Last weekend, several experienced backpackers from my club gathered together to discuss the agenda for the upcoming backpacking workshop in the spring. We fill up the one-day workshop with lecture-type sessions and hands-on practices. Lecture-type sessions cover topics which include gear introduction, map and navigation, personal hygiene, “leave no trace,” and cooking & nutrition. Hands-on sessions let participants have a chance to practice setting up a tent, lighting up a stove, treating water, and hanging a bear bag.

Our target participants are beginner backpackers, so we assume that they know nothing or little about backpacking and they’ve never taken part in any backpacking trip before. I really hope that this workshop will prepare them well so that they have a very good first impression of backpacking and will continue coming back to the trails. Therefore, I’ve put a lot of thought on how I could have done better to make my first few trips more pleasant so that they will not have to repeat my mistakes:

I stood on the summit of Big Indian Mountain, snowflakes shaped as feathers landing on my head, my face, and my shoulders. I opened my palms, and looked upward. Those snowflakes were not those which were tired of resting on the branches and responded to the call of the north wind. They were new, from the far most end of the sky. A storm was coming.

Last weekend I was in the Catskills, participating in a two-day snowshoeing trip. The trip has become a tradition of the AMC Delaware Valley chapter. Last winter was my first time being a member of this festival, and here I was again.

I have loved snow ever since I witnessed the first snow falling on Christmas Eve the first year I was in the States. Snow has this wonderful power of purification; snow makes the most inclement winter bearable. Oh, I can write many poems to awe this white fairy. This indulgence at times makes me overlook what is hidden underneath or behind, and I really shouldn’t.


站在Big Indian的山巔上，大片大片羽毛狀的雪花，落在我的頭上、臉上、肩上。我打開雙掌，抬頭目試，這雪花可不是呼應北風到來，從樹梢颳起的殘雪。這，是新雪，從遙遠的天際冉冉紛紛地落下，預告一場美東風雪的造臨。

上週末，又到了Catskills山區，參加這場雪鞋健行行程。這行程，是有歷史的，早已成為AMC Delaware Valley Chapter的傳統。去年冬天是我第一次參與這雪鞋健行的慶典，而今天冬天，又回到了這裡。

我愛極了雪。第一次真正見到、感覺到落雪紛紛，是來美國第一年的聖誕夜。雪似乎有這種純化人、事、物的力量，儘管冬天再冷冽，有雪，一切就變得可以忍受。喔，我可以花大把大把的篇幅，不眠不休的歌頌這純白的精靈。就因為這對雪的迷戀，有時候，竟然忽略了在純美的背後暗藏的危機，這可不是能夠原諒的。

I heard plenty of “flex your ankle” and “use your rear foot” during the two-day telemark workshop in Canaan Valley, West Virginia. These two tactics link to motion control and a balanced stance, both are key concepts of telemark skiing; both are difficult to get.

What are you supposed to feel so that you know you are flexing your ankles? I tried numerous times to use my ankles in every possible direction, but I was never sure whether “my shin muscles are tightened.” Those shin muscles did look different but I wish they could be as evident as six-packs; as sensitive as biceps.

Instructors taught us that if we lift one ski and try to shake it, it will move crazily if we don’t flex our ankle, and it will be quiet otherwise. However, when you are shooting downhill, there are too many things to cause you to go out of control. It’s tempting to blame on the ice or bumps because I honestly don’t know whether I’m flexing my ankles.


「以足踝施力」以及「使用你的後腳」，這兩句像是咒語般，在一月份參加個週末的telemark ski課程後，深深地烙印在我的腦海中。這兩句金玉良言，可以說是telemark ski掌握動作和維持平衡站姿的關鍵。非常的重要，也需要花好一番功夫咀嚼。

究竟怎樣才能夠感覺到，足踝真的在施力呢？在家裡，我已經百般千番的將足踝以各種角度，扭轉來去，總還是不能確定，是否足踝施力的方式正確？是否前小腿的肌肉感覺緊繃？小腿前方的肌肉，似乎看起來有那麼一絲絲地不同，我不禁深深地希望，那肌肉能夠像六塊肌一般明顯，像二頭肌一般感覺得到。

教練說，使用單腳舉起雪板，嘗試左右搖晃。如果足踝沒有施力，雪具會瘋狂起舞，若是施力正確，叫它往西它還不敢往東。只是，當踩在兩隻雪具上，勇往下衝的時候，有太多的因素可以讓人失去控制。而可以怪罪的事物太多，冰啊、地面上偶發的突起，都可以當作代罪羔羊，所以到頭來，究竟是不是因為足踝施力不正確而失去控制的呢？老實說，我也還的真不知道。

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。