Vermonty Times Had on the Eastside

At least I still am on the Eastside of something. The Eastside of the Sierras is a great place. There's at least 3 publications about it... Eastside Magazine, Eastern Sierra something... there's more, but I'm typing this in my car and my feet are cold. Wi-fi at home soon? A luxury or a necessity? Necessity when applying to grad school.  That aside. Let me ramble.

My roomate, Don, is gone to Peru (hope you're having fun!!!) and I decided why not finally host a couchsurfer.  Couchsurfing.com is a great resource. You just have to have a sense of adventure and trust. Both of which I seem to have a majority of the time.

Well, let me tell you as fate would have it, I was contacted by someone who grew up about 60 miles north of me in Vermont.  Right now he's stone's throw away in summer on the other side of Yosemite in El Portal doing outdoor education.  A career I dabble in from time to time.  In winter Tioga Pass is closed, so he's 8 hours away.

We haven't had the best snow after the Snowpowcolypse of 15+ feet of snow- but it doesn't mean there isn't any skiing. It just means you have to wait for the snow to corn up. There's not much avalanche danger at the moment either.

Let's just say I couldn't have had a better time skiing and talking about CA and VT.  It made me a little homesick, but it also made me realize HOW MUCH stuff is out there that I still have to do and see.



So... Stephen, my couchsurfer,  got to town Wednesday and did a full moon ski with me and a few friends.

Greg (lives here) and the Vista Booth still under snow

Minerets under the Full MOON! 

Aside from I don't have a great camera... Stephen and Greg got shots of me and my co-worker Barb and Cody (Michelle there's another Cody!!! Gasp!!!)

Then Thursday, we had a late start, but tried getting up to Red Cones on a BC tour.  Note to self: borrow skis from work, 03 bindings = tired legs.

Stephen, of VT!!!! up there somewhere.

Stephen, my couchsurfer and new VT friend!  Lake George below

Then Friday, Stephen joined myself, Amy W, Mary, the other Steven (that lives here who was my co-worker at Welcome Center) and we all skied Mammoth. It was sooooo fun we didn't even take pictures.

Meeting new people and having fun outdoors is always so exciting.

Oh ...we may have went to the hot springs with Paula (surprise!) at some point... And it was great as always.
A little trek on the hardpack snow to get to the hotsprings I can't tell you about when I'm a USFS employee never hurt anyone.


And neither did this poem from Robert Frost: Birches   Thanks Stephen. I forgot about this one.
This is the last half. I strongly recommend you read it in it's entirety.

"....So was I once myself a swinger of birches.

And so I dream of going back to be.

It's when I'm weary of considerations,

And life is too much like a pathless wood

Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs

Broken across it, and one eye is weeping

From a twig's having lashed across it open.

I'd like to get away from earth awhile

And then come back to it and begin over.

May no fate willfully misunderstand me

And half grant what I wish and snatch me away

Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:

I don't know where it's likely to go better.

And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk

Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,

But dipped its top and set me down again.

That would be good both going and coming back.

One could do worse than be a swinger of birches."

-Excerpt of 'Birches', by Robert Frost.  A Vermont poet of great merit.