Updates from Williamstown

Hey sports fans x2!

I just left Williamstown yesterday and have returned home to Newton, MA.  A few updates from my last week at school after finals were complete.

(1) The cows have returned to Stone Hill.

(2) A mama bear and her cub were spotted on the trail from Cluett Drive to the Stone Bench trail.

(3) Isabel and I had a big volume weekend of training. 

She stayed tough on the 50 mile bike ride in the 55 degree rain and 14 miles of grooved pavement past Prospect. 


Dead fish core get at me!


There is still snow at the snow hole.


(4) I lead a WOOLF training trip to teach the new freshman canoeing WOOLF leaders how to be instructors.  I highly recommend incoming freshman to signup for WOOLF canoeing.  There are some great leaders for the trip!

Below, WOOLF leader Niku models what rollerskiing looks like.

Morning on Grout Pond, VT.

Catch me ripping around on my old turf and eating lots of ice cream.

home sweet home!

Hello Sports fans!

I am checking in from Ely, MN where I work in the summer as a canoe and backpack wilderness guide. A lot has been going on in the last week I've been home, but sadly I do not have too many photos. I got home to my house in Stillwater last Friday night, and spend a good five days at home unpacking, packing, and getting back into that roller ski grind! I skied lots with my Kristen Bourne, my best friend high school, got a great roll with Ingrid in, and got this text from Jeremy: "Thanks for the invite though haha. I didnt even bring any roller ski stuff home anyways lol"

Here's a shot of my amazing dogs, Luna and Zippy, who I've missed dearly this last semester. 



Anyway, Now I am up in northern Minnesota getting ready to start my job, and training for next year's around the world ping pong in the basement of the craftsbury rec center.



I've made it a goal of mine to get photos of me rollerskiing to round out the Williams ski teams online profile, so look forward to some great shots in the near future.

That's that!

Nick

springtime/finals szn

It's hard to believe that summer is right around the corner, but in less than two weeks, I will be back in the homeland (i.e. MN), lounging in my backyard, sipping lemonade and eating banana bread with two lovely little labradoodles on my lap...

First, however, we have to do that thing called finals. In the spirit of all of those long exams, papers, videos, and museum installations (@Sonylsft.nickybob) looming over us, I made a smol quiz about the past few weeks in Williamstown:

1.) Put the following workouts in the correct temporal order:

(A) Enjoying a fun run over Mt. Hope

(B) Shenanigans on the famed Mountain Trail at Prospect

(C) Great views from the Taconic Crest

(D) Soakin in the rays at Prospect

Answer: A (April 22), B (April 24), C (April 29), D (May 1!)

Yep. Welcome to spring in the Berkshires, where we get to ski in sports bras, lounge in the sun, and run in the pelting snow/hail/freezing rain within the span of 2 days. 

2.) Who are the two most musically-inclined people on the team? 

Here are a couple of hints:

Answer: As you could clearly tell from those high-quality photos, Isabel (on the bass) and Lucy (on the voice)! (Sorry Nick and Elowyn, your harmonica skills just aren't quite there yet... looking forward to a possible duet though?)

3.) Match the following senior biology majors to their respective thesis topic:

1. Sarah Becker                                          A. Red male finch sexual selection (turns out 

                                                                        appearances do matter to birds)

2. Heidi Halvorsen                                     B. Effect of artificial sweeteners on the gut's microbiome
                                                                        (aka: repeatedly giving mice sugar highs with stevia)

3. Rebecca Smith                                       C. Brain activity during torpor (helping to investigate how
                                                                        we can send astronauts to Mars !)

---------

Answer: 1-B, 2-C, 3-A. Check out the accomplished thesis-writers with their posters:

4.) What's the main difference between a llama and an alpaca?

Williams Carnival round 2, this time on Paresky Lawn, with furry friends and a bouncy house 

Answer: Lucy has never kissed a llama. 

5.) If you were to have a bagel with cream cheese, eggs, spinach, and a mound of rice noodles on top and you thought it tasted a little funky, which ingredient would you expect to be the root cause of a funky taste?

Lucy doing some first-hand investigating into this important question post-running OD up the Dome 

Answer: Well, this one depends on who you ask. Our intrepid Driscoll-explorer Lucy would say the cream cheese, but the rest of table was leaning toward the rice noodles. Hard tellin' not knowin' though. 

Happy spring/almost summer!

-Ingrid