Scott Graham Interview

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1) What is your favorite place that you have been to on the planet?

Not so much a place -- but a thing -- I have fond memories of three two week-long paddles with my spouse, Brian and our dogs.. Once to the Boundary Waters, twice to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Both in mid-September -- the water is warm from being heated all summer by the sun, the bugs are gone, the people are gone, they days are still warm and the nights are cold.

My BEST memory of those trips was from our 2006 paddle: sitting next to each other around a campfire with the dogs beside us for an episode of what we called "Allagash TV': I found a long out-of-print book on the Allagash -- actually a collection of stories -- and after dinner and clean up, we'd sit toghether for an episode -- reading out loud to each other a story or two from the book.

Awesome.

2) Do you shoot pictures with a digital or film camera?

Digital.

3) When you have 2 hours to squeeze an activity on a Saturday morning,
what do you do?

Currently, one thing: split wood. By hand. (read: no gas log splitter).. Sometimes I go for a hike with the dogs to the top of our 110 acres where I can get some great views -- especially in the winter.

4) What is the number one reason why you don’t get outside as much as you’d
like?

Not having enough friends to hike with -- to schedule -- and goad me into getting out.

5) Where would you build your ideal vacation house?

1098 Wild Hill Road, West Fairlee, Vermont.

6) What adventure, that you have yet to do, is number one on your list?

We planned to circumnambulate Mont Blanc 4 years ago (I was 40 -- and it was our 15 year anniversary together). That didn't happen. So its on the list. At some point, I would like to hike the Continental Divide Trail. 3,000 miles is a big commitment and takes a a fair bit of planning. Maybe at the 50-, 55- or 60- year old mark.

7) What is the most significant gear invention?

Only for the benefit of my hiking friends -- who are brutal in poking fun and harrassing me about it on hikes -- I would have to say the dog pack. And I would add -- just so there is a record of this in public that I don't use my dogs as pack animals.

8) What is your number one priority when buying a car?

We had found ourselves sucked in by the consumerist mentality and purchased a new Aztek in 2001 and a Cadillac CTS in 2003. We learned never by a new model until its tried and true and expensive cars and expensive service -- even the basic like oil change and tires -- go hand in hand. So we set out this year to get rid of them. Our goal two 4WD (we need it with a long driveway on a dirt road at the top of a hill in the middle of nowhere), under $20K, at least 27MPG. We scored and got rid of both cars, trading them for 2 identical (except for color) Kia Sportages. No fancy doo-dads to break with the exception of an iPod-ready stereo in each car (they took out the factory ones and replaced them with Pioneers).

9) What do you do to enhance your outdoor fitness?

I have an AM/PM Yoga DVD and try to do the morning yoga routine on a regular basis. Its a nice way to wake up.

10) What was your scariest moment on an outdoor adventure?

There were three of us and an Alaskan Malamut -- I think in 1995 -- doing a winter Presidential Traverse -- in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. All three of us experienced outdoor persons and Outward Bound Instructors. We were in the side of Madison above tree-line -- having ascedned via the Daniel Webster Trail -- and put up our tent -- I think a Northface VE25 -- cooked dinner -- ate some Ben and Jerry's -- great winter food -- stripped down -- I was in a VBL -- and went to sleep. In the middle of the night we awoke to what sounded like a freight train bearing down on us. The wind was cranking. The force was so great that it fractured the graphite tent poles and these started to slice our tent to shreds. One of us went out to try and hold the tent together and the other two threw our gear recklessly into our packs -- we knew we needed to get out. We crawled off the side of Madison. I was lucky -- no injuries -- one of our group, Rachel had third degree frostbite on four fingers of one hand and David had frostbite on two. We learned the next day-- when we finished our self-evacuation that the wind speed was clocked at a constant 120 mph with gusts of 165 mph. I thought that was the end of my life. Its been hard to get out and do winter trips since then but I still get out a couple of times each winter for an over night at one of the self-service huts.