Jack, Mary, Jan, Tom, Dave, Ellen, Erin, and Ross traveled to Jackson Hole in February for excellent skiing at Jackson Hole. Erin and Ross also visited Grand Targhee on their drive back to Montana. Grace Chin skied with the group one day and also hosted them at the yurt. Jack and Jan are quite sure they spotted Patagonia Founder Yvon Chouinard driving by the yurt in his Prius.

Visit the photo gallery.

A record seven members of the North Country Men’s Club gathered in Old Forge for the 2017 90-Miler. The NCMC again used its four-man Wenonah. Bill and Tom achieved their Gold Canoes for completing their 20th Adirondack Canoe Classic.
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See the trip report.

It was back to Utah in February 2017 for the NCMC. Tom, Jack, and Jan were joined by Dave Woods, and by Erin and Ross as they hit Alta, Solitude, and Brighton. Lots of runs and lots of fun. Thanks to Erin and Ross, they also found some nice new routes to ski. See trip photos here

Jack, John, Bill and Tom paddled the NCMC’s C-4 in the Adirondack Canoe Classic on September 9. They had good weather on the first two days of the race, but high winds canceled Day 3. It was the first race day ever canceled for Jack, Tom and John. Bill had Day Three canceled in 1996.
The NCMC’s two-day time was 11:40:23. That time was good for 46th place among the 238 boats that entered the race. There were 50 C-4s in the race, and they finished 21st out of that group. Not bad for a boat with a crew averaging 63 years of age.
As usual, they stayed at Clark’s beachfront motel the night before the race and ate at Sisters Bistro. They actually saw a boat in the race with a Sisters Bistro sticker. Bonnie flew in to Saranac for the race on Friday and Mary drove from Buffalo. They stayed at the clubhouse on Friday and Saturday nights and enjoyed the access to Upper Saranac Lake and the outdoor shower. After the last race day was canceled, they headed for Lake Flower for the post-race meal and ceremonies. John picked up his pin for his eighth 90-Miler, and Bill and Tom got their pins for 19 races. Jack got his pin for 22 Adirondack Canoe Classics.
They saw a couple of loons during the race and a bald eagle flew overhead on Day Two on the Raquette River.
Race photos may be viewed here.

Deviating from the annual trip to the snow-filled canyons of the Wasatch Front in Utah, the NCMC visited Wyoming for a week of skiing in February. Staying in Jackson, they skied at legendary and uncrowded Grand Targhee on the western side of the Tetons on their first day, and then skied several days at slightly daunting Jackson Hole with its steep trails and 4,100-foot vertical. They also spent a day cross-country skiing in Grand Teton National Park. They received generous guiding from Grace Hartman, sister of Jimmy Chin and colleague of Jan. Grace lives in a yurt with her family and also hosted them for dinner one night. She took them all around Jackson Hole one day and also brought them to the national park. The weather was great, with a couple of snowy days interspersed with blindingly bright sunny days. Lots of goggle and sunglass wearing by all. They hung out in Jackson when they were not skiing, and recommend The Lodge at Jackson Hole for anyone planning to visit. Skinny Skis is also a great shop (with tons of Patagonia clothing) with expert advice on all things nordic. And don’t forget to have your picture taken under a large antler arch in the town square. Jan, Jack and Tom made the trip, and were able to park for free at Jackson Hole resort because of car-pooling in their rented Subaru Outback. The Outback did a good job of taking them over the Teton Pass from Jackson to Alta, WY, where Targhee sits. This trip, by the way, gets one briefly into Idaho.

With Bill out of the boat to attend a wedding, the NCMC for the first time entered the Adirondack Canoe Classic as a Jack-Tom-John three-man team. They used John’s Minnesota III rather than the Minnesota IV with an empty seat. They were happy with the boat, although John had to spend the race in a bench seat without a proper foot brace. Bonnie joined Jan and Mary in a three-person pit crew. The weather was superb, and the NCMC was entered for the first time in Open Touring, which got them off earlier in the morning and allowed them to enjoy calmer water for the first hour or so.
Despite one altercation with Grace McDonnell and her “Adirondack Women” Voyageur crew, it was smooth paddling. The water was low, however, making the Saranac, Racquette and Marion River sections a bit slower. The same was true of Brown’s Tract.
Numbers wise, the NCMC’s time of 16:14:09 was good for 65th place among the 247 boats. They easily beat the six other three-man crews in the race, and finished 28th among the 53 C-4s. They also beat Grace’s boat on Day Two despite the fact that, according to Grace, the NCMC wasn’t racing.
It was the 21st 90-Miler for Jack, the 18th for Tom and the seventh for John. Bill has done 18 and Jay did nine. Andy and Dylan each did one. That’s a total of 75 races for the NCMC. That’s 6,750 miles minus a few miles for the cancelled Day Three in 1996 and Jack and Bill’s one-day race in 2008.
You can see the photos from the race on SmugMug.
Race results are here.

Jack has now competed in 27 90 Milers (counting his one-day race in 2008). Bill has done 23 (counting Bill’s one-day race in 2008), Tom has done 21, John has done 10, and Jay did nine, unless he did any more races before 1994.

Fastest time in a tandem: Jack and Tom 16:04 in 2013

Fastest time in a C4: Jack, Bill, Tom and John 15:04 in 2011

2022 Jack and Bill: 7:15/5:44/4:05/17:05

2021 Jack and Bill 7:03/5:41/4:18/ 17:03

2020 Covid

2019 Jack and Bill 7:29/5:45/4:00/17:14
2018 Jack, John, Tom and Paul (4-man) 16:54
2017 Jack, Bill, John and Tom (4-man) 15:06
2016 Jack, Bill, John, and Tom 11:40:23 (day 3 canceled)
2015 Jack, John and Tom (Minn 3) 16:14
2014 Jack, Bill, John and Tom (4-man) 15:14
2013 Jack and Tom 16:04
2012 Jack, Bill, John and Tom (4-man) 15:17
2011 Jack, Bill, John and Tom (4-man) 15:04
2010 Jack, Bill, John and Tom (4-man) 16:15
2009 Jack and Bill 17:26 (Yale murder)
2008 Jack and Bill (they did one day, Tom’s bad back)
2007 Jack, Bill, Tom, John (4-man) (Day One capsize) 15:48:51 (6:32, 5:31, 3:45)
2006 Jack, Bill, Tom, John (4-man) 15:37 (Bog Goger pit crew)
2005 Jack, Bill, Tom, Andy (4-man) 15:27 (Munsons were 15:21)
2004 Bill and Tom 16:12
2003 Jack and Bill 16:47
2002 Jack and Tom 16:43, Bill and Jay 18:23
2001 Jack and Tom 16:22, Bill and Jay 18:41
2000 Jack and Tom 13:43, Bill and Jay 14:42 (Day One shortened)
1999 Jack and Tom 16:56, Bill and Jay 18:02
1998 Jack and Tom 16:16, Bill and Jay 17:30
1997 Jack and Tom 18:06, Bill and Jay 18:32
1996 Bill and Jay 14:46 (Day Three cancelled)
1995 Jack and Dylan 20:50, Tom and Jay 19:25
1994 Jack and Jay 15:39 (Day One must have been shortened)
1993 Jack and Tom 18:02

Bill, Jack, Tom, Tuki and Caz went winter camping from the Kimpton Road clubhouse to St. Regis Pond in March 2015. It was very cold (well below zero) when they arrived in the Adirondacks, so they did a day ski and then an overnight trip to the pond. You can see photos from the trip here. There is also some video.

Happy Birthday to NCMC member Kathleen “Kasey” Goger of Montclair, who has backpacked, paddled and skied with the NCMC over the years. Here is a photo from a canoe trip to Lake Lila in the Adirondacks in 2002. Kasey is on the left with Jan Conroy and Tom Conroy.

The NCMC participated in the 2014 Long Boat Regatta at Long Lake. It was the first time the club used a C4 in the race. Jack, Bill and Tom were joined in the crew by David Woods, who traveled up from New Jersey and arrived a few minutes before the start to compete for the first time in a canoe race. He acquitted himself well in the third seat, as the NCMC battled high winds and big waves on the course. Hardware was procured in recognition of the strong effort put in by the NCMC. After the race, the group enjoyed a well-deserved beverage at the Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake before Woods headed back to New Jersey. It should be noted that it was Jack’s idea to invite Woods to participate in the race after he had called the NCMC “sissies” for using wheels in the 90 Miler. You can see a few pictures here