I won't keep you in suspense. I climbed Peak Lenin, 7134 meters to the summit. I'm not sure if that number means anything, so let's try to put it into perspective. No, it's not Mount Everest at 8848 meters, but its high, nevertheless. It's almost a kilometer higher than Mount Denali in Alaska. It's higher than Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Elbrus in Europe and Mount Aconcagua in South America, each of which is the highest on its respective continent. Peak Lenin is the second highest peak in Kyrgyzstan, a small republic in Central Asia, and the third highest in the former Soviet Union. If it were a building it would have approximately 2000 storeys high.
When Dave King arrived in Prince George in 1973 to work the for forestry service as a biologist, he had a pet Raven that he took everywhere. He took it to work where it squawked when Dave had to answer questions to those far less knowledgeable than himself about forestry in the region. It pecked others who stopped Dave from leaving the office on time for reasons beyond Raven’s comprehension.
Carellin is an urbanite, much happier in a pair of
I burned my purse with my bra back in the '70s, replacing it with a daypack. I also shifted from high-heeled shoes and tight dresses to jeans and hiking boots. I had two kids at the time, one on the hip and the other in hand and trying to stick diapers, face cloth, toys, bottles, change of clothes (for kids and me), money, to-do lists and a supply of crackers into a purse just didn't work. The daypack and boots made things manageable.
John and I were leaving the cemetery in Cienfuego, Cuba when the cemetery attendant told us that the 55-year-old trade embargo against the Cubans had just been buried by the Americans. The attendant rejoiced, as did many locals who dealt with tourists because tourists brought in the much-needed foreign currency. But many locals we came across that day were pensive, concerned that they’d lose some of the social privileges they had fought so hard for as a nation.
We booked with