Capturing the Moment

   There are numerous waterfalls around Stowe, VT, and the expansive trail system means some of them are easily accessible. Catalina and I recently checked out the beautiful Bingham Falls trail, and today we set off again to experience Sterling Falls Gorge.   The drive took us high above the town of Stowe, off into the farmlands and forest. We had great views of the surrounding mountains layering off as far as we could see. I will need to come back up here for photography at some point. The way turns into a winding, up and down graded dirt road. There is a nice little parking lot with an informational sign. The trail seemed to go along the river here but we ended up on a network of cross country skiing trails which would be an absolute dream in winter time. We ended up doubling back and finding that we needed to go back to the road, walk across a bridge, and find our trailhead there.   The trail had a line up and a 'closed' sign, but it seemed to have been put ...

  As our trip draws to a close (maybe) I can't help but look back at what an amazing time we had over the last twenty days. We left the port of Ushuaia at the tip of South America on Feb 28th, then sailed for the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the remote Tristan da Cunha archipelago before ending in Cape Town. At the moment I can look outside through the fog and see the famous Table Mountain of Cape Town. But at this moment we have been denied entry into the port...so who knows how this Cape to Cape trip will end. Cape to cape to cape anyone?   Luckily we have been in Antarctica, then a quick turnover with new guests in Ushuai back in late Feb, before most of the outbreaks across Europe and the US occurred. So we have been traveling in a safe little bubble while we watch the rest of the world descend into a bit of chaos with the spread of the novel corona virus. Our first brush with it came as we approached Tristan da Cunha, and the islanders sent word that they would ...

        After being stuck in the middle seat of the middle row of an 8hr red eye flight from Miami to Buenos Aires I checked into the company provided hotel right in the mix of the old part of the city. I was able to do a lot of walking, checked out a famous memorial graveyard filled with massive tombs, crypts, and statues, and visited a local arts fair selling things from leather made goods to local foods, to jewelry made out of horseshoe nails. I met a few of the other expedition team but it wasn’t until the next morning when the vans pulled up that I realized about 20 of us were all embarking at the same time. I knew the incoming Expedition Leader, Brad, from my time of the Silver Muse in Alaska. And my good friend Ceili, who has also worked at UnCruise and Tole Mour, would be on, but otherwise it was a lot of new faces and names for me to learn. Not to mention the fact that I was going from an expedition team of 2, to a team of 28! Pretty soon I woul...

A Taste of Alaska in Washington's Olympic National Park    View from Hurricane Ridge Inside the forest at Lake Crescent Port Angeles describes itself as the gateway to Olympic National Park. This is where we dock the Safari Quest on the last day of our Pacific Northwest trips here in Washington. Scenic, 5000+ ft Hurricane Ridge is a 45 minute drive, and the glacially carved Lake Crescent is only 30 minutes away, giving us two great options to choose from.   I have been taking my groups to Hurricane Ridge, to explore the totally different environment that one can find at 5000+ft . Mountain firs and hemlocks abound, grey jays jabber from the limbs, and Mt Olympus pokes up from behind the remaining glaciers deep within the park’s 1,000,000 acres.   During the spring trips we encountered 10ft snowbanks… I’ll be sure to bring snowshoes next Spring. During the fall we found that we could escape the heat from below and exchange it for nice crisp mountain...

      From our spot in Jeffersonville, Vermont I can see the highest peak, Mount Mansfield. It is not just the tallest summit in Vermont at 4,393ft, but it the same mountain where the famous Stowe ski area can be found. I have always looked at the mountain, which resembles the profile of a giant face looking up towards the heavens, and wondered how I could get up to the summit. During this visit to Vermont I was determined to make it happen, so after a bit of research I did just that. Crossing beautiful streams on the way up    My calves are still burning as I am writing this, several days later, but the pain is all worth it knowing that everytime I look up towards the mountain I will remember standing on top of it and soaking in that 360 degree view. Here is how I made it.... Breathing hard on the way up    A short 25 minute drive away from Jeffersonville is a place called Underhill State Park. It is located at the base of Mt Mansf...

Our jet boat Unusual walking spot  After spending a day jet boating up the Stikine River, over a terminal moraine and into a glacier lake I realized that I am a pretty cautious captain...compared to these guys! If you ever come to Wrangell, Alaska this adventure should definitely be on your list. Grounded 'berg Pushing icebergs   You board your jet boat at the dock in Wrangell. Everyone has seat and even seat belts, which is a bit unusual for a boat. Instead of propellers that spin under the boat making it go fast, this style of boat has water intake that it shoots out in a stream kind of like a jet ski. Manuevering is with a giant joystick and the draft, or depth of the deepest part of the boat, is only 12 inches. This is perfect for heading up the silty and shallow Stikine River. Grounded 70ft deep Wine, salmon, and cheese   Shortly after leaving the island of Wrangell and heading towards the mainland I watched as the depth sounder started gi...

  Over the last fifty days I have been implementing an expedition style program on one of Silversea's classic fleet ships called the Silver Muse. It can hold around 600 passengers and is far and away the largest ship I've ever worked on. Figuring out the logistics of where the expedition equipment would go, like all of the zodiacs and kayaks, and other gear was only one of the many challenges that my team and I faced with this assignment.    Now that we are all packed up and can relish in the success I can finally look back at the few times I did get off the ship for some pretty fabulous adventures in Alaska. When the ship was in port, and not all the expedition team was needed for our excursions, I would try to send the team out as escorts on shore based trips. This was one of my favorites.   On one rainy day in Juneau I watched the poor shore concierge team as flight after flight of sightseeing helicopters postponed and outright canceled. There was a lot of...