completely full.

We managed to find a secondary trail which led us to this incredible rock ledge overlooking New York. Sal was more intrigued by the pond to the right.

The view was breathtaking. You are standing on a cliff overlooking the very flat Champlain Flood Plane and the Adirondacks looming in the distance. And such a clear day. This is looking north west.

And directly west.

There used to be a hotel up here and the concrete foundation is still there. There were two people with a tripod taking photos.

The Hotel was literally perched on the edge of a cliff, straight down for at least a hundred feet.

Another foundation in the woods. I continued onto what were V.A.S.T. trails (Snowmobile trails) for a while but finally turned around when it started going down sharply. I don;t think anyonw had been where I was for a while, the leaves were undisturbed.

I returned via the secondary trail and spotted a small trail going off by that cliff overlook. It is a Peregrine Falcon nesting area. It restricted use by climbers for certain periods.

This it the pond that interested Sal. There were these little pockets of water at the very top of this ridge.

This a really nice excursion, the views, given the hike, had some of the best bang for the bucks on this side of Lake Champlain. And the side trails that got me out of the traffic of all the visitors helped. If you go, remember this is a wildlife management area, that means hunting is allowed. Dress and control your dogs appropriately.

10-29-11 Camel's Hump Summit

2011-11-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

This is a hike that I haven't done for a long time. In fact the last time was when Chance was alive and by the end I had almost crippled my right knee. That seems like a lifetime ago, perhaps that is because it was at this point. And yes, there was snow on the ground.

Sal seem glad to see it again, and to be honest I was too. It was the ice stream that went down the trail I was less excited about. Managed to only slip a couple of times and caught myself each time.

The summit was... remarkable. I had started the hike at 8AM so when I got to the top in a surprising fast hour and fifteen minutes (2.1 miles and 2,600 foot gain one way) there was still fog in the valley. The drive there I saw an incredible sunrise and the peak rivaled that easily. Below is Lake Champlain and New York. I saw mountains I have never seen before.

This is looking north towards Mount Mansfield. What a crazy range of mountains.

This is looking towards New Hampshire. I am sure Mount Washington is the one in the background.

The fog turned all of the peaks into islands.

Honestly just wow.

Sal concurred.

On the decent I passed huge hoard heading towards the top, I had left early enough that there were only three cars when I arrived. When I left there were more like 30. And the crowds going up were dressed for shopping not for climbing a mountain. Perhaps I am getting snobbish about it because obviously they climbed it and no one died. Here is the shadow of the beast.

10-16-11 CAT Camels Hump

2011-11-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sal desperately needed to run so I took him up to the Catamount trail at the base of Camel's Hump. I have been up this trail a lot and know it well so I decided to go off trail for a bit. I found this stunning waterfall that had eroded the rock.

Sal had to inspect it of course.

From all angles.

There were numerous paths from what I am guessing was logging roads now overgrown. There were obvious camping spots so someone knows this area as well. I will need to come back and camp there at some point.

10-9-11 Magic Hat and Gliders

2011-11-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

In the course of the weekend we went to Magic Hat. The brewery is located just down the road from where I live. It is cool to go and taste what is being made and fill a growler. There is a huge metal tower there as well, perhaps an old holding vat? This is looking down inside.

There was a stunning sunset, this is taken from Perkins Pier.

In the parking lot was this. It took me a second to realize what it is. That is right, a glider trailer. The mountains around here must make great gliding.

Then dinner at American Flatbread with their wood fired ovens. Really tasty Pizza.

10-8-11 Stowe Pinnacle

2011-11-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

An old highschool friend named Greg came up to visit me for the weekend and I planned a small hike up the Stowe Pinnacle. It is an outcropping on the Worcester Range and a steep hike at that. Spread throughout the hike were cairns, this one was at least 6 feet long.

This was also in the middle of the woods, I could stand inside of it, it was huge. No clue why, but I don't see why not so I guess it makes sense.

It was a very busy hike, lots of people on the trail. The trailhead is very close to Stowe town center.

The view from the top was stunning. There was barely room to stand let alone sit.

For such a short but intense hike it was an amazing view.

This is Greg enjoying the sweet sweet victory.

9-29-11 Little River

2011-10-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

From a motorcycle ride to Little River State Park.

Home Brewing Beers

2011-10-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have recently taken to homebrewing my own beer. It is something one of my friends does and it intrigued me, plus the access to a local homebrewing store made it much easier to start. The top container hold the beer which has been fermenting for about two weeks, in this case I am transferring it to another container to bottle.

This is my first beer, it looks much darker in the container that it was given it was a weizen (a wheat beer)

These are the bottles, cleaned, label free and sterilized for bottling. Unlike most beer manufacturers my beer has sugar added just before bottling to reactivate the yeast in order to carbonate it.

Once the beer is pour carefully into the bottles it is capped with this thing. Once sealed it will sit for a week or two to carbonated and the flavors to condition.

Bottles now capped, waiting for labels.

The first beer I made was a weizen, or a wheat beer. There were some problems with the temperature in cooling the beer before adding the yeast which gave it some strange notes, but still palatable. This was the label I made.

The second beer was a porter and it turned out much better, silky chocolate maltiness and smokey undertones. The Green Mountain Boys Brewery refer to my home town of Bennington, VT and the militia from the Revolutionary War who got drunk at a tavern and then invaded Fort Ticonderoga with little planning an whole lot of luck.

7-30-11 Mount Dix Summit!

2011-09-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

7-24-11 Mount Mansfield Summit!

2011-09-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Finally!

7-16-11 Hurricane Mountain Ridge

2011-09-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

7-9-11 Crane Lake

2011-09-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

This was a trip Heather did without me but there are some beautiful pictures so I had to share.

7-4-11 Kayak Build

2011-09-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

The new kayak with reused ribs from the previous one. I like the shape a lot more. The skin failed when I tried putting it on so I am waiting to get better nylon and do it again.

6-25-11 Optimus 8R cleaned up

2011-09-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

This is an Optimus 8R stove, a classic my Dad bought when it was new in the 60's. It still works and some elbow grease and it starts to shine.

As simple and reliable as it can be.

Roman Sandals

2011-09-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

I am going to do this again and document it more thoroughly.

6-19-11 Overnight at Crane Lake

2011-09-05T12:36:00.001-07:00

6-8-11 Honey Hollow Washed out

2011-09-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

What is hard to tell is that this WAS the road and that when I stood in the middle of that depression it was deeper than 6 feet. Utter destruction.

5-29-11 Trip to Maine

2011-09-05T12:18:00.001-07:00

This was the first fish I have caught fly fishing. It was also my last for that day.

It was beautiful place.

5-22-11 Little River CAT trailrun

2011-09-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

I think the post title says it all. This was on CAT Snowmobile trails, a good hard run.

5-8-11 Little River

2011-09-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

This was a trail running experience, one of the first we did. There was the wreckage of am old sawmill on the way, this it the boiler.

For those unfamiliar with boilers the pipes would carry heat and smoke through the middle container which would hold the boiling water. I believe.

5-1-11 Lake Champlain Flooding

2011-09-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

This was literally a record, almost a month of flooding. Here are some images of the destruction.

At its highest...

4-30-11 Groton

2011-09-05T11:55:00.001-07:00

This is MY island...

Scabbard Making

2011-09-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

After a fair bit of research at http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/ I finally went and bought a sharp quality steel norman/viking sword. I decided that I would redo the grip and scabbard to bring it up to a proper quality. First a couple of documents that were useful about how to tie leather without riveting it.

I wanted to be able to easily change the angle and or remove the belt when I wanted to just carry the scabbard. Traditionally most swords were worn over the shoulder. Viking swords often had a frog riveted to their scabbards which the belt would be secured. I decided an oak thor's hammer would work.

So this is the sword I bought at http://www.kultofathena.com/:

It is a Hanwei Tinker Norman Sword http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=SH2426&name=Hanwei+Tinker+Norman+Sword+-+Sharp The blade is forged in 5160 high carbon steel and marquenched to HRc50-52, allowing superior edge retention. The grip is wood-cored and leather-covered over a cord wrap. Includes a wood scabbard with leather wrap and hanging rings.

I started with Popular wood and carved the inside out to the shape of the blade using a chisel and a dremel. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world, and to get it to hold the blade but still release it when pulled was a nightmare. What you see above is the wood core with leather laces glued to make the ridges in the scabbard.This is testing the frog I had carved before putting the leather on.
After the leather testing fit with the belt attached.

Comparison between old and new.

The leather would stretch so I would pull of the lighter pieces, tighten them and slid it back on. That is the advantage of clever design. The seam down the back is a simple whip stitch. Remember to work with the leather wet, once it dries it will shrink and make it much harder to get a nice finish.

I also redid the handle as well with the same leather. Turned out great. If you are working on this kind of project please feel free to post your questions to the comment section and I will try to get back to them,

4-10-11 Putnam Pond

2011-08-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

4-3-11 Groton State forest

2011-08-28T16:09:00.001-07:00

3-26-11 Sterling Gorge CAT trails

2011-08-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

3-7-11 Heavy Snows

2011-08-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

In March Burlington got hit with some crazy snow fall. Feet fell in hours. It was one off the worst storms in a while for the city. It brought much to a standstill. The front of Heather's car was buried in almost 3 feet of snow.

2-26-11 Shelburne Farm

2011-08-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

This is from a visit from Heather's folks and the trip we took to Shelburne Farms, a really cool place that was made as a model farm in the 1800s. These were these strange little tokens in the middle of the field.

2-19-11 Little River

2011-08-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

Okay so there weren't a lot of pictures for this trip and it was so many months ago I don't remember much. Here you go:

2-17-11 Sterling Gorge

2011-08-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

Again another revisit. With a couple of great pictures...

2-16-11 Mount Hurricane

2011-08-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

Again a revisit of a favorite spot.

2-15-11 Mount Mansfield again

2011-08-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

It seems that I have been very negligent in my blogging and today seems as good a day as any. This is from a snowshoe trip up the Mount Mansfield Maple Ridge trail.

The snow must have been 3 feet or more deep.

2-6-11 Viking Snow Sculpture

2011-02-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

With a snow pile of over 10 feet I had to carve something.
And I did. It took several hours but I made a nice Viking to stare out at traffic.

Perhaps a family resemblance. I got much respect from passerby's.

2-5-11 Groton

2011-02-18T19:01:00.001-08:00

Nasty nasty snow, deep wet filthy snow that made going down hill a chore and going up hill impossible. We were both so frustrated we don't have any pictures. It was a long trip, around 8 miles and by the end we were both limping with blisters all over both our feet.

1-29-11 Mount Worcester

2011-02-18T18:56:00.001-08:00

This time up Worcester the snow was at least 2 feet deep. The trail was mostly unbroken which made the steep ascent a challenge.
The snow stuck to the trees in globs. Beautiful. This was the last sunlight for the trip.
It is hard to see but this is the signpost for the summit. It is buried under snow.
The view was obscured but the snow was stunning unto itself. I learned a great deal about snowshoing and what happens when you fall though the gaps made by trees buried under the snow. Suddenly I was shoulder deep in soft snow with no leverage to get up. Heather helped me out but I got a feeling for what kind of tricky situation you could get into.

1-23-11 Sterling Gorge... Really

2011-02-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

Sterling Gorge is a lot of fun and we spent a chunk of this exploring different parts of the Catamount Ski Trail.
This tree snapped off half way up and it was hanging upside down. Very cool.
New skies and new leather telemark boots. By new I mean used and probably made in 1980, but newer than anything I had before. I am ecstatic with the new boots, they completely changed how I ski. If the snow had cooperated and not made traction such a pain it would have been better.

1-16-11 Groton... also again

2011-02-18T18:48:00.000-08:00

We didn't have a lot of photos from this one. We have been to Groton State Park before and had a lot of fun so we had to return, this time to a northern entrance. We skied down and around Peacham Pond and then did the long trek back to the car.

1-15-11 Little River

2011-02-18T18:43:00.001-08:00

Yet another revisit, this time to Little River at the eastern base of Mt. Mansfield. We thought it would be quiet. This line of cars extended around the bend. It included several sled dog trucks. There were at least two dogsleds we ran across.
Again heavy snow made it deep but the trails were well worn.
It was more fun than it may looks, it wasn't freezing and there was some very pretty snow covered trees.
The end was on a massive hill, one that looked more daunting from the top than looking back.
See? We both were overly cautious on the slope. A melodramatic end.

1-9-11 Sterling Gorge

2011-02-18T18:39:00.001-08:00

Sterling Gorge is part of the Stowe Land Trust and contains the Catamount Ski Trail, VAST (Snowmobile) and hiking trails. A truly pleasant and quiet place to ski. However, a new map gave me over confidence and despite what she said:
I thought I knew where we were.
I did not. It was a long detour to get home through driving snow and winds. Still, we will return because what a fun place to ski.

1-8-11 Mount Mansfield?

2011-02-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

I am writing most of these several months after the actual hikes so I think this was at Mount Mansfield and this is the only photo I have. It is of a snowy brook. Surprising I know.

12-25-10 Almost Old Speck

2011-02-18T18:35:00.001-08:00

This is actually the foothills of Old Speck Mountain in Maine. It is a beast and the second time I was on my new snowshoes. Unfortunately they failed to work properly and we had to turn around before I injured myself. Some day we will return and claim it.

12-19-10 Mt Mansfield... again

2011-02-18T18:29:00.001-08:00

This time we explored some the cross-country ski trails that cross the side of Mount Mansfield. We were on snowshoes, which was a very good thing given the deep, unbroken snow.A really cool waterfall. It will reappear in a later entry.
Just stunning marshmellow snow.
It was about 1.5 feet deep and it tired Sal out a lot. This trip actually convinced us that he shouldn't join us again for his own health.

The view from the almost top. This was never going to be an ascent to the peak but we still found a good view.

12-5-10 Hurrican Mountain

2011-02-18T18:22:00.000-08:00

Again this is a place we have climbed before but revisiting it in the winter was a very different experience.
Sal and I, ready to head out, clothed in my wool viking tunic that I designed and sewed. It is based on a vintage design and I have used it consistently for the entire winter as my primary outer garment and it is brilliant.
Crazy icicles and moss. What a color combo.
And stunning ice on the trees.
This did not reflect the actual mood of the trip. For reasons I don't remember we did not document the fact that the whole steep trail was a literal waterfall of ice. My crampons served me brilliantly but sadly Heather lacked such devices and we turned around about a quarter of a mile from the top because we could not safely go on. One of the hardest hikes we have done.

12-4-10 Mt Mansfield, Cantilever Rock

2011-02-18T18:16:00.001-08:00

Mount Mansfield has become one of our more commonly visited winter playground. There are so many trails that dots its massive flanks. This particular hike was up Sunset Ridge (one we have done in the summer) to Cantilever Rock.
This was one of the last hikes Sal joined us because his short hair on his underbelly does not protect him against deep snow.
Just the coolest frost and icicles. I used my crampons for parts of this were ice was bad.
This is the rock, I would say over 20 feet long it just hangs over the trail.
And overlooks the valley.

11-6-10 Mount Hunger

2011-02-18T18:12:00.001-08:00

If that doesn't show desolation I don't know what does... Mount Hunger is located east of Stowe, VT. It is part of the Worcester Range, a place that we have explored several times. There was heavy snow so not many pictures nor views.

Pumpkin Carving and Scottish Steampunk

2010-11-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

Maple Syrup and Jeeps

2010-11-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

Again another blog short in the word section. During a visit home for my father I went to my friend Mike's home. This is the 1950's Willy's Jeep that I learned to drive during my permit beginnings. The hood is up because the battery is on a trickle charger. This is their Sugaring shack. They make maple syrup off the trees on their land. Quite a process to watch.

Heavy Rains in Maine

2010-11-07T10:27:00.000-08:00

We took a short trip to Maine to visit Heather's folks. These are two different rivers...
Heavy flow. The sunrise on the way back to Burlington.

10-10-10 Mount Belvidere Revisited

2010-10-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

Fall fashion. We returned to Mount Belvidere to climb that damn fire tower again. It is fall foliage season so we also went there to avoid the crowds.
More waterfalls.
Heather on one of the steep bits.
The view from the top of the fire tower. Winds were harsh and when I got to the top I actually remained seated.
Again beautiful views.

10-9-10 Sterling Forest

2010-10-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Sterling Forest is part of the Stowe Land Trust, private lands for public use.
Hmmmmmm Fall.
There were swings at the top over the view.
Just a cool place to chill. It must of been interesting to get it all up there.
Moss, I have to touch the moss.
A memorial for a family grave. I love the design.
Now that is a covered bridge.

10-2-10 Groton Rail Trail

2010-10-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Groton State Park has the Rail Trail running through it's lands. What use to be a railroad bed now is part of VAST (the Vermont snowmobiling trails) horse and walking trails.
Still used for active logging one of the few clear cut areas I have ever seen in Vermont afforded a beautiful view of the rocky cliffs opposite.
Due to heavy rain the water was running fast and hard.
I just liked this sign.
We turned around at this point. It looked fake with the golden fields and the fall foliage in the background.

9-26-10 Kichburn Forest

2010-10-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Stowe Land Trust holds tracts of private land for public access. Kichburn is one of these. What used to be a maple sugaring grove in the early 90's now is filled with trails.
The tree won.
The old sugaring shack. There are lots of walking, running and skiing trails. It should be brilliant in winter.

9-11-10 Dix Mountain

2010-10-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

This is a hike that defeated us before so we tackled it again from the south. It is about a 3,000 plus elevation gain and a damn hard hike.
This was the easy part.
By the time we got to the top we were tired and actually left packs on the trail in order not to be encumbered while scrambling over sharp rocks and dizzying heights.
This is almost the peak. There was a straight drop off and the view was incredible.
These guys were at the top making tea on a shear drop off. The mountains around are vivid and stunning. It pushed my abilities to deal with heights and our stiff hiking boots made rock scrambling hard.And the decent.

9-6-10 Worcester Mountain

2010-10-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

The Worcester Range is east of Montpelier and west of Mansfield. It isn't large in contrast to the Adirondacks. It seemed like a quiet place to go. Our approach to Worcester Mountain was from the west.
There were these huge veins of marble throughout the rocks.
Sal enjoyed the scrambling.
The view from the top.
Again a nice hike, good view and mountains all around. We could almost see the Adirondacks.

9-5-10 Groton State Park Wandering

2010-10-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

This was a short hike just north of where we skied in the winter at Groton State Park. We had a map but trails were badly marked and a couple of new road meant we got a bit lost... I got us a bit lost I mean.
One hell of a mushroom.
And one hell of a view.

8-29-10 Bennington and Teepees

2010-10-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

I think this speaks for itself. Teepees and vibrams in a hammock.

8-20-10 Big Crow and the Ridge

2010-10-30T09:10:00.001-07:00

So for those keeping track, this is the peaks around Hurricane Mountain. We climbed this area back in spring but didn't get on any of the side trails. So this time we headed up towards Big Crow.
We ended up following the exposed ridge line towards Hurricane. Another clear beautiful day with stunning views.
Looking back along the trail.
My island.
As you can see I was carrying a bed roll. We were planning on spending the night there but we got to the lean-to (which is about a mile from the car) and decided to hike out and enjoy the night in our bed with a lazy Sunday.

8-19-10 Fishing On Otter Creek

2010-10-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

That's right, finally caught a real fish. It took all summer, and given I am writing this two months after, it was the last fish I caught.

It was beautiful on Otter Creek. A calm nice day where the fish were biting and the silence refreshing.
Capped with a beautiful sunset. What more could I want...

Mommy, can I keep it?

2010-09-21T03:48:00.001-07:00

I finally got to bring it home yesterday, my firs drive of my new car. It was different than any car I have driven before, the feel of the ride was soft, not drifting like a truck but just soft. The drive home is through countryside and what a way to drive through it. I had the windows open and the sunroof retracted in my new (old) Mercedes.

In the driveway at last with my own plates on it.
The backside.
The leather clad doors with wood panels. This is an all metal car and you can feel it when you close the door. It sounds like a bank vault shutting.
The interior. With the exception of the radio antenna retractor all of those work. Quite stunning in a 27 year old car. I am estatic with my new purchase and even though it isn't motorcycling weather yet, I have a feeling I am going to be using it a lot just for the hell of it. One surprise came from going for a drive with Heather after she got out of work: it has the turning radius of a small car. It is over 16 feet long and I have a feeling I could do a u-turn in the middle of the road.

As I start to dig into the engine I will be documenting that as well, outside of my usual collection of outdoor activities. I am looking forward to it all.

My new car

2010-09-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

This is going to be short and sweet but finally after many years I have a car. Specifically I have a 1983 Mercedes Benz 300SD Turbo Diesel. For a crazy cheap price. Under a thousand dollars. Lots of miles but runs and all the parts work. And just look at it....

A New Door and My New Window

2010-08-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

Jurassic Park eat your heart out. The hole in the eye socket is so we can look out...

Pharaoh Wilderness/Whortleberry Pond 8/7-8/8/10

2010-08-09T05:33:00.000-07:00

I have spent the better part of two hours bring my blog up to day, partially because it needed to be done and also because I wanted to put up the pictures of our latest adventure. This was our second overnight trip to the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness. This time our approach was from the south and promised at least a 8.3 mile hike, more given a couple of detours.Ahhh trailhead signs...
And off we go. It was a claustrophobic hike, the undergrowth was heavy and mostly blackberry bushes, but it didn't slow us down. An attack by bees did though.
This was a rusted gas range left over from what looked like a camp. There were a lot of weird things this hike: a beheaded body of a falcon or owl in the middle of the trail, a random wicker backpack filled with empty beer cans and nobody in sight in the middle of the trail and a couple of odd people walking as well.
We detoured to a small pond off the trail for lunch. Behind Sal people were camped on the rocks.
Then Sal slipped. It was funny.
During the course of the hike we were taken by the variety of mushrooms on the trail. No clue what kind this was but wow, it was cool looking.
So the long and short of it, this is not Pharaoh Lake's far shore where we were planning on camping. When we got to Pharaoh Lake all the lean-to's and most of the campsites were filled. One guy had hung an American flag across the front of the lean-to and had a rifle leaning against the side. Weird. It must be hunting season or something. So we continued past Pharaoh Lake and tried to find the trail for Whortleberry Pond. However the trail was in such disuse we couldn't even find it but instead found the trail to the privy. Going past that we finally found the old trail. Our map showed the trail going right at the pond and only after climbing over downed trees did we find it again. Above is what greeted us.
We found what must have been a campsite but it obviously had not been used in at least a year. We had the whole pond to ourselves, a true treat. Heather found a huge set of wild blueberry bushes (perhaps originally called Whortleberries?) and we got down to picking and eating. I even showed Sal how to pick and eat them. Within minutes he was a pro.

Over the last couple of weeks my ears have been plugged up so I can't hear that well. That night Heather had to bare the burden of hearing all the wildlife sounds. We woke up multiple times for bathroom break and Sal's intense curiosity. Finally around 5:30AM I got up, started the fire and made some tea. It was stunning on the pond, mist had settled in and nothing but the sound of birds (or so Heather tells me).
I mean, how could you not enjoy this view.Sal certainly did.
A combination of campfire smoke and mist.
On our hike back Heather finally got a feather in her cap, so to speak.
In all we covered 10.6 miles the first day and 8.8 mile or so the second day. What was remarkable that we completed the return trip in 3 hours and 30 minutes. We were moving fast! By the time we got to the car we were all exhausted.Sal was even more so than usual and wanted to curl up with us in the front seat quite badly.

This was a truly stunning hike. I must keep the exact access to our campsite a secret because it is the first time we have found a spot no one knows about but it was wonderful to have some privacy and some peace. It requires a return visit.

Long Trail (Clareton) 7/31/10

2010-08-09T05:21:00.000-07:00

After so many hikes in New York we figured we should try to do an overnight in Vermont. We headed south to join the Long Trail around Rutland and Clareton. There was a cool cable bridge across a gorge then a sharp ascent to this lookout. We had seen so many splendid vistas in the Adirondacks that this was rather tame and dull in contrast.The airport was down there. I think this was looking north.
It was very busy that day, we passed tons of people on the trail. As we continued on past the first lean-to we saw that it was full and there were five tents in spots around it. As we continued we saw more and more people with overnight packs. When we stopped for lunch we decided that given the number of people on the trail it would be likely that the spots we were planning to camp would be slammed with people. We had about 15 people pass us as we sat for lunch.
So we turned around and went home...

Dix Mountain on 7/24/10

2010-08-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

We had originally had a plan to do an overnight through the peak of Dix Mountain (4,840 ft) to a shelter on the far side but we ended up doing a day hike instead with a total of 13.6 miles.
The trail head sign doesn't show that 2,000 feet of that ascent was in the last half mile or so. On the way I found two piles of rocks, I rebuilt the smaller one with Sal's supervision. Intense supervision.The view from the sorta base of the mountain. Of course this is 5 miles in. These cleared batch of rock was really cool, water was streaming down it.
Yeah, this what we still had to climb.
As we pushed on the slope must have been close to 45 degrees. The view off the side showed more of those exposed rock faces.
See? Damn steep. We got a little further then reluctantly turned around. It was at least another half mile to go and maybe 1000 feet ascent left and it was late in the day. I am glad though, we were tired enough that climbing back down was hard and that extra ascent would have done us in. Still sucks to turn back.
Sal was a bit tired at this point but at least he had the sense to enjoy the view.Heather pointed out that a bear hadn't made this and the claw marks were cut by a knife. And I totally knew that from the beginning.
Back at the parking lot with our feet up on the back of the car. Sal was a good pillow.

Mount Belvidere on 7/18/10

2010-08-09T04:25:00.000-07:00

Mount Belvidere is actually about an hour and a half north of Burlington on the Long Trail. Located south of Jay's Peak it promised a clear view of the northern extent of the Green Mountains.
It wasn't too far to the fire tower and it was a stunning day.It got a bit a steep in parts and the trail was exposed rocks.
The view of Mansfield was different from what we were used to. It was windy enough that even I felt disinclined to go further than the second landing. Which means I got up there and my brain just shut down. Hell of a view though.
The view from Heather's boots...
And ignore the creepy guy behind the curtain.

Morgan Horse Farm 7/10/10

2010-08-09T02:32:00.000-07:00

It is intriguing to me how this has turned more into a journal that I use to record the dates and explorations of my life. In fact it is the only place that I have a whole record of all of my hikes. I have found it a good reminder just how busy we have been.

But now about this post. This is from the Morgan Horse Farm which is located south of Burlington and is run by the University of Vermont (UVM). Heather's folks came out this weekend and because of their interest in horses we went to take a look. Because I am who I am I took a picture of this fascinating carriage. I always intrigued to see the mechanical variations use to steer over the years. This was a replica and actually had hydraulic brakes.What is also notable is where they used wood and where they didn't. For any complicated compound curve wood stepped in. I imagine it is much more forgiving than cast iron.
This is the actual barn. A unique structure build entirely around the children of a single stud. The horses themselves are not the most impressive of creatures in relation to stature but they are quite beautiful. The stalls were hard to see into so I didn't have any good pictures of them. After working at a studio in a horse farm this was a pleasant trip.

Platz River And Shelburne Bay 7/5/10

2010-08-09T02:18:00.000-07:00

After the overnight in the Siamese Pond Wilderness it seemed like a good idea to go and find reprieve from the hot weather by finding a swim-able stream to go an soak in. We had driven over this access on the way to a running trail and we figured why the hell not.
If you saw the fishing pole sticking out of my kayak, take a deep breath and don't worry: no fish were harmed in the making of these photos. Or ever.
It is deceptively beautiful. While there was much lush greenery everywhere the river itself was very dead. The water smelled of cow manure, so much so that after we went in a couple of miles and reached the road overpass (from which this river looked quite interesting) we turned around. We didn't bother trying to fish and my feet stayed well clear of the water.Instead we headed out into Shelburne Bay. I was clear and no winds to blow us around. There were some superb fishing ground but because it is us we caught nothing. Still it was an excellent end to what had been an unpleasant kayaking trip. And from there we went home and had amazing food and a brilliant birthday.

Siamese Pond Overnight 7-3 to 7-4

2010-07-13T04:18:00.000-07:00

This backpacking trip was to the Siamese Pond Wilderness, a place named after two pond that are so uninteresting to hike to we went to an entirely different part of the forest. This is actually my pre-birthday hike give I was delivered to this world on July 5. Like Pharaoh Wilderness this too seemed to share in having old forest and few people. A truly nice combination.
Just a cool waterfall. A year ago this would have just been an amusing water feature but because I have a dog I now also consider them vital for re-hydration. His hardier stomach can drink what we can't so it serves us well to find water he can drink to prevent having to part with out own.
I am actually playing a Native American Love Flute. It is a beautiful sound drifting across the calm lake waters. There were a couple of other people staying in lean-toes there so I am sure it surprised them.
It may have been a little chilly. The fire was a much appreciated addition.
Seriously you are going to get tired of these kind of kodak moment photos because I seem to take a lot of them at the places we go. One stunning morning after a substantially more restful night's sleep. The nighttime sounds were just a little less foreign and freaky because I had a bit more context.
Sal agreed things were looking up. What a strange dog.

It was a wonderful overnight with a good walk in and out. My pack was even better with a load of around 35 pounds rather than 43 pounds the time before. A truly enjoyable pre-birthday adventure.

Pharaoh Overnight Hike 6-19 to 6-20

2010-07-13T04:15:00.000-07:00

It seems only appropriate to begin with the disclaimer that this was the first overnight camping I have done in years. We had attempted an overnight on the Long Trail a couple of weeks prior and that ended in disaster due to a nasty used backpack and unpleasant trails. We were headed to Pharaoh Lake, the body of water that was on the far side of Pharaoh Mountain which we had hiked a couple of weeks back.
It was a good hike with the exception of overgrown trails and nasty bugs that were not deterred by the remaining bug spray. It was soon discovered that a pine bough make an excellent bug re-distributor.
This is the lean-to with our tent parked inside. A cool place to hang out and despite people at all the campsites around the lake, nicely private.
Yep this is the lake. The rock in the distance is about 15 feet tall. When we first got out there some kids with a canoe were swimming off of it.
This is the view proper in the morning. Just beautiful to wake up to. We lazed about and even took a further nap. The night had been a very restless one for me, it has been man years since camping out and the sound of animals kept me up. Sal, however, slept soundly the whole night. All in all a wonderful and pleasant first overnight hike.

Trapp Family Lands 6-13-10

2010-07-13T04:13:00.000-07:00

In order to find new places in Vermont where we could go where there weren't a lot of people we decided to hike some trails in the Trapp Family lands. Located just south of Mount Mansfield it is dedicated to snowshoeing and cross country skiing, in contrast with all the downhill skiing centers around that area.
This was an auspicious beginning... They weren't kidding, it would be messy to get a vehicle through there and I imagine the house opposite the sign had pulled more than a few silly motorist out.
For the most part the trails went in and out of state land and all were badly marked. There were more than a couple times where we guessed and just kept looking for markers. I even broke out the compass and actually used it to get us in the right direction. The heavy overgrowth of ferns made it impossible to find trails on the ground. This was an incredibly steep, maybe 45 degrees I think, of fern covered descent without trail markers. I think people ski this but wow it was steep.
One nice and obvious path. It was frustrating having to bushwack and get lost so much. And because of that fact I have no clue how long or how much elevation we covered. We were glad to find the car again.

Pharoah Mountain 5-29-10

2010-07-13T04:08:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since I have put up new entries but it hasn't been for the lack of content. Over the last month and a half we have been very busy hiking, backpacking, kayaking and the like.

The first I want to talk about is the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness. Located south of the High Peak region in the Adirondacks, it is a large and relatively quite stretch of woods.
We headed for the peak, 6.3 miles in and about 1,400 elevation gain.
What is hard to see in this picture is the size of these trees, the forest is old and for the most part untouched. I have never seen pine trees this big.
It became clear this area reaquired further exploration at a later date...
On the peak of Pharaoh Mountain. Not entirely bald but some beautiful open sections of rock, even a part where we both stretched out with our socks off and enjoyed the heat.
Sal claims all he can see.

Taking my kayak for a walk

2010-06-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is the waterfall in Winooski. We went fishing on the water below this dam a bit further on.
Oh and this is the fowl that was born at the horse stables where I work. Very adorable.
Oh and due to the mis-adventures from my last hike I finally went and got a new pack. It is a Gregory 55 liter. It is wonderful but I have yet to take it overnight anywhere. It sits wonderfully on my back.
I also finally got around to taking my kayak down to the water. This is my in progress. The second successful time. I had a problem with the nut falling off the wheels but I got that solved.
And this is what the cart looks like.
Cost about $25 in total. I can drop it behind my seat when I was in the water and pull it back out when I was done.
Cloud wonderfulness on Lake Champlain.