Milestone Adventures
When there's a milestone for our family to celebrate, our first thought is always, "Let's go on a Ryder-Walker trek!" It started in 2002 when Ray surprised me by signing up for the Tour du Mont Blanc for my 50th birthday. After ten days with a curly haired kid named Kenny, we were hooked!
Three years later we treated our son Cam and his roommate Mike to the Dolomites Trek to celebrate their graduation from Dartmouth. Daniel, the strapping Swede, was the perfect guide for a couple of cocky 22-year-olds.
In 2009, we joined the extended Ryder-Walker family for the 25th Anniversary Jubiläum where we had the pleasure of meeting not only Peter Walker, but his son Branford and charming father, Charlie.
I turned 60 in 2012 and the only gift I wanted was to hike the Haute Route. Kenny and Staffan showed they had the right stuff to party with our merry international group, which included a number of friends we made on the trail with Ryder-Walker.
Our most recent celebration was Ray's 70th birthday-- nine perfect days in France and Italy on the Alpino Wunderbar Trek. Cam, now 32, joined us with his wife Cary. Once again, Daniel showed the "kids" that he is the undisputed mountaineering king.
Who knows what our next celebration will be... perhaps my 65th birthday in 2017! Thank you, Ryder-Walker for the memories of a lifetime. Blythe Fortin, Boise, Idaho
Thank YOU, Ray and Blythe. Here's to another 13 lucky years!
