Big Blue

I came to school with Ben Rauch (in one car - he picked me up) on Thursday morning to find a very frightening spectacle.
The front row of the parking lot was full. So was the back row and the middle island-type row, the grass next to the parking spaces was also taken as were the majority of spots that curve around the back of building. THIS WAS RIDICULOUS! It seemed like every senior, junior, and sophomore had decided to take their own car to school. It also seemed like every freshman had decided to skip the bus and have their parents drive. What was really crazy was I saw siblings riding in different cars! I was pretty astonished and I wasn’t even the one trying to find a parking spot.
After discussing how absurd this was, we decided that, although recognizing the problem is the first step, it wouldn’t do us any good unless we acted upon it. So act we did!
When Friday morning came, I rode to school on Big Blue, my 1970, sky-blue, basketed, 5-speed, Suburban, along side Ben on a pretty serious mountain bike (sorry I don’t know as much about that one!). We threw our lunches in the baskets and 10 minutes later we were at school...just like that!
I’m not some tree-hugging, pro-active, “determined-to-get-my-point-across” kind of guy. I just think that sometimes people should think about their effect on things. I understand that some kids live in Wolcott. I also understand there are a lot of kids who live there, so why not carpool? I understand some people don’t want to bike if they live very far away. I also understand that you could use the car you drive everyday to drive to a spot that’s a little more doable or human. Anything and everything will help!
Sorry about this eco-rant but I love snowboarding too much to start saying goodbye to it forever because of Global Warming. All it took was a full parking lot for me to realize that something is wrong. I hope you all can start noticing these signs that can easily be fixed. The sooner the better!
Thank you!

Evaporation of a daunting cloud

Keenan takes a rock ride in the Notch. Shot by the marvelous Aaron Blatt.

I have finalized my college decision and that extremely large check is now on its way to Sierra Nevada College…I’m pretty pumped. Not just because I really want to continue my life there, but because so much pressure has just been alleviated. This cloud has been daunting over my head for a little over a year now, getting progressively thicker and more intimidating and I feel like it’s been worth that effort, for real. It’s nice to no longer answer every parent when they ask “Where are you going next year?” with a “Well…uh…I think I would possibly like to…attend…ummm…So-and-So College, maybe, kind of, I guess.” I’m really glad that this is all done with, but I can’t thank Pat Von Trapp and my parents enough for making this all go smoothly!

But enough with school!

It was all rainy this week (until the snow today!?? COOL!) but I took full advantage of this by taking a break from being outside all day to check out some of the stores in town. My Monday afternoon adventure began at the Coffee House…
I was with a nice little gathering of people, sipping girly lattes and mocha-chino-espresso-infused-whatevers, trying to wait out the rain. Well the wait went a little longer than expected and the House was closing, so I went with a few close friends and we walked through some of the art galleries in town. I was in a trance, walking from room to room with my jaw falling open, amazed at the pieces in all of the galleries. We pretended to be sophisticated home-owners and proceeded to pick and choose the displays that we would like to have as wall candy. It was a rainy afternoon well spent!
So I think that people should take a 30 minute break from their busy, active, lives and check out the inside of town. I think you’ll be surprised that this town has more to offer than incredible scenery and a plethora of outside activities. It’s wicked.

*This just in! Check out the Alpaca store next to the Memorial Building…It is super cool!

Another rock ride. Also shot by the marvelous Aaron Blatt.

On the cover

Keenan on the cover of Eastcoast Snowboarding mag. - ST.com

Right now I...

Right now, I…
- Am really taking advantage of this vacation.
- Understand that I’m a senior and there’s still more work to be done in terms of wrapping this whole college thing up, but this vacation has really been crucial as far as having some time to breathe.
- Figure that if I’m already sunburned, bruised, sweaty, and sore that this vacation is off to an awesome start!
- Am really stoked. I hiked up into the Notch the other day with a good friend and we ended up spending the entire day up there.We snowboarded on rocks and trees, hiked in and out of the woods repeatedly, and got an awesome picture-documentary of it all (I’ll try to get those ASAP).
- Think that it’s beautiful outside. I just got contacts so I feel like I’m seeing everything for the first time. I never really noticed how vibrant our trees and flowers are. It’s really amazing.
- Am going to go catch the last bit of winter at the mountain.
- Think that everyone should go outside. Go skateboard, run, jog, walk, walk your dog, sunbath, take a plunge in an icy river, canoe*, plant a garden, break dance, have a picnic, ride a bike, or maybe just meet some friends on a bench in town and revel in whatever it is that's worth reveling over. Have fun!

* I take that back, canoeing is probably a very dangerous idea right now…

Chasing epic shred

Despite how hectic the whole college search has made every day of this year, this week was possibly the best week ever! For starters, the mountain was incredible. The entire hill was covered with deep snow but the sun was out and the jackets and hats were off. I’ve never been more stoked on a crucial case of snow-blindness, a beet-red sunburn, and sopping wet gear! It was pretty cool!

But it gets better!

The winter routine (a.k.a. sleeping and snowboarding) was over! I spent this entire weekend outside with my bros. We would ride until noon-ish, come down the hill into town for a frappe or slice, then cruise on bikes and skateboard until it was time to shower and go out for the night. It was like a preview for this upcoming vacation, which will be awesome!

But being outside this week has really got me thinking. This is going to be my last spring time in Stowe for at least four years. It made me realize how lucky I am to have grown up here and be exposed to this beauty. I don’t think that there are too many locations like ours that have so much to offer at all times. Even though I’m getting pretty antsy to see what else is out there in this country, I’m glad to know that I can call this home.

Well, right now it’s almost 60 degrees and it’s a half-day at school.So I’m going to mosey on up to the hill to chase some epic shred!