What I'm Thankful For

First of all I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Today means different things to all of us. For many, today is a day of family, tradition and lots of eating. For others, today is a day to nurse a hangover due to the strange phenomenon of going to the bars the night before. To fans of the Dallas Cowboys or the Detroit Lions, today is the NFL's Thanksgiving Classic, in which each of these teams traditionally host a home game on this day. For turkey lovers today is a very bad day. For others still, today reminds them of those who have passed away, of loneliness, or of estranged family or friends.

For me, today holds a bit of all of those feelings. This Thanksgiving I am thankful to be with my family. My sister Kelly is home from Potsdam and other family members are home to celebrate and be together. This holiday also brings to mind the family members who aren't here anymore. My grandfather passed away a few years ago and we still miss him, but we are all thankful for the impact he had on our lives.

I am thankful also for pajama pants and sweaters, in which I am sitting on the couch, relaxing since I was one of those who went out last night, and watching football. I am thankful that today I can sit and do this. There are many Americans who are poor or even homeless and cannot enjoy the warmth of a home, or a day off to spend with family. Others are giving an incredible sacrifice by serving in the military and cannot be home. It doesn't matter whether you agree with the our nation's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan or not; those who give their lives and private freedoms up to serve are all heroes. Thanksgiving reminds me of this. One of my best friends, Todd MacIntosh, is spending this Thanksgiving at boot camp in South Carolina, while training for the Marine Reserves.



I am also thankful for my other friends, some of whom enjoy the outdoors as much as I do, both from home and from school.







I am also thankful for the outdoors. I love the wild places that still continue to exist in the face of our increasingly populated and industrialized world. I love the mountains, the forests, the rivers and lakes, the wild creatures, and the clean, open air. The winter is one of my favorite times to camp and hike, so I am thankful that this time of year has come once again.



Of course, friends are only part of what I am thankful for. Thanksgiving is about family. Mike Quigley, Illinois Representative (D), said that “Thanksgiving is, in many ways, what we all really want Christmas to be, but which Christmas isn’t anymore" (washingtonscene.thehill.com). This is one of the few holidays that are less about what you can buy and how you can decorate, and more about the simple times spent with loved ones.

Therefore, I am so very thankful for my parents:



My little sister Kelly (and her boyfriend Artie) :



And of course, Belle:



I could go on and on about what I am thankful for because I am truly blessed and have so much, but I think today would be better spent with family. Enjoy the holiday and be thankful for all that you have!

A Small Hike with a Big Reward

I have, regrettably, not had much time to go up into the Adirondacks in a while because of work, school, and other commitments, but I do have some photos and information about an awesome (and easy), trip that is not very well known.

From my experience, some of the most rewarding hikes or canoe trips I have taken were those that required the most effort. My all time favorite climb, Gothics Mt., on the southern part of the Great Range, was also one of the toughest climbs that I have done. Mount Marcy, which I wrote about a few weeks ago, was a very long, grinding climb that led to a gorgeous view. It seems that often, the effort that is required to climb a mountain proportional to how amazing the scenery is. However, this is not always the case as some of the high peaks have no view, while some amazing rewards can come from a five minute hike just off the road. The latter is the case with Belfry Mountain.



It's strange even calling Belfry a "Mountain," as most guidebooks list the elevation of the summit at .6 miles! It is very easy to get to and is a great detour from any trip up or down i87 or the "Adirondack Northway." From exit 30 off of the Northway, you simply travel east on Rt. 6 to Witherbee, then turn left onto Lincoln Pond Road. The trail is just a gravel road with very little elevation gain and leads to a rocky section with a fire tower on top. I have yet to really get into my love of fire towers (which I certainly will), but there is just something special about them. From the top, the view is incredible.

To the west, Belfry gives an amazing view of the High Peaks:





While looking to the east yields great views of some old mines as well as Lake Champlain:



The tower itself was in great shape, probably because it had been reutilized to hold weather and other types of instruments. I would recommend this hike to anyone of any physical ability because it was really not strenuous at all. We actually climbed this the day after climbing Marcy with ease.



Belfry is worth the short detour off of the Northway, and is a great addition to any trip to Plattsburgh, Burlington, or the High Peaks region.

It's That Time of Year Again...

Winter is on its jolly way, bringing along with it snow, cold, hot chocolate, scarves, and of course gratuitous Christmas music and films. I am currently preparing myself to handle the bombardment of holiday cheer by wearing flowered swim trunks and sunglasses around my house while listening to the complete works of Jimmy Buffet and drinking Corona's all day.

This particular hibernal season also presents me with the annual task of preparing to adjust my recreational activities for the winter. Instead of running, I dust off the snowshoes, the canoes have to be moved to the attic, while the skis are waxed and hung up in anticipation of the coming ski season. I guess I can keep golfing if I get a bright orange ball and maybe attach streamers to it. I'll just have to watch out for polar bears.

The real challenge for me each year is preparing to continue with one of my favorite hobbies, cycling, into the winter months. I actually try to keep riding until there is too much snow on the roads and it gets too sloppy. This means that I have to change the way that I gear up to go out and ride. Spandex is, surprisingly, not exactly the most versatile fabric ever invented. Therefore I tend to wear the following:



When I went out for a ride today, I bundled myself up in all of this so that I could stay comfortable and toasty while out on my bike.



The goggles are essential.

I also filled up my water bottles with piping hot coffee, as well as a shot of Kentucky Bourbon in each for added warmth.

By now i hope you've realized that I'm kidding around (people actually do whisky in the water bottle though). In all seriousness, trying to layer for cycling is much harder than for hiking or other outdoor activities because you can easily overheat on a 20 degree day on a bike. Today the thermometer read "40" so I knew I was still going to sweat a little bit. Here is my actual cold weather kit:



You might think it's crazy to wear regular spandex biking shorts in cold weather, however I have found that the lower half of my body stays pretty warm because my legs are constantly moving. The wool socks are key, and the fleece lined leg warmers are pretty nice as well.



I prefer these leg warmers over knee warmers (which are pretty pointless), and also tights (which are just weird). One of my favorite bloggers, Fat Cyclist, agrees on both counts.

A nice wind-jacket is also essential, but not something too insulated. I can usually wear the jacket that came with my Plattsburgh kit in weather between 50-20 degrees before I need to add another layer underneath.



A winter hat is sometimes useful but I usually just wear a cycling cap. I top it all off with a pair of spring weather snowboarding gloves, which are light and very low profile. When the weather gets colder I usually add either a long sleeve Under Armour shirt under my jersey, a long sleeve jersey, or arm warmers. Shoe covers also keep my toes warm depending on the temperature. As with any type of winter activity, it's important to dress properly so that if something goes wrong, hypothermia or frostbite can be avoided.

It is also good to pretend that you are Andy Hampsten riding through the snow in the '88 Giro d' Italia on his way to victory.



The best thing to do is just get out, pedal hard, and continue to deny that winter is really coming. It helps to turn the Jimmy Buffett back on, ignore the fact that a light snow is falling, and keep on biking until there is so much snow on the ground that you have to just accept it and start skiing.

A Note on Hunting Safely

A big part of enjoying the wild spaces that abound in our country is conservation. That term not only means conserving the resources and lands that we enjoy for recreation, but also the animals who call this particular ecosystem home. The strange part of conservation is that often in order to conserve a population, hunting is necessary. Yes, killing to conserve sounds oxymoronic but if it wasn't for hunters, animals such as deer or turkey would die from starvation.


However, this post is not about the morality, or immorality, of hunting. A friend recently had a frightening accident which could have been tragic. This accident also could have been prevented.

(Derek and I on graduation day at Plattsburgh)

I was on my way to a friend's house who we were throwing a going away party for when I got a call saying that my friend Derek had fallen out of his tree stand. Speculation at the time was that he had fallen asleep, fallen out of his stand, and could be paralyzed or worse. Through the night we tried to have fun but we were scared for our friend and waited for updates to come in from his mom. Finally, late in the night we found out that he was ok and was not going to be paralyzed. However, the words "broken back" created a sense of unease about the situation.

It turns out that Derek had been lucky. He had come out with 4 fractures in the thickest part of his spine. This meant that he didn't need surgery and would have no neurological damage. Of course we were all relieved, but more importantly we were all shocked into learning a lesson from this. I myself have never hunted, but many of my friends do. We all realized the importance of being prepared while hunting, but also any time that we go into the wild. Derek was not wearing a harness to hold himself to the tree, he did not have a cell phone, and many of us did not no exactly where he was.



This is a cautionary tale to anyone who ventures into the woods. Make sure that you are prepared. A cell phone may seem like a piece of technology that doesn't belong in nature, but it can save your life. Letting others know where you are, or better yet, going out with friends, is a smart move also. Finally, when hunting, use a harness if you are going to use a tree stand. It may not be the most convenient part of being in a stand, but it can also save your life. Derek was blessed and made it out of a potentially fatal situation without any permanent damage. Be smart, be safe, and have fun while hunting and enjoying the wild this season.