It’s so hard to find long dirt trails here in Chennai. So when I heard about the Adyar river trail, I hopped on the bike and head over across the city. Thoroughly enjoyed the 6kms of solidarity amidst this bustling city. Got Shasta and Meena over this weekend and they had their bit of nature-fix too. I need to actively scout for these secluded nature spaces. They come far and few but I’m pretty sure there’s got to be more! ...
Christmas plan for this year was a major blooper. With the long weekend and everybody off work, we had initially planned to head down south to Covelong. The sisters and I would take on surfing classes while my in-laws and Shasta would have some down-time by the beach. We’d scoped out Sea la vie, as a decent place to stay during the three days there and confirmed they had sufficient C-19 measures in place. ...
I’ve taken up an exciting position with USAID In New Delhi. While the medical and security clearances are still underway, Earlier this month we made the tricky decision to fly out to India. With Covid19 still remaining unpredictable, leadership across the world falling to abysmal levels, a potentially violent election fallout in the US and forthcoming travel restrictions and then the conditional offer from USAID - we decided it was time to leave. Thankfully our mail-in-ballots arrived just in time and we sent those out a couple days prior to our departure. ...
A beautiful hike up north on the Appalachian Trail towards Washington Monument. With a slowly rising dense fog and absolutely nobody else for company almost all through the hike, this 6ish mile out and back loop was just what we needed on a Sunday morning. The monument was a wonderful step-back in time and reminded me of the multitude of forts back in the Sahyadris. Garmin Connect GPX ...
A beautiful climb up Maryland Heights and some great views off the cliff overlooking Harpers Ferry. Our first hike in WV! Fabulous weather and Patapsco was shimmering all along. Brought Appa here a few days later and he was able to walk all across the bridge and over to the other side of the river. Garmin Connect GPX ...
One of those really good hikes! With a total 3000+ ft elevation gain and close to a mile of rock scrambling to the top, this one is set to remain one of my favorites. Garmin Connect GPX ...
Yet another great day outdoors! We plan on doing more technical and/or longer hikes with Shasta and today was one of those ‘dry-runs’. We were out there in the woods for about 3.5 hours and she did terrific! A decent elevation profile, blended in river-crossing, and of-course wonderful company. With an early start, the 6.5miles didn’t quite feel that distance. A bit of a drive from home that was absolutely worth it! ...
Recently, I’ve started using GPSBabel and Ramblr together to better visualize and scout new hikes. GPSBabel is this fabulous tool that lets you combine various gpx files into one and Ramblr lets you plan and chalk out your trips. Both tools obviously have a ton of more features which I should explore at some point in time. While on the trails, the AllTrails app is a terrific companion. Having a birds-eye view is always helpful and it’s never quite failed me! ...
With a lean path winding along the Patapsco river, this trail was quite different from the others around in this region. Kids had a great time around in the water just before we closed out the loop and finished the hike. [gallery size=“large” ids=“8380,8381,8382,8383,8384,8385,8386,8387,8388,8389,8390,8391”] Garmin Connect GPX
Gloomy weather, impending rain and breezy forecast - Great way to kick off the weekend with a short hike. Meena didn’t get to see the falls last time we were on this trail. So we decided to head back here with Shasta in the carrier. Made it back home just in time before the thunder-storms kicked in. [gallery size=“large” ids=“8376,8377,8375,8371,8372,8373,8374”]