Skiing and Scattergories

For the first time since the introduction of the blog, we have gone two weeks between updates. Do not be alarmed, as this may happen from time to time. In the event that this does occur, please remain calm and I will do my best to post as soon as possible. Why does this have to happen, you ask? Well, for two reasons. Number 1: we are very busy, and sometimes it’s just going to be hard to fit a blog entry into the schedule. Number 2: we won’t always have much to write about. It just so happened that for the first month of the blog we were doing something fun and adventurous each weekend. That won’t always be the case, and in those times, we won’t force an entry. This weekend, however, was very exciting, so here you go.

This weekend, our good friend Laura Mullen invited us up to her parent’s house in Wilmington, VT. This was great on two levels. First, we got to stay at a beautiful house in a beautiful part of Vermont with some of our best friends. And second, Saturday was Valentine’s Day, and I didn’t have to make any plans. Thankfully, Sarah’s not really into Valentine’s Day anyway, but it was still nice to have something to do. There were six of us in all; Laura (of course) and A.J., Dre and A.C., and Sarah and me. In Valentine’s Day speak, it was a triple date (I know, I know…that’s super corny).

We all arrived within a few hours of each other on Friday night. It was a relaxing evening, as we toured the house (did I mention it’s beautiful?), shared a couple drinks, and chatted awhile before heading to bed to get some rest for our big day ski day at Mount Snow.

It was our intention to get to the mountain as the lifts were opening at 9 a.m. Of course, that didn’t quite happen. By the time we made the 20 minute drive to the mountain and were ready to hit the slopes it was almost 11. We were greeted by huge lift lines (Happy President’s Day!) and waited nearly an hour before our first run. After that the lines were not quite as bad, as many skiers broke for lunch. We skied through the afternoon, stopping only for lunch and a beer at around 1. Conditions were great on the mountain, as there was a good amount of powder and minimal ice. Our group was of varied ability, as two members had only been on skis a couple of times (A.C. and A.J.), one was on a snowboard for the second time (Dre), and the other three (Laura, Sarah, and I) had considerably more experience. The beginners all did exceptionally well (especially A.J., whose experience on skates combined with his retro ski jacket made it seem like he’d been skiing for years).

When we finally had enough we packed our things and headed back to the house. It was now game time! What game, you ask? Uno, of course! The deck of cards we used was older than all of us! We decided to try and get a quick game in before dinner, which turned out to be a mistake, as two hours later we finally started cooking. A.C. made some delicious chicken parm which we smothered with my homemade pasta sauce (my Dad’s secret recipe). It was excellent, especially considering (or perhaps, because) we were all a few drinks deep.

After dinner we went back to the games, and this time it was Scattergories. I could go into great detail here, describing how the game went and all the hilarity that ensued. But this has already been a long entry, and I would not be able to do it justice, anyway. So you’ll just have to take my word…it was funny. There is one thing I feel like I should mention about the game, and that is that I won. That’s the kind of thing you need to know. Everything else is just details.

Sunday morning we made a big pancake breakfast, cleaned up a bit, and then hit the road. I really can’t say enough about how much fun we had, and I can’t thank Laura’s parents enough for letting us all stay at the house for the weekend. Those of you who were there (you know who you are), please feel free to comment below if there is anything you’d like to add. You can see all the pics here. With that, I am done for now. Enjoy your week!

Stowe Pinnacle and so much more

As I mentioned last time we spoke, Sarah and I spent this weekend in Vermont, staying with Sarah’s parents in Woodstock. Of course, Sarah’s parents are, now my in-laws. This still sounds strange to me because I actually like them, and from what I understand, that’s just not normal. Oh well, I’ll give it some time, maybe I’ll come around. Now, we never need an excuse to come to Vermont. It just so happened that this time we had one. Bill McKibben, an excellent author as well as tireless environmental activist, was scheduled to speak at the Woodstock Town Hall. More on that later. For now, let’s take a hike.

As Saturday morning rolled around, Sarah and I had no idea where we were going to hike. We knew that we were going to be ending up in Warren, VT for dinner (home of Sarah’s Uncle Ben, Aunt Susan, and their two beautiful children, Elizabeth and Sam). We also knew that we didn’t want something that would take forever to complete. So we choose Stowe Pinnacle, a small mountain in the Worcester Range. (I know what you’re thinking…Worcester? Believe me, it’s much nicer than the dumpy city in Massachusetts of the same name.) This time, we brought Jessie along (the Boston’s beautiful English Setter, for those who may not know). The hike started with a gentle climb through a thin hardwood forest. The climb gradually steepened (and seemingly never relented), mixing in a few rather steep pitches for good measure. Eventually, the trail leveled as we reached a little col where a spur trail led to a nice view of the Stowe Valley.

After briefly taking in the view, we got back on the main trail and continued to the summit. At this point the trail wrapped around to the backside of the mountain and descended a bit before beginning the final ascent. Emerging onto the 2740 foot summit we were greeted with beautiful views. Although we had stood in this same spot just over two years ago, we were still surprised by the landscape that sprawled out before us. Across the Stowe Valley stood two of Vermont’s most famous landmarks, Camels Hump and Mount Mansfield. Their striking profiles easily make them two of the most interesting mountains I have ever seen (and climbed). We lingered on the summit just long enough to snap a few pictures (which are here) and let Jessie soak up the view before we moved out of the wind to have our lunch. After that we made a speedy descent and were back at the car just over 2.5 hours from when we left it.

Before heading to Ben and Susan’s we stopped at The Shed in Stowe Village to enjoy a beer and a warm bowl of soup. Of course, the hiker who was most deserving of a treat like this had to wait in the car. Why? Well, because she’s a dog. I say she’s most deserving because, as is always the case, Jessie covered at least four times as much ground as Sarah and I did. It’s just the way she hikes (and as far as I’m concerned, better her than me).

After our quick pit-stop we continued on to Warren. We were lucky enough to have Brian and J.J. Lanigan join us all for the evening. It was especially great to see the little kids. Sam is really growing and it’s getting easier and easier to make him smile. As for Elizabeth, she is the most perfect 26 month old I have ever seen. Of course, I may be somewhat biased considering that she adores me (I am such a sucker).

Finally, I mentioned above that we had the pleasure of listening to a favorite author of ours speak on Sunday (along with US Senator Bernie Sanders). Their focus was on the state of the economy and where the environment fits in that picture. I won’t get into any detail of the talk, but it was extremely interesting and I am thankful that we have people like Bill McKibben making an effort to preserve our planet. With that, I am done for now. Enjoy your week!