Hiking through the clouds at the peak of fall foliage.
Fall has finally arrived, with cooler weather and the hint of color in the leaves of hardwood trees around our home. Because we live at the bottom of the river valley, the advent of fall color at home means that the foliage is reaching its peak beauty at higher elevations, and further north. So, I was itching to get out, and selected a moderate hike in the White Mountains: up Mount Starr King and then across the Kilkenny ridge to Mount Waumbek. Beautiful! read on.
A beautiful new trail, close to home.
The Upper Valley Land Trust recently conserved a large area of forest on the slopes of Stonehouse Mountain in nearby Orford, NH. It’s not a well-known peak – indeed, its tree-covered summit doesn’t quite poke above 2,000′ and offers no views. But when I learned they had laid out a new hiking trail to its top, and realized it was a short drive from my home, I had the urge to investigate. The advent of fall leaf-season was the clincher. Read on.
A bountiful harvest.
Fall is here, and that leads to one of my favorite parts of the year: raspberry season. Pam’s garden has a highly productive raspberry patch, partly due to the unusually warm fall weather so far. (It is October 4th and we have yet to see a frost, or even come close!) I’m picking about a quart every day. Yum!
Fifty years of history.
I was pleased to spend the past couple of days at Duke University to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of its Department of Computer Science. It was a fun opportunity to visit my PhD alma mater, to visit with some of my former professors and classmates, and to hear from some of the impressive alumni of this venerable department.
I was a student of the department from 1986-91, when it was a much smaller and younger department – less than a third of its history had passed when I arrived as a new student. During five years there I deepened my knowledge of computer science, developed into a computing professional, and formed lasting friendships with students and faculty alike. I also met my wife while there; this weekend, we toured some of our old haunts and homes in Durham and Chapel Hill; only one of our homes is still standing, and it looks exactly the same today as it did when we lived there 33 years ago. Lovely to be back!
Failed parking leads to great experience.
Last weekend I was lucky to snag the last parking spot at the trailhead for the Osceola peaks, even at 7:30am on a Sunday morning. Today I could not find any parking near my desired trail, in the heart of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I found a parking lot –distant but empty – for a roadside waterfall, and studied the map. I could walk back up the road (emphasis on UP!) or I could bushwhack alongside the waterfall and its brook and join the trail further up slope. It was super steep… but the route would avoid a roadwalk and save time, right? I decided to go for it; wow, was I in for a treat! Sometimes a little bad luck turns into an outstanding opportunity. Read on!
A double peak with a spectacular view.
I pulled into the parking lot at 7:30am on a Sunday morning… and it was full. Well, nearly full; I snagged the very last spot available. Other hikers milled about, readying their backpacks for the hike to Mount Osceola. Yes, it is a beautiful sunny weekend in September, prime time for hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. But, gosh, I thought I was an early riser. I thought I’d beat the crowds. I’m glad I came when I did… and it was worth it! read on.
Time for applesauce!
Fall has arrived, more or less – and that means it is apple season! We planted two apple trees in the backyard – one with McIntosh, one with Cortland apples. The Cortlands are heading for a bumper crop, and the deadfall have already been extremely attractive to all the local wildlife.
We spent a few minutes today, shaking the tree to encourage a few more apples to fall… and netted over 12 pounds of cored apples!
Cooked with some cranberries from the freezer, then spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and brown sugar, they soon became 5 quarts of cran-applesauce. Wow! We are set for the winter.
The power of two.
Like most people, I find round numbers appealing. There is a reason people celebrate events like a “tenth anniversary” or “fiftieth birthday” as somehow more special than others. So today, on the first day of classes, I am celebrating a special anniversary … joining the faculty of Computer Science here at Dartmouth 040 years ago. In other words, I have spent 0x20 years on the faculty! For readers who are not accustomed to thinking in octal (base 8) or hexadecimal (base 16), I have spent 32 years on the faculty. We computer scientists love powers of 2. 🙂
One location, nine days, six types of critter!
I found a new location for my wildlife camera that is creating a feast of images: the backyard apple tree. The apples are ripe, falling from the tree, and feeding the entire neighborhood! Check out this two-minute video review of the local deer, fox, woodchuck, turkey, possum, and porcupine.
A quick, sunny visit to Seattle.
We just returned from a lightning-fast vacation in Seattle, over Labor Day Weekend. We managed to pack into just two days some delightful meals and fascinating sight-seeing, all enhanced by some beautiful late-summer weather. Read on!
David Kotz 