I never knew

As I’ve mentioned before, I was in Bar Harbor last week, Lightspeedchick gives some details and mentions this:

A favorite highlight among many: taking Martine, Ed and Patrick on a hike which I remembered as “not really that challenging”. Of course, this was almost ten years ago when I was into rock climbing, and it turned out to be in fact the most difficult that Acadia National Park had to offer, a near-vertical 1000-foot climb over just a quarter of a mile! (No ropes!) Although we were, in the end anyway, happy to have met the challenge head-on, there were some moments where I thought some of my best friends might never speak to me again. But by the end of the day everyone had once more found their happy thoughts.

I’ll add a little quote from this page detailing some of the trails around Acadia:

The Precipice Trail is probably the most well known and certainly the most challenging trail in Acadia National Park. It is a non-technical, but almost vertical, 1,000 foot climb up granite ledges to the summit of Champlain Mountain. There are many iron rungs and ladders along the trail and it is only recommended for experienced, physically fit hikers who do not have a fear of heights. (emphasis mine)

Just so you know our group “levels” for those skills were:

• Experience: One climber from years back. 3 non climbers, pretty much non hikers.

































































• Physically fit: Good to average I’d say.

• Fear of heights: 3 out of 4, 2 of which mentioned past instances of dizziness when faced with heights.

  So… yeah, a bit tense in parts. Won’t do it again unless it’s on Amazing Race for a million. Still, fun to have done it. Mmmmh maybe fun isn’t quite right. Satisfying? Closer.

  The shocked faces of the couple we talked to at the top when we told them which way we had come to the top by is also worth remembering.

Depuis peu je suis de retour en ville après 8 jours à Bar Harbor. C’est juste 8 jours et c’est encore les USA mais quand même, grosse coche entre un bout de Maine ou mon cellulaire ne connectais pas et la grande ville. Dans les 15 premières minutes sur l’île:

• Un chauffeur de taxi qui me cri après comme un malade (ma fenêtre était fermée pôv’ con.), je pense parce que j’ai ralenti sur la jaune et arrêter avant qu’elle soit rouge au lieu de “crisser ça dans l’fond” pour passer. Il dépasse ensuite du monde par la droite aux lumières.

































































• 5 coins plus loin, un espèce de saôulon qui cri comme un malade sur le bord de la rue, traverse devant moi à la lumière en “sacrant une claque” sur la voiture.

• Un gars qui gesticule parce que nous sommes 2-3 voitures à passer devant lui…. sur notre verte. Non mais quel culot on a!!

  Mais, évidemment, ensuite en attendant la verte coins Mont-Royal, y’a 4 jolies demoiselles qui traversent devant moi. Ca compense ;)

La plus belle histoire du monde

A Short History of Progress

So I’m watching Law and Order and I’m reminded of a post I thought about last week. What is your favorite “trademark sound” from tv shows and/or the one you find the most distinctive. Not theme song, just a sound or few notes. Examples:

• Patatuhh. Patatatatuh! (with fast cuts of NY landscape) on the dearly departed NYPD Blue.

































































• TunnTung. on Law and Order, at every transition. As Lightspeedchick would say: Murder, tunntung, get in the car tunntung, talk to judge, tunntung.

• Twing twing! Pah pah twing twing!! the background music playing every time Kirk on the original Star Trek was fighting a purple guy with horns so he could get his hands on the purple chick in a bathing suit.

  Others?