Banff – Larry Butler
October 14, 2016 § 1 Comment
“Holy Fuck Larry T Butler!”
“Holy Holy Fuck!!!”
When I climbed out of the Grand Canyon on Bright Angel Trail that day in April 2010, I walked over to a nearby bench that had a comprehensive view of the BAT exit and I sat down to wait for my compatriots, and to call my friend Larry T Butler. I had just had the most fantastic backpacking trip ever, and I was letting Larry know that we were coming back in two years, he, myself and whoever else from our crowd that we could bring along.
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Banff – Scott Hellier
October 12, 2016 § 2 Comments
Scotty is the person I have known the least amount of time, though I suppose you could argue that though I have knownDrew Butler all his life, I didn’t really get to know him until we started hiking together, and by that standard, Scotty is next to last.
Anyway, I first met Scotty in Phoenix when I came out to accompany Marty on this last excursion into the Grand Canyon. A trip that would enter at Hermits Rest, and emerge at The Bright Angel Trail in the Village.
Banff 2016 – The Next Adventure
October 10, 2016 § Leave a comment
Upon returning from Utah in September 2014 (See Albums High Uintas) I immediately began thinking about my next adventure, and I can assure you that at that time, the Canadian Rockies were not on my radar. I have the National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps for Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Grand Tetons, and Glacier and I pored over them looking for circuits that could be done in 6-8 days of reasonable mileage. A circuit is best, as the logistics of shuttling don’t factor into the planning, but if there are no circuits, then how to make a point to point work. Personally I prefer a point to point over an in and out, as I would rather have fresh scenery each day vs a different angle on scenery already seen.
Banff – Walter Martin Everetts
October 10, 2016 § 2 Comments
I have known Walt as Marty because my introduction to him was facilitated by my then roommate, who became my girlfriend, who became my wife, a.k.a. Susan who is sibling to Marty, and Marty is the family name for Walt. To me he is always Marty, but I have gotten used to referring to him as Walt in front of people who only know him as Walt.
When You Carry Too Much Stuff
October 7, 2016 § Leave a comment
I started this recent adventure the way I have started all previous adventures. I just start pulling stuff out and putting it all together. This time we were heading into the Canadian Rockies for a mid September romp in the back-country and because of the potential for snow, I had to make sure that both myself and my companions were prepared for the whatever mother nature could throw at us. While the threat of a heavy snow is always present, generally the high country gets smaller accumulations this time of year. We were hailed on twice in 2014 when we spent a week in The High Uintas Wilderness in NE Utah. Though we were about 4000 feet higher in average elevation then, we would be about 400 miles further north in latitude at the same time of year. Anything could happen.
Banff – Mike Barris
October 4, 2016 § 2 Comments
When Susan and I moved to Little Silver, we joined the New Comers organization and through our involvement became acquainted with Mike Barris and his wife Bonnie Marvel. Our wives met, either directly at one of the socials, or maybe one of the book groups that form as a result of these social arrangements, and it was quickly established that both of their husbands were hikers, and had to meet.
Banff – Andy Shoneman
October 4, 2016 § Leave a comment
My next profile concerns one Andy Shoneman. I met Andy through Mike Barris and his wife Bonnie Marvel when they and some others were trying to put together a monthly or semi-monthly couples dinner out night. At the time, Susan and I were the only ones with kids, but that didn’t affect how often we tried to get out.
Banff – Jim Kirby
October 3, 2016 § Leave a comment
This will be the first of my friend specific Banff National Park 2016 posts where I will profile my individual hiking mates.
A question we were asked often is “How do you all know each other?”, to which it is not a simple answer. I am not sure exactly how long I have known Jim. We either met on a Larry T Butler organized weekend warrior backpacking trip, or we met during one of the infamous Mill Trips, but it has been a fair number of years.
Bringing Cliff Home – Final
August 17, 2016 § 1 Comment
When I first started to help Cliff plan this trip, we talked about his final day on the bike, and it just felt like that day should be a Bear Mountain to Sea Bright via Manhattan ride. Most of the route is very familiar to us already because we have utilized Fort Lee as a starting point for more than a few round trips to Bear Mountain. Cliff and others did once take the ferry to Manhattan, do the round trip to Bear Mountain, and then the ferry home again, so even the West Side Bike path is not unfamiliar territory.
Bringing Cliff Home – Day 2
August 16, 2016 § Leave a comment
The morning began relatively early because we were planning on a big day, and we couldn’t start that big day until we drove back to Albany and got started from where we left off the day prior. Our accommodations included a “Continental” breakfast which consisted of Bananas, Yogurt, Coffee and various pastries. It was very spartan. We wanted to be leaving by 7am so by 6:30 we basically saw everyone come and go from the food table.
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