digeridoos?

This post primarily aimed at my many friends in Lochac, but if someone elsewhere happens to know the answer, feel free to chime in...

Can any of you tell me what the cost of digeridoos is? Is there a source of affordable used ones? What is the cost of shipping of such a thing to the US like?

I've got a friend in Atenveldt, dorinda2212, who has heard that playing a digeridoo will help strengthen one's throat muscles, and, over time, greatly reduces the unpleasant symptoms of asthma. She would like to try this "cure". Please either let me know here, or reply to her post with any helpful suggestions on where/how she can obtain a dideridoo without breaking the bank.

digeridoos?

This post primarily aimed at my many friends in Lochac, but if someone elsewhere happens to know the answer, feel free to chime in...

Can any of you tell me what the cost of digeridoos is? Is there a source of affordable used ones? What is the cost of shipping of such a thing to the US like?

I've got a friend in Atenveldt, dorinda2212, who has heard that playing a digeridoo will help strengthen one's throat muscles, and, over time, greatly reduces the unpleasant symptoms of asthma. She would like to try this "cure". Please either let me know here, or reply to her post with any helpful suggestions on where/how she can obtain a dideridoo without breaking the bank.

made it out of town today

Despite staying up way too late last night kneading some yummy grated & chopped veg & seeds into some bread dough to make trail food for today's adventure, I still managed to get up while it was morning, bake the bread, and take the train out to Canzo (at the edge of the Alps, about an hour's train ride from Milan).

I disembarked from the train at 12:25 and set off in search of adventure. Sadly, it was just as grey and hazy there as in the city, so the various peaks around the town were just barely visible. In town there was barely any more snow (if any) than was on the ground in Milan this morning--just a few, very thin, patches on grassy areas in the shade. I started up the road towards the trail head I've used before, but before I reached that trail I noticed another one, so decided to explore. Today's path works its way gently up a small valley, running about half way between the stream and the ridge top. It is a forested path, and the higher I went, the more snow there was on the ground. The early part of the trail had quite a number of footprints upon it, but soon I was past the various side-branches and there were just two sets of boot prints that had gone that way since last night's snowfall.

Running through the woods as it did, there were no breathtaking views available. However, given the haze of the day, I probably wouldn't have been able to appreciate them if I'd been on one of the trails which does come with nice views of the peaks in the area. I can't say that I minded the lack of views though, since it was just nice to get out of the city and tramp along in the woods; occassionally I'd stop and close my eyes and listen to the sound of the happy birds singing in the trees. Other than the tracks of the people who had walked that way earlier in the day, and the birds in the trees, I saw no signs of life. This is actually kind of nice, after having done most of my walking in a city recently, where there are signs of life, and rather too much of it, everywhere.

I walked rather slower than usual up the hill. In part because I haven't had much of a chance for walking up a hill recently (unless you count the stairs getting to my apartment and to my office), but mostly because I was over-dressed and didn't want to actually break a sweat. Not knowing how much colder it would be out there, I put on wool tights under my cargo pants for the walk, and brought choices of layers for my upper body. I was able to move the excess layers for the upper body into my backpack, but couldn't be bothered stripping down to get rid of the tights, and I rather wanted to keep the pockets (and therefore the cargo pants); I like having my snacks in reach, rather than having to take off the pack when I feel like grabbing a bite of food!).

Not wanting to do a decent in the dark, and not being certain when it starts getting dark in that valley, I told myself that I could go till 14:15. At 14:00 I finally reached the point near the top of the valley where the trail crosses over and goes up the ridge on the other side. Had I started much earlier in the day it would have been possible to continue up from there, then catch another trail either up to the peak, or down the mountain on the other side to the next town (from which I could have caught the train home again). However, it was not to be. I did hurry my way up that last rise to the point where I could just see over the top of the other ridge, but there wasn't much of a view there, either (more haze, and the main peaks in the area are the other direction). I might have gone on further, but at that point, just as I was consulting my map to see if it was worth continuing on to the other town (nope; I'd only come half way along the uphill portion of that trip thus far) I met the owner of one of the pairs of foot prints.

He was clearly a hunter (orange vest, rifle slung over his back, backpack hanging on a convenient branch near by). Since I had a map out he attempted to give me directions, but I couldn't understand him. He looked kind of concerned that I might be planning on staying on the ridge, but I managed to communicate that I was just heading back to Canzo, and off I went, leaving the hunters to play on the ridge in peace. About the time I got most of the way back down the trail, to where the houses are, I did hear the crack of a rifle firing somewhere way back up the valley. No idea if he actually found some game, or was just practising--I sure didn't see any signs of animals living up there, other than the tiny birds.

made it out of town today

Despite staying up way too late last night kneading some yummy grated & chopped veg & seeds into some bread dough to make trail food for today's adventure, I still managed to get up while it was morning, bake the bread, and take the train out to Canzo (at the edge of the Alps, about an hour's train ride from Milan).

I disembarked from the train at 12:25 and set off in search of adventure. Sadly, it was just as grey and hazy there as in the city, so the various peaks around the town were just barely visible. In town there was barely any more snow (if any) than was on the ground in Milan this morning--just a few, very thin, patches on grassy areas in the shade. I started up the road towards the trail head I've used before, but before I reached that trail I noticed another one, so decided to explore. Today's path works its way gently up a small valley, running about half way between the stream and the ridge top. It is a forested path, and the higher I went, the more snow there was on the ground. The early part of the trail had quite a number of footprints upon it, but soon I was past the various side-branches and there were just two sets of boot prints that had gone that way since last night's snowfall.

Running through the woods as it did, there were no breathtaking views available. However, given the haze of the day, I probably wouldn't have been able to appreciate them if I'd been on one of the trails which does come with nice views of the peaks in the area. I can't say that I minded the lack of views though, since it was just nice to get out of the city and tramp along in the woods; occassionally I'd stop and close my eyes and listen to the sound of the happy birds singing in the trees. Other than the tracks of the people who had walked that way earlier in the day, and the birds in the trees, I saw no signs of life. This is actually kind of nice, after having done most of my walking in a city recently, where there are signs of life, and rather too much of it, everywhere.

I walked rather slower than usual up the hill. In part because I haven't had much of a chance for walking up a hill recently (unless you count the stairs getting to my apartment and to my office), but mostly because I was over-dressed and didn't want to actually break a sweat. Not knowing how much colder it would be out there, I put on wool tights under my cargo pants for the walk, and brought choices of layers for my upper body. I was able to move the excess layers for the upper body into my backpack, but couldn't be bothered stripping down to get rid of the tights, and I rather wanted to keep the pockets (and therefore the cargo pants); I like having my snacks in reach, rather than having to take off the pack when I feel like grabbing a bite of food!).

Not wanting to do a decent in the dark, and not being certain when it starts getting dark in that valley, I told myself that I could go till 14:15. At 14:00 I finally reached the point near the top of the valley where the trail crosses over and goes up the ridge on the other side. Had I started much earlier in the day it would have been possible to continue up from there, then catch another trail either up to the peak, or down the mountain on the other side to the next town (from which I could have caught the train home again). However, it was not to be. I did hurry my way up that last rise to the point where I could just see over the top of the other ridge, but there wasn't much of a view there, either (more haze, and the main peaks in the area are the other direction). I might have gone on further, but at that point, just as I was consulting my map to see if it was worth continuing on to the other town (nope; I'd only come half way along the uphill portion of that trip thus far) I met the owner of one of the pairs of foot prints.

He was clearly a hunter (orange vest, rifle slung over his back, backpack hanging on a convenient branch near by). Since I had a map out he attempted to give me directions, but I couldn't understand him. He looked kind of concerned that I might be planning on staying on the ridge, but I managed to communicate that I was just heading back to Canzo, and off I went, leaving the hunters to play on the ridge in peace. About the time I got most of the way back down the trail, to where the houses are, I did hear the crack of a rifle firing somewhere way back up the valley. No idea if he actually found some game, or was just practising--I sure didn't see any signs of animals living up there, other than the tiny birds.