Hiking and travel links

For years, I have had a personal website. Recently I am having some trouble with it - I can't upload new files. I made the mistake of trying to upload an updated main page, which did not work - but now my main page is blank. The rest of the content is there, but there is no easy way to get to it.

At least as a temporary fix, I am providing links to some of my content below. I also have created some permanent links on the blog, to the right.

Our photos on Picasa and Flickr

Appalachian Trail backpacking journal - with separate pages for each major trip/segment, lost of links and photos, plus Google Earth versions!

My trip journals - covering backpacking, camping, and other trips since the mid-90s

John Muir trail trip report - with a Google map and Google earth versions

Pacific Crest Trail trip in 2010

Winter wonderland

Every year we make several weekend escapes to go cross country skiing. This year we managed some skiing in Michigan on several days while we were there, although conditions deteriorated before we left. But last weekend, we experienced the joys of true winter again in Canaan Valley. Canaan, which usually experienced the best snow cover reachable by weekend trip for those of us in the DC area, is blessed with a quirky cross country ski resort called Whitegrass. This resort has miles of groomed trails traversing nearly 1000 feet of elevation rise, with access to many more miles of backcountry trails.

This year we stayed in a rental house with some friends, and enjoyed swishing through fresh snow for three days. On the second day, I traded off with Tatiana and did a long ski in the afternoon, which provided me with a first-ever opportunity to reach the overlook at Bald Knob while it was bathed in late afternoon sunlight. Conditions were calm, and the snow and ice on the trees was truly beautiful. I also found, for the first time, the connection between the backcountry Cabin Mountain and National Nordic trails. I have more photos here (not many "people" shots this time . . I took all my pics while out on the trails. Still need to coordinate photos from Tatiana!).

We will return to Canaan at the end of February, and also plan to ski at Lake Placid in a few weeks. Thanks to God for snow!!

Christmas

We spent the first part of our Christmas vacation in Hampstead, hanging out with Tyson, Sarah, and Tatiana's parents. The earlier part of the month had been very hectic, with Tatiana finishing multiple projects relating to her first semester of the PhD program, while I graded exams.

From Maryland, we made the 12-hour drive to western Michigan on Dec 27th. No problems on the trip, since the major snowstorm coming in that day stayed well to the east, along the coast. In Michigan we were able to ski several times before the weather warmed up, including a nice all-day outing at Big M. Mike and Susanna were around for several days too. We were able to visit other family too, including Aunt Helen, and Uncle Gord and Aunt Saramae. On the way home, we took an alternate route via I-80 in western PA and Us 322 to Harrisburg - a nice change from the usual turnpike.

Now it's on to other winter challenges, including the start of a new semester (for me) and prepping a new class for the UD semester that starts in a couple of weeks (for Tatiana). And for the fun stuff - we have three weekend ski trips to WV and NY planned during the next two months. Yeah for snow!!