Author: Brownski

Craigslist Kayak Adventures

Posted on by Brownski

I’ve wanted to get my hands on a tandem kayak for years now. Not just any tandem though; I wanted a big seaworthy double cockpit, expedition-capable boat.

NY Thruway

For more casual paddlers, this kind of kayak is more boat then required. Hell, for most of my paddling it is overkill but there are times when my home waters get dangerous. Plus, I occasionally get out on big water and have ambitions towards multi-day trips with my kids in the future so I wanted a really capable boat.

That’s my justification at least. Maybe it’s just quiver envy. Like with skis, I always seem to be looking towards the next piece of gear that would really up my game.

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Tagged: Central NY, Hudson Valley, Paddling8 Comments

Belleayre: Not Giving Up

Posted on by Brownski

It has been a good winter for skiing. In the grand scheme of things, that may be a trivial thing but there it is. I’ve been a nomad this winter. I skied more then ten different hills, including four new ones. Of course nothing lasts forever. The seasons change and we must move on. With the warm weather and impending rain, giving up on the ski season this weekend would have been understandable. But I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel.

Belleayre sign

I wanted to keep skiing. Until Saturday, I hadn’t included any ORDA mountains in my ‘20/‘21 ski odyssey so I figured it was a good time to take a break from exploring and retrace the well worn path to Belleayre Mountain in the Catskills.

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Tagged: Belleayre, Catskills17 Comments

Mohawk: Don’t Try This at Home

Posted on by Brownski

By one in the afternoon, we’d already ditched every layer we could and we were still pretty hot. We were having a great day and it wasn’t over yet. Even as the racers’ families were packing up their cars, we were headed back up the lift sans coats. By then it was close to sixty degrees.

It was a far cry from my first run of the morning. With my son sleeping soundly down in the parking lot and the temps still hovering around freezing, I’d ridden up one of Mohawk Mountain’s several triple chairs. It was my third visit to the cool little family hill in Connecticut, and I knew where I wanted to start, all the way over to skiers’ right.

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Tagged: CT, Indy Pass, Mohawk Mountain9 Comments