The weather at Lukla’s notorious airport held. Thankfully, our plane was the last to depart for three days. But then my travel luck took an odd turn. We had returned to Katmandu on schedule. The doorman at the hotel was there to greet me. He had wished me well when we departed. “Welcome backContinue reading ““All of Europe?””
Author Archives: Ed Abell
The Mist
At the first glow of dawn, I push away from the pier. I can taste the thick fog nestled on the lake like whipped cream on a piece of pie. I push the oars across the windless mirror. Bullrushes raise from the water like the whiskers of a cat. As I pass through them, theyContinue reading “The Mist”
Alex 1917
Wifie Kristin and I are in Finland. Our family agenda complete, we chose to hang around for and extra week and explore the region around Turku. On the western coast, it was the first major city dating back to the 13th century. The Aura River archipelago holds 40,000 islands. As avid hikers, research lead usContinue reading “Alex 1917”
Teach an Old Dog…
Our sixth-floor Airbnb apartment has a Nespresso machine. The pucks come in a variety of espresso and coffee flavors. Bar codes on the puck rim are read by a Lazer in the mother ship that communicate water and foam directions for each style of drink. This Wisco-cheeser is late to this particular appliance party, butContinue reading “Teach an Old Dog…”
Ode to Annet the Airbnb
Annet, Annet, with your thick steel plating Mooring lines secured, your next sail is waiting Down your arched gangplank, with our luggage in hand You sway with yellow legged seagulls and barnacle geese in the band Diamond patterned decks, lead down rather large stairs Cabins on both ends, enough for two pair Tables, a kitchenContinue reading “Ode to Annet the Airbnb”
Old Friends – Part Three
It’s bad form to refer to friends as old. In this case, however, hiking boots come under a separate and honored category. They are trusted old friends that have transported me on many adventures. Curriculum vitae (CV) from left to right. #1 While on some field research in the late 90’s I visited beautiful oldContinue reading “Old Friends – Part Three”
Friendships – Part Two
As a young boy, I discovered that my father’s happy place was his library of mountaineering books, specifically, Mt. Everest and the Himalaya. When he drank, there would always be a point at which he could not stop. My siblings and I witnessed dozens of horrific recoveries. Sometimes at home, sometimes in the psychiatric wardContinue reading “Friendships – Part Two”
Friendships – Part One
When we live long enough, the friends that pass through our lives take many forms. Some begin in grade school or high school, the folks you don’t see for years, but the next meeting is like you had simply continued the last conversation. As adults, friends can ebb & flow, and sometimes, if we makeContinue reading “Friendships – Part One”
Memories are Forever
What marks the conclusion of an adventure? Was it our pile of well used survival suits or the final walk down the gangway? This was an expedition, not a cruise. Those suits were doled out on our first day. The racks of lifeless red dolls looked like the drone pods from Star Wars. “The waterContinue reading “Memories are Forever”
Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Think of the historical images you’ve seen of Tombstone or Doge City: buildings constructed from similar materials and colors, the dust, roads straight by necessity, and corrals of snowmobiles in this environment instead of horses, and you caint bring them shoot’n irons into the saloon or the general store. This is a place where youContinue reading “Longyearbyen, Svalbard”
The Adventures of Spaghetti Eddie 