I spent a weekend in Canaan Valley, West Virginia taking a telemark workshop offered by North American Telemark Organization (NATO) in January. We were supposed to learn backcountry techniques, but there was no snow left in the woods. It was even pouring the first day, and our clothes were twice as heavy as they used to be after the class.

Nevertheless Dickie Hall, the founder of NATO, still taught us ski waxing. Ski waxes are marked by colors: blue, red, green, and so on. They might be soft and sticky or hard. You apply different waxes on your skis based on the snow condition.


一月份的時候，參加了由北美Telemark（NATO）組織開授的週末兩天課程。原本課程的設計是著重在野外滑雪的技巧的，偏偏今年的冬天太暖，樹林裡的雪都融化了。甚至連第一天的課程都是在大雨滂沱的情況下進行的。當天的課程結束後，每天所著衣服的重量，平地就添了兩倍。

儘管如此，創辦NATO的Dickie Hall仍然教授了為雪具上蠟的知識。基本上來說，各種不同的蠟，會以不同的顏色標示；有的蠟軟綿綿、有的蠟黏搭搭、有的蠟則是硬梆梆。而該用什麼顏色的蠟，端看當天的雪況而定。

There was no wind; it was sunny and warm. Saturday, had the perfect condition for hikers, but inevitably disappointed those who were looking for solitude. Our group bumped into two other groups, several local hikers, and a pretty dog. We had to alternate the camping plan because the lean-to we were supposed to stay in was packed by noon.

While you are so prepared to claim the trees, mountains, snow and ice as your sole property, nature extends it arms and smashes your hallucination. Well, haven’t we already learned the unexpectedness of nature and equipped ourselves with fitness, patience, and flexibility? After all, those qualities obtained from being outdoors are in fact our true property.


星期六，無風、晴朗、大太陽。恐怕是冬季登山，能夠要求到的最好條件了。只是，這樣的條件，可不適合那些到山林裡，品嚐孤獨滋味的野客們。拿我們一行人那天的經驗來說吧，一路上，就又遇到了另兩個大團體，好幾個獨行俠，加上一隻漂亮的狗。本來打算過夜的山屋，也早在中午前就被他人佔領了，逼得只好改變計畫。

世事就是這樣難以逆料。正想著可以到山野中，獨佔冰雪、山巔個兩三天，大自然偏偏就要把你從幻想中打醒。呀，從事戶外活動也有好一陣子了，難道不是早該學習到要有耐心、有毅力、有彈性嗎？這些與自然相處所訓練出來的特質，可不是他人可以搶得走的啊！

Just got back from a successful 2-day backpacking trip from Catskills. We had snow, ice, and 4 peaks, and it

This weekend I am going to lead an overnight backpack in the Catskills. As always, I conducted a trip write-up for reference. While I was completing the write-up, I kept thinking maybe it would be a good idea to talk about the general trip planning process – So, here it comes. The information this article provides is specialized to a 2-5 day backpack; however, most of the principals apply to other activities too.

這個週末，又要帶隊了，在Catskills，是一個兩天一夜的登山健行之旅。當然，這次也不例外的，寫了一份行前計畫書。一邊寫，一邊想，也許應該來聊聊策劃戶外活動的過程，因此，這篇文章就誕生了！在寫這篇文章的時候，心裡想的活動型態，主要針對二到五天的backpacking行程，當然，一些基本的概念，對於別種活動型態，還是可以說的通的。

Sat-Sun, 1/28-29, Blackhead Range Wild Forest backpack. 3C/D10-14.

Will bag three high peaks: Thomas Cole, Black Dome, and Blackhead. Stay in a lean-to for Sat night. Winter backpacking experience/gear required. Group size limited.

There are a few updates of this site:

1. Choose Your Preferred Language.
2. Forums Installed.


這兩天，針對此網站做了一些功能更新，包括：

1. 瀏覽語言選項
2. 論壇

Climbing is a beautiful sport: it looks like a painting; it reads like a poem.

If you do it right, you perform a fluent and well-balanced body movement, and you demonstrate efficiency and elegance.

Climbing attracts me because it’s not about muscle strength – it’s about combining it with your mind in order to achieve maximal performance. Also, climbing is not a lonely sport. By saying that, I am not only referring to your belaying partner, but your best friend, gravity.


攀岩是一項優雅的運動，如詩、如畫。

正確地攀岩，是流暢且均衡的身體律動，展現效率、呈現美感。

攀岩最吸引我的一項特質，在於其強調的不是肌肉的強壯，而是靈活腦袋與身體健美的完美結合。同時，攀岩永遠不是一項孤獨的運動，而這指的不光只是繩伴，還有你的攀岩最佳伙伴 — 重力。

“I can’t believe this is my first winter hike of this season,” stunned by the snow-buried mountain range, I soliloquized.
My mountains complained to me, “Why does it take so long for you to visit us?”
“Yes, it has been too long,” I echoed.

It was winter, and Catskills in winter are always beautiful. Rocky and steep terrains in the Catskills earn them a good reputation, in which a 24-mile long trail is called the Devil’s Path. But, in winter, devils retreat from their playground and yield it to white angels, with whom we humans dance hand-in-hand on the soft and tender snow and our hearts are soon filled up with joy.

望著層層被白雪覆蓋的山巒，我喃喃自語：「不敢相信，這是我入冬以來第一次的雪鞋健行？」
彷彿耳邊聽到山林絮絮地抱怨：「怎麼過怎麼久才來看我們？」
「真的是太久了啊。」我楞楞地回應著。

這就是冬天。冬天的Catskills總是美麗的。雖說她的嚴峻和多岩地勢，讓許多人遲疑不往，其中一條24英哩長的步道，甚至為其賺取「惡魔之路」的名聲。但，當冬天一起，鬼精靈的惡魔們將這遊戲場讓給白天使，人們於是可以和天使手牽手地一起嬉戲，在一片白茫茫中，得到歡欣和喜悅。

I learned how to in-line skate pretty much on my own: I bought a pair of in-line skates and I took them to the riverfront and skated. I was quite nervous the first two runs and almost ripped somebody’s top off when I followed him going downhill. Shortly after that I started to feel quite good on skates since I had no ambition on those 4-wheel things other than driving forward.

As a thunderstorm always comes in when you least expect it, God likes to pick a rough time to show you life is in fact cruel. I participated in one of the Landskaters’ Tuesday-night city skates and that was when my confidence faced one of the most severe challenges. I had a hard time following the skate and many times I was so close to being swept away by the sweeper.


基本上，我是自己學習怎麼溜直排輪的。事情很簡單，買雙直排輪，拎到河邊，就希哩呼嚕開始滑起來。剛開始的時候是蠻緊張的，也差點滑到河裡，還快要把前方帶我滑下坡的人的上衣扯破才甘心。經過兩三次的調適，慢慢地就開始溜得挺順手了，心裡還頗得意，反正我的目的只不過是往前溜罷了，並不想要玩什麼花俏。

不過就像雷陣雨總是在沒帶傘的時候落下，上天總是找最好的時機，告訴我們現實總是殘酷的。一次，我參加費城Landskaters的活動，那是一個星期二晚上，我的自信心面臨極大的考驗。大家在費城馬路上溜得不亦樂乎，我在最後追得是有氣無力，好幾次，似乎最後的押隊者就要跟我說：「這位女施主，回頭是岸啊！」