David Kotz

Back to Moosilauke

I can think of few times when I’ve been on the summit of Moosilauke with such deep blue skies and warm sunny temperatures.

Although the days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer – well, actually, it’s been warm all winter – I am not quite ready to let go of winter. A surprise snowfall of 4” of powder early on Saturday morning, plus a forecast for a warm sunny day today, instigated a repeat visit to Moosilauke via the Glenncliff trail. I rallied David and Kathy Hooke – recalling our visit of last February. On that trip, we were lucky to encounter several feet of fresh powder. Today, a few inches of fresh snow made a well-packed (and icy) trail a joy to climb.

David on the Moosilauke summit, with the Franconia Range beyond.

We saw perhaps two dozen other people on the trail or on the summit. Clearly we weren’t the only folks with the good sense to hit the trail today. The sun was warm, the snow fluffy, and the hills windless. We did hit some wind on the summit, but the temp was 26˚F and quite comfortable. On the trip down the snow started to get mushy, then slushy, then running water, and finally mud. At the parking lot it was 46˚F. Warm day!

Check out the photos (and movies).

Back to Bangalore

I was back in India to attend COMSNETS conference and the NetHealth workshop.

I have been fortunate to return to Bangalore every January, since we left there in May 2009. The main reason is to attend an important conference on computer networks, an opportunity to meet researchers from my field. But I always take the opportunity to visit old friends and favorite places. Read on!

Backpacking 2011

Two brief backpacking trips.

Somehow we never got around to our annual late-August family backpacking trip. I was determined to get out, anyway, so we took two short trips. On September 30, Andy and John and I headed directly from school to a trailhead on the west side of Moose Mountain. We hiked up to reach the A.T. where it crosses a col between north and south peak, then pulled into the shelter just as it got dark and began to rain. We poked around in the dark looking for the water supply, and settled in just as a huge thunderstorm struck. Nothing like being in an open shelter, on a ridgeline, in a thunderstorm! We had to leave the next morning, skipping our second night out, because John was feeling ill.

Andy and John backpacking on Moose Mountain.

Two weeks later, Andy and Mara and I headed for Holts Ledge, hiking up to Trapper John shelter late on Saturday afternoon, with just enough daylight to explore a bit and then settle in. It rained overnight, but the next morning we were able to climb up to Holts Ledge for a view of the fall colors.

Mara and Andy can’t wait for ski season, as we visit the top of Holt’s Ledge during the peak of foliage season.

I had only my iPhone, and limited light, but took some photos.

This post was transferred from MobileMe to WordPress in 2021, with an effort to retain the content as close to the original as possible; I recognize that some comments may now seem dated or some links may now be broken.

Autumn colors

A selection of the best photos of the season.

This trip is not far from home – just into the interior of Lyme, our own hometown. Every week during the fall the kids went to riding class; on this particular day, I think we hit peak fall colors. While the kids did their riding, I took a few hundred photos. See a small selection of my favorites in a photo gallery.

Dartmouth College Grant

The Second College Grant is 27,000 acres of wilderness at the very northern tip of New Hampshire.

John and I spent a long weekend in Dartmouth’s Second College Grant, staying at Peaks Cabin, after three glorious days of summer-like weather with late-fall colors. The afternoon temperatures were nearing 80. With bright sunshine and blue skies the hills were ablaze with color, a bit past peak but the yellows and oranges were nonetheless brilliant. I have not been to the Grant, other than mid-winter, in over 15 years; what a treat! Read on…

Dead Diamond River, halfway to Hellgate. Second College Grant.

Scotland

A one-week flash tour of cities, castles, lochs, highlands, and trails.

Although we only had a week, we had a great time and we saw an incredible amount. We started with two nights in Edinburgh, where we stayed with my oldest friend – that is, my first ever friend, who was born just four days after me. Then we drove northwest through highlands to the lochs and bays of the western coast, with two nights around Glen Coe. Then northeast along Loch Ness to Inverness, and down through Cairngorm national park to Scone and then St Andrews, where we spent two nights. Off to Glasgow for a night. Then an early-morning flight out of Edinburgh allowed us to have lunch in Paris before returning home. Whew! Read on.

Four recent outings

I have been fortunate to be able to get out hiking and canoeing.

Summer is a grand time in New Hampshire. The days are long, the forests lush, and the rivers calm. The weather recently has been fantastic, mostly warm and sunny but not too hot. I’ve been able to get outside a few times, with my camera:

A four-mile round-trip hike along the Long Trail [photos]
A two-day paddle along the Connecticut River [photos]
A five-mile pre-breakfast loop through (and over) Dixville Notch [photos]
A five-mile round-trip up Mount Jefferson [photos]

I hope to get out more, sometime soon!

The Ridge of the Caps starts at 3000′ elevation.

An afternoon in Hamburg

Hamburg is a beautiful city, full of trees and parks, crisscrossed by canals, a river, a lake, and the third-busiest harbor in the world.

I had to present a paper at the ACM WiSec conference. Because of constraints back home I could only stay at the conference long enough to present my own talk, but I arrived in Hamburg at noon the day before and spent an enjoyable five or six hours strolling around the city. Read on!

Purana Qila, National Museum, Delhi

A few sights that I had missed on previous visits to Delhi.

I had an extra day in Delhi so I decided to see two of the many sights that I had missed on previous visits: Purana Qila and the National Museum. Read on!

Bada Darwaza = west entrance; Purana Qila, Delhi

Qutb Minar

Finally, a visit when I can actually see the historic tower.

On my first visit to Delhi, in December 2008, I was disappointed by our visit to this monumental piece of history. It was, as so often happens on December mornings, densely foggy. We could barely see higher than our own heads, and thus the towering minaret of Qutb Minar, 73m in height, was virtually invisible. Today I finally got to see it! read on…