2015/2016 Schedule

Folks,

The Carnival schedule has been made official, and on the right-hand side of our blog, above all of our beautiful faces, you can see a detailed version of where and what the Ephs will be doing this winter.  I'm pretty excited for this years schedule!  It looks like there will be plenty of opportunities for Williams skiers to both excel, and challenge themselves.

Notice, Williams is hosting a Carnival this year!!!  The EISA circuit is in for a world of pain.  I predict, that along with an array of broken poles, skis, and self-esteems, we will also witness the first skiers to literally crawl during a 5k race.  EISA circuit: you have been warned.  Williams '15/'16 roster boasts a group of ruthless individuals, that are more than jacked-up to destroy all ego's at this year's Williams Carnival.

Brace yourselves, winter is coming.

Alpine and Nordic 2015/2016 EISA Schedule

Perry

A Summer of Moving East

Since leaving New Zealand, it seems I've been in constant motion eastward, spending no more than 4 days at a time in the same town.  Once I was back in America, as I readjusted to driving on the right side of the road and using American currency, I split time between my hometown of Casper, Wyoming, and my family's cabin in Silverthorne, Colorado.  The former consisted mostly of doctor's appointments and catching up with high school friends, while the latter consisted of hiking 14ers and spending time with family.

The Rockies are a wonderful place.

With my oldest brother, Dave, on top of Torrey's Peak.  We took the unconventional route up Kelso Ridge, which included some awesome Class 3 climbing, and roughly 5% of the crowds that hike up the normal route.

From the top of neighboring Gray's Peak, a look back at Torrey's and the Kelso Ridge.

A week or so later, from the top of Missouri Peak.

Dave leads the way as we make a quick descent before those clouds turn ugly.

From here, I embarked on phase two of moving east with a cross-country road trip back to the Purple Valley.  Mostly this just means that I sang country music to myself for ~35 hours.  South Dakota was the low point of the trip; the high point was stopping for a weekend in Minneapolis where my other brother, Jeff, and his wife live.  Dave also joined us for a full Stamp sibling weekend, highlighted by attending a country music festival in rural Wisconsin to see Eric Church perform.  It was, how shall I phrase this, a cultural experience.

The sibs! (side note: this was perhaps the second time in my life that I've worn a cowboy hat, but when in Rome...)

I hit the road the next day for the second half of the drive, the low point of which was paying roughly $30 in tolls to cross the states of Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio.  A few hours of sleep in Pennsylvania, a 3am wake-up, and a beautiful sunrise drive later, I arrived back at Williams and went straight to my first thesis meeting, then frantically reunited with friends including Olivia and HC! I did field work for my thesis the next day, then had a couple days of figuring out what my thesis will actually be about, but lest you think the eastward travels be over, I then headed to Harvard for a couple weeks of lab work.

As Josh informed us in his earlier post, the White Mountains are "the place to be" and "what all the cool kids are doing", so naturally I took a break from the big-city life to pay Olivia a visit.  We were blessed with some uncharacteristically beautiful weather, did some great hiking, and I got a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the efficient and entertaining workings of an AMC hut.

Always a pleasure hanging out with this one!

Once I finish up the lab work here at Harvard, I'll return to the Purple Valley and actually stay in one place for a significant amount of time- what a concept! I hope everyone's summers finish up nicely; I can't wait to see everyone in a few short weeks!

Summer Adventures Across the Atlantic

I hope everyone out there in the Purple Valley and beyond is having a great summer! As for living beyond the Purple Valley, I've been working in Ireland for the last month doing research for my senior thesis with the Earth Institute at the University College of Dublin. I'm simulating the effects on extreme waves as they come to shore on the Atlantic coast of Ireland.

How the big boys do wavetanks

It has taken a bit of an adjustment to living and training in the city for this country boy. When I was doing field work in May, I had a trusty research assistant to train with (I miss you Jordan), but I've been training mostly on my own while I've been in Dublin this time around. Fortunately, I was able to get out of the city and take a brief backpacking trip to the Swiss Alps with a childhood friend who had an internship near Geneva.

That's the Matterhorn way in the background

The adventurers

The glaciers near Zermatt are alright.

Our first campsite on the Europa Trail. That bit that looks like a cliff: it's a really big cliff.

The rock slide bunkers assume that you're "dumb as a bag of hammers," just in case

Proper nutrition is always important

After that fantastically beautiful interlude, I'm now back on my working and road running grind in Dublin. I've found this summer that, although I don't mind city life, I have had to choose between training and spending time with other people. It has made me realize how blessed I am to spend so much time with people who love to get out and train. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you on campus in a month. I'll be back in the Berkshire's as of August 15th. If you're around town early hit me up.

The White Mountains: the place to be

If you're on the East Coast, you should probably go to the Presidential Range. It's what all the cool kids are doing this summer (see Jason's post below).

Chilling on Mt. Jefferson earlier this summer with Olivia and Hannah Benson (aka Benzone aka Bensolation Station)