Monday, February 24, 2014

Embracing Winter

Did a 5-1/2 hour hike to Moose Mountain's North Peak yesterday with a naturalist, checking out a porcupine that had been killed by a predator, spotting a few bear "nests" high in the tree canopy, seeing a fisher cat day den in the snow and finishing with a bushwhack down the mountain that saw a number of us deal with the most challenging stretches by planting our rear ends in the snow and sliding. (I've got ripped pants to prove it.)

When it comes to winter in the Upper Valley, you conquer it or it conquers you . . . which brings me to the following video posted on the Dartmouth football video page. The gist might be that yeah, we have winter in these parts and guess what? It's special.

See if you recognize football players doing the polar bear swim in Occom Pond at the 3:09 mark.



USA Today reports that ESPN will be broadcasting the Eastern Washington-Sam Houston State football game this Aug. 23. That's the earliest college game since 2003. The game is being billed as the "FCS Kickoff."

From the story (italics are mine):
The commissioners of the teams' two conferences – Tom Burnett of the Southland and Doug Fullerton of the Big Sky – requested a waiver from the NCAA to open the season early that was backed by the commissioners of every other FCS league (except for the Ivy, which does not compete in the FCS playoffs and opted to abstain). The waiver was granted. The schools will be able to open practice earlier than their peers because practice start dates are based on the date of a team's first game. 

When they revealed the numbers before a packed house at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center yesterday, THON, the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, had raised $13.34 million this year for the fight against pediatric cancer. The 46-hour dance marathon at Penn State now has raised more than $113 million over its 42 years. It makes a Penn Stater proud. Find a story here.

Watching this always brings a tear to my eye: