A St. Paul's School Record

Lucy comes home in five days, and we are very excited. Her year has gone well, she has scored very high on a couple of finals thus far, with a few still to go next week. Athletically, she has exceeded her own high expectations. In her first year running cross country, she consistently was the #5-6-7-8 runner at St. Paul's. She was the #2 New England prep school nordic skier, behind her teammate Tessa. And as you can see, she was on the record breaking 1600 meter relay team, as well as scoring points in the 800, 1500, and 3000 meter events. 

NCS seniors coming off the summit of Cascade

Amazing, Must Have, Free App ... Mountain project climbing guide

With beta, directions to crags and bouldering areas, as well as
photos, to almost every climbing area (big and small) in America, this
just has to be on your smartphone or iPad. Additionally, it has route
descriptions for over 50 countries from France and Switzerland, to
Mali, Israel, and on to Tajikistan.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE, AND DOWNLOAD.

The Cordillera Blanca Climbing Season Is Upon Us

It looks like the wet season is over! I arrive in Huaraz in 22 days.

Mckenzie Pond Boulders ... local adirondack spot

2014 / Bouldering at McKenzie Pond from nataliejwong on Vimeo.

Feeling Fit

Are you just "getting off the couch."

Pretty humorous.

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS SHORT ESSAY AT THE ADVENTURE JOURNAL BLOG.

Skiing Tuckerman's Ravine

Working For The Weekend 6: Spring in Tuckerman Ravine from Ski The East on Vimeo.


Another ski season come and gone.  I have to put this on the calendar for next year ... Once more before old age creeps in!

More Climate Change News

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS IMPORTANT NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE.

Dreaming of ski mountaineering?

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS ANNUAL COLLECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY SKINTRACK

Is this a climate change disaster?

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT EXTREME DROUGHT IN AMERICA.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK ... about henry morshead

In the picture, on the far left, with Mallory on the far right, he was
one of those multi-talented, hard as nails, British climbers and
explorers from the last days of the Empire.

"Eventually Bailey came to understand that Morshead simply did not
notice impediments of any kind, certainly nothing so trivial as a
parasitic leech. Not only was the man utterly fearless, Bailey
discovered; he thought so little about danger that he didn't realize
that there was such a thing as risk."

Excerpt From: Davis, Wade. "Into the Silence." Alfred A. Knopf,
2011-10-18. iBooks.

New England Prep Championships

This was Lucy's first year doing track and St. Paul's had a good season. Yesterday at the championships hosted by Northfield Mount Herman, the St. Paul's girls team finished seventh overall.

In the track events the girls scored points in the hundred meter, 200 m, 400 m, 300 m hurdles, and the 3000 m run. Lucy set a PR in the 800 m run with a time of 2:36.2. Her opening leg in the 4 x 400 m relay was 66 seconds, which equals the best she's run this year.

New England Prep Champioships

Dreaming of the Cordillera Blanca

After I acclimatize with Alejandro and Maria on Urus and Ishinca,
while Gary and John are getting used to the altitude in Huaraz, I am hoping to run this 50k loop, considered the best hike in the Andes. Then I will meet John and Gary and hopefully do the West Face of Tocclaraju, and possibly Ranrapalca  as well.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE RUN.

Persistence Hunting ... was distance running part of our evolutionary history?

CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK ... Teddy Roosevelt

 "I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph."


CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT HIM IN THE ADVENTURE JOURNAL.

The Most Important Lesson ...

CHAMONIX, EXTREME SKIING, RISK ...READ THIS NORTH FACE ESSAY

"But the most import lesson I can think of when it comes to spending time in the mountains is to remember that no skiing is worth dying for and returning home is the most important part of any day."

The distance girls on the St. Paul's Track Team

They have a dual meet record of 5-3. This picture was taken at the
league championship last weekend where they finished third. Many St.
Paul's School records were broken, including the 4 x 400 relay in
which Lucy ran the lead-off leg. She finished in the middle of the
pack in the 800, despite going out way too fast.

The New England Prep School Championships are this weekend.

Kilian Jornet

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE LAST SALOMON EPISODE ... a Spanish narrative but awesome views.

Two firsts for a late Spring

Yesterday I did a short hike around our ski hill, and was happy to see
that the ground is finally drying out a bit. I did my first rock
climbing of the season, soloing laps on the easiest crag route, AND I
saw the first spring flowers! Yahoo.

So do you really want to go back to Alaska?

Two hardcore alpine gals, sitting in a tent, without books or an iPod
for 17 days, waiting to do Middle Triple Peak in the Kichatna Range.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE KICHATNA BLUES.

La Casa de Zarela ... five weeks and here we come!

Our stay in Huaraz will be short, but always relaxing as we get
acclimated to the 10,000' elevation. Breakfast at La Casa de Zarela,
some yoga on the roof-top terrace, buying last minute items in the
market, and some reading, and maybe a glass of wine (or two) at the
Cafe Andino.

Training for Peru

Mountain Running and my bucket list ... VT 50k, Leadville Silver Rush, Hong Kong 100, and the Leadville 100

More Than A Race from Lloyd Belcher Visuals on Vimeo.

Given that I have not run a marathon in over 30 years, this is all fairly presumptuous. However, after logging big vertical in Peru this summer during June-July, and maybe some vertical in Colorado in August, I have my sights set on the Vermont 50k in September. For the summer of 2015 I will try and schedule a 50 miler in the Alps or Colorado depending on mountaineering plans. Beyond that, it's hard to envision, but I can tell you that after doing a two hour mountain in run in Hong Kong this past November ... I could be game!

Pancake Breakfast

Every year, one of the ways we give back to the community is to serve
a free pancake and sausage breakfast (for 2-300), and then give tours
of our farm and garden. We also have a used book and clothing sale to
benefit a health clinic in Burundi. Finally, we have arts and crafts
for small children ... every year I get one of our students to do some
face painting for me.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK ... from Into The Silence

From Sandy Wollaston, "As for maintaining morale and decorum in the
wild, all that was required for an Englishman was "a hot bath or
sponge down every night, regular bowels, with porridge for breakfast,
and a night dose of 'Livingston Rouser,' and a good book."

Emelie Forsberg ... Mountain goddess

CLICK HERE TO SEE HER IN THE NEW SALOMON VIDEO.

How is your training log looking?

Am I a geek? Bean counter? Anal compulsive? Anyway, I think I will be
fit enough for Peru.

Resoling your climbing shoes

Certainly, after reading this essay, I see that I had neither the
tools, the patience, or the craftsmanship, for any of my homemade
attempts to have been successful.


CLICK HERE TO READ THE PLANET MOUNTAIN ESSAY.

Cold, wet, and muddy ... great day in the mountains

THE ANDES ... getting psyched for Peru

Huayhuash from Joey Schusler on Vimeo.

This is not about the Cordillera Blanca, its not about climbing, it was filmed during the rainy season in January, but it does whet your appetite for those glorious mountains. I have started to pull out  TOUCHING THE VOID, TURN RIGHT AT MACHU PICCHU, A SACRED LANDSCAPE, DEVIL IN THE MOUNTAIN, and anything else about Peru in my library.

Track Season

St. Paul's has a solid team, with their meet record standing at 5-2.
Lucy has been running the 800 meter, 1500 meter, the 4 X 400 meter,
and occasionally the 3000 meter.

Running Hills

Trying to get the calf muscles ready for Peru, and front pointing in
the Cordillera Blanca.

Getting Gripped?

CLICK HERE ... HE IS SPOT ON WITH THE NINE STAGES.