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ACTIVITIES: Whistler Backroads offers the pedal and paddle bike/ kayak excursion (about $36 U.S.), and also rents bikes and leads nature walks and hikes. Phone: (604) 932-3111. Web: www.whistlermountainbiking.com. Whistler's gondola accommodates sightseers for a daily fee of about $17 U.S. for adults (about $15 for teen-agers; age 12 and under free). The golf is outstanding at this resort. Expect to pay between $60 and $130 for Chateau Whistler or Nicklaus North, depending on the time of year and time of week. LODGING: Nearly 5,000 hotel and condo units are available in varying price ranges in or near the village. Chateau Whistler, a Canadian Pacific property, has received raves, but it was booked solid during my visit. The Pan Pacific Lodge proved to be a delightful alternative in a prime location (base of the Whistler gondola). Standard rates are about $204 U.S. for a studio, $316 for a one-bedroom suite, $446 for a two-bedroom suite. Packages are available, and rates are lower early and late in the off-season. Central reservations number for the entire resort: (800) 944-7853. 5 photos, 2 boxes; Photo: (1 -- color) Paddling a kayak across Alta Lake is an optimal way to get a sense of the serenity and splendor of Whistler, British Columbia, which still has considerable appeal after the skiers depart. (2 -- color) Whistler's village is extremely pedestrian-friendly - by design. Vehicles are prohibited in most of it. (3 -- color) Bicycling through the woods is a popular pastime at Whistler, which boasts an intricate network of paths. (4) Snowy summits, alpine lakes and meadows await sightseers who wander the trails at the top of Whistler Mountain during the spring, summer and fall seasons. (5) One of Whistler's most popular summer events is the Alpine Wine Festival, where visitors sample British Columbia's wine. Noland/Travel Editor Box: (1) IF YOU GO (See text) (2) MAIN EVENTS (See text)

That story has a happy ending, but another mountain story is bittersweet. The woman from Florida was 62 and had been housebound for years tending to an invalid daughter. When the daughter died, the mother decided to walk the Appalachian Trail, Georgia to Maine. She broke her leg on Fulling Mill Mountain, and [Eric Wight] and others brought her down. The next summer she was attempting to complete the trail walk when on the same mountain she broke the same leg. She did not finish her long walk, but Wight writes: \"She sure gave it a good try.\" Wight said he was uncertain how much effect he had had in 22 years. Most men feel that way, whatever their job, Winston Churchill included. Wight said something I have heard from others who have spent much time in the woods, that he took more pleasure in seeing a healthy deer than in shooting it. He can take pleasure in his book and does. The first printing of 2,000 copies sold out and another 1,000 were printed in March. A store in Rumford sold several copies and asked him to appear there and sign them and sold 75 more that day. Wight liked that. An elderly man called Wight after reading the book to say Wight must have had a good English teacher.

During [Eric Wight]'s service as a Maine State game warden he discovered Indian artifacts on the shore of Oziscohos Lake in Rangley. In 1979 during a period of low water level, numerous Indian arrow head and spear points crafted from chert and jasper were visible. Carbon dating from remnants of fire pits revealed Indian life there about 12,000 years ago. This coincides with the end of the glacial period in Maine...

Raymond Glover of Paris recently spoke to the Hebron Historical Society explaining the process of tracing his ancestry back to England.

The live-action cartoon trend started with \"The Animatrix,\" a series of animated shorts that ranged from realistic computer graphics to moody Japanese anime. They told side stories from \"The Matrix\" and added to the plot of the \"Matrix\" sequels by detailing supporting characters and providing background history of how the Earth became dominated by machines. Apart from promoting the live-action movies, both those cartoons provide die-hard fans with more story. Similarly, \"Star Wars\" creator George Lucas authorized a series of animated shorts on the Cartoon Network that chronicled the \"Clone Wars\" from his sci-fi prequels. Brandon Schultz, president of ImajiMation Studios, liked Wesley Snipes' vampire hunter so much that he agreed to a severely abbreviated production schedule to make a three-minute cartoon for the upcoming feature \"Blade: Trinity.\" It will be released as a DVD in the soundtrack album Nov. 23. (The movie comes out Dec. 10.)

The live-action cartoon trend started with \"The Animatrix,\" a series of animated shorts that ranged from realistic computer graphics to moody Japanese anime - telling side stories from \"The Matrix\" and adding to the plot of the \"Matrix\" sequels by detailing supporting characters and providing background history of how the Earth became dominated by machines. \"With animation, it costs just the same if you portray something mundane and ordinary, like a guy running down the street, or if you show a battle between robots and people,\" said Peter Chung, who directed the segment \"Matriculated\" and made the animated shorts \"Aeon Flux\" for MTV in the 1990s. \"It becomes less expensive [comparatively] the more fantastical the imagery is.\" 2 PHOTOS - 1 - The animated version of [Jennifer Garner]'s character in the DVD short \"Animated Alias\" started as an artist's concept.; 2 - Concept art for \"Buffy: The Animated Series\" designed by artist [Eric Wight].

Its also cheaper. Take Highland Lodge and Ski Touring Center in Greensboro, Vermont. Trail passes for a family of four with kids aged 6 and 12 is forty bucks, less than price of an alpine ticket at many ski areas. You get the same aprs-ski nightlife. Ski Mountain Meadows by Killington, Vermont or Mountain Top in Chittenden and take advantage of the bustling options on the Access Road. The skiers who use the four cross-country centers in Stowe can all head into town, while North Conway's aprs-ski scene calls skiers at centers like Great Glen Trails in Pinkham Notch, Jackson Ski Touring and Bear Notch in Bartlett. The same holds true in Bethel, Maine. Night skiing and terrain parks aren't just for the Alpine world. Full moon ski tours are popular at Nordic centers. The X-Games influence has reached the genteel land of cross-country. By pushing around mounds of snow, Nordic areas can make hills that can be outfitted with fencing and cones. Vermont's Grafton Ponds Nordic Center and the Bethel Inn in Bethel, Maine are areas that do this.

Wardens are police and live apart. He arrested four men for night hunting about a mile from his house. One of them was a neighbor. Two of the others were [Eric Wight]'s distant cousins. Wight and his partner had staked out the field two nights, saw the poachers shine a light the second night. Wight gave chase, not putting on his lights until right on their bumper, because then the lights and siren usually shock poachers into stopping. These poachers did not stop until Wight drew alongside and nudged their vehicle with his. He said: \"You know who I am?\" And his cousin said, \"Ya, we know.\" Wight handled several nuisance bears, trapping and moving them. He did not save the bear near Grindstone, up on the East Branch of the Penobscot. A logger let his work horse loose to graze at night and one morning found it killed. Wight made a blind of spruce branches and when the bear returned to feed on the carcass, Wight shot it because \"killing that horse was a capital offense.\"

Amy Louise Bupp of Lafayette was named to the dean's list at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Bupp is a graduate of Acalanes High School.

Everyone Loves Cupcake by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by Eric Wight is reviewed.