Teams will race non-stop for 3 days through the mountains, rivers, and forests of Untamed New England. They must travel under their own power. Teams will navigate with map and compass through pine forests, wetlands, and mountains; paddle rivers fed by melting snow; bike staggering mountain passes and twisty trails; dangle from ropes on exposed cliff faces.
33rd Annual Josh Triathlon is a 27 mile bike race, 5 mile canoe or kayak around Stockbridge Bowl and a 6 mile run around the lake into Tanglewood in Lenox, Ma. Scenic, challenging and tons of fun and excitement as the race goes through 5 towns from Great Barrington to Lenox in the Berkshires.
White clapboard houses on the right and a towering church and hay field on the left frame the dirt road across from the Underhill general store. From there it is a short drive to the 19th-century barn where John Connell keeps a tidy workshop devoted to building and restoring wooden canoes. Visitors are greeted by a row of sunflowers and his very friendly dog, Sonny.
Even though I’ve been an avid (some would say fanatic) skier for half a century, my favorite season is autumn. Part of my love for fall is the clear air, the crisp temperatures, and the brilliant foliage. I’m lucky to work outside quite a bit, and autumn is ideal, thanks to cooler days and the absence of insects.
Water’s allure is rooted deeply in the human psyche. Perhaps originally driven by the need for food, the magnetism of exploring new places by boat has gone well beyond the desire for a good fish dinner. There was something more that drove the Polynesians to find Hawaii, the Phoenicians to build great rowing ships, and the Europeans to sail to the four corners of the earth.
Early in July, my friend Belle invited me to paddle on a Dragon Boat team in the August 3rd Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival. The team I was joining was sponsored by the Physician’s Assistants Academy of Vermont and was made up of medical professionals from around the state. I was skeptical. I had no experience and didn’t even know what a dragon boat was.
Thanks to an abundant snowpack across most of Vermont this past winter, backcountry skiing at lower elevations has been unusually tempting. Why end our ski season when we can continue sliding effortlessly through hardwood glades, down logging roads and through open pastures … right down to the river?
With a lazy pull, my paddle sliced through the water. I felt the canoe glide forward, slowly, effortlessly. The day was sunny, and the river aided my progress with its gentle, yet persistent, flow. As the bow of my boat rounded the tip of a low, marshy island, the cattails suddenly burst to life.
8 mile canoe/kayak race on Onota Lake in Pittsfield, Ma. Lots of categories and prizes. patty.spector@verizon.net (413)637-2597
We paddled this stretch of river in 2002 and 2005, and its time to revisit this beautiful, undeveloped area again. Meet at 9am in the Price Chopper parking lot (near Exit 1, I-91, in Brattleboro).
