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VOGA Features Adventure Weekend for Women in Vermont

Vermont Outdoor Guide Association (VOGA) will feature a weekend of outdoor recreation and education on the shores of Lake Morey the weekend of March 2-4. Offered to all women over the age of 15, courses will include dog sledding, fire making, traditional winter camping, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, orienteering, ice fishing and much more. You can camp outside or spend the night in a heated cabin. Cost for the all-inclusive weekend program is $285. Registration for courses is first come, first serve, so sign up now.
 

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San Diego Adventure

You can lounge on Pacific Beach, visit the sea lions in La Jolla, and bike Coronado when visiting San Diego. Or you can paraglide, surf, or go on California’s longest zipline. With nearly 100 years of flying history, Torrey Pines Gliderport, located north of La Jolla, is America’s most popular coastal soaring site. Adventure seekers can take a tandem paragliding or hanggliding flight with professional, experienced instructors and enjoy a n exhilarating ride as you soar off dramatic 300-foot cliffs above the Pacific Ocean and San Diego’s scenic coastline. Made famous by the Beach Boys’ hit song "Surfin’ USA," Swami’s Beach in Encinitas is one of San Diego’s prime surf spots, where big waves break off a narrow beach and challenge experienced surfers. For novice surfers, La Jolla Shores is a family friendly strip of beach with a sandy bottom and gentle waves. San Diego is also home to the longest zip line in California. Set in the La Jolla Indian Campground, within the foothills of Palomar Mountain, the La Jolla Zip Zoom provides riders with 6,273 feet of excitement coupled with spectacular views of mountain peaks, and lush green canyons. 
 
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10 Best Family Ski Resorts

A family ski trip offers the rare opportunity to spend quality time with every member of your family, including your significant other. In the morning, kids can improve their skills at ski schools, while you hit the slopes with your number one squeeze. In the afternoon, children can show off their new tricks while you ski together as a family. The best ski areas have gentle slopes for little skiers, first rate instructors to enhance skills of children ages 3 and up (in group or private lessons), childcare services for kids younger than 3, and more than enough activity to keep the kids busy when they need a break from the mountain. If you’re thinking of hitting the slopes this winter with the family, check out my list of favorite North American ski areas, found at Family Vacation Critic. 
 
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Three Mainers Complete the 100-Mile Wilderness Trail in Winter

April is usually the month when Appalachian Trail thru-hikers give themselves a nickname and start the 2,190-mile five to seven-month trek from the southern terminus, Springer Mountain, Georgia. For many, the most grueling 100 miles will be the last, on the notorious 100-Mile Wilderness Trail in Maine. This is an arduous up and down grind where the occasional logging road is the only sign of civilization. That’s why I love this story out of the Bangor Daily News, which reports that 3 Maine hikers completed the 100-Mile Wilderness Trail the beginning of March. Using snowshoes and backcountry skis, and carrying hefty backpacks, they trekked in hip-deep snow, summited 4,000-foot peaks in howling winds, and often had to clamber over downed trees. A remarkable inspiration, which I hope to remember when I next climb a mountain in summer. 

 
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Rafting the Green River in Colorado and Utah

Roaring 44 miles through northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah, the Green River is one of the most desolate runs in the States. The Class III whitewater snakes through rarely seen Dinosaur National Monument, where red walls rise sharply to some 2,500 feet to effectively block out civilization. In its place, you’ll find one of the largest concentrations of endangered peregrine falcons in the States, bighorn sheep, and mule deer. John Wesley Powell explored the Green in 1869 and was so impressed with the river that he gave the most exciting rapids names like Disaster Falls, Triplet Falls, and Hell’s Half Mile. Adrift Adventures features a four-day run on the Green during June and August. Cost is $785 for adults and $250 for kids ages 6-12. Also ask about their Jurassic Journey and Rock Art and Rafting options, which add an extra day to the trip before heading down the Green. Jurassic Journey takes you to Dinosaur Quarry, where dinosaur bones have been found. The Rock Art package visits several sites near the Ute Indian Reservation to view southwestern Indian rock art. 
 

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Backroads Family Trip to Switzerland, Biking Along the Shoreline of Lake Brienz

As much as I savored being nestled in the Alps at Grindelwald, spending the last two nights at the classic Grandhotel Giessbach was the perfect way to end the trip. Close to Interlaken but far away from the crowds, we were nestled on the serene shores of this glacially carved lake hemmed in by the mountains. As if the scenery wasn’t exquisite enough, the balcony of our room overlooked a powerful waterfall that tumbled down the hillside. We would spend the day biking on a bike path that led to the town of Meringen, known for their meringue cookies (which, of course, we sampled at a bakery) and the town where Sherlock Holmes was staying when Professor Moriarty finally caught up with him at nearby Reichenbach Falls. We cooled off in the frigid waters of the lake at lunch before making our way around the southern shoreline passing small towns as we peered down at the cobalt waters or up one last time at those majestic peaks. We exchanged bikes for kayaks and played games on the lake like tag and water polo before returning to the hotel for one last caipirinha on the deck with the family and a farewell dinner with our new friends. Backroads did an excellent job from start to finish and this is one trip I will happily recommend to others. 

 
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My Top 5 Places to Scuba Dive, Rangiroa, French Polynesia

When the words “requin, requin” (French for shark) are shouted in Rangiroa, swimmers here do not run to shore fearing for their lives. On the contrary, most of the snorkelers and divers who come to this oval-shaped coral atoll in the Tuamotus stay in the water to relish a face-to-face encounter with one of these mesmerizing creatures. Grey reef, white- and black-tipped, lemon sharks, and hammerheads peer at divers in the renowned Tiputa Pass, a 60-foot deep channel that connects the island’s lagoon with the open sea. It was here that I dove down 40 feet only to be surrounded by at least 20 hammerheads in a matter of minutes. I guess they didn’t find me tasty. The perfect place to recover after your snorkeling adventure with Jaws is the Kia Ora Village, Rangiroa’s premier hotel. If you’re looking for that Robinson Crusoe experience, retreat to Kia Ora Sauvage, a small island about an hour away by boat from the main hotel. The island has just five basic bungalows and two cooks who prepare all the meals.

 

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