Backpacking with my daughters

August 31st, 2008 | By Larry Habegger | No Comments »

My essay about taking my young daughters on their first mountain backpacking trip appeared in today’s San Francisco Chronicle Travel Section. Read it here, or see it with photos on my blog at Triporati.com.

Best Moments at the Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference

August 24th, 2008 | By Larry Habegger | 1 Comment »

The Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference has come and gone and now that I’ve just about recovered from all the fun, here are my highlights. It was quite a time.

1. Alison Wright on her horrific accident in Laos and amazing recovery. Read her new book, Learning to Breathe. 2. Simon Winchester meeting his mentor, James Morris, for the first time, discovering a woman, soon to be Jan. 3. Isabel Allende on following her instincts. Did she really say that?! Only those present will know what I mean…sorry! 4. How do you spell karaoke? Battle between the “Wail of the Tormented” and Pauline Frommer’s exquisite voice. Who knew? And she says her kids don’t like her to sing!!?? 5. Don George’s moving eulogy and moment of silence to honor Linnea Larson, Tim Cahill’s wife, killed in a recent car crash. 6. Tim Cahill’s talk about founding Outside magazine, and why he left. Management mistreated his co-workers, the women. 7. My morning sessions on the Personal Essay. Lots of talent, lots of laughs, rewarding for me and for others (I trust). 8. Seeing fine old friends like the plump and expecting Jen Leo, “the other Larry” Larry Bleiberg, John Flinn, Don George, Tim Cahill, Tom Swick, Georgia Hesse, Catharine Hamm, Amanda Jones, Jim Benning, Bob Holmes, Simon Winchester, Isabel Allende, Phil Cousineau, George Olson, Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Michael Shapiro, Janis Cooke Newman, Pauline Frommer, Alison Wright…the list goes on and on. Don’t miss it next year!

Backpacking the Desolation Wilderness

August 12th, 2008 | By Larry Habegger | No Comments »

My young daughters had never backpacked before this summer, and they were so excited when we got them real backpacks at REI. Our first test trip covered a mile and a half and climbed about 400 feet in Point Reyes National Seashore to Sky Camp. It wasn’t easy for my 8-year-old but she managed. Next was a 5-mile, 1500-foot climb in the Desolation Wilderness of California’s Sierra Nevada. Was I crazy? Find out here.

Amtrak San Francisco to Seattle

August 12th, 2008 | By Larry Habegger | No Comments »

At the end of July my family and I took Amtrak to Seattle for the thrill of an overnight train ride. We were on our way to visit friends in Leavenworth, Washington, a faux Bavarian tourist town that happens to be in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. I’ve put some thoughts down about the trip here.

Manhattan’s Bryant Park is the place to be

June 5th, 2008 | By Larry Habegger | 2 Comments »

Several years ago I discovered Bryant Park just off Times Square and made a point of visiting whenever I was in New York. One visit I got caught in quite a thunderstorm. And just today I saw this story in The New York Times about the park being threatened by its success. Get there early and stake out your territory!