Pockets of Blue

Around the World: Part Five

Alec LaLonde — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:25:00 -0800

Continued from Part Four

After scarfing down a quick lunch we three set back off on the trail to the highest and Northernmost point of our trek: Everest Base Camp at 5340m (17.5k ft). The trail traverses a rocky moraine with fantastic views of the adjacent Khumbu glacier and the huge Khumbu cirque rimmed by the giants of Nuptse, Everest, Khumbutse and Pumo Ri. Soon we find ourselves winding around on the dirty glacier itself, marveling at the 15m seracs all around us. Before we know it, the jumble of tents seemingly strewn over the... continue

Home Sweet Home

Alec LaLonde — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:25:00 -0800

We now take a break from our regularly scheduled broadcast to announce:

I bought a house.

Goodbye, rent. Hello, debt. Yes, it's a pretty nice place, at least it will be after I've made some necessary improvements. The location is awesome: half a block from the best brewpub in Salt Lake, two blocks from the grocery store, and ten blocks from work. I can walk or bike just about everywhere (except the mountains of course). It's 1400 square feet, which is more than ample for myself.

So over the past couple weeks I've been almost entirely consumed... continue

Around the World: Part Four

Alec LaLonde — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:15:00 -0800

Continued from Part Three

A few hours after setting off, the trees start to slowly fade and I find myself in a sub-alpine meadow at about 4000m (13,100ft). I sit and gaze at a massive gash in the mountain across the river, caused by a recent landslide. As I'm daydreaming about climbing Aba Dablam, now shrouded in clouds, some familiar faces crest the hill behind me. It's Darren and Tanya -- somehow they had gotten behind me. We greet each other warmly and set off together towards Pheriche, our next destination at 4200m (13.8kft). Soon we've crossed... continue

Around the World: Part Three

Alec LaLonde — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:56:00 -0800

Continued from Part Two

I step outside our room into the courtyard, turn to go into the kitchen, and am stopped in my tracks. A massive white peak glows in the twilight above. After a cloudy afternoon it is my first good close look at a 6000m peak, presenting itself in dramatic fashion. I snap a picture and smile into the dining room.

Thamserku (6618m) looming over the hotel

A few hours earlier Cam and I set foot... continue

Around the World: Part Two

Alec LaLonde — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:35:00 -0800

Continued from Part One

So, after a day wandering the city I was back sitting in an airport, waiting for my Etihad Airways flight to depart for Abu Dhabi. It was an overnighter, and one of the best flights I've ever had, actually. You could choose your own entertainment (in coach!) and I even managed to get a few hours of sleep in the half-empty plane.

Abu Dhabi International

Dawn revealed a dusty, desolate airport with... continue

Around the World: Part One

Alec LaLonde — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:31:00 -0800

On the 21st of October I returned from a four-week trip around the world. Where to begin?

One of the goals of this trip was a complete disconnection from my (at the time not so great) normal life. In this spirit, I turned off my cell phone and left it at home. There would be no laptop, no phone, and no way to get in touch with me. Perfect.

Trax-Bus-Plane-Plane-Shuttle-Train-Subway-Subway-Train-Car

After 24 hours, an hour of sleep, and myriad forms of public transportation I was navigating the Métropolitain in Paris to... continue

Namaste! From Nepal

Alec LaLonde — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:07:00 -0700

I'm sitting here in a hotel dining room at 11,500 feet (3440 m) surfing the internet. Ah yes, satellite internet; not cheap at 10 rupees / minute but almost expected in this day in age. Needless to say, this is gonna be a short post.

On the 30th I touched down in Kathmandu, Nepal to a warm rainy evening after a layover in Abu Dhabi, United Aram Emirates. The taxi ride to my hotel was absolutely insane -- anyone who's been in a large city in India would understand...immediately I was put off by the rather destitute environs and by... continue

Peacin out

Alec LaLonde — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:22:00 -0700

First of all, I bought the domain name lalon.de. Then, naturally, I created the sub-domain alec.lalon.de. Yes, if you just type my name in your address bar with a couple of dots you'll get to this site. Sweet!

In other news, I will embark on a four-week trip around the world in two days.

First, it's off to Paris and Normandy for a few days with my folks and Aunt and Uncle.

Then it's off to Nepal.

See ya in a month.

continue

Rotten Apples

Alec LaLonde — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:58:00 -0700

I've been typing on an Apple-branded keyboard since I was 11 years old. For ten years I sang the praises of the technically superior Mac OS, the elegant hardware of the iMac, and the flawlessly user-centric iPod. I owned an iMac, iBook, and three iPods. I was an Apple fanboy.

The mind-opening experiment we call 'going to college' started to change all that. As a junior I had an internship at Kodak testing digital cameras, and one of my co-workers had a sister who worked for Apple. I was rather impressed (she was pretty cute too) and... continue

Vertical Smiles on Lone Peak

Alec LaLonde — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:06:00 -0700

When I first moved out here last year the Wasatch Mountains were my church spires -- I would drive by and admire them longingly without really exploring their sanctuaries. Hiking in their vicinity would only fuel an urge for more tactile encounters -- the huge rock walls looming in so many crannies and canyons.

One such rock wall stands out; the North Star in a sea of celestial stone. A lighthouse, visible from anywhere in the Wasatch Valley, separating the harem of the North from the sheep to the South -- always there keeping watch. It's called the continue