Maine Cross Country Ski Weekend in Pictures

It's probably not surprising to read an article describing how cell phones have infiltrated every aspect of our lives. But reading an article in the Sunday New York Times today "Step Away From The Phone"  -- describing, among the cell phone "detox" methods, how phones may need to be put into a lock box in order to foster normal human interactions in the home -- made me reflect on how I often completely disconnect from the phone and the Web by immersing myself in the wilderness. 

One of these trips with the Appalachian Mountain Club was a long weekend of guided lodge-to-lodge cross country skiing from Gorman Chairback to Little Lyford Lodge in Maine. The phone is the furthest thing from my mind -- lock box not needed -- as I embrace the simple pleases, such as stepping into a wood-fired sauna; enjoying a family-style dinner of pan-seared salmon with blueberry chutney; and snuggling in my bed that's decked out with comfy, flannel bedding. This short YouTube video slideshow provides a window into my experience.

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My Fave National Wildlife Refuges

Not much wildlife made it into "Wild," the Reese Witherspoon movie based on Cheryl Strayed's solo, thousand-some-mile trek along the Pacific Crest Trail. That is, unless you count some of the shady people her character meets along the way. In real life, it's the four-legged, winged and finned creatures in our nation's wild places that provide treasured experiences for ourselves and our children -- whether it's prowling for owls, digging for crabs, learning to photograph flocks of cranes, or following the tracks of a bobcat. In America, wildlife links us with our past and provides a gift we can offer future generations. We can thank President Theodor Roosevelt for establishing the first national wildlife refuge -- Florida's Pelican Island -- in 1903. But the idea of protecting America's fish and wildlife, and the plants and waters they depend on dates to the mid-1800s, when reporters and explorers in the West documented how animals were being wiped out. The public came to the realization that America's heritage is intimately tied to its wildlife that require safe and healthy havens to thrive. Every U.S. state plus its territories has at least one refuge, all managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serve. I recently wrote about six stand-out national wildlife refuges for National Geographic Traveler - Intelligent Travel. 

credit: Ward Feurt/USFWS

credit: Colin Hackley

credit: Steve Hillebrand/USFWS

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Zurich's Postcard Perfect Urban Wilderness

Ah, a snowy Sunday in Zurich. With so many shops closed, what's a Type A person, like myself, to do? Head to the wilderness, of course. And that couldn't be easier in Zurich where Mount Uetliberg, really a set of hills rather than one mountain, rises almost 3,000 feet above sea level. In the winter, it's a playground for sledding, walking, hiking, jogging and mountain biking. In the summer, take sledding  out of the mix and add picnicking.

Taking a train from Zurich's main station to Uetliberg, I shared my car with families and kids toting sleds. The wide open slopes as well as steeper terrain attracts everyone from young kids taking their first gentle sled run to thrill seeking teens.

My plan was a two- to three-hour afternoon hike. One family I met on the train left me with a warning, though: "Every year people get lost because they left the path. Don't leave the trail." Give the expansiveness of this urban wilderness and the vast network of trails snaking through forestland, I had no intention of leaving the path. 

Sticking with the wide paths, I found myself immersed in a true winter wonderland with snow clinging to tree limbs, needles and bushes, and coating rocks and grassy fields. Picnic tables clustered among evergreens, and benches were strategically positioned to provide postcard perfect viewpoints of Lake Zurich and the Alps beyond. Dense woodland alternates with wide open, undulating landscape that's sliced with sled tracks.

Though I didn't bring food for my trek, I found plenty of places to sample Swiss cuisine: whether the cafeteria at the train station where I disembark or other restaurants in the hills, including the glassed-in and uber scenic restaurant of the Uto Kulm Hotel set beside the observation tower (closed in winter) with panoramic views of the city and, on a clear day, Germany. The restaurant's outdoor deck is also where I would be sequestered in the summer.

From this vantage point it's an extremely steep and ice-laden staircase leading to the main walking trail along the ridge. (I only found out much later that this hair-raising situation could've been avoided by bypassing the observation tower and taking a trail that veered to the right.)

At the bottom, I was rewarded with some much needed cheese fondue at Uto Staffel, a restaurant looking out to the snow draped valley and mountains. Down the path, drinking water flows from a fountain made from a hollowed out log.

I shared the path with joggers, mountain bikers, families, couples with walking sticks, and children pulling sleds.Occasionally I'd spot the sign for my destination:
Felsenegg, the location of the cable car that would bring me back down to catch a train from the Adliswil station back to Zurich's main station.

Near the end of my 2.5 hour journey, the landscape  transforms into an even more magical land with the brush at the base of the trees glazed with ice, resembling sparkling dust.

A five-minute walk from the cable car boarding area is a cozy restaurant that serves some yummy mac and cheese, Swiss pancakes with prunes and, of course, the de rigueur apple strudel.

This is a hike that's a must for anyone who wants to experience perhaps one of the most wonderful urban wilderness options around, winter or summer. These photos are a sample of what I found:

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