Feature Articles
Wildlife Conservation Areas: Abundance of Birds and Creatures Delight Patient Paddlers
As we paddled our sea kayaks unobtrusively through the reeds, twigs and shrubs of the Vermont wetland, we watched several osprey soar overhead, hover with rapidly beating wings, then dive with a splash into the water to snatch up a fish now wiggling between their talons.
During our paddle in Maquam Wildlife Management Area in the northern part of the Lake Champlain Basin, we counted five osprey nests. Over the course of several hours, it became clear that each provided a current home to a pair. We also spotted some migratory ducks, including a bufflehead meandering along the shore and a greater scaup scooting across the open water.
Life List: Wild Alaska by Boat
We landed in Juneau just after 8 a.m. and by 11 a.m., we had shopped for provisions and arrived at the dock where the “Galaxy” is moored. It will take most of the afternoon to ready the 38-foot, converted fishing troller for our two-week escape into the isolated islands of Southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage.
We’re dizzy with excitement and still can’t believe we’re in Alaska, a longtime dream that had miraculously come to fruition just months earlier. How is it we are about to board this private boat for a close-up-and-oh-so-personal tour? Captain Vic Cano—lifelong friend, best man at our wedding, professional folk musician and wood-carving artisan—holds the key to our dream…if boats had keys, that is.
Fernie: Not For the Faint of Heart
Perhaps you’ve heard the fervent whispers about Fernie already: You’ll find some of the steepest terrain you’ll ever see inbounds, and what’s out-of-bounds is free for the taking too. The snow here is unbelievable—deep and light and almost magical. The terrain seems unlimited—if you see it, and can get to it, you can ski it. There are no crowds, so you have the mountain practically to yourself. Of course, all this tantalizing lore is shared with the necessary forewarning, “We’re only telling you this because we know you’ll keep it to yourself.”
Well, diehards really have nothing to worry about, because Fernie is not for the faint of heart. While every bowl has some groomed terrain, most terrain is left the way Mother Nature made it—and that’s the way Fernie’s fans want it to be.
Red Mountain: Adventure In a Small Package
By Western standards, Red Resort is rather small, only 1,585 acres. So how can you possibly get lost here? Who knows, but it happens almost every time.
The trail map is a moot point—until the end of the day. That’s when you sit down with a cold beer and try to figure out just exactly where you’ve been that day. Sure there are plenty of trails, but the reason to come here is for the phenomenal tree skiing and riding—deep and steep to wide and sweet. Trails signs? Not for most of Red’s true gems, even if it’s marked right there on the map. Ask locals and they’ll tell you to look for the four-by-four post to your right off the cat track (Beer Belly) or the round red reflector nailed to a tree on your left at the top of the saddle (Short Squaw). That’s why it’s a genuine surprise to be gliding through a prime piece of woods you’ve stumbled upon and suddenly see a small sign in the middle of the glade that says “Powder Fields.” OK, so you’re not really lost after all, someone’s been here before you.
Jay Peak: The East's Powder Haven
Jay Peak, tucked away in Northern Vermont against the Canadian border, holds the steadfast honor of being home to some of the East’s best woods skiing and riding—and those woods are usually blanketed in the East’s most powder.
Long before it was popular for Eastern resorts to cut glades, Jay's locals were sneaking into the woods to cut their own lines. After the resort president's son was caught skiing out of bounds, the resort cut some glades and opened them to the public, making tree skiing legit.