Taking Flight

I know this is a hiking blog, but sometimes I do other outdoor activities. Today I went skiing. Technically, I was supposed to go skiing with Dragonfly, but she had too much homework. Thus, it was just me. Dragonfly and I are planning to go skiing at Bretton Woods next month, and so I figured it was a good idea to get my skis back out, since I haven't been in several years. Truthfully, I wasn't sure how it would go. Things like getting on and off a lift aren't exactly the same as riding a bicycle, and they don't necessarily come back as quickly. Even the process of going down the mountain took some re-learning. I wanted to start with beginner trails, but the area I was skiing in didn't allow for that. You know what, though? I am getting ahead of myself. Let's back up. I drove up to Mt. Abram from Westbrook, and got there almost exactly when I wanted to, half an hour early. I was able to show my receipt for my online lift ticket purchase and get the actual lift t...

It used to be a tradition for my friend Sylvia and I to do a backpacking trip into the White Mountains, usually to Lonesome Lake Hut, over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. I don't get to see her much anymore, so I was excited when we decided to bring the tradition back for this year. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Sylvia realized that she had double booked herself against her grandson's first birthday, so she had to cancel. However, I didn't want to cancel the trip. I got in contact with Dragonfly's brother-in-law, Parched, who keeps up a crazy hiking schedule these days. I asked if he wanted to join me for the trip. He was interested, but he had a conflict and couldn't start until around 2 PM on Saturday. Lonesome Lake is a short, easy hike, so I wasn't concerned about that. We decided to go for it, and so we agreed to meet in Lincoln and then drive to the trailhead. I was running late, so I didn't get a chance to stop at Big Dave's Bagels in North...