Mt. Mansfield, Vermont

The crest of Mt. Mansfield, which is Vermont's highest mountain, resembles the profile of a human face. The mountain's highest point is the Chin, at 4,395 feet. From the chin are promontories for the nose, forehead and even the Adam's Apple.

Like Camel's Hump, the views are 360 degrees around. On Saturday, from the Chin of Mt. Mansfield, we looked southwest to see the majestic double summit of Camel's Hump, the summit we climbed to on Friday, July 4th. Just as we did when on top of Camel's Hump, here on Mt. Mansfield, we could see Lake Champlain, the city of Burlington, and New York state's Adirondack Mountains.

Cantilever Rock off of the Sunset Ridge Trail is worth the side excursion. It's a truly amazing 30 foot rock monolith jutting from the face of a barren cliff (see photo). It's so massive and apparently precariously situated that I felt uncomfortable standing beneath it.

A warning -- don't descend via the Laura Cowles Trail! And don't rely on the map you purchase at Underhill State Park! The map leads you to believe that the grade for both the Sunset Ridge Trail and Laura Cowles Trail is the same, as the contour lines look nearly identical. Beware! While the Sunset Ridge Trail is rated as difficult, with rock scrambles and rough footing in many sections, the Laura Cowles Trail is extremely steep and FAR more difficult. It is truly a challenge to descend on the Laura Cowles Trail. If you want to do a loop to the Chin from Underhill State Park, ascend the Laura Cowles, and return via the Sunset Ridge Trail. Your knees will thank you.

7.0 miles (with side trip to Cantilever Rock), ~2,500' elevation gain
Summit: Mt. Mansfield (the Chin) = 4,395 feet
Route: Sunset Ridge Trail to the Chin; Laura Cowles Trail back to Underhill State Park lot

Stunning views from Vermont's third-highest mountain - Camel's Hump

After walking through a forest of moss, lichen and ferns, and navigating many water-covered rocks (which fortunately aren't too slippery), one reaches the summit of Camel's Hump with moderate effort on the Monroe Trail. Many dogs on this trail have their own packs, and inevitably ascend faster than their owners. They have four feet after all! :-)

The 360 degree views from the summit of Camel's Hump are stunning -- west to Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks in New York (see photo), north to Mt. Mansfield, and east to the White Mountains. You really feel like you're on top of the world!

7.4 miles, 2,600' elevation gain
Summit: Camel's Hump = 4,083 feet
Route: Monroe Trail

Great B&B in North Conway, NH

If you're in North Conway, I highly recommend the Wildflowers Inn. The rooms are nice, and the breakfast delicious. But what makes this B&B stand out from the rest is the ambiance. The owners are extremely friendly and personable, and make you feel at home as soon as you walk in the door. They accommodated our request for early, pre-hike breakfasts and even upgraded us to a suite with an in-room jacuzzi when they found out we were celebrating Mike's birthday! You won't be disappointed if you stay at Wildflowers!

South Moat Mountain in the fog and mizzle

Approaching thunderstorms on June 21st prevented us from summiting South Moat, but we made another, more successful attempt on June 28th, walking in mizzle and dense fog. We're told that there are amazing views both from the ridge and from the summit, but alas, the fog was too thick for us to see them.

It is a very pleasant path, with a short (1/4 mile long) talus slope and a moderate incline. No rock scrambling.

On the way back down, we stopped to find two "Moat Mountain Challenge" geocaches (#4 and #6), supplementing the two we'd found the weekend before.

5.4 miles, ~2,200' elevation gain
Summit: South Moat Mountain = 2,770 feet
Route: Moat Mountain Trail from Dugway Road

A quieter way up Mt. Pemigewasset

There are two trails up Mount Pemigewasset. The Mount Pemigewasset Trail, which starts from the Flume Visitor Center, is the most popular. I've done that trail a dozen times. But this was a first for me on the Indian Head Trail, which starts a short distance away. Conditions on Saturday, April 26 were difficult at best:

• the trial was very poorly marked, causing an excruciating number of stops along the way to find the elusive yellow blazes
• much of the trail was flooded, causing even our waterproof boots to get soaked
• a good portion of the trail, especially at the beginning and near the summit, had piles of snow 3' high, causing post-holes unless you used snowshoes

Even though it was 70 degrees by mid-day and we were in shorts and t-shirts, we definitely needed, and used, our snowshoes. We constantly put them on and took them off, bare booting it in the stream and at crossings. The last half-mile near the summit is very steep, giving me a chance to practice steep descents in snowshoes. The hike took 6-1/2 hours, despite the moderate mileage. That's the slowest I've ever gone on a trail, --even slower than the Caps Ridge Trail up Mt. Jefferson!

The views from the summit are just as spectacular this time of year as in the summer -- a nice reward for soaked boots and a frustratingly slow pace.

4.5 miles, ~1,500' elevation gain
Summit: Mt. Pemigewasset = 2,557 feet
Route: Indian Head Trail (very poorly marked)

Sex and democracy in "Elections and Erections"

Sex and democracy were both illegal in South Africa during the apartheid years, according to Pieter-Dirk Uys, who headlines the ART's current production. They are the subject of thought-provoking humor and political satire in Elections and Erections.

Uys, a playwright, actor and AIDS activist, delivers comedy and drama with equal brilliance. While most of the one-man play is packed with humor, the most moving part is his depiction of the fear he felt as a sexually active gay man in Johannesburg.

You'll enjoy this play, even if you're not intimately familiar with South African politics (though it helps). Uys makes the play contemporary by referencing the U.S. presidential election, Hillary Clinton and Eliot Spitzer, among others. I was entertained and even educated. I recommend seeing this production, which runs at the Zero Arrow Theater in Cambridge through May 4, 2008.

Hills on Long Island!

The white-blazed Greenbelt Trail, starting from Cold Spring Harbor, provides a surprising number of ascents and descents. Who would have thought that there are hills on Long Island? We walked for two hours toward Jericho Turnpike, crossing three roads, then turned back. This trail system, which is said to comprise more than 100 miles of trails, is a real plus for Long Island!