Monthly Archives: December 2013

I gave myself a mountain for my 31st birthday. And not any hill. At 5,344 feet, Mt. Marcy is the tallest peak in both New York State and the Adirondack Mountains. It’s just south of Lake Placid, where huge ski jumps testify to the … Continue reading →

My first climb up the iconic 800-foot-high western face of Pão de Açúcar took a bit over five hours, via the routes Italianos (rated 5.10) and Secundo (rated 5.9). My second time up the same routes was nearly an hour faster. I can understand how … Continue reading →