Here at Hangman Hill

Last night we attended a very special concert at the Calvin Theater in Northampton, MA. We saw the Carolina Chocolate Drops play a varied selection of old time American tunes. They were supported by the David Wax Museum, a local group playing a mixture of Mexican and American folk tunes. Both bands were incredible and the atmosphere was amazing. The whole crowd was literally jumping by the end of the evening.

We also enjoyed a nice afternoon exploring Northampton and had a great meal at a downtown restaurant named Hinge. Cocktails and a very comfortable room at the Hotel Northampton made the weekend complete.

Temperatures reached 60ºF in North Stonington today which drew us to the garden for a little post winter clean up.  To our delight there were ready to eat Brussels sprouts which had continued to grow through the winter, and some tender spinach and kale leaves sprouting.  It is these small surprises that make up for those days you find that the plants and vegetables you have nurtured for weeks and months have been wiped out over night by a critter with a good appetite.  You can’t say enough about a plant that give you Brussels sprouts for Christmas, and Easter too.

The snow has melted, so the first construction project of the year has begun.

One of our favorite Canadian folk heroes passed away earlier today.  The music of Stompin’ Tom has accompanied us on many of our adventures in the outdoors and we loved his unique perspective on life.    If you get a chance to check out his work it is well worth it.  We will continue to sing along to “Bud the spud” and many other favorites despite his passing.

See and hear “The Ketchup Song” by clicking here 🙂

And “Bud the Spud” from the 1970s…

The Who in performed in Providence this week at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.  They played Quadrophena and added a few other favorites at the end of the show. The sound quality was fantastic and we were impressed by the stamina, vocals and video accompaniment to the music.  We had a great evening and were so glad we  jumped at the chance to see them.

A couple of videos below capture the evening very well.
Love Reign O’er Me
Who Are You

We just returned from Colorado where we spent a week with Kerry (Sheri’s sister) and her husband Brandon exploring the backcountry trails with our new splitboards.   Our goal was to spend two nights in the later half of the week at the Betty Bear Hut near Aspen.  The hut is situated near Hagerman Pass on the Continental Divide and affords million dollar views at 11,100 feet.

We arrived in Fort Collins to balmy 60 F temperatures and bright blue skies.  It seemed improbable that it could be so spring-like given the considerable avalanche conditions we had been tracking prior to our departure.   We warmed up to the altitude on our fist day with a gentle hike in the Horsetooth area.  The next two days we headed north to Cameron Pass.   To our delight we found plenty of snow to try out our split boards in both ski and snowboard modes.  We skied the Sawmill Creek Trail the first day and then towards Montgomery Pass on the second.  There was plenty of snow and at times more than we could ride through.  We were treated to some sunny weather and fresh snow and made it to 11,500 feet which is comparable to the elevation where the Betty Bear Hut sits.

For our rest day we traveled to Basalt, CO which was “base camp” for an “alpine start” from Frying Pan Road trailhead for a 7 mile ski to the hut.  We were on the trail at 8am (ok, not quite an alpine start) with big flakes of snow falling to give a us “freshies” for the ski-in.  We skied five “easy miles” along the Frying Pan river valley.  We headed away from the valley to climb two steep miles winding along a series of switchbacks.  Breathless we arrived at the Betty Bear Hut at two 2pm even with a late start. The Betty Bear Hut was built to honor the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army using funds donated by 10th Mountain Division Veterans.   The hut was warm and bright and we were welcomed by some fellow skiers who had been keeping the woodstove going all day.

We enjoyed a relaxing first night at the hut with a simple dinner and an early night.  We awoke to clear skies and breathtaking views.  With bellies full of hot oatmeal we skied in the direction of Hagerman Pass with hopes of climbing to the Continental Divide and catching some powder on the way back.  We had to turn back along the trail to Hagerman Pass due to some unstable snow slopes in the path of our traverse.  However, Plan B gave us the chance to ski and ride through some fantastic powder sitting just below the pass.  With bluebird skies, moderate temperatures and some fine trail snacks it was a day of which dreams are made.

On our second night at the hut we had the place to ourselves.  We enjoyed a curry dinner and a chocolate cake in honor of Kerry’s birthday.  The cake was baked at 11,100 feet in a wood-fired oven and was surprisingly good. What we didn’t finish that evening was gone by breakfast.  We skied back down the switchbacks on our third morning and were pleased we didn’t have to take off our skis and walk like many have reportedly done.  Our ski back to Frying Pan Road and the car was a relaxing way to end the trip.

See more photos of our trip here

Another 3″ of snow plus 30-mph winds……..equals no electricity at Hangman Hill Road (again!)

The forecast for Hangman Hill Road. Lots of snow this weekend!

This week we sold Syd, our 10 year Subaru Outback.  Syd was completely reliable, fun to drive and took us to many places including many trips to the Adirondacks, the Green Mountains in Vermont, across the sound to Martha’s Vineyard, up to the Maine wilderness and as far as Keyser WV.  Syd will have a good home with a coworker from Pfizer.  Thanks for getting us out there Syd!

Last Sunday we returned to Long Pond via the Narragansett trail.  This is fun rambling hike that was particularly interesting in places due to some frozen areas that were covered by light snow.  Kokee had a great day and even took a stroll on the frozen lake (much to our dismay).    We took a nice tea break and used our new thermoses compliments of Brandon and Kerry along the trail.  We returned back to HHR for homemade split pea soup and a nap!