Episode 33: Wind Cave-Attack of the Buffalo
Tuesday, Feb 02, 2010
Taking advantage of El Nino and spring-like temperatures east of the Rockies, I head for the Black Hills. Between this episode and the next, I hike every inch of trail in Wind Cave National Park. The highlight of my first day is a bizarre encounter with a herd of territorial bison and my ensuing imagining myself gored, trampled and lonely. On that note, I saw 2 hikers in two days and about 70 miles of walking!
Episode 32: Rincon de la Vieja 2, HUCK!!
Friday, Jan 29, 2010
HUCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!! The them today is jumping off rocks into beautiful swimming holes during our last 24 hours in Costa Rica. Just watch out for cattle attacks!
Episode 31: Rincon de la Vieja 1
Friday, Jan 22, 2010
Leaving the rainforest, we head for the flanks of the volcano Rincon de la Vieja, a national park in northern Costa Rica. We spend our first day visiting 3 waterfalls and the volcanic features (fumaroles, geysers, mudpots and such) at the foot of the mountain.
Episode 30: Cloud Forest in the rain!
Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010
In the second of three podcasts from Costa Rica, we hang out in a bizarre ecosystem: a cloudforest. It's like a rainforest, but the plants get moisture from the condensation that constantly forms on any surface instead of rain drops. ANYTHING CAN GROW ANYWHERE! There are epiphytes and mosses growing on living leaves! It is a bizarre area that redefines biomass, sustainability, and humidity.
Episode 29: Costa Rican Rafting
Thursday, Jan 14, 2010
For the first of three episodes from a week in Costa Rica, we'll be taking two raft trips. The first is a whitewater paddle on the wild Rio Pacquare that ranks as some the best paddling I've ever done. Then a "Safari Float" gets us up close and personal with monkeys, sloths, birds and the Jesus Christ lizard.
Episode 28: The Sanctuary
Wednesday, Jan 06, 2010
Another cold one! Today's Jersey experience is a bouldering trip to the Sanctuary in Somerset County's Sourland Mountain Preserve. This beautiful park holds the greatest quantity of problems in the area (now that Cradle Rock is fenced off, and patrolled by guards and dogs!). The cool temperatures prove great for several hours of fun on the rock, maybe the most fun I've had here all these years. I'm having so much fun, in fact, that I don't leave the first zone of boulders in the northern end of the park until darkness is coming and the cold comes in!
If you've hated these first person bouldering sessions, good news! This is the last one. In fact, I'm in Costa Rica right now while all you are shivering away and shoveling snow! Suckers! Next time, I, my mom, some whitewater, sloths and howler monkeys will do our best to warm you up! Hasta luego, amigos!
Episode 27: Woodfield Reservation
Wednesday, Jan 06, 2010
Another day in Jersey, another day climbing in Jersey! Today's trip is a cold one to Princeton Township's Woodfield Reservation. With one iconic boulder ringed by a variety of problems and underlain by soft, flat landings, the only thing this boulder needs is a short approach. Too bad it's a whopping ten minutes on a flat, quiet trail!