Davidson Woods

from Tim in Costa Rica to his family
Patty submitted on January 14, 1970
Hola is how they say it down here in Costa Rica. Sorry ive had trouble trying to contact everyone but I haven?t gotten the phone card dialing down yet because there are bout 1200 numbers you have to dial and by the time you get them dialed you only get the answering machine oh well. Another difficulty is that we are not allowed to use the wireless network because we'll jam up the system and so we have to connect our laptops to the 7 desktop computers that are in high demand. The Internet is deathly slow like the old computers we use to
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTHola is how they say it down here in Costa Rica. Sorry ive had trouble trying to contact everyone but I haven?t gotten the phone card dialing down yet because there are bout 1200 numbers you have to dial and by the time you get them dialed you only get the answering machine oh well. Another difficulty is that we are not allowed to use the wireless network because we'll jam up the system and so we have to connect our laptops to the 7 desktop computers that are in high demand. The Internet is deathly slow like the old computers we use to have. I jus got franks email prob from Monday, it took bout 20 minutes to get it and I saw brains message but I didn?t click on it because I was getting tired of waiting for stuff to load. So my main point is costa rica is truly on some kind of tropical island time !!! I will do my best though to stay in touch and email as much as possible maybe one big letter every couple of days. Well let me start from the first day. Monday I got in and there were bout 5 other kids at the airport and we drove to atenas because all of the other kids were delayed. We chilled at the center as it is known and jus got to know one another. Later that night at bout 11 there were like 25 more students that came. Frank( don?t worry there was no 9oclock meeting for your excitement). On Tuesday we hung around and the rest of the kids had to do some work to become registered with the embassy and other intro stuff that I had done on Monday so basically I sat by the pool as anyone would who had some free time. The pool is a small bean shape and is shallow and has a little teakie hut with chairs. The center is bout 5 mins out of town and all the houses are gated. There is a student/dorm center with prob 5 girls rooms and 3 mens rooms. There are bout 25 girls and 8 boys the odds are in our favor! The dorm is spacey and kinda empty but simple. A few couches and chairs and a tv that no one uses. There is a washer machine and we hang up the clothes on the line like cape cod. There are 6 hammocks like the one at aunt mary Helens that hang on a outdoor area that is shaded by an aluminum roof ( very exotic). I think pretty soon people will be fighting for them. The showers are the hardest to get use to because its only cold water so you wake up instantly. We start the day with bfast at 7 and then they go over the activities for the day. No one knows when class really is and the schedule is off bout 2 hours which truly shows that costa Ricans move at a different pace. We had a few lectures on some environmental stuff, it was very broad but prob by Monday we will be getting into specific topics. I became good friends with that kid alex who traveled down to panama before school. Weve been taking advantage of our free time and have been going into town because there hasn?t been any assignments yet. We take a taxi into town and its bout a dollar. When you call for a taxi you have to talk in Spanish and describe your location because there are no street signs. Were bout 3 km from the iglesia and over by the dam and yadda yadda yadda the cab some how finds the place every time? We had a scavenger hunt in town on wed to find different places. Its small and a few of the locals already recognize us. The weather is not that bad its bout 75-80 kinda like the cape, but I sweat more like dad when he works in the yard. Apparently it?s the rainy season so its nice out in the morning and like clock work there is a tropical rain at bout 3 o?clock and most times it stops by dinner time. Also at the center is a eating place and its kinda like slade where it?s a community meal of typically rice and beans for bout every meal and we clean the dishes in soap and water bowls outside. The landscape of the center is beautiful with billions of tropical trees and herbaceous species. We have to wear closed toe shoes after dark because of snakes. They already chopped the head off of a huge snake that was on the path. They only come out at night really to eat. There are some huge lizards in the bushes. I was peeing one night at like 4 am and there was a massive lizard bout a foot long above the stall and I almost fell off the toilet lol. On thurs we had our first field trip. We piled in vans and put all our bags on the roof like some African safari. We traveled towards the Caribbean coast but more inland so no ocean. I got a good window seat and watched the different houses fly by. Lots of people drive dirtbikes because the roads aren?t that good. So we drove bout 3 hours to try to get to this organic co-op farm and one of the bridges was down so we had to take a 2 hour roundabout. Once again time here is kinda non-existent. We saw two self-sufficient farms and they fed us many times on their patio. The farmers wear huge machetes but they are tied to their waste and it looks like they tie it to themselves with what ever they have lying around such as string or rope. The farms were hot and the people worked hard. We got some coconuts from the farms and we even have them here at the center. You can wack at them with a machete until the milk flies everywhere. If only chuck Nolan had a machete. The farmers also fed us some good banana bread. After the farms we drove that night to this retreat lodge in Manu. It was a massive teakie hut and we slept on the floor. All the staff got private cabins oh well. There was a fair going on in that town that night with a rodeo but we weren?t allowed to go. The next day we explored a secondary rainforest there the next morning before bfast for 2 hours. We wear the rubber boots because the mud is deep and they work out well. Everyone wears rain gear but I get too hot so I wear the boots, shorts and a tank top along with a umbrella. I like to keep it simple. So on Friday we drove bout 3 hours to the dole banana plantation. We had a tour in a huge downpour. Everyone was asking questions bout there chemicals and how they don?t pay there works enough but I still like bananas. As frank says you cant be against everything! The guide kept saying we were in the bananana republics so it made me think of that buffet song. He had me and this other kid volunteer to cut the massive stack of bannans. Its pouring rain and everyone is standing around and nick gets under this massive bananan tree to catch the bannnanas on his back with a pad that they gave him. The huge tour guide strapped his 2 foot machete to me. So nick is bracing him self and he has me place my feet in a strong stance and put my arm up with the machete ready to wack this huge bush and tells me to watch carefully or I could chop off nicks head if I miss. My arm is up in the air with the knife and the tour guide is yelling 1?..2?. and the rain is pouring down and everyone was watching( I felt like I was in indiana jones bout to slash the bridge. Before he yells 3 he goes did you really think I was going to let you cut that down and then gets professionals to do it. Everyone was laughing and people got some awesome photos of me with my knife ready to slash the tree. We also got to try some banana liquour. On the way home we took a scenic route and got to go behind a massive waterfall and stopped at a hut that had tons of hummingbirds flying around. Friday night everyone came to town to a fiesta except for one kid who wanted to play pictionary???? This party was for independence day viva viva costa rica. Don?t worry I stick out like a sore thumb in town but my mustache is getting bigger. On sat we went back into town for a town parade that lasted for 2 hours with kids dressing up. We are suppose to have a half day on sat but the lectures didn?t end till 4 so who can figure. We have Sunday off but we can only be out till 12 on fri and sat. For brian our week break is at the end of October and I think we only get like mon-fri off so everyone wants to extend that to the weekends, once again who can figure its costa rica!! Maybe we can work something out for after the semester. The best way I can explain the center is that it?s a lot like the adk lodge and i kinda feel like this area looks like the ping island with steve zissou. My Spanish got better with the long drive while talking in the car, como dice hot tub? Or as Roberto Gomez says yo queero. Life is good so ill be in touch with more stories soon. Pura Vida , senior timothy (ill try to get some photos to you all)
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Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize
Kara submitted on January 14, 1970
I know Gore is not loved by everyone, but I didn't think I could continue posting articles on climate change without acknowledging the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their work to disseminate information on the issue. It is an awesome acceptance of the global significance of the problem and that if measures are not taken to understand and mitigate and to face the problem and its solutions, that it will be an issue of international conflict.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTI know Gore is not loved by everyone, but I didn't think I could continue posting articles on climate change without acknowledging the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their work to disseminate information on the issue. It is an awesome acceptance of the global significance of the problem and that if measures are not taken to understand and mitigate and to face the problem and its solutions, that it will be an issue of international conflict. Those are my first thoughts on the topic, I'm attaching a link to the article as reference. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/13/world/13nobel.html?ex=1207800000&en=a09d6d4a2d4bb2ed&ei=5087&excamp=GGGNalgorepeaceprize&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=GN-S-E-GG-SEM-KP-1055490488-S-NA-al_gore_peace_prize
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Dennis S. Sattler
Mark W. submitted on January 14, 1970
Dennis S. Sattler, the Uncle of Mary Margaret Bracewell Woods, was the fourth president (1913-14) of the Business Circle of Chicago, Illinois. This business luncheon group was formed in 1908 to foster better business relations and improve the community. The Business Circle of Chicago changed its name in 1917 to the Central Lions Club of Chicago. Lions Clubs International was created in 1917 at a meeting of delegates from mens clubs across the United States hosted by the Business Circle/Central Lions Club of Chicago.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTDennis S. Sattler, the Uncle of Mary Margaret Bracewell Woods, was the fourth president (1913-14) of the Business Circle of Chicago, Illinois. This business luncheon group was formed in 1908 to foster better business relations and improve the community. The Business Circle of Chicago changed its name in 1917 to the Central Lions Club of Chicago. Lions Clubs International was created in 1917 at a meeting of delegates from mens clubs across the United States hosted by the Business Circle/Central Lions Club of Chicago. The Business Circle/Central Lions Club of Chicago is recognized internationally as "the Mother Club of Lionism". Dennis S. Sattler is listed in the Honor Roll of Past Presidents, see: http://chicagocentralil.lionwap.org
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Ray H. Bracewell (1888-1954)
Mark W. submitted on January 14, 1970
Ray Herman Bracewell was the father of Mary Margaret Bracewell Woods. He was associated with the Burlington Iowa Public School System for 35 years (1919-1954), first as high school and college principal and for 17 years as Superintendent of Schools. Prior to that, as acting principal in Springfield, Illinois, he opened a new million dollar high school in 1918. He became nationally recognized through his work with school administration organizations. He played a major role in the establishment of a local junior college in 1920, and
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTRay Herman Bracewell was the father of Mary Margaret Bracewell Woods. He was associated with the Burlington Iowa Public School System for 35 years (1919-1954), first as high school and college principal and for 17 years as Superintendent of Schools. Prior to that, as acting principal in Springfield, Illinois, he opened a new million dollar high school in 1918. He became nationally recognized through his work with school administration organizations. He played a major role in the establishment of a local junior college in 1920, and is historically recognized as the father of the Burlington Junior/Community College, now known as Southeastern Community College. The shared high school and college athletic bowl which he developed was named in his honor in 1954 and still retains the name "Bracewell Stadium". He served in the Army and achieved the rank of Second Lieutenant. He was considered an important civic leader, having served as a member of the Rotary Club and the Masonic Order, and was proud to have taught a Bible class for 35 years. He was born on an 80 acre hillside farm outside of Jacksonville, Illinois. His father Frank E. Bracewell and brother Ross W. Bracewell were Methodist ministers. You can do a google search and find numerous references to Ray H. Bracewell and to Bracewell Stadium. If you go to the following link you find an obituary/memorial that appeared in newsprint announcing his passing: www.bracewellfamily.com. Another brother, Dr. Kent Bracewell, taught physics at Hamline University, Minnesota's first university, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, where there is an endowed physics scholarship bearing his name.
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Union College joins the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment
Kara submitted on January 14, 1970
The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment is a program of my organization where presidents and chancellors of higher education institutions promise to make their schools climate neutral. I thought it was fun that Union signed up. There are now 419 schools signed up, representing over 3.4 million students. Article below: http://www.union.edu/N/DS/edition_display.php?e=1452&s=7421 The greening of Union: College signs climate pact Union has gone green, officially.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTThe American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment is a program of my organization where presidents and chancellors of higher education institutions promise to make their schools climate neutral. I thought it was fun that Union signed up. There are now 419 schools signed up, representing over 3.4 million students. Article below: http://www.union.edu/N/DS/edition_display.php?e=1452&s=7421 The greening of Union: College signs climate pact Union has gone green, officially. President Stephen C. Ainlay recently signed a pact with hundreds of other leaders in higher education to formally work on reducing, and eventually eliminating, campus global warming emissions. As a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), Union also promises to provide critical research and education that will help eliminate global warming. “I am proud to be associated with 300 other college and university presidents in committing to make immediate changes to reduce our environmental footprint and to develop a multi-year plan to do even more,” Ainlay recently told the campus community. “The commitment dovetails with the College’s efforts to develop a work plan for sustainability as part of the strategic planning process,” he said. Ainlay made environmental causes a central theme in his Convocation address last month. “I am convinced that our response to issues related to the environment will be among those by which our era will be judged. I would ask each of you to commit to our efforts. We all bear responsibility for reducing our environmental impact and educating future generations.” As part of the ACUPCC agreement, Union has pledged to develop a comprehensive long-term plan to cut emissions. In addition, the College will immediately begin using sustainable standards for all new buildings and contract for wind power, which accounts for 15 percent of the school’s total energy that is purchased annually. ACUPCC is the first such effort by any major sector of society to set climate neutrality – not only a reduction – as its target. It was inspired by efforts like the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership and other collective efforts by states and businesses. To learn more, go to www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org.
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A Halloween Greeting
MarkD submitted on January 14, 1970

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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENT<embed src="http://livedigital.com/static/flash/ld_video_xml_v1b.swf" wmode="transparent" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" id="virvEmbed" width="400" height="320" name="virv" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="u=&c=1781696&h=livedigital.com&ap=0&m=0&em=1"><br><a href="http://livedigital.com/content/1781696">View this on LiveDigital</a>
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My boss' post on our blog...
Kara submitted on January 14, 1970
The founder of ecoAmerica is a successful businessman, entreprenuer, and environmentalist. He recently attended the annual Clinton Global Initiative Meeting...and this was what he had to say after. Teams & Friends, Things are different here in my third year at the Clinton Global Initiative.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTThe founder of ecoAmerica is a successful businessman, entreprenuer, and environmentalist. He recently attended the annual Clinton Global Initiative Meeting...and this was what he had to say after. Teams & Friends, Things are different here in my third year at the Clinton Global Initiative. There has been a major emphasis shift toward Climate & Energy. It's gone from a smaller subject area to by far the largest. Instead of a token plenary, it's all or part of every plenary. The amount of money channeled toward climate through CGI commitments seems to have gone from about $100 million to literally $10 billion+ (I have no official confirmation on this yet...) The energy and the desperation on the issue are palpable. Our choices on climate change are mitigation (slow and minimize it), adaptation (adjust) or suffering. It's clear that the world faces a powerful mix of all three, and the sooner and bolder we act, the more lives and species we save. Virtually all the projections of climate change have been too conservative. If the Arctic keeps melting at current rates, there will be no ice there in less than 23 years. It will take hundreds of thousands of years (if ever) for it to return. And with a new coal fired power plant coming online somewhere in the world every three days, people will emit more carbon into the atmosphere in the next 20 years than they have in the entire history of humanity. If you think about that for a moment and your heart doesn't miss a beat, you're not paying attention. Al Gore keeps saying we face a planetary emergency, and this is the first time I (who does the environment basically for a living) really get it. We may well even be talking about saving humanity. The unprecedented UN session as well as President Bush's climate summit, both last week, serve to reinforce the importance and urgency climate change is taking as a global issue. All the money and effort toward attacking global warming (with the exception of Gore's Climate Alliance which is not part of CGI) continues to go toward technology and public policy solutions. Of the dozens of commitments on climate at CGI, not one of them that I heard was directed toward public awareness and education. We/they bemoan the lack of public support and conservation (the fastest, most profitable way of addressing climate) among consumers (2/3rds of our GNP) but all the focus here is on stopping coal, renewable energy, and 'cap and trade'. However much we're all doing now to stop global warming, we should each find ways to do more. Thanks, Bob http://ecoamerica.typepad.com/blog/2007/10/my-thoughts-fol.html
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Our Surname "Woods"
Mark W. submitted on January 14, 1970
The surname "Woods" is of English, Scottish and Irish derivation, and was a topographical name for someone who lived in the woods. However, did you know our family surname "Woods" is derived from a partial translation of the French surname "Brisbois"? Our direct French-Canadian ancestor and his brother came south from Quebec to fight in the American Civil War and Americanized their family name from "Brisbois" to "Woods". Our family genealogist, Frank Woods, has details on their military service in the Civil War, descendants, where they're buried, etc.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTThe surname "Woods" is of English, Scottish and Irish derivation, and was a topographical name for someone who lived in the woods. However, did you know our family surname "Woods" is derived from a partial translation of the French surname "Brisbois"? Our direct French-Canadian ancestor and his brother came south from Quebec to fight in the American Civil War and Americanized their family name from "Brisbois" to "Woods". Our family genealogist, Frank Woods, has details on their military service in the Civil War, descendants, where they're buried, etc. "Brisbois" (From American Family Name Origins (Answers.com)): French: from Old French BRISER "to break" + BOIS "wood", hence possibly a nickname for someone who cleared land.
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September 27, 2007 – Schenectady, New York
Anne and Chuck submitted on January 14, 1970
We are in transition, having just completed a series of walks totaling about 150 miles on the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and New Hampshire. We are now visiting family and are on route to settle in at our new house on South Mountain near Arendtsville, Pennnsylvania. We still hope to find a few more birds this year, and in fact Chuck saw a first-of-year yellow-throated vireo yesterday, but other activities, primarily moving into and making improvements to our little log house, will take much of our time over the next few of months.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTWe are in transition, having just completed a series of walks totaling about 150 miles on the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and New Hampshire. We are now visiting family and are on route to settle in at our new house on South Mountain near Arendtsville, Pennnsylvania. We still hope to find a few more birds this year, and in fact Chuck saw a first-of-year yellow-throated vireo yesterday, but other activities, primarily moving into and making improvements to our little log house, will take much of our time over the next few of months. Our hiking went well. There were many hours of peaceful walking through quiet forest and no major injuries. We joined our hiking buddies and past and future neighbors, Jane and Bob, for this walk which they had planned. Trail hiking is a gentle routine including wake up, breakfast, watching sunlight break through the trees, breaking camp, setting bearings, walking, stopping for snacks, lunch, and gathering of water, more walking, and making camp and dinner in the evening. This simple pattern may be interrupted by weather, encounters with other walkers or wildlife, “technical climbs” of peaks, road crossings, and even brief contacts with civilization – hostels, dining establishments, and general stores –, and hikers must adjust to whatever demands are imposed differently than do those practicing modern life. Whatever solution must involve the “shanks-mare” and that requires creativity and often acceptance of what would otherwise be considered unacceptable. On this walk the end of a section of one of our tent poles (an arched elastic-cord linked series of aluminum tubes) broke. The break occurred as we were assembling the tent and the sharp point left on the tube cut tent fabric as a compound fracture cuts flesh. We patiently pulled the section of pole back and managed to extract it from the sleeve. Then we used the basic hiker repair material, duct tape, to reattach the broken end to the section of pole tube and saw the repair survive the tension imposed by the stretch cord. Careful assembly each evening and a second repair on the last evening, enabled us to keep the tent functional until the end of the walk. The northern New England weather was variable, if a little warm, as is usual in September. Our initial walk from Hanover New Hampshire across the Connecticut River and on to Danby, Vermont started with a hot afternoon and another hot day followed by three days of rain, then two lovely days with chilly nights. The Green Mountains of Vermont provided moderately smooth trails with some vigorous climbs. The trail passed over the peak at Killington and past the White Rocks cliffs. We were able to buy three fine dinners along this section, the first at a general store, the second at a café and the third at an Irish pub. We stayed one night at a motel near where the trail crossed U.S. route 4. We paid three dollars for laundry service (one bag for the four of us), less than it would have cost to have gone to a Laundromat. We indulged in taking breakfast at the motel dining room before hitting the trail. A young couple from Czechoslovakia ran the “hiker friendly” establishment. The lady served us breakfast and the man drove us the two miles back to the trail crossing. Arriving at the trail crossing near Danby, we obtained another ride back to our RV from the campground proprietor. This was made possible by the miracle of cellular phone technology. At the campground we obtained a wonderful shower and settled in for an evening of recovery from the ordeals of hiking. Aching, but strengthening, muscles, sore feet, and backs tired of thin hiking sleep-mats enjoyed the comforts of padded seats and soft mattrises. Wine and hamburgers warmed our bodies at dinner and soft beds healed us at night. The next day we drove the RV to Hanover and recovered our dinghy there. Leaving Jane and Bob’s car at the Dartmouth parking lot we drove to the state park at Franconia Notch. Along the way we dropped our dinghy off at Kinsman Notch at the foot of formidable Mt. Moosilauke. We also stopped at Rutland to buy groceries and launder our again-dirty trail garb. We found our first “Wireless Laundromat” and checked our correspondence as the clothes rolled. The second walk was a two-day hike over the Kinsman range from Franconia to Kinsman notch. This was a tough seventeen-mile hike including a stiff climb and a challenging descent of Mt. Kinsman. It started well and we arrived at the AMC Lonesome Lake Hut next to the glacial pond in a couple of hours. We waited as the staff washed out the floor and then enjoyed hot beverage and wonderful fresh-baked gingerbread. We played with the idea of walking out at the end of the day. A few hours later that idea seemed laughable, but we reached the summit of Kinsman on a fabulous partly-cloudy afternoon and then made camp a few miles farther on. The end of the first day included long sections of steep rocky declines on classic White Mountain trail made of broken rock slabs requiring good balance, small and not-so-small leaps, and strong ankles and knees to support the hikers and packs. Day two should have been an easy walkout to the notch, but it was not. Instead the trail continued tough and over a second unnamed peak (Chuck nicknamed it Mt. Spud – from the trail acronym “stupid, pointless, up-and-down”) and finally wound its way down to the road crossing. We walked across the highway and then a few hundred yards farther down the flat trail leading to Mt. Moosilauke before turning out into the parking lot and finding our little car. It took us again back to our RV and another celebration of victory over the trail. The next day we relocated our camper again, this time dropping the dinghy off at the south side of Moosilauke (Glencliff) before settling in at a private RV park in North Woodstock, NH. There we took a day off and enjoyed an evening video, Evita, and a soft night’s sleep. The next morning the proprietor met us at dawn and drove us back to Kinsman notch. There we looked up at the formidable north wall of Moosilauke and the infamous Beaver Brook trail. A few minutes down the trail it went vertical. A pair of “through-hikers” had set up camp there after an evening descent off the mountain. They commented that the descent had been difficult and slippery. We marveled that they had dared to come down the mountain in the dark. Chuck remembered making this descent in the late ‘60s with his sister at the end of a day hike over the mountain. They did not realize how difficult it was and his sister, wearing only sneakers, could almost go no farther as daylight faded. So, while this was only a ten-mile day hike, we approached it cautiously. We planned the early start to give us plenty of time, and we hiked north-to-south so as to ascend rather than descend the steep Beaver Brook Trail. As it turned out, the hike went very well. The weather was grand, clear, cool, and breezy. The Beaver Brook Trail has recently been much improved; steps and iron bars now make passage across many of the slick rock faces much easier. We were in great hiking shape after completing some eleven days of backpacking. So, we ascended quickly from the northern mixed forest into the spruce-fir forest. By noon we crossed the tree line and walked across an alpine meadow to the summit. We sat on the summit rocks, lunched, and admired a 360 degree view of the Whites. To the north and below us stood the formidable Mt. Kinsman that we had surmounted days before. To the northeast shined the rocky peak of Mt. Lafayette on the east side of Franconia Notch. Behind it in the distance stood Mt. Washington with its usual lenticular cloud halo and the Presidential Range. To the south were Mt. Carr and to the southwest was Mt. Cube that would be our next climb when we continued our backpack to Hanover. On the summit itself were the remains of the foundation of the old mountaintop lodge. We shared the summit with a few other hikers including a young woman who had completed a through hike earlier this year and an older couple that had walked up the old carriage road from the Mt. Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. Yellow-rumped warblers and American pipits were catching insects that began flying as the day warmed. Autumn color was now beginning to appear. Birches were turning yellow and red maples were becoming more so. The descent was long but except for a few sections was much less rocky than the trail off of the Kinsmans. The trail crossed old fields that now sported blue asters and yellow goldenrod. Many monarch butterflies floated above them. We were back at the car by four and returned to the RV for another relaxed evening. We took yet another zero day and did another laundry in downtown North Woodstock, NH. The following morning we drove our Ford Focus back to Glencliff and began a final four-day walk to Hanover. As Chuck had guessed, the trail south of Moosilauke was qualitatively and quantitatively different from that of the White Mountains. It was still not easy, and Mt. Cube had some rough sections, but overall the run was only difficult and not rough and “technical.” Being a four-day walk with no breaks, we had to start with a good load of supplies and heavy packs. The weather had warmed a bit and we sweated plenty on the first two days. This gave us that gritty sticky feeling that made going to bed uncomfortable for us softies. On the second night we camped on a mountaintop and felt and heard the wind roar as a cold front pushed through and swept away the warm humidity. The next morning was spectacular. The clearing air provided grand views of the now multihued deciduous forest in the valley below. We moved sprightly now through the breezy forest. The next and last day of the final walk too was beautiful. Our hike took us over a last hill and down into the town of Hanover and past the campus of Dartmouth College which was full of young people actively beginning a new semester. Reaching our car in mid afternoon, we released our feet from the hiking shoes into sandals and took a celebratory drive in Jane and Bob’s Prius back to Glencliff to get our little car and return to the RV for a final post-hike cleanup. We dined at the lovely North Woodstock Inn and slept well. On Tuesday, September 25, Jane and Bob returned to South Mountain. Anne and Chuck took the RV and dinghy to Schenectady for a visit with the Woods clan. Everyone’s feet rested. We stopped at a small stand along the road and bought maple syrup, paying “by honor.” Arriving late, Anne still managed to prepare a wonderful vegetable soup at the Douglas Road house. We returned to the RV, parked in Rexford, before eleven, but were still very tired at the end of the first day off the trail. Strange how one can be so tired from doing so little after so many days of vigorous exercise. We found our bed refreshing and rewarding, being on our own again.
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Rob's Home In the Stockade (updated)
Patty submitted on January 14, 1970
There were two great articles in the Gazette discussing Rob's home in the stockade. They are attached for anyone who didn't catch them.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTThere were two great articles in the Gazette discussing Rob's home in the stockade. They are attached for anyone who didn't catch them.
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