Time to launch a new adventure!
I’ve just concluded a 48-hour visit to Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in Svalbard, an archipelago far, far above the Arctic Circle. (Just to give you a sense how far north, the flight from Oslo (Norway) lasted over two hours.) The weather was fantastic and the flight delighted us with spectacular views of the snowy mountains and fjords as we descended along the west coast before landing just outside Longyearbyen.
Another segment of the Capitol Ring trail.
Another weekend, another hike in the London area… (my 26th consecutive weekend of hiking!). Although the weather is beautiful today, my time was limited. So I took the Tube toward Wimbledon – nearly to the end of the line – and hopped off in Wimbledon Park. This pleasant (and I imagine quite affluent) suburb is the starting point for Segment 6 of the Capital Ring Walk, a 78-mile continuous walking route encircling the city of London. Today’s walk started, perhaps not surprisingly, in Wimbledon Park… filled with tennis courts.
Climbing over 2,300-year-old earthworks with grand views of the sea.
The weather was beautifully clear for my 25th consecutive weekend of hiking, so I decided to head once again for the south coast and do a sort-of loop hike that would take me from a tiny coastal village, up to a hilltop capped by a Bronze-age earthworks that once served as a Saxon fortress; through the pastoral village of Clapham; to lunch in a 13th-century building housing a 17th-century pub, and over the highpoint at Cissbury Ring, a massive earthwork created in 300 BC and used (on and off) as a military asset for more than two thousand years. Read on!
Three days in the French Alps.
When I was invited to attend an academic conference in the mountains near Lyons and Grenoble, I did not hesitate. Especially when I learned that this small workshop (about two dozen experts in cyber-privacy research) is located in the tiny ski village of Correçon-en-Vercors at the base of the French Alps – and structures the program to retain the afternoons for skiing. This week’s forecast was not promising, however: rain every day. Nonetheless, we were able to find some rain-free time for outdoor activities on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.
24th consecutive weekend hike!
The forecast was for cloudy weather in London, so for this weekend’s hike I decided to explore the Capital Ring Walk. This 15-segment loop encircles London, covering 78 miles of terrain including forests, parks, and historic areas. Today I began at the beginning: Section 1: Woolwich Foot Tunnel to Falconwood. It was a fascinating mix of engineering, nature, and history.
A walk through northeast London (23rd consecutive weekend)
The three-day forecast for this weekend indicated today might have the best weather – or at least, little chance of rain – so I headed out for an afternoon walk along a rail trail (an abandoned railway converted into a pedestrian trail) between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace in northeast London. It was a grey and cloudy day, but the walk passes through parks and ancient woodlands where the birds are singing and the first flowers of spring are blooming.
21st consecutive weekend of hiking!
It has rained nearly every day for two weeks, here in London. So when this morning broke sunny and clear, it was time to go hiking! I headed for Epping Forest, an extensive area of forests and meadows on the northeastern edge of London. The sunny (though chilly) weather inspired many other people to get outdoors – walking their dogs, riding their horses, strolling with friends, or jogging the muddy trails. Two weeks of rain + heavy foot traffic = muddy trails!
A lovely ski tour in the backcountry outside Jackson, Wyoming.
After a week-long tour through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, about which I’ll post later, I had the opportunity to meet some Dartmouth friends to go backcountry skiing in the beautiful foothills of the Teton mountain range. One of my friends, Scotty, is a professional guide and ski instructor based here in Jackson, Wyoming – check out his business, Peak Performance, if you are ever in the area and want to experience backcountry ski touring, telemarking, kayaking, or paddleboarding!
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.
18th consecutive weekend of hiking
I flew back to the USA for a week-long trip in Yellowstone National Park, which straddles Montana and Wyoming. It is a remarkably long way from London – about twenty hours of travel – but also a world away in climate, terrain, and culture. Upon arrival in Bozeman, Montana, the cowboy hats are the first thing you notice – in the airport, in the hotel, in a restaurant, just a natural part of life. The “Don’t Tread on Me” flags fluttering outside homes and trailer parks. The brown grass and vast fallow fields of hay stretching for miles. The deep cold, well below freezing (zeroºC) and close to reaching zeroºF. The light powder snow falling gently but barely covering the ground. This is definitely not England – or New England either.
David Kotz 