I realized this month that I have been involved in academic research for four decades. Indeed, I started getting involved in computer-science forty years ago today.
Forty years in research
How time flies.
Category: Dartmouth
Posts primarily about Dartmouth College.
J’ai perdu mon chapeau
around the girdled earth we roamed…
Flashback to our visit to Paris in January: As I emerged from the boulangerie into dim, pre-dawn light, it began to snow lightly. I reached behind my back, where my hand slid instinctively into the side pocket of my camera’s sling bag, reaching for my trusty Dartmouth cap. This faded cap, which has been blessed by an elephant in India, which had beaten back the sun from Japan to Cyprus to New Zealand, which the wind once tossed into a puddle of penguin poop in the Antarctic, was just what I needed as I headed for the Bois de Vincennes for a sunrise hike. No luck. My cap was missing!
Yellowstone + Teton in winter
Dartmouth Alumni Travel trip through Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.
When offered the opportunity to serve as the faculty host for a Dartmouth Alumni Travel group tour of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, in mid-winter – highlighting the opportunity to observe wolves and other wildlife in these majestic national parks in mid-winter – I jumped at the chance. This trip, billed as the Wolves of Yellowstone, was operated in partnership with Orbridge Travel and led by two fantastic guides from Wildlife Expeditions, a unit of the non-profit Teton Science School in Jackson, Wyoming.
‘Round the girdled earth we roam
50 days of non-stop travel around the world,… and then some.
Whew, it’s good to be back home, after fifty consecutive days of travel spanning the globe. We departed our flat in London on 15 October and, other than a brief visit to the flat for two nights of laundry and repacking, we’ve been on the road ever since.
Gile Mountain
Back in New England, briefly.
Four weekend hikes in a row – what a treat! This morning I met two friends just before sunrise to climb the tiny-but-beautiful Gile Mountain, here in Norwich. No, that’s not Norwich, England… this pretty little peak is in Norwich, New England. I happen to be back at Dartmouth for a long weekend, and took the opportunity to visit this local favorite: a short hike to an otherwise unremarkable bump in the rolling hills of Vermont, with a firetower that allows one to climb above the trees and enjoy a spectacular 360º view across the Upper Valley, the Connecticut River, and the route of the Appalachian Trail as it passes through Norwich, Hanover, and along the ridges past mounts Moose, Smarts, Cube, Mist, and culminating on the twin peaks of Mount Moosilauke.
Second College Grant
A wilderness refuge in northern New Hampshire.
Regular readers will have seen my three posts about hikes this past weekend –Sugarloaf, Magalloway, and North Percy Peak – all in far northern New Hampshire. I was visiting that region for a Dartmouth event in the Second College Grant – a Dartmouth-owned township spanning 42 square miles of forest, wetland, and wilderness. Dartmouth manages it for sustainable timber production, recreation, research, and education. It has a fascinating history dating back before the American Revolution.
Mount Cube
An early-summer outing to an old reliable.
One of my favorite, go-to hikes is Mount Cube, a pretty little bump along the Appalachian Trail north of my home in Lyme New Hampshire. Not quite 3,000′ in elevation, it nonetheless earns a spot on the “52 with a view” list of high peaks in New Hampshire because it has a delightful view to the west and northwest, from the Connecticut River valley in the foreground to the Green Mountains of Vermont in the background. Read on!
Moosilauke
Revisiting old friends at our beloved lodge.
It’s always a pleasure to return to Mount Moosilauke, and especially to Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. One of my best friends – from our student days in the Dartmouth Outing Club – was visiting from Australia. I joined a group of common friends at the Lodge on Friday evening for dinner and conversation. The evening was cool and the skies were clear as we watched the first stars appear in the late twilight of summer solstice. This morning, we stoked up on a hearty Lodge breakfast before striking out on the Gorge Brook trail for our ascent to the summit. The skies were sunny, with a light breeze and mild temperatures, a perfect day for a hike. Read on!
2024 favorites
Favorite photos and videos.
Wow, 2024 was quite the year. With a dozen or more hikes in New Hampshire, and travels to Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, California, South Carolina, and India, I had many opportunities for photography. Check out some of my favorite photos!
Moosilauke New Years
A somewhat-annual tradition.
I’ve been hiking to the summit of Mount Moosilauke on (or about) New Year’s Day since at least 1984… and, for many of those years, camping in one of the rustic cabins on the side of the mountain: John Rand cabin on the east side, or Great Bear cabin on the southwest side. To retreat for two or three nights to a remote cabin, totally off the grid, where it may be 10ºF (or even –10ºF) outside while it is warm and snug (60º or 70ºF) inside, surrounded by friends. We spend hours cooking delicious meals, telling old stories, and playing board games while the snow falls outside. Read on…
David Kotz 