Elite mission from the Tearoom on the Plage

Dwight Peck's personal Web site

Winter 2002-2003

Very eventful, but in a quiet way

As round the world some of them were trying in vain to convince the rest of us that it would be a fun idea to go bomb a lot of the folks down in Iraq, D. Peck and friends spent the fall and winter hiding out in the safest place they could think of.

Elite mission from the Tearoom on the Plage, in search of good snow

Global warming, you've heard about it. Well, here it is, the 3rd of April 2003 and snow is already hard to come by in the Jura mountains.

You may not find this tangibly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

April 2003, at the Tearoom de la Plage ("Tearoom on the Beach") -- with snowshoes at the ready, the search is on for good snow

"Okay, Boss, we're ready, lead on." Durham and Peck await their orders.

The narrator demonstrates his enthusiasm for finding snow.
Expedition members for a commemorative photo, with Dents du Midi in the distance

Lunchtime out near the Petit Pré de Rolle and a long snooze for Mme. Durham. Dare we disturb her to continue our mission, or shall we just leave her here?

Dame Durham exclaims "I've fallen! I'm stuck!". And then, "Okay, I'm all right now!"

Dr Pirri announces sternly -- "Then we shall continue!"

The snow's been found. Drs Pirri and Durham debate whether or not to put the snowshoes on, but elect not to.

Should have. Mme Durham, marching along between Petit Pré de Rolle and Les Echadex, reclines abruptly, to everyone's amusement.

Still another argument about the snowshoes. Or about Cheney? No, must have been about snowshoes.

Another casualty.

And a quarter of an hour later, as dusk approaches, another casualty -- actually, the SAME casualty, but another time.

The mission continues, undaunted so far. Dr Durham considers raising her falls average by simply not walking any farther.

Back to the Tearoom de la Plage. "Mission Accomplished", as War Hero G. W. Bush would say: little snow found, snowshoes never used, redefined mission objectives -- "this small elite team was sent to verify that there was insufficient snow to stand upright in, and our brave men and women of the Elite Snowshoe Commando have returned safely to vote again in the next elections."
[Note: Prof Durham would like it to be noted here that the reason she fell down so often is that she had a "broken toe".]

Jura snowshoeing

Snow camping