Occasional Musings by Kevin Russell
September 13, 2020 I’m a little behind in my putting down some words here along the Mill Brook, so it is time to catch up a little. This is the time of year that we enjoy the crack between the seasons here in the Mad River Valley. That is, the time when we get the Valley back to ourselves, with visitors and second homeowners … Continue Reading →
August 3, 2020 As I sit here along the Mill Brook, I am thinking about where I would be in my drum corps tour this year if it had not been for the dreaded Covid-19 that spoiled that parade. I would be in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Oh, how I miss the annual mecca of sound and sight at J. Birney Crum Stadium. It was the … Continue Reading →
August 1, 2020 On this day, I and hiking partner, Lisa explored Hoffman Notch Wilderness in the eastern section of the Adirondack Park. The mid-point of our hike being Jones Hill for the prominent views into the wilderness area. Lisa is a member of the Adirondack Club (ADK), Onondaga Chapter and avid hiker in the north country. We chose a oneway route that traverses … Continue Reading →
July 26, 2020 What an energetic, healthy and fun crew of trail workers are the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) members from Central New York State. On this day, I had the pleasure of joining five of them for a work party on the North Country Trail (NCT). Members of the Onondaga (Syracuse) and Iroquois (Utica) Chapters of the ADK met up in Speculator for … Continue Reading →
July 21, 2020 Continuing my New York State adventures along the North Country Trail, I did further exploration of the Black River area in the southern Adirondacks. This river is very similar to Vermont’s Mad River in size and the fact that it runs north. It is however, far longer at 125 miles, flowing from North Lake to Lake Ontario. The river lives up … Continue Reading →
Since there is no youth music education for me to tour with this summer, I decided instead to explore the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST) in my native state of New York, one of eight states that hosts the nations longest NST. Born out of the National Trails Act of 1968, the NST system has grown to 11 recognized NST systems. Last summer … Continue Reading →
By Kevin Russell I recently returned from two days immersed in Vermont’s forests, though I spent most of my time indoors, seated at a conference table. I attended the Vermont Forest Industry Summit, a Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund conference held at the Burke Hotel and Conference Center at the venerable ski area in the Northeast Kingdom. This was the second annual gathering of representatives … Continue Reading →
October 17, 2019 – Fayston, Vermont Everyone should spend a day substitute teaching in their local Kindergarten Class. Ok, since this is not practical or possible, let me share my thoughts about how restorative this can be to your hopefulness for the future and how important it is to continue supporting our small elementary schools. Maybe you read my blog last year: A Day … Continue Reading →
Ah, when to the heart of man…* October 4, 2019 12:00pm Outdoors is so much more than fun. This ethic I share with a friend who first wrote these words. It guides me daily, today more than ever. I am writing this at the Sucker Brook Shelter on the Long Trail, my journey’s end for this trek. Yup, I schlepped up my laptop, knowing … Continue Reading →
Miles to go before I sleep…* October 3, 2019 I’m sitting here at the Moosalamoo Campground off of Forest Road 32 in the Green Mountain National Forest, Moosalamoo National Recreation Area. I am drinking the up and down beer, a Chinooker’d. It is the one I packed up in case of an emergency but did not drink on the trail. It was a two-beer … Continue Reading →