Roosevelt Stables

This morning after going to the AAFES Clothing & Sales and AAFES Barber Shop ($7.40 / haircut) on post, I filled my CamelBak 2-Liter bladder, grabbed freshly charged camera batteries, and set off in the Av for Pine Mountain, Georgia.



I made it to Roosevelt Stables just in time to catch the 1pm Overlook Trail ride. It was a 2 hr. ride through densely-wooded mountainside. At the top our guide (Courtney) directed the group to rest the horses--without dismounting for rider-liability reasons--as we took in the scenery of Pine Mountain Valley and Lake Franklin. I snapped some photos, gnawed on a MET-Rx Big 100 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar, and then played follow the leader in descending the mountain atop my mount "Bo" to return to the stables.

Our guide's horse, "Simon"

Bouldering at the Red Barn

So looking back through some photos on my laptop hard drive, I came across the night I tried "bouldering" at RIT's indoor facility, the Red Barn. It was 25 April 2006, almost exactly one year ago.

Bouldering is done close to the ground and often involves more sideways traversing than vertical climbing. It can involve some of the hardest problems and most technical moves of any climbing discipline, and many advanced climbers boulder on a regular basis to keep in shape. Bouldering is also a good way to get started in climbing since both the equipment requirements and the danger level are minimal. All that's needed are a pair of climbing shoes, a chalk bag and comfortable clothes. [from GreatOutdoors.com]

Bouldering proved to be an extremely tiresome endeavor and I didn't last nearly as long as my friend Stephanie and her husband, Luke. At that point they were both regulars at the Red Barn, climbing at least once a week. The activity is more about technique and finding ways to balance your body in order to minimize muscle exertion. Stephanie says that in Bouldering, it is very rewarding to be working on climbing a specific marked path and simply be able to discover the next move that works--even if it takes weeks!

Fairport to Newark - 25 Feb 07

On a Sunday after church Jessica, Mark, and I set off to do 1/2 of the length of Wayne County, New York on skis. Our route of travel was west to east along the Erie Canal Heritage Trail. Dad dropped us off by van slightly further west of the county line than originally intended and we rolled with it.



The starting point was the Lyndon Road bridge, just west of Perinton and on the outskirts of Fairport. We departed at 3:15 pm, more or less cruising without break until we had covered about 10 miles and reached Aqueduct Park in Palmyra, NY. Jess, Mark, and I gnawed through our half-frozen Power Bars there under the awesomely reconstructed Aldrich Change Bridge.



Our small group continued eastward from there, the sky turning dark. I pulled two headlamps from my Camelbak Snoblast daypack and relinquished them to Mark and Jess as I brought up the rear. We did not see any signage at the next bridge in Palmyra and crossed the road, losing the trail briefly after passing by a small roadside cafe. Momentarily Mark sighted the continuation of the trail on the opposite side and we skied across the iced-over Erie Canal to return to the north bank.



We passed over the newly-built bridges at Swift's Landing County Park (over Ganargua Creek) and continued on over the recently completed canalpath to Newark. The last 5 miles we skied in a downpouring of heavy wet snow, which caused some frustrating sticky-ski problems for me. After finally reaching the back parking lot of the Quality Inn in Newark, all three of us collapsed on a snow pile for a group photo. It was almost 10 pm. What a marathon ski! After Dad picked us back up by van, we went to Tommy's bar on the north side of town for delicious burgers and a pitcher of Beck's Dark.

Bristol Mtn. - 28 Jan 07

Evan F. and I hit the slopes for the first time of the season on Sunday, as Upstate NY finally has conditions conducive to snow-making.

The temperature hovered around 20 deg. (F) and was generally comfortable with basic layering.

Evan convinced me to head to the board park for awhile, from which I have several aches and bruises to show for it. Don't sign me up for the X-Games just yet!

We did the Twilight Lift deal--$35--having arrived in South Bristol around 5pm and staying until the Comet Express stopped running at 10pm. Anyone up for this weekend?