Water, sun, snow

I paddled to Vermont today. A perfect, mild sunny autumn day.

Lake Champlain was blissfully empty and so warm that as I crossed from Westport to the east side I kept peeling off layers.

From the far shore, looking back, I could see the crowns of distant peaks white with November snow.

The North Country can be a challenging, frustrating place to live.

But having lived all over the world, I can say with some authority that there’s no landscape more beautiful, more generous.

About the time I pack the kayak away for true winter, it’ll be time to dust off the backcountry skis and the snowshoes.

Sweet.