Jane Bertrand
What inspired "Aiming for 80?"
In December 2018 I hosted a book launch party to coincide with my 70th birthday for the publication of my recently published book You...
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Aiming for 80
Jane recounts each of her “eight annual extraordinary outdoors excursions” since 2019 through the following series of illustrated narratives.
Jane Bertrand
5 min read
#30. Hiking in the French Alps: Aug 28-29, 2022
Julie Hernandez was spending the summer near Chamonix in France, training for her trip to Nepal several months later. When she couldn’t...
bertrand006
8 min read
#33. 11th annual cross country skiing trip: Jan 4-7, 2023
As per custom, Martha Alden (best friend from kindergarten in Ellsworth, ME) had made the reservations for our ski trip to Maine Huts and...
bertrand006
8 min read
#34: Grand Canyon: 8-9 April 2023
On New Year’s Eve 2022, I learned from Dave Covill, President of the Highpointers Foundation, that he and wife Beckie planned to spend...
bertrand006
5 min read
#35. Brévent, France: 18 June 2023
Did all excursions in this 12-month period need to begin with some type of mini-disaster (food poisoning, horrible weather)? #35 was no...
bertrand006
8 min read
#39. Katahdin (2): 28 July 2023
When we failed to summit with Eva Bazant and her family in early July 2023, I blamed myself for not getting 15-year-old Giuliana to the...
bertrand006
7 min read
#36: Mont Blanc, France: 19-20 June 2023
The Mont Blanc experience proved a suspicion I’d had for a while. Julie Hernandez and Dave Covill (President of the Highpointers...
bertrand006
7 min read
#37. Plan de l’Aiguille, Chamonix: 22 June 2023
Julie had a glorious day of rock climbing under Dimitri’s tutelage, while I explored the nearby village of Les Bossons and the t-shirt...
bertrand006
12 min read
#41. Norway: September 15-19, 2023
Since 2019 Tulane had received funding for its family planning work in the DRC through the Central Forest African Initiative (CAFI), with...
bertrand006
14 min read
#42: 6-12 November 2023: Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
After a successful ascent up Katahdin in July 2023, Charlotte Stetson and I were ready for the next adventure. I had read about the W...
bertrand006
6 min read
#43. Cross country skiing in Colorado: 24-28 March 2024
The first annual extraordinary outdoors adventure of 2024 was scheduled to be the yearly cross country ski trip to Maine Huts and Trails,...
bertrand006
6 min read
#44. Chamonix Redux: 17-18 June 2024
A knee injury in October 2023, followed by a 4-day, 48-mile hike in Chile, landed me back in PT. Despite 2-3 sessions a week for six...
bertrand006
3 min read
#47: Sargent Mountain, Acadia National Park: August 5, 2024
Charlotte Stetson and I were well matched for hiking, not only for our interest and physical capacity, but our problematic knees. On our...
bertrand006
8 min read
#48. Mt. Katahdin, ME: August 26, 2024
When Charlotte Stetson and I reached Baxter Peak on Mount Katahdin in summer 2023, it represented our fifth trip to the summit together:...
bertrand006
5 min read
#49. Dubrovnik, Croatia: Sept 14-18, 2024
The days leading up to the trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia, were pleasantly uneventful. No recently injured knee, no food poisoning. However,...
bertrand006
18 min read
#50. Montenegro: 19-26, 2024
If the five days in Dubrovnik had lacked for setbacks that made for good anecdotes, Montenegro did not disappoint. After five days of...
bertrand006
3 min read
#40. Penobscot Mt, ME: 4 Aug 2023
Ordinarily, a 3-4-hour hike might not meet the criterion of physically challenging, but the scenery in Acadia National Park on a sunny...
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