2022 came in with a pandemic bang. Omicron went from an often-misspelled novelty in November to a cursed household name in the new year. (I’m still not 100% on the spelling and feel there should be another “n” involved). Like everyone else on planet earth, I am totally over this rude global health crisis and demand it to end! In the meantime, though, I’m fumbling around trying to find balance between protecting my/others health and not losing my friggin mind. At the moment, that means cutting back some on restaurant trips, movies, etc but still going to the gym and the office regularly. Does that make any rational sense? Sure doesn’t, hi, 2022.

*A temporary salve to pandemic blues is three episodes of Below Deck with a cat on the lap. Repeat as needed until medical breakthrough, herd immunity, or summer arrives.*

Testing has been a silver lining this time ‘round the pandemic riverbend. Massachusetts has some solid day-of PCR options, and rapid tests (if you can find them) have made me feel more comfortable gathering inside.

And so, thanks to a boosters and a whole bucketload of negative tests, the NEMO team was able to gather for our Winter Break.

The options were ski or spa & sleigh. Downhill isn’t currently in my skill set so I went the relaxing Santa-ish route.

I was in good company at Nestlenook Farm, followed by mountain sushi at Delaney’s. We checked in to our cute mountainside hotel, the White Mountain Hotel and Resort and gathered for dinner. My longtime boss Brent was celebrating 10 years at NEMO. He is one of the 3 regular readers of this blog. Congrats Brent!

After my Wicklow Way debacle, I decided to take a boozie break in the new year- until St. Patrick’s day, in fact. This was my first real test of that resolution and I gotta say, it felt real weird being dead sober at a work party with nary a PBR in hand! I did have just as much fun as usual though, and sure felt better in the morning.

*They shut the party down at 1030 which led to some innovative approaches to s’mores making.*

*Day breaks and I’m chipper and excited for breakfast? Wow!*

Breakfast was actually my favorite part of the trip, I was down there for two hours chit chatting and catching up with the team. There’s not as many opportunities for meandering conversations these days and I love me some meandering conversations. I did have to cut myself off, though, because I had a hike to drag folks up!

Tuckerman’s Ravine lies at the base of Mount Washington’s final push. I’ve hiked it twice, once in the summer where I tackled the headwall to the summit, and once in the winter with a polar bear sled in hand. The winter trip was especially spectacular, and I remembered it not being THAAAAT hard, so I cajoled 5 of the extended NEMO crew into a winter wonderland hike.

It was cold as shit at Pinkhams Notch. The AMC lodge there had some rental gear that came in clutch for our crew (including me… I need to buy some poles). We strapped on our microspikes and headed up.

My recollection of this trail is that it was steadily sleep to the Hermit Lake Shelter, then leveled off from there to the headwall. This is an example of trail amnesia and was 100% incorrect. It was actually the steepest part of the hike. Sorry, hehe!

The good news was that as we were grinding up to the headwall, clouds were starting to clear. It was pretty epic up there.

We reached the lunch rocks which were busy with ice climbing and avy courses. There were a few skiers braving the bowl, too. The ravine faded in and out of view as clouds ripped across the ridge. The light switched from blue to gray to yellow and back. We estimated the temperature as “really fucking cold” but the wind was surprisingly still.

Once toes started to ache, we headed down the mountain, at times doing some butt sledding but mostly crunching down easily with our spikes.

I’m reading a great book right now that has this passage on hiking:

“A feeling everyone in the room had felt: descend back into the world, after an ascent to that higher realm one encountered in the Alps, an encounter with the sublime - otherworldly, visionary - then afterward exhausted, sun-blasted, clarified.”

I was feeling happily clarified by the time we made it back to Pinkham, and even more so after some nachos at Moat.

Lots to still be grateful for during year three of this thing, and I intend to spend more time outdoors this winter to keep reminding myself of that.

where: tuckermans ravine //intervale, NH//ancestral lands of the abenaki,, wabanaki (dawnland confederacy), and pequawket
when: january, microspikes needed our day
how: tuckerman ravine trail, 6 mi rt

up to tucks

ny fashion week

in pursuit of fiddles