Aiming for 80

Jane recounts each of her “eight annual extraordinary outdoors excursions” since 2019 through the following series of illustrated narratives.

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...

Jane Bertrand

3 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...

Jane Bertrand

5 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

8 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

5 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

7 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

8 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...

bertrand006

3 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

12 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

14 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

6 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

3 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

8 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

5 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

18 min read

#52. Cross-country skiing in Maine: 30 Jan – 1 Feb 2025

It would be the 13th annual cross-country skiing trip in Maine for Martha Ellis (my best friend from kindergarten in Ellsworth, Maine),...

bertrand006

6 min read