Nicolai left for Vancouver this morning where he will spend a few months working as an intern for SideStix, the manufacturer of his crutches. It is a fantastic learning opportunity in which he will participate in all aspects of the business from manufacturing and assembly to customer service and marketing. He will live in a one room cabin overlooking the Strait of Georgia on the Sunshine Coast just outside a little town called Roberts Creek. His departure was complicated by the fact that his ticket was originally booked for Friday which he only realized when the owners of SideStix, who had graciously offered to pick him up at the airport, called from Vancouver wondering where he was. Fortunately, Nico was able to explain the situation to the gate agent who was nice enough to re-book him on today’s flight without a penalty fee. The 5:30AM airport run served double duty as my brother Mark, having completed his business in Fitchburg, was headed back to Minneapolis on an early flight. With Jeanine in Vermont and Maya insistent on completing her homework, I spent much of the rest of the day hiking and photographing the fall foliage. I completed a 6 mile hike with my full Nepal pack weight (30 pounds) and had a chance to test out a new set of trekking poles. Despite the overcast skies, great fall scenes were in abundance and I returned home with hundreds of wonderful photos.