Canada

When anyone on the Long Trail asked me where I was heading last summer, I always said, “Canada.” One man replied, “Before the election?” This was in late August. I’d been on the trail for two weeks, and I’d forgotten about the election. At Sterling Lake, we spoke with...
Operatic Politics: Don Giovanni

Operatic Politics: Don Giovanni

While watching a recent Live in HD transmission of Don Giovanni, opera and politics collided, turning into a sharp commentary for what’s going on in American politics today. Don Giovanni is a licentious aristocrat, a libertine who relentlessly seduces women and even...

Ready, Set, Write!

Today is November first and the beginning of Nanowrimo –when writers worldwide try to pen a 50,000 novel before the end of the month. I’m not participating in Nanowrimo this year. The novel I’m working on is fermenting in a box. Instead, I’m working on a book of...
My New Attitude Toward Food

My New Attitude Toward Food

On the trail, I learned a new attitude toward food. When Jan and I started planning our trip, I imagined twenty-five days of oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter for lunch, and rice and beans for supper. Jan objected. “We need variety,” she said. “And texture.” She...
Mt. Mansfield Forces a Change of Plans

Mt. Mansfield Forces a Change of Plans

Mt. Mansfield Forces a Change of Plans We’d planned to hike an ambitious ten miles on September first, but we stopped after arduous six. It wasn’t the distance that stopped us; it was the topography, forcing us to change our plans. Our plan was to climb and traverse...

The Forest for the Trees

With New England’s hills ablaze in their autumn foliage, it’s impossible not to see the forest for the trees. But the forest is made up of individual trees, each of which turns a characteristic color this time of year. Generally, it’s the maples that turn scarlet and...