The Slowest Triathlete

jump in, the water's freezing

2012-02-09T23:03:00.000-06:00

Oh, the magical internets. I didn't even know I was dying to see someone water ski up an iceberg, but as it turns out....I was. Doesn't hurt that he looks just a tad like Matthew McConaughey and acts like he's just touring around one of the Florida keys not swimming in a not-so-distant relative of the skating rink.

Alaska Wakeboarding Teaser from Catchin' Air Tv Show from UpDown Productions on Vimeo.

Bread, or something

2012-02-08T23:27:00.000-06:00

I've been here. I sat at an outdoor table at this adorable, delicious little place in SF. And I love bread, I do. But I REALLY wish this video was about the croissants. Because OH. MY. GOD. the croissants. I thought about them for days. I pined for this dirty, noisy, San Francisco street corner for months because of those damn croissants. All the way up the 1 to Seattle. Across Montana....and North Dakota....

But it is better to have loved and kept driving, than to have never loved at all. Or something...maybe. No, yes. Definitely better to have loved. Wait. Let's talk about bread. Here's a sweet little video.

Tartine Bread from 4SP Films on Vimeo.

Like a little math with your adventure?

2012-02-05T13:05:00.000-06:00

They don't say it but I'm guessing this is based on a Fibonacci Sequence. I'm quite intrigued by the intersection of math and nature. Not intrigued enough to actually want to do the math....but I'd help shovel.

You can find more information about Jim Denevan's project here.

You know you want to watch it again

2012-01-27T19:06:00.002-06:00

Funny 'cuz it's true!

I really need to ride my bike this summer.

bikes win me over every time

2012-01-25T21:43:00.000-06:00

I KNEW I loved these guys. First there was the music. And now I see this bike riding business.

WE ARE THE TIDE: blind pilot's west coast bike tour (trailer) from IAVIDEO on Vimeo.

To the sea

2012-01-05T10:40:00.000-06:00

Mountains are generally my geographic object of obsession. But lately I'm so drawn to water. Can you blame me?

dagdraumar from Allan Wilson on Vimeo.

Where is winter, already?

2011-12-27T18:32:00.000-06:00

Someone brought up the fact that "...and wasn't I training for a race, anyway?" today when adding some skinny ski time to our upcoming adventure.

HA! Training? For a ski race? Well yes, that would be true except THERE IS NO SNOW to play in.

So I've been torturing myself with youTube, in the meantime. Here's a little blurb about an under-hyped mountain that gets loads of snow every year.

Why?

2011-12-23T09:03:00.000-06:00

A Day In the Park. from renan ozturk on Vimeo.

"The important thing is not why we do it, it is THAT we do it."

Distraction.

2011-12-22T12:44:00.002-06:00

MADE IN ICELAND from Klara Harden on Vimeo.

Soundtrack to my soul. Scenery of my daydreams.

Not something to workout to

2011-12-05T20:55:00.000-06:00

But good for drowning out the distractions on a productive Monday night. My backside says "no" to the bike tonight. So I'm making myself useful in front of the computer. Conquering my little corner of the world, one email at a time. Is it Friday yet?

Blind Pilot :: 'New York' via @liveset from Blind Pilot on Vimeo.

Checking In

2011-12-04T19:41:00.000-06:00

Hey...guess who's been running? and riding her bike? and doing yoga?

FOR REAL. Its like a motivation miracle. Big, unrealistic race goals will do that to a person. But that's how I roll. I don't mess around with the reasonable. I go big.

Turkey day was my big, frantic holiday this year so there's not much standing in between me and Birkie except SNOW.

Snow dancing counts as a workout, right?

That's it. That's all I've got. Yoga is calling from my living room. Peace out.

Here. Now. Looking forward.

2011-11-08T22:43:00.000-06:00

I am trying. Trying. To live in the moment. To be here. Just here. Right now. Looking forward.

But I can't deny the fact that there's something in the air lately that catches me off-guard, a slight breeze of restlessness that wears on the sandstone arches of my heart with surreptitious persistence.

What to do about that? What to do?

Math

2011-11-06T12:46:00.002-06:00

Have you seen this video yet? Such a beautiful chance encounter with nature, simultaneously simple and breathtakingly complex. Her expression at the end is the best. The amazement. The speechless moment where you try to grasp what just happened.

True to my analytical nature, I just can't help but think that somehow there is lots and lots of math behind it all. That if you could find the algorithm for that, maybe we would have found the solution for world peace.

I knew I should have paid more attention in calculus.

But my mind was most likely out in the canoe.
Consumed with the wonder of it all.

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Brunch, insanity and champagne.

2011-10-23T14:59:00.000-05:00

So ya, its been a while. But blogging hasn't been at the top of my life's agenda lately. Because, you see, I moved. Again. So that's what, FOUR times in the past two years? Who can keep track? And while this move doesn't include new alpine vistas, it does come with a bit of increased elevation, and a HUGE kitchen. Which I put to use this morning. I think every new living space should be christened with Hollandaise sauce and waffles, don't you?

And nothing will boost your confidence like conquering the Hollandaise sauce. Seriously. I'm ready to conquer the world. Right after this champagne induced nap, that is.

If you're curious, the Waffle of Insane Greatness is, indeed, insanely great. And INSANE is what I have possibly become. Because in between moving all my worldly possessions and being out of town two of the last four weekends, guess what I did. I went and registered for an insanely long Nordic ski race. One that generally happens during an insanely cold day in February.

That's right, this winter I'll be getting back to my Nordic roots with 9,000 other crazies at the American Birkebeiner.

And you know what's really insane? I'm actually excited about it. An endurance event that I might enjoy training for? Whoa.

So things are a happening around here. New scenery, new energy. Funny how the lack of blogging usually means there's lots happening to blog about. So if I'm not hanging around the blog much this winter you can find me on a groomed trail somewhere, probably by headlamp, burning off all the Hollandaise sauce.

Yay, winter!

Can't talk about running if you're not

2011-08-29T18:21:00.000-05:00

So let's change the subject, shall we...music? Yes? OK. I am completely obsessed with The Civil Wars lately. Obsessed. If only I could be so obsessed about, oh, I don't know....RUNNING?!

Ya, never.

2011-08-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

Places I will NEVER be: http://blog.whereisthecool.com/post/6090840075

I will probably have nightmares about this picture. Nightmares.

Visual Deliciousness, etc.

2011-08-19T06:56:00.002-05:00

BON IVER "Holocene" from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Stuff like this leaves me spellbound. It courts my inner wanderlust in ways that would lead to shotgun weddings in the physical world. It lures the dreamer in me out from under the capture of a heavily scheduled work week and lets her dance atop the netting like a fallen tightrope walker happy to be free of the pressure.

Happy Friday!

Its a long road home....

2011-08-15T16:15:00.000-05:00

...literally. I'm actually excited to be in one place for a bit. Until the next trip, enjoy a bit of someone else's:

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

I mean, what's a sister for if not enabling?

2011-07-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

I was kinda crabby today. OK, I was really crabby today. I'm busy. And tired. And its mostly good-busy, or at least self-induced busy so I really shouldn't complain. And I don't. Much. But that doesn't mean I'm not a little crabby.

So how does one remedy crabby?

Crepes. Duh. A raspberry and Nutella crepe, to be exact. For lunch. Ya, that's right. My lunch came with whipped cream. And I was really, really OK with that fact. I was just digging in, to both the crepe and a little freelance work, when I noticed the pleasant woman next to me. She has just just received her crepe. Hers was of the smoked trout variety.

No whipped cream in sight.

I type furiously:

To: sister
From: crabby fatty
Re: of course
I sit down to eat my raspberry Nutella crepe (comes with whipped cream for cryin' out loud) for lunch and the girl next to me gets smoked trout savory crepe. It even has spinach and s@#$. I am trying to be impenetrable to the unintentional guilt vibe she is putting off.

Response follows immediately...

To: Me
From: Awesome sister
Raspberries and chocolate are chock-full of antioxidants! Hazelnuts have protein! Calcium! Who wants a savory crepe anyway? It's like, against the laws of nature.

And THAT is why I keep her around (and excuse her occasional excessive use of exclamation points -- I mean, clearly they were necessary here).

Absolutely nothing to do with triathlon, which is absolutely nothing new

2011-07-07T16:24:00.000-05:00

MUSIC VIDEO RIDING SEPTEMBER from Hush on Vimeo.

Well, its kinda sorta related. There are bikes.

At the risk of totally poaching some one's Tumblr feed I should say I first saw this HERE. It's actually where I've found a few of the music bits I've posted recently. I've become somewhat obsessed with her blog...err Tumblr...or, whatever...I don't quite understand Tumblr to be honest. I mean, why is it missing a vowel? I don't get it. And when I click on things I think will be source links they take me to lists of other people who like the post....so is it a blog? Is it Pinterest? Is it their love-child? Ah, well. These are things to ponder on cold, mid western winter nights after I have tired of euchre and Aquavit. Certainly not in the middle of a perfectly lovely summer. My brain cells are much better used plotting birthday adventures and more epic road trips....you know, the logistics of squeezing the most life possible out of these sweet months between the annual ice ages.

So far I'm doing pretty well. Life is good. It would be better if I would ride my bike now and then. But, you know, things can't always be perfection. So I'll just have to settle for really, really awesome.

Back and Forth But Moving Forward

2011-07-01T09:45:00.000-05:00

The last six weeks: An unknown street in Florence. A hot spring in the San Juans. An auditorium full of inspiration in an mountain town. A courtyard full of sunshine. A deck with a view and good friends. Airports. Happy hours. Happy evenings. Friends who'll dance when no one else is. Starry skies and silhouetted moonlit peaks. Campfires. I-80. Endearing texts. Epic drives.

The places I glimpse my soul are limitless in geography and almost always in the transition. How lucky I am for the luxury to continue to chase it.

Ya. I was there.

2011-06-30T07:27:00.001-05:00

There are good things to come...

2011-06-20T16:44:00.000-05:00

...from Mumford & Sons. I have seen it with my own two eyes...standing in the freezing rain surrounded by dedicated festivarians, snow falling on the mountains around us. 'Twas a beautiful scene. What a weekend. I couldn't find videos from this particular weekend up yet, but here is a taste (These people are much warmer than us...I couldn't stop shivering for hours after the show yesterday. Hours. Worth it? Without a doubt.):

Who's going to the mountains this weekend?!

2011-06-14T12:42:00.000-05:00

----->this girl<-----I'm pretty ready to get this party started. Here's a taste of what I'm in for....are these guys adorable (and amazing) or what?!

and another Mumford show in the box canyon?! Yes please!

Add to this list The Decemberists, Robert Plant, Punch Brothers, Abigail Washburn, Sam Bush, Old Crow Medicine Show, Jerry Douglas...I could go on. Throw in some of the most amazing people I'm lucky enough to call friends and its no wonder I can't wait to get on the road Thursday.

Now I just have to conquer packing... and Nebraska.

Mellow Monday Music

2011-06-13T08:34:00.000-05:00

So much life to live. No time to waste this week. Happy Monday!

Is it ski season yet?

2011-06-12T20:33:00.000-05:00

I know, I can't believe I'm saying that. It's barely summer. But watch this and tell me it doesn't make you wish you plucking ski gear off the heater (or the floor, if you're one to take the apres to extreme) and dragging aching quads out for another day on the slopes.

All.I.Can. Official Teaser from Sherpas Cinema on Vimeo.

summer, please linger

2011-06-03T15:45:00.000-05:00

I stood on the sidewalk today and soaked myself in the hot sun and heavy, humid wind. I have waited months for this moment -- many long, mountain-less winter months. I will savor summer this year. Every glorious, glistening drop. I will trust those moments, if nothing else. The here. The now. The hazy, humid lingering moments of a season that pulls at humanity to slow and savor. Look up, smile. Breathe. Lounge. Nourish. Play. Grow.

I'm Being Stalked

2011-05-08T10:27:00.000-05:00

So guess who's been feeling sorry for her busy little self lately and skipping the gym because "oh, I just have so much to do I couldn't possibly take 90 minutes out for a yoga class.....or even 45 whole minutes for a run. No, no. Way too much to do for that."

Ha. Ya, well lessons in life; YOU SHOULD ALWAYS TAKE THAT HOUR FOR YOURSELF. Always. Go for a run. There are so many reasons. Those precious minutes not spent in front of a computer will keep you sane. They will probably even make you more productive because a tired brain can only focus on the task at hand and not the three hundred million other things you think you need to be thinking about too (most of which are actually counterproductive anyway).

Sorry, did it sound like I was preaching there. I mean no offense. I'm preaching to myself. I'm saying "Yes, universe, I hear you." Because what did I see when I landed in Italy? A FINISH LINE. A freaking marathon finish line. Just to torture me with thoughts of what could have happened had I maybe been in shape?! Ah, well, good thing we were headed to a different town for the weekend so I wouldn't have to be surrounded by hoards of marathon finishers constantly reminding me how lazy my last six months have been.

And then, what do I find in Milan this weekend? ANOTHER FINISH LINE.

Running is stalking me. Lurking. Torturing me with guilt.

So don't be like me. Go for a run. No one wants a stalker.

It does not interest me

2011-04-26T06:59:00.004-05:00

I have a habit of emailing things to myself when I find them interesting. All those little internal memos really clutter up an inbox, so every now and then I find myself cleaning out what my brain just couldn't let live happily out there on the Internet, but instead dragged home to mama-inbox like an abandoned puppy saying "can we keep it?"

I was in the middle of one such purge session when I came across this quote...

“It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for. It doesn’t interest me how old you are, I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine and still shout at the edges of a lake, river or mountain yes! It doesn’t interest me where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done for someone you love. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and truly like the company you keep in the empty moments in your life. Live more than your neighbors, unleash yourself upon the world and go places. Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal, this is it, your life. Face your fears and live your dreams, take it all in, yes, every chance you get, come close; and yes, by all means what ever you do, get it on film.” – John Blais

Wonderful words for this rainy, contemplative day. This is most certainly not a dress rehearsal. This is it. This is your life.

Anything she can do....

2011-04-23T12:55:00.000-05:00

Me: Think I can pack for a 12-day international trip with no checked luggage?

My mom: Your sister could.

Me: I'll take that as a challenge.

Sibling rivalry is forever, apparently. Although I'm not sure this is a fair (self-imposed) competition considering she is not a runner or a photographer. Gear for those two activities alone is half a carry-on roller bag.

But its good to have goals.

When you can't go to the mountain

2011-04-19T10:50:00.000-05:00

....you can find it on the internet.
Its a big beautiful world out there, enjoy it. Dream big.

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Transported

2011-04-17T09:23:00.000-05:00

And then all my breaths were lulled from my lungs to dance in the wide open spaces....

Cleanse Day 4

2011-04-03T22:41:00.000-05:00

I really thought this post would be about poop. Don't lie. You did too.

You probably thought there would be a lot of poop talk this week. But sadly, the most remarkable events of the past few days have mostly just been the near-fatal flatulence. My apologies to anyone who found themselves in the unfortunate predicament of being in a remotely shared space with me recently. Don't blame me, blame the fiber.

This "cleanse" requires popping an obscene amount of pills, morning and night, who's main purpose seems to be to make me bloated and gassy. The only reason I find myself running to the bathroom with any urgency is because all the water necessary to consume said pills needs to be released.

So at least there's been a little excitement.

But in all seriousness, I'm not sure what this cleanse was really supposed to do. It didn't require any dietary restrictions (so, of course, I didn't implement any). So its just been life as usual. Plus pills. And fiber. And, well, room-clearing gas.

But its only day four. So maybe this is all just a sign that things are getting going.

Which is good. Things are getting going in other parts of my life too. I'm going refrain from too many correlations between my bowel movements and my life, but I do think there's some connection. Just pick up a book or two on feng shui. Its not just all about moving your furniture.

Still kickin'

2011-03-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

**while you're waiting for the inevitable poo-posts to come, here is a little ditty I wrote over a week ago but didn't have a chance to publish before my social life came calling that Friday**

Went to the gym. Yup. The gym. Apparently no one goes to the gym on Friday night because the place was a blissful ghost town.

Spent an hour on the "dread"mill flipping between current world affairs and The Housewives of Orange County. Found both equally depressing. Pondered what would happen if they made the housewives talk politics. Was amused by that idea for about five seconds, then decided that was actually pretty depressing too.

So, you know. Life just keeps kickin' along. Ho-hum.

Spring is trying to "sprung" itself here in the midwest (hopefully) and holy crap do we need it. OK, I need it. I don't even care that I might not get another ski day this winter THAT is how much I need more daylight hours and open-toe shoes. (Though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't trying to squeeze a few more ski days out of the winter. I've got free lift tickets to use for cryin' out loud. FREE LIFT TICKETS.)

*sigh*

I actually went for a run outside after work this week and it wasn't a miserable cold slog in the dark. In fact, it was quite pleasant.

Yes. I need spring. I need to see flowers powering up out of the cold, barren earth. I need a reminder that out of the abyss of winter there can be life again. I need to know that things you thought were dead can come back stronger and more beautiful than you even remembered them to be in the past.

I need to ride my bike.

Spring Cleaning

2011-03-30T22:42:00.001-05:00

You know there will be something to say about this. Like, daily. For the next 14 days.

Also, I'm going to a group fitness class at the gym tomorrow. Me. Group fitness. And as if that wasn't bad enough. I'll be on day one of cleansing.

Stay tuned.

When did this become a music blog?

2011-03-26T17:30:00.000-05:00

Oh, maybe when I stopped being able to actually finish a blog post. I have only lame excuses. Laziness. Winter doldrums. Busy-ness. Not-working-out-ness. You know, the usual.

But hey guess what? A new song to add my under-used workout mix. Yay. Something to get excited about. And distract me from finishing one of the twenty-seven or so little posts I've started but not quite been able to wrap up and publish.

In the meantime. Enjoy the music. Think of summer. Its coming. Eventually.

A Good Day To Be (fake) Catholic

2011-03-09T21:38:00.000-06:00

Religious affiliations aside, 40 days seems like a very reasonable, yet challenging, period of time for a little challenge of sorts....don't you think?

I do. I'll jump on that Catholic bandwagon for the next few weeks.

Except I can't quite nail down a challenge. I am considering forcing myself to do a pre-determined amount of weekly morning workouts. But lemmetellyou, fasting for 40 days in the desert seems like a lot more fun than getting up at 5AM to go for a run. Which I guess is the point.

So morning workouts it is. Which will be replaced by just regular-old-after-work-workouts if, you know, I still suck at mornings. Point is, there needs to be workouts. Because I have this big five mile race to train for. Did you hear that? FIVE WHOLE MILES OF RUNNING. OMG. Sorry but its laughable that I will consider this five mile race an accomplishment. But that is where I am. And it must be dealt with.

Quite frankly, this is what I need to kick start all the other little things that need to change in my life at the moment. Its true. Working out does this. Its like magic fertilizer beans for the saggy, droopy beanstalk that you've been neglecting in the backyard, Jack. (or in this case, "magic easter jelly beans")

So nighty-night kids. This little princess needs her beauty rest lest I be a raging witch in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow. Or...wait....that raging witch part is probably inevitable. But I should get some sleep anyway....so I'm not a TIRED raging witch.

Happy Ash Wednesday. (Is it Easter yet?)

a winding road

2011-02-26T12:10:00.000-06:00

One of these days, I might actually write something. There is much to say. But for now, there is this. Amos Lee (swoon) and this beautiful song.

Its a winding road, when you're in the lost and found.....got a gypsy soul and I was born for leaving....

Colder Weather - Artists of the Year - Zac Brown Band - Zac Brown Band Videos

The Dog Days

2011-02-12T20:19:00.000-06:00

You should add this to your workout queue. Immediately. That is, if you're working out. In which case, kudos to you. I'm NOT. I just went to Disney World and ate and drank my way around central Florida for a few days. Then I spent the remainder of the week hunkered down inside my full length down jacket (Be jealous. That thing is awesome.) because it was too cold for penguins around here. So needless to say I didn't drag myself to the gym. But I did see my first Cirque du Soleil in Orlando. And nothing will motivate you to attempt athletic endeavors like watching an entire troupe of perfectly toned gymnasts bounce around stage for an hour or so. Wow.

Tomorrow will by my first time out on Nordic skis this year. So that might be kinda like acrobatics.

Words, as gifts

2011-01-18T22:04:00.000-06:00

You know that you're a lucky girl when you send a friend a somewhat generic answer to her text message, she reads what wasn't written and sends you this;

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.

fully alive - dawna markova

Words are such a powerful gift. And the friends that know how to give them, the right words at the perfect time, those kinds of friends are the best kind.

Balance and Strength

2011-01-16T12:09:00.000-06:00

Against everything I believe to be holy and good in the universe, I finally resigned myself to the fact that it was time for a gym membership. Off I went, innocent friend in tow, to fall prey to the "its that time of year" high-pressure sales pitch. Seriously. This woman was intense. Clearly someone is paying her by the number of mortal, slacker souls she can get to sign contracts with the big, corporate, workout devil.

Luckily, we had done our research ahead of time and knew that this particular stink-cave of torture was the right one for us, so sign on the dotted line we did. Through some maneuvering we were able to sign for just six months at a rate that's really no more than we were already spending at the bar on those "OMG, I need a drink" post-work attempts at stress relief.

When you look at it that way, we're coming out ahead. Less money spent. Calories burned instead of ingested. And arguably cuter butts and improved outlooks on life.

Ok, that last one might be a stretch. But a girl can dream.

Let it be known, I'm not completely anti-gym. I think they're great. For some people. I've just found that I'm not one of those people. I have to drag myself there kicking and screaming. One hour inside those confining and odor-filled walls feels like an eternity. Alternatively, grabbing a friend to go play outside (even, or especially, when "play" means a couple thousand feet of uphill hiking in adverse conditions) can make the hours just fly by.

The saving grace of my new indoor playground is yoga. Out of all the options available, joining this gym was the most economical way to have access to fitness options AND yoga. In the last year I have really started to embrace yoga, and without the topographically challenging landscape that was once just out my front door, yoga seems to be the best way to maintain the balance and core strength that walking on uneven terrain used to provide.

As is evidenced by the unique soreness I'm feeling this morning after last night's class.

Oh yoga, I always underestimate you. I mentally prepare for a relaxing hour of stretching and meditation and then am brutally (yet blissfully) reminded of the unique way you challenge me when halfway through class I am being asked to hold body parts in ways that are unexplainably impossible. I mean, its my own leg? Why is it so hard to hold it in the air like that? Its not a two-hundred pound block of cement? Its my leg. I move it every day to get from place to place.

And so a new year begins, with a search for new paths to balance, strength, and growth. And renewed hope for a beautiful journey filled with new adventures.

Here's a secret...

2010-12-14T19:06:00.000-06:00

(disclaimer: I got this image from Bree Wee's blog a while ago. I think its originally from the Post Secret website.)

Every day is a gift. Even if that gift is an average day. In an average town, in middle america.

I need to be reminded of this. Hourly.

Every hour that I spend commuting. Every hour I spend in a cubicle. Every hour that I'm not outside playing. Even if it is -6F.

'Tis the season for counting our blessings. And snot freezing right in your nose, like little frozen presents from santa.

Hey santa, you know what else I'd like for Christmas? A workout. I realize that might be something more of a Christmas-freaking-miracle at this point, but I used to be an athlete. Really. I have the water bottles rattling around in my car to prove it. Could your reindeer please pick me up and get me to a yoga class one of these days? Because I'm counting down the days until I head back to the mountains and I fear I will have lost any kind-of "mountain girl" cred I might once have (barely) been able to pull off.

I don't want to spend my precious (now limited, grr) mountain days chasing after my 10,000-feet-of-elevation-living hard bodied friends. Or worse, sitting out a few runs between joe-corporate-chained-to-my-desk gaper "touron" and his buddies at the slopeside bar. NO FUN.

But lately there do not seem to be enough hours in my day to keep up with it all. And admittedly the first thing that goes is the workout. Because working out is HARD in the middle of winter in middle america. I sit at a desk all day. Its dark when I get home. I don't have a gym. We just had a blizzard that has effectively made every walkable surface a skating rink.

Should I go on? I could. I'm REALLY good at excuses. But I should really get back to that "to do" list now so that maybe I can squeeze in a workout tomorrow. Yes. Tomorrow. There is always tomorrow. Tomorrow will be yet another precious day not to be taken for granted.

Yup, that's all I've got today

2010-12-13T12:12:00.000-06:00

Perpetual Transition

2010-11-16T14:56:00.000-06:00

Help! I'm stuck in transition and I can't find my bike! Or at least that's what it feels like in my life these days. Like I'm running the isles of the transition area, scanning rows and rows of bikes, looking for the one that is mine.

Except I'm in a car. Driving. Searching for what the next piece of my life is going to look like. Its equally as frustrating, but the scenery is a little better.

About that driving thing. Apparently there is a lot of it on these crazy road trips. I always forget that. I've driven over 3000 miles in two weeks. From the sweet majestic peaks I called home, through the expanse of the desert, to coastlines and rainforest and everything in between. Teeny, tiny nowhere towns and major metropolitan areas. No real plan, and only a general direction that could be changed at a moments notice. Sometimes solo, sometimes with friends old and new. Its been quite an experience so far. A crazy, fluid, random experience. A lesson in patience, perseverance, and living truly in the moment -- which is SO MUCH HARDER than you think.

We talk so much about living life to the fullest, but are we really doing that? Are we really putting our heart into everything that we do when we're doing it? Are we being true to ourselves, always? Are we being ourselves? Or are we creating a false reality, stifling our passions and personality?

Are we living and loving out loud?

Did I mention there's as much thinking time as driving time on this crazy adventure? That's a lot of thinking. And most of it has been without the welcome distraction of cell service.

That is A LOT OF THINKING people. My brain hurts. My knees hurt. My back aches. I'm more of a mess from sitting in a car than I was from my crazy "three 14ers in two days" excursion. And yet I really, really needed this.

Transition is good. Healthy. Something we don't give enough attention to. And it is never ending. We are always transitioning. Whether we are in control of it or outside influences are forcing it on us, we are constantly in flux. So I guess its time to learn how to do this. Practice. Acknowledge. Learn. Grow. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Appreciate it for what it is. Get stronger from the inside, radiate beauty outward. Keep moving forward.

You can't screw it up

2010-11-03T11:43:00.000-05:00

I am a big mess of emotion these days. Big. Mess.

I procrastinated packing until the last possible minute because I am in complete denial about what is happening. Thankfully, I am lucky enough to have friends who don't half-heartedly ask if they can help -- they just show up and say "here's what we're going to do." Because they know my brain is already at maximum capacity with the holyhellwhatamidoingwithmylife dilemma. And they bring wine. Seriously. How. Unbelievably. Awesome. I only hope that I can repay the monumental favor someday.

So I'm packed. Half of the half of my life that was with me in the mountains is now tucked away in multiple storage spaces around my (ya, that's right I said MY) mountain town. The other half is half with me and half in the mail to someplace I will call home soon. Again. I guess. For a while anyway.

That's a lot of halves to keep track of. Which is why half my brain has just blown a circuit and shut-down completely. Which is maybe for the best. Because transition is hard. It seems to be an excuse for my brain to question every decision I've made to that point....why are you doing this? Why didn't you do that? Why did you spend one of your last afternoons in town drinking at the local watering hole when you should have been organizing and packing and, I mean really, what was that all about?

You can see where that thought process goes. Nowhere good, usually. As I was dumping a good portion of this brain-waste on one of my friends she said "you can't screw it up." Or something along the lines of "you're doing just what you're supposed to do, and you'll end up where you're supposed to be." And I'm not sure if she was just grasping for something (anything!) in the moment to get me to shut up already....but I hope that there's some truth to what she said. That maybe the road that you take to get there won't be exactly the one you thought you'd be on, but that doesn't mean the destination can't be the same. You can still end up where you want to be.

And so, until then I'm trying to enjoy the journey. Starting with the step in front of me. And going from there. Hopefully, with enough steps, it'll all come back around....it'll all make sense....and it will have a beautiful view of the mountains.

Cold Weather. Hot Frogs.

2010-10-27T13:16:00.000-05:00

Dude. Who turned on winter around here? Because it is cold. Like go find your cute winter beanie and wear it around your house all day, cold. But then, I kinda like wearing my cute little winter hats so maybe I'm just quick to rush to that.

Maybe I'm quick to rush to a lot of things lately. Like this crazy dream. Maybe now is not the time. Maybe this was a teaser. A little taste to tempt me. To make me see how much I want it. How much I desperately, desperately want it. Just not enough to take big, big risks. Or maybe....?

Someone once told me a little story that went something like this -- "if you put a frog in a pot of water and gradually turn up the heat, the frog will cook itself to death before jumping to safety. Whereas, if you put a frog straight into a pot of boiling water it will jump out and save itself."

I think I'm about to be the frog. The question is, will the water be boiling enough for me to jump out fast and save myself? Or will I slide into the hot tub and wonder why it keeps getting hotter and more uncomfortable?

Only time will tell.

I want to be excited about the cold. I'm usually excited about the cold. I want to be excited about the new season ahead. About another amazing winter in the mountains. Instead all I can say is "damn, its cold."

"Do Something Worth Remembering"

2010-10-25T12:06:00.001-05:00

What a precious gift to wake up everyday with wonder at the amazing, wild world just outside your doorstep. To take that wonder and live it every day. To share it in a way that inspires creativity in others and continues to drive you to see things differently. We should all be so lucky to truly live our passion everyday, even if it barely pays the rent, right?

"...if I only scrape a living, at least its a living worth scraping....if there's no future in it, at least its a present worth remembering...."

MPORA Action Sports >>

Cut off

2010-10-22T16:24:00.000-05:00

It snowed this morning, and not just in the mountains....on my deck. And my car. And OMG this winter thing is actually coming. I would love to show you pictures but blogger says "no more pictures, you're at your limit little missy." So, sorry about that. I'm hoping to rectify that situation soon. Needless to say I went to the coffee shop instead of to the trailhead this morning. I'm not quite acclimated to (or excited about) miserable-weather hikes just yet.

In honor of cold, dreary weather and off-season boredom I hosted a little dinner party last night. Small, casual, mostly vegan. Yup. Vegan. And it was delicious. I would like to show you pictures of that too, but well....there's that little blogger memory problem. Nuts.

This is the veggie chili recipe I used. (Thank you to my sis who emailed it to me as I was en route to the grocery store!) Two thumbs up. Except for the peeling tomatoes part. Because that was a pain in my #$%. Just sayin'. But its a GREAT party dish. I was able to do all the prep ahead of time so that when guests showed up I had just two pots on the stove, no more work to do, and no dirty dishes laying around. So nice. We roasted up some acorn squash and called it a meal. Tasty, warm, and so filling. I do like the cooking when I actually take (err...have) the time to do it. And even more enjoyable is cooking for others. What I really loved about this meal was that there happened to be a guest attending who, unbeknownst to me, follows a vegan diet and was so excited that she was at a dinner party where she could actually eat the dinner.

After dinner there were pumpkins to carve, seeds to roast, and more wine to drink. Such a fun fall night with friends.

My problem lately is that I keep having these parties to get rid of my alcohol, yet somehow I end up with just as much as I started with at the end of the night. Not a bad problem to have such generous guests, but counterproductive to my intent.

Other than that I'm still "gathering nuts" and watching the snow line creep toward town. Lots on the table this off-season.

A Day For This

2010-10-19T00:39:00.000-05:00

Today there were no workouts.

The sky was gray and clouds hung low around the mountain tops. Yellow aspen leaves flittered to the ground with the rain as ominous weather rolled over distant peaks. It was the kind of day that sinks into your bones. A day to seek coziness and fireplaces. A day for nourishing dishes with the last fruits of the season. The smell of cinnamon and clove and the warmth of a tea cup in your hand all afternoon.

A day to slow and savor and try to calm an unsettled mind. The beginning of a season that reminds us to have patience and trust. It is not the end. The future will bring new fruits.

Adventure? No thanks.

2010-10-17T13:51:00.000-05:00

I passed on an adventure. Really. Well, really tentatively. But regardless, I said no to a last minute river-trip invitation.

I really, really want to go. But not more than I really, really want to make some things happen in other areas of my life right now. I really want to do it all, but I'm smart enough to know that I can't. (I guess this crazy year has taught me something....)

So I said, "no." And it kinda sucked.

I'm desperately trying to rationalize my decision. I'm reminding myself that I now know "river trip" is just mountain slang for "endless raging party," and I know that I can't deal with that right now. I would be sitting in the most beautiful middle-of-nowhere place with awesome people and just thinking about the 1001 other things I should be doing. And that's really no fun for anyone. I know this. I did it last off-season when mid-trip all the members of my ragin' river trip group partied their faces off all day and had all passed out by 8PM, leaving me alone in the dark with nothing to think about but the absolute unknowns in my life (which at the time was pretty much everything). Nothing like a little mid-river-trip breakdown to really keep things exciting?!

I love that I live someplace where I get invited on these wacky, crazy, awesome adventures. This doesn't happen just anywhere. But if I'm going to continue to be able to live a life of spontaneous awesomeness now is the time for me to do a little work. (listen to me talking like a grown-up....who would have thought the land of eternal youth would be the place where I would grow up?)

It still sucks though. Just sayin'.

Well that sucked

2010-10-16T12:39:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure when or how I got in my head that I was going to do this hike yesterday. I think it might have happened when I was sitting on the deck of a winery Wednesday. Enjoying a delicious riesling, a beautiful view, and some spectacular fall weather. And doesn't everything seem like a great idea when that's where you dream it up?

Well I rolled out of bed Friday at the crack of 9:30AM and decided I had better get moving if I was going to make this happen. Again, I have no idea where my motivation for this came from. Under normal circumstances waking up at 9:30AM would have meant the coffee shop was calling. That's really to late to embark on an epic hiking adventure. Especially considering I was going this one alone because all my friends had this pesky thing called "work" to attend Friday.

But somehow I managed to get some oatmeal in me and get out the door. 13 miles and 3600' of elevation gain -- here I come.

Seriously, what was I thinking?

I was thinking that 13 miles is really no big deal. I have certainly been on 13 mile runs by myself. I just hiked three 14,000' foot peaks in two days. I'm definitely in shape for this. This silly little hike only tops out around 12,000' -- easy as pie. (Where did this phrase come from anyway....easy as pie....pie is actually really hard to make....I don't actually know how to make pie....and, I guess, in that way, this hike was, in fact, like pie.)

I would like to state, for the internet record, that I pretty much rocked the uphill portion of this hike. Why? Because I'm in such rockin' mountain girl shape? No, probably not. It was mostly because I am no mountain girl at all and am terrified that something in the woods thinks I look like a tasty little snack.

No lie. The entire hike I was obsessively paranoid about bears. And when I wasn't worried about bears, I was worried about mountain lions. Both of which are very much present in this particular wilderness so its not like these were completely unfounded fears. However, the bears around here are just black bears -- they're not even carnivores. And the mountain lions have plenty of pica and other little critters to eat so they likely want nothing to do with me. To my knowledge there have been no human - mountain lion interactions in this region. So why exactly did I think I was going to be the first?

So yes, its crazy. But when you are in the wilderness (and I'm not talking state park picnic table wilderness here) alone....you feel very much ALONE. And apparently for me, alone translates to vulnerable. Hence, thinking every little noise is something that wants to eat me for lunch.

I make it to the first basin, where I am finally above tree-line and feeling a little bit safer, (this way if something wants to eat me at least I'll see it coming) so I finally stop to take care of some basic needs. Peeing and eating. As I find a comfy rock on which to enjoy my Cliff bar I see two other people making their way up the other side of the basin to the ridge crossing. OMG I have never been so happy to see people. Even though they were well out of earshot it was such a comfort just to see other humans. They are the only other people I will see ALL DAY.

So I make it over the ridge and its all downhill from there. And this was THE MOST SUCKY PART. I know. That makes no sense. But the downhill was miserable. Mostly because it went on FOREVER and I just wanted to be done.

I really don't even have anything else exciting to say about this hike. The views were spectacular and I didn't even care. I lugged 15 pounds of camera equipment with me and took exactly 12 photos from one spot -- and I hate them all.

I don't know if my head wasn't in the right place for this hike, or if I'm just not a good solo backcountry hiker. Maybe a little of both. I'm still glad I did it. But only for the workout -- and really I would rather have gone on a 13 mile run -- without my camera. I won't be trying anything like that again anytime soon. I'd rather have friends to push my pace than fear and paranoia. And I guess amazing scenery just isn't as amazing without someone to share it with.

Fall

2010-10-10T23:08:00.000-05:00

You can't throw a rock around here without hitting a photographer these days. You'd think sunsets on back country roads were superbowl caliber events the way the photogs line up and box out for the best shots. Pretty comical, actually, to come over a hill in the middle of nowhere to a slew of parked cars and thousands of dollars in camera equipment pointed toward the horizon.

Personally, I've been kind of indifferent toward the season. The "beauty" didn't really blow me away like I thought it would. Though looking through the pictures, I can't deny that it IS kinda pretty.....and these really aren't even the "great shots." I've been thinking more and more about what I'm doing with my pictures these days and have been pondering a more official way to show them to the world. So stay tuned....but in the meantime, enjoy the "rejects." :)

Just because you can

2010-10-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

Last night was weird. A beautiful, fun, fabulous and inspiring night that detoured somewhere along the way down a path of strangeness. Not bad. Just,... strange. In that way that only random nights in little mountain towns can be. Full of coincidence, and familiar strangers.

As I crossed the street on my walk home I stopped in the middle and paused. Town was so still. Not another soul around. Just the twinkling lights of main street reflecting off shimmering black pavement. Even the drizzle fell silently so as not to interrupt the scene. When I continued walking I just kept a straight path right down the middle of the road and laughed to myself. Why not? Why not walk down the middle of the street in this sleepy little mountain fairy tale? When else will you ever get to do this? Just walk down the middle of the street. In the rain.

It was the stuff of dreams. It was beautiful. It was all mine. And I savored it.

Gathering nuts

2010-10-01T13:40:00.001-05:00

There's no denying that change is happening when I wake up to new shades of fall every morning. Its both comforting and unsettling to see nature prepare for the big sleep of winter when I feel even more directionless in my own life with every falling leaf.

Where will I be hibernating this winter?

The truth is, I don't know the answer. And that's becoming less and less OK with every passing day. So, while I'd like to do nothing more than curl up on the deck with a blanket, a steaming cup of tea and a good book while I soak up the last of the beautiful golden rays of fall sunshine, instead I'll be spending the last few weeks of fall gathering my own nuts and trying to figure out where to store them before the snow starts flying.

I'm trying not to panic as I watch the thin white blanket just lightly covering the peaks grow heavier and move toward the tree line. My daily reminder that time keeps moving along, irrespective of how skilled I get at perfecting the unsustainable life I'm living in this little fairy-tale bubble.

Oh, life....

2010-09-19T21:18:00.000-05:00

Its been quite a ride

2010-09-14T14:01:00.000-05:00

These past few weeks have been a bit of a blur. I'm back in the mountains....even though I'm not supposed to be right now. I'm supposed to be in Guatemala. Its a long story. One that I will tell when I can get caught up on life here. Because even though I didn't go to Guatemala, its been a very long week that included not one, but two 10-hour drives across the desert. One unexpected house guest, and two house guests who weren't expecting me to be here.

Like I said....its a long story. In the end I believe things worked out for the best. But right now I need to get all my "chores" done so I can go play tomorrow. BIG hike planned. Weather looks perfect for a few summits and many hours above tree line. I can't wait.

Now off to be productive!

When your backyard is beautiful, you really should play in it.

2010-08-25T00:33:00.000-05:00

There is a trail that leaves pretty much from my front porch.

I've hiked it once.

Three months ago.

That's pretty pathetic. Really. There's no reason I shouldn't be out running that thing every morning. I mean, other than the obvious fact that it goes pretty much straight up and only superhuman mountain nutzos actually run the thing. But really. I should be out there. On those days when I think about going for a run, but then don't. You know those days when you get home and you think "I should work out, but there's laundry....and I need to go to the grocery store....and what if a bear eats me on the trail...."

OK, maybe I'm the only one that worries about that last one, but you get the idea....excuses.

People use precious vacation time and hefty doses of disposable income to get to this place that I call home. So that they can hike their sea-level lungs up this amazing trail for a glimpse from the top. AND I'M MAKING EXCUSES? I have to walk a couple hundred yards to be in some of the most beautiful wilderness in the United States and I'm choosing laundry over this?

What is wrong with me?

Tonight I got out there, thanks to a friend who called at just the right time. Those precious first few moments home. Before you have time to snack, or make other plans. When the idea of a workout still lingers every so faintly in your mind but before the "to do" list has had time to assert its dominance.

As we were walking, and talking, and venting, and sucking wind (again, just me really) I looked around and thought "why have I not been on this trail since May?" This beautiful aspen-lined trail, climbing up the mountainside, overlooking a babbling stream, winding through northwestern-esqe groves, with wild mushrooms dotting fairy-tale looking mossy slopes, and wildflowers blooming in open meadows toward the top where sunshine warms you as you take in the panorama of peaks. Below us a life-sized topographic map. To the right, yet another beautiful sunset in the making. Amber light warmed the aspens on our decent, and just as shadows stretched across the trail we found ourselves on my front porch. No driving. No traffic.

This place is amazing. A-mazing. But if all you see is Main Street for a while its easy to forget.

So no more excuses for me. I'm getting out there. Even if it just the same remarkably beautiful trail every single day. I'll be out there. Just because I can.

I didn't really sign up for this part

2010-08-17T22:56:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes you register for something thinking it sounds like a good idea at the time...you know, from the comfy, climate-controlled, cushy couch cushion you're probably sitting on when you hit the button to register online? But you have the week/month from hell leading up to the event, you're under-trained and over-tired, you manage to drag yourself there anyway because hey, you already paid....and then mother nature unleashes her fury in some form or another and you're thinking really....really, I paid for this? This was not in the brochure.

Well I kinda feel like that right now. I was all about this mountain town thing until this....until a bear just marched right up onto my patio, through the yard, and across the street in front of the house.

I mean, I get it. There are bears around. I know when I'm out hiking I'm in THEIR territory. Its cool. But when you are standing on your deck watching one just amble around on your patio and then head off down the rock path through your yard like he's out for a Sunday stroll...well, it just gets a mountain girl a little uneasy, you know?

(yes, fuzzy photo, but I assure you this is most definitely a bear. on my patio. at 8:30PM tonight.)

This was not the race I signed up for. Nowhere did it say that on my quaint little 5 minute commute home at night I might encounter a big furry mammal who may or may not think I look like a fun little chew toy. I've heard rumor of the potential but now I have seen the tall tale come to life.

Where's the race director for this mountain Ironman I seem to be living? I want my money back.

Fairy Tales and Rainbows

2010-08-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it really does feel like a mythical place, this little town I call home. A place where everyone is happy, and healthy and ridiculously good-looking. Where you walk three minutes to get to work, and wave at your friends along the way. You love your job, and at the end of the day you can be hiking alone above tree-line just 20 minutes from your front door looking down on this little playground in the valley, nestled in between 12,000' peaks. Where every night ends with a rainbow and a magnificent sunset.

But this isn't reality. Its all make-believe, right?

Or is it?

Sunny Saturday Means Summit Something

2010-08-15T18:59:00.001-05:00

Perhaps there is something to this theme I started on the big, bad birthday a while back. The "summit something" birthday expedition success seems to have trickled down into the year that followed it.

Let me explain. Its been nothing but rain, rain, and more rain around here, but it looked like a dry weekend was on the horizon so a friend and I made plans for a post-work Saturday afternoon hike. We're both trying to get out and see some new sights so we had picked a little hike that started off a pass out of town. A pass, appropriately named, for the nearest peak. A trail that neither of us were really that familiar with.

I thought this was just going to be a hike. Maybe a couple hours. And the trailhead being named for the peak was just that. Named for the peak. Not necessarily indicating a peak-summit trail.

I should know better.

The hike started off innocently enough, uphill (they ALL are out here) for a few hours through a pine forest. We hiked along, chatting, checking out all the mushrooms, and wondering when we would break out above tree-line for some views.

I even debated about not bringing my camera. THAT IS HOW UNDERWHELMING I THOUGHT THIS HIKE WOULD BE. But at the trailhead I was reminded that people use this trail as a run-up to one of the 14ers and that meant we would probably be close to that particular mountain (not to mention the formation the trail is named after) so I decided to lug the big camera. Um, ya. Good move.

As the trail wandered up, and up some more, we finally popped out above tree-line into a beautiful basin. Not as many wildflowers as I've seen elsewhere, but still stunning. With a full view of the mountain range off to our right, a funky lookin' formation in front of us, and a couple fourteeners off to the left. And when I say "off to the left" I mean, like right there, on our left.

Beautiful.

We got to the base of the trail's namesake formation and decided to stop for a snack. Notice I said snack, not lunch. We really thought this was going to be a casual hike. At this point I'm guessing we'd already been hiking (uphill) for three hours....but we weren't really paying attention and neither of us wears a watch (mountain girls, you know).

The trail seemed to end here, other than the well worn path to the 14er summits. Which we joked about taking, being that it was an absolutely beautiful day and this particular 14er is known for making parties turn back because of inclimate weather (its a haul, and afternoon weather usually rolls in during peak climbing season).

Not really seeing a trail up we chatted about options. Hike to a lake we could see in the distance down-valley? Or maybe just get up to that next outcrop of rock to see what there was to see.

Wouldn't you know, curiosity won and up we went. This debate repeated itself, minus the lake option.....should we keep going up? What's over that ridge? If we keep going up do you think we can see over that ridge? Let's just keep going up until it gets sketchy.

So up, up the talus pile we went. Eventually connecting with an actual trail. To the point where we were finally so close we couldn't turn back. A summit was inevitable.

It still makes me laugh how nonchalant we were about the whole thing. A great pair on the trail, for sure. Both of us later said we wouldn't have cared about reaching the summit, but little by little were willing to move toward it.

We were handsomely rewarded for our efforts.

I'm not sure if it was my first 14er summit that set the bar higher....pushed me enough out of my comfort zone that something slightly less exposed seemed like no big deal.....but I really did conquer some fears on the mountain yesterday. I wasn't just following someone to the top....it was my idea too. I WANTED to keep climbing. Which is new for me. Because I'm afraid of heights it usually takes some gentle prodding to get me over my fear and beyond where I feel comfortable, but this day it was me that was doing the encouraging -- no outside help needed.

Once at the top (or at least as close to the top as we could get without ropes), we even skirted the edge around the top formation, digging our feet into the soft shifting sand-like talus to get to a little hogback with nearly 360-degree views of the mountain ranges surrounding us --- um, and a nearly verticle drop-off on one side, the one on the other side being only slightly less steep. I have to admit, with a huge rock formation looming overhead and drop-offs to both sides, I got a little woozy and had to sit down for a second and get my wits about me. But for the most part, I was up there, walking around confidently, and snapping photos galore.

It may be a small victory, but it was noticeable.

Also noticeable. Blisters. One quarter-sized heel blister in particular, that started about an hour into the climb and made for one painful post-summit shower. But I was motivated by a post-climb sushi and pomegranate mojito reward so I gutted it out.

What a day....6 hours of work....6.5 hours of hiking to around 13,000'....and a nice little dinner. Whew, was I happy to climb into bed after all that! Just another reason this place is so amazing....not many places you can bag peaks after work and still make it out for drinks.

We're going on a hike and that is final

2010-08-13T01:20:00.000-05:00

I haven't worked out since I climbed a 14er. That was, um, well,....a while ago. Too long ago. But what with trying to pay rent and the monsoon season on steroids we seem to be having, finding time to play outside has been a teeny bit challenging as of late.

But last night, even if I couldn't see a window of opportunity, I was going to make one. And I was going to drag two unsuspecting friends along with me, whether they liked it or not. (or, actually they came along willingly because we're all going a little nutty from nature deficit disorder lately....so whatever)

So it's a weeknight. I have been sending out "hiking later?" texts all afternoon. "think the weather will hold?" "its looking promising" ....etc.

Sometime around six I made the call. We're going. I scheduled pick-ups. Never mind that dark cloud hovering over yonder mountain and please ignore that thunder rumbling, it looks like a beautiful night for a hikie-poo.

Yup. Beautiful night for a hike.

Lately I'm all about seeing new things (otherwise known as get-out-of-town-whenever-possible) so we drove to a little alpine lake and decided we'd hike from there. Did we know if there was a trail? No. But we had a mission. Get up high and hope for a good sunset.

So off we tromped, in the cold, dreary, dark, windy evening. In search of a sunset even though the sun seemed to have already retired for the evening.

As we locked up the car and trudged across a crooked, worn out pedestrian bridge to the other side of the lake the dogs romped through the water and sprinted ahead. The conversation gravitated toward our amazement that we could find ourselves in a remote high alpine environment like this after a full day of work.

And then the climbing started. Which ended my involvement in the conversation.

Through the trees and over a talus pile, up a windy trail through the woods, past the top of a ski run and then up another talus covered slope and around.....

...it wasn't looking good for anything other than a few calories burned a wet walk home in the dark. But someone in the group had patience (not me) and hope (not me) so we climbed some more, and then waited. Perched precariously on the side of a steep pile of talus. We watched....

first this...beautiful, but not quite what we were hoping for.

...then, showing signs of potential....

Then it started....the good stuff....

and then everything started glowing....

and when I was tired, cold, wet, and sick of holding myself to the mountain by my toenails with camera poised....someone made me wait it out a little longer, even though it looked like it was done....

Because there were still embers left glowing on this little campfire....

And you should never turn in until the campfire is out.

However, you should remember that this means you're making your way back to the tent (or in this case, car) in the dark so REMEMBER TO PACK YOUR HEADLAMP.

We managed to get back to the car in one piece. Watching lightning periodically light up the sky and listening to the thunder roll. I chatted mindlessly and loudly so as to scare off any bears with my obnoxiousness. And just as we piled the dogs into the car and climbed in -- it poured down rain.

And that, my friends, is a well-played post-work workout. Mountain-style.

For the moment

2010-08-11T10:22:00.000-05:00

Yup...that's about right. Right where I am....

....somewhere between reality and Aspen. The real world is most certainly out there. Somewhere. But the view from this land of fairy tales and castles is quite lovely. It can suck you in. Make you forget this place called suburbia that you used to know. Make you think that this is the only way to live.

On my commute to "work" ---

Where "work" took me today ---

Its now suburbia that seems like a faraway land. One that weary travelers make mention of in stories of adventures, after they've returned home to this magical little corner of the world.

Tonight

2010-08-08T21:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight, there was a sunset.

That is all.

I return you to your regularly scheduled Sunday-night "to do" list.

(Oh, and revamped the bloggie a bit. Change is good.)

I climbed a mountain. For real.

2010-07-31T22:40:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure where I got the idea, but once it was in my head it stuck. I wanted to summit something. I was about to have one of those annual, number-changing, life-analyzing days and I wanted something to focus on beyond that stupid new number.

So I picked a different number.

14,000. 14,150 to be exact. That's the number of feet I was above sea level. Ask my quads. They are well aware.

It was beautiful. And more challenging than I expected. And as you can imagine there is a relatively long narrative to go along with the experience....that I will hopefully get around to sharing. In the meantime, there are, of course, pictures (more to come though....I'm saving the good stuff).

There's a Button For That -- It's Called Travel

2010-07-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, don't you just need a reset button?

I get antsy if I don't get a change of scenery somewhat regularly, regardless of the spectacular beauty currently in my backyard sometimes I just need to see something different. So a few weeks ago I got out of town for a night. One night, that is all. But one night that was enough to reset all my inner programming and recharge my battery.

One night in a town quite like the one I currently live in....but different. Because it was NOT my town. Because there were new faces. And new mountains. And once I arrived I took the biggest, fattest, best drool-down-your-face-and-onto-your-arm nap of the decade because there was NO CONSTRUCTION.

Once sleeping beauty awoke from her mid-day slumber...there was sushi. Dare I say great sushi? Better than in my little mountain town. But then maybe travel just heightens the senses and makes everything better? (although I'm still kinda thinking it was better...)

I was a tourist in my own town. It was the same social scene but I didn't know ANY of the locals. Though I got to know a few. And they welcomed me like family. Comparing our mountain towns. Talking about mountain life. Buying me sake bombs.....(ooops, how did that happen?).

Anyway, it was great. Just what I needed. I'm not sure why. But I'm not questioning it. Travel just works for me. Even if its just up the road.

The top of the world

2010-07-20T04:51:00.001-05:00

Every now and then, its not a bad idea to do something that makes you feel insignificant, just as a little reminder that you are pretty much a speck of nothing in this big, big world we live in. Something that lets you see an angle on life that puts the petty stuff in perspective.

Yesterday was my day for that. A little trip to 13,000 feet, and a little reminder that I most certainly live IN the mountains. Because this is quite literally my backyard. This amazing panorama of peaks.

Not bad, huh?

The trip may have been a little more rewarding had I hiked up there of my own powers. But it was the end of a long work week for me, so I rode in a 4x4 jeep. An experience not entirely without some strenuous effort on my part, but with far less cardio (and free time used) than the alternative.

The end result was the same. Amazement. Wonder. And life put a little bit more in perspective. And while I may have felt small standing there looking out at the endless mountains before me, I also felt empowered. Because the world is a big, beautiful place of endless possibility. Such that if you find yourself at the top of a mountain and somewhat dissatisfied with the view, well, you should remember are many more mountains out there just waiting for you to start climbing.

Is there more?

2010-07-19T10:48:00.000-05:00

***yet another blog that's been waiting in draft status for a while -- this happened last week***

We make little decisions every day that can have a profound impact on our lives. We choose where to work and where to play, where to spend our money, who to spend our time with. Lately I've been really trying to focus on these little decisions, and I decided (among other things) that I haven't been enjoying enough of my surroundings lately. So last night, over tea, my roommate and I devised a plan for an early morning hike before we both retired for the evening.

The hike started with a 30-minute drive up a few rough gravel switchbacks, knocking over an hour of hiking off the day and letting us get to the "good stuff" faster. As we entered the trail and followed the river up (not entirely sure of where we were going) I was blown away by the wildflowers. They lined both sides of the trail in every shape and color, unlike anything I've seen before.

We continued to climb until we came to a fork in the trail. Decisions like these are something I usually ponder and stress about for much longer than necessary (a metaphor for life, no doubt) but the roomie pulled me through with logical statements about how its not worth pondering because thinking longer will not produce more knowledge than we already have (wise words that I should remember next time I come to one of these metaphorical decision points). So we went left....the trial continued its switchbacks upward...and we continued to ponder life and gasp for oxygen.

As the trail popped up into a high alpine basin I began to doubt that the end result would be the lake we'd been looking for. But we persevered and were rewarded with this:

Still unsure if we had reached the lake we were trying to get to, I wondered about the potential of there being a more beautiful scene had we just taken a different route.....made a different decision at the fork in the trail.

Imagine, staring at this clear, blue water....surrounded by mountains....having just hiked through more wildflowers than you have seen in your life....and still wondering if you're missing out on something better. It makes no sense. And yet, this is what I do. I doubt. I question. I over-think.

And so, on the decent, I worked to make myself appreciate this day for what it was -- an amazing day, shared with a great friend, in a beautiful place that I was lucky enough to be able to experience -- even if it turned out to not be the lake we had originally set out to find, life is about the journey....and this little journey was beautiful. The end destination is never a guarantee anyway, we might get lost, or stuck, and sometimes even when we get to where we think we want to go, its nothing like what we thought it would be. So its best to have enjoyed the getting there.

In is better than over

2010-07-12T15:09:00.000-05:00

This post has been waiting patiently in "draft" status for quite some time now and today is its moment to shine. Never mind that the events herein happened nearly two weeks ago.

Its time to play catch-up on the bloggity-blog. And many other things in life, for that matter. There are many emails owed, and many phone calls to be returned. But first I played a little catch-up on sleep. And then there were the piles of papers to be dealt with. Piles that have been dominating and rendering useless the surface of my desk since I moved in May and wanted very much not to be moved again in October in pile form.

I am conquering the "to-do" lists today. The first day I've had available to do this in quite some time. But once upon a time, many moons ago (or maybe more like half a moon and a holiday weekend ago?), I had a free day to go hiking with a friend.

It was lovely. And long. Three hours long. And while I did manage to dunk a foot in the waterfall crossing (it was a tedious balancing act of log and rock jumping), it did not damper the day in the least bit. The sun was shining. The views were beautiful. And we were happy to be out enjoying it all.

The view from the start (my house) --

Getting closer.....

Crossing at the top of the waterfall.....

Standing in the waterfall enjoying the view back toward town.....

Things my dad says

2010-06-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

So, at the moment, I have about 1001 thoughts about life and love and loss and totally lame ways to spend 40+ hours a week in a mountain town. Ugh. I may or may not finish percolating those thoughts into something coherent and worth delivering to the masses (all five people anyway, who I think might actually read this blog) via the interwebs.

In the meantime please enjoy this adorable email message that was sent to me today by my father:

"Heard a great one this morning, left me smiling.

I got to Panera's for my bagel. Waiting for it to get done toasting.

2 sweet little old ladies standing there, 1 was trying to use the toaster and they were gabbing.

The one says "other places I've been, they toast it for you".

The other one says "I got a new toaster last week, I feel like a new bride"."

Sometimes isn't it just the simplest things that can make us smile. :)

New Workout Music

2010-06-21T16:07:00.000-05:00

I struggle with finding workout music because I need both depth and tempo.....a hard combo to find. But I saw these guys in concert yesterday (amazing show!) and I think I've found a new band to accompany me on my workouts.

Guess what? Another hike!

2010-06-16T23:29:00.000-05:00

I hiked for two and a half hours tonight. TWO AND A HALF HOURS. Two thirds of which was uphill. Because that's how things work around here. When you live in a canyon and you want to get anywhere the direction is pretty much always up.

Which, you would think would be great because well, duh...there's always the down part on the way home, right? Yes, true. Problem is, the down is not exactly easy around here. You're usually coming down steep loose dirt or gravel so you need to be paying attention for sure, and then just hoping your quads can hold on until you hit flat ground. Not easy kids. My knees will probably never forgive me.

But tonight's hike was great. A climb (I'd like to call it steep but it is more likely to be classified as consistent grade, or some other such wimpy sounding nonsense) out of town to the base of yet another waterfall with a friend that I haven't been able to catch up with now that I'm doing this thing called working (highly overrated if you ask me).

I'm finally starting to build a little posse of people to call on when I feel like taking off on an active endeavor. I have really missed this. Right now the circle that I call on is small, but I'm happy that it even exists at all. I know I've said it before but its still true -- I miss my workout friends. My bike-therapy buddies. My walkers, my runners.....my lets just do something active so we don't have to feel guilty about the wine we're going to drink afterward friends.

If you were all here this place would be SO MUCH MORE AMAZING. Because while its beautiful here, this place is just a place without beautiful people to share it with.

Just an average morning hike around here

2010-06-14T16:38:00.000-05:00

Snapped a few pics with the camera on my new phone. I was hoping it would take better pics than my point-and-shoot (it has more megapixels) but I'm not sure it does. Regardless, the scenery still poses pretty well around here.

Hiked for a solid hour uphill and then made quick time of the downhill because work was calling. Only saw two mountain bikers and one 4x4 vehicle the entire 90 minutes. Watched the town bustle with activity below. The biggest festival of the season is this weekend and everyone's getting ready. I even stocked up on groceries, for two reasons,

1) when the town is full of tourists the residents -- like me -- are very busy working which means not much time for grocery shopping, and

2) if the town is full of tourists the grocery store is going to be a zoo that I'd really like to avoid. I think I'll have my fill of humanity with just my regular work week thankyouverymuch.

Fat, skinny, whatever....

2010-06-13T20:00:00.010-05:00

Its official....I don't discriminate in my love for bikes. I adore them all. Skinny tires, fat tires....doesn't matter. I just love biking.

After a long "week" (my weeks are slightly different from the average office-dweller these days) I rewarded myself with a little mountain bike ride. I started on a paved trail, heading toward a trail I knew to be pretty mellow about three miles from my house. A few things happened along the way:

1) The seat-post on my rented bike kept slipping down. I didn't realize at first. I just kept stopping, thinking no...a little higher. Just a little bit higher. So annoying. Finally got it fixed though before I hit the dirt.

2) It started raining. Kind-of. But it was kind-of awesome. I had my waterproof ski shell on so it didn't phase me much. (Its cold here -- snow on the mountain tops this morning!)

3) I used my new Osprey Raptor hydration pack. Totally awesome. Most impressive was the water reservoir. Not only is the thing easy to fill (they put a handle on it, genius), but the way it sits in the pack keeps constant pressure on the water. Why is this important? When you're sucking wind you don't have to suck for your water too. The first drink I took caught me so off-guard I had to spit it out because I nearly choked. The water quite literally flew into my mouth.

4) I didn't find the trail I was looking for, but I think I found one much cooler.

5) I realized that I really like mountain biking. It does freak me out a bit at times, but I'm excited enough about it to want to get out and there and get better at it. There's NO TRAFFIC. The scenery is amazing. And sometimes I have to stop and just take it all in. Quiet little bubbling brooks. Rolling rivers. The wind in the trees. The mountains. The waterfalls. The whole scene can be pretty spectacular.

6) I was reminded how much I LOVE living someplace where I can hike, bike, and ski right out my front door. NO CARS INVOLVED. I don't even drive to work. I have driven my car once in the past 5 weeks. Once. Take that BP.

7) I was also reminded that I live at the top of a VERY BIG HILL. The hardest part of my workout is always the last three blocks, but this is just something I'm going to have to deal with, I guess. Because living on a hill does have its perks. (exhibit A: The view from my deck.)

Other activities of interest (or not really, probably but I'll tell you anyway).....

I had Indian Food for dinner. It was, delicious. It made me realize I miss Indian food. This little mountain town has no Indian restaurant. Bummer.

Also, I have become mildly addicted to mochas in the morning. This is a very slippery slope I am headed down. But they're so good. And I usually only have them on mornings I work (4). Green smoothies the other day. That's almost balanced, right?

I lied

2010-06-09T05:00:00.001-05:00

There wasn't a waterfall on yesterday's hike. Just a beautiful raging river that followed me the whole way.

And at the turn-around, a cute little suspension bridge.

Since we left at noon for this two hour hike, it was hot. And this nordic girl and the heat don't really get along. Not too much humidity but the sun is a ruthless beast when you're up this high in elevation. Luckily I had slathered myself in sunscreen (having learned my lesson in Boulder a few days ago). But I was hiking in black 3/4 length yoga-ish pants. NOT IDEAL. I think it might be time for me to invest in some proper hiking attire since it seems this hiking thing is going to be a regular occurrence in my workout calendar.

Its funny how life shifts. I have countless wardrobe options for conference-room oriented meetings. Presentations, interviews -- got it covered. But hiking, river-trips, casual lounging in mountain town coffee shops --- I've got nothin'. My Banana Republic wardrobe isn't really meshing well with my mountain town life. But my mountain town budget doesn't really allow for much wardrobe replenishment. So I'm not sure how this is going to work. Hopefully I can find a compromise.

Just life

2010-06-08T12:16:00.000-05:00

Apparently, its been a week since my last post. Feels more like a month.

So much has happened. Lots of good stuff. Some stressful stuff (good stress though, and yes, there is such a thing). Some active stuff. Just lots of stuff.

More driving than hiking this week. (Whohoo trip to the big city and a full pantry! I'm set for the summer. Though seeing all that beautiful reasonably priced produce that I couldn't stock up on was torture. Oh the luxury of having a Whole Foods right down the road.....you big city people don't know how good you have it. On the other hand, I ran about a million errands the other day, on foot, in under an hour. So small town living has a few perks, I guess.)

And more working than playing, thanks to the driving. But I did get some time to enjoy the latest festival in town -- balloons. Such a cool sight. I wish I had been here for the big morning event, but I did manage to get a few pics late in the weekend.

I've started two new jobs (such are they joys of mountain living, multiple employers) and two volunteer gigs. And to be quite honest, I'm much more excited about the volunteering than the jobs. Figures, I guess. But what I'm hoping is that the volunteering might open some doors to paid gigs along the same lines. So....we'll see. In the meantime, I've got a pretty sweet schedule and I'm almost paying my bills. What more could a mountain girl ask for?

Throw in an amazing sunset view from my deck, and I'd say I'm a pretty lucky girl.

And....as if life couldn't get any better, this morning I made this yummy concoction for breakfast: fat-free greek yogurt, homemade granola, blueberries, raspberries, chia seeds and honey. YUM.

And now I'm off on a two-hour hike through a canyon to a waterfall.

What's this thing they call running?

2010-05-31T23:22:00.000-05:00

I went for a run today. Its been so long I almost forgot how. It was a hot, sunny, windy day in the mountains but I got out there and put in a few pavement miles (4ish, I'm guessing). And while it all kinda came back to me, it still felt a bit like I was doing it all in slow motion. I'd like to blame acclimation, but at this point I have to realize.....I'm just out of shape.

Out of shape SUCKS in case you were wondering.

I've been consistent with my workouts this week and I'm hoping that trend continues. But I do have a busy week ahead, with travel and driving included. So we'll see.

One thing that's nice is that its pretty easy to be active here. Just today I walked to work, then home. Then went on a dog walk with a friend, that turned into my run when she turned back, then I walked into town for a meeting, then ran into a friend on the street while I was walking to the post office and went on an impromptu little walk with her to catch up. Just 20 minutes or so. But 20 minutes or so every couple days over a week, or a month adds up to a whole lotta minutes. Add to that all that commute walking and well...it adds up. I walk everywhere. I don't see my car for days. So even if I'm not getting in true sweat-fest workouts....I'm still staying active, which helps. Because my off-season laziness is not playing well with jeans these days. So I hope this pseudo-euro lifestyle pays off like all the research says it will.

In unrelated news, the aspens are finally budding and the new leaves are the coolest shade of green. Every day I'm reminded in a new way of how beautiful this place is.

Ok, enough blog rambling. The weekend's over. I have work to do. Happy Memorial Day!

Pre-work workout

2010-05-29T00:23:00.000-05:00

So this morning before work I struck out on a little solo adventure. A new trail, all by my big-girl self. This particular trail happens to be named after a large furry mammal that I wanted absolutely nothing to do with and I'm not gonna lie -- I was totally pre-occupied with the fact that one of these said mammals might decide to eat me for a mid-morning snack. Because, ya know, its just my luck. I can see the headline now -- "silly midwestern girl tries to make it in the mountains, mother nature shows her who's boss." Bear 1, Midwestern Girl 0.

But I survived. I even ran part of the trail. So dare I say this qualified as a TRAIL RUN? Well, perhaps I shouldn't get carried away. I did only run the downhill part.

I had to laugh though, just after I started running I came upon a couple making their way up (trail was out and back...all uphill on the way out, all downhill on the way back) and the guy takes one look at me running downhill, smiling, all geared up like the tough mountain girl I am trying to (fake) be....and he says, "impressive." I chose not to remind him that I was going downhill to his uphill. I also let him go ahead and just assume that I also ran the uphill portion. Because I wanted to savor that word for just a few more moments.....impressive.

The whole trail was that, in fact. Impressive. Such a beautiful day. The sun was warm. I shed my jacket layer immediately. I had the trail nearly to myself (as nerve wracking as that may have been, it was kinda nice). The creek raged next to me the whole way, until the trail ended at a spectacular waterfall. All the while surrounded by beautiful jagged mountains.

I didn't lug my big camera, but I did take the little one and played around with video. I don't have time right now to try to edit so I'll just post a few snippits and some pics [um, just kidding. the internet is so slow right now i'm giving up on video. maybe later. for now just pics]. Enjoy!

Just to rub it in

2010-05-27T11:42:00.000-05:00

I can hike to this waterfall in under 10 minutes from my front door. How cool is that. I mean, its all uphill....but still, way cool. I think I will have to go back soon for more pics while the snow is still melting and the waterfall is raging.

In other news, I made oatmeal for breakfast -- from scratch. Like REAL oatmeal. And guess what? Its really not that hard. I also added ground flax seed and peanut butter. Yum.

I'm feeling pretty great after yesterday's hike. My knees were sore and I was honestly a little worried about that. But I took some Ibuprofen last night and I'm feeling quite awesome today. I was going to hike this morning but as it turns out I have a whole lotta other stuff to do before work. So I will hike tomorrow morning. Lots and lots of hikes around to try. Lots and lots of pictures to take. Yay summer in the mountains!

Mountain girl, you're not getting any younger....

2010-05-26T20:00:00.000-05:00

First hike of the season and my knees sure know it. But when THIS is what's available to you just steps from your front porch....well, you've gotta get out and enjoy it.

It was a gorgeous day. Gorgeous. Sun shining, blue skies, cool breeze. Perfect for hiking in some light pants and a tank. A nice little two hour hike to some unbelievable scenery. Days like this kind-of make all the stress of chasing crazy dreams just melt away. When this is literally steps from your new front door it kinda makes you think life's going be OK. You look up at the blue sky, take a deep breath of crisp, clean mountain air and think....I don't know what's going to happen, but right now, in this moment, life is good. And the rest, well, it'll just work itself out.

Oh, yes you can

2010-05-25T21:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, you can....

bonk on your commute home. From work, not a workOUT. I may have prime mountain-view real estate now but no one tells you what that really means. It means you live at the top of a huge-ass hill. Add a few thousand feet of elevation to that big ol' hill-of-a commute after spending a few weeks just slightly above sea level eating frozen custard and yes, you can bonk on your walk home. Your five minute walk home. Its getting easier day by day, but that first day I really didn't think I could make it. Within sight of my house I wanted to sit down in the alley and recover before tackling the last block. I think someone's going to get her little booty in real mountain shape this summer whether she likes it or not!

You can also....

be decaffeinated. For almost a month. And live to tell about it. Saturday will be four weeks caffeine-free for me. I don't think I can go all summer -- at least not the way the summer is looking right now -- but I'm happy with a little month hiatus. Because you don't realize how powerful a drug caffeine is until you try to quit. It was a rough first five days. And I would argue that it took me almost two weeks to really feel like I had kicked the habit. But I did it.

And while we're talking about things you CAN do, lets talk about things I SHOULD do.....

like set some goals (fitness and otherwise), and go for some runs, and maybe even write some blogs now and then. Tomorrow is my first day off since coming back to town after off-season so it looks like I'll have plenty to keep me busy.

All over the map

2010-05-25T00:09:00.000-05:00

I don't even know where to start.....

It feels like yesterday that I was somewhere in the middle of northwestern Colorado, on a river, without contact with the outside world and without any idea what direction I was heading when we landed back on the dock of reality.

And now, here I am. Reality for sure. Sometimes the hard, stressful, decision-making part of reality. Sometimes the how-the-hell-am-I-going-to-make-this-crazy-dream-happen-time-to-get-creative side of reality. Both challenging. And hopefully rewarding. At some point. Somewhere down this winding mountain road.

At any rate, you can't beat the view.

So ya. I'll be here for a little bit longer. I just wasn't ready to call it quits on the search for whatever it is I'm looking for.

Who has the time....?

2010-05-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

No time for words. How about some more pictures of the last week?

As I travel....

2010-05-07T14:42:00.000-05:00

I'm taking time to smell the flowers.....and take pictures.....because I need the practice. And also, because I really, really love to take pictures. And shouldn't we take time to do things that we love every day?

I think so.

In Pictures: The Yampa River

2010-04-23T12:52:00.000-05:00

When traveling with boys on the river

2010-04-23T00:04:00.001-05:00

Bring a lot of bacon. Meat in general will be plentiful when traveling with boys and bacon pairs well with all of it. Ham, salami, bison, a variety of things in sausage form. The boys will also bring things that they have killed. Like elk. I have to admit, it was more meat than I'd seen in years as I don't really even venture into that section of the grocery store. But apparently carcass holds up better in the cooler than fruits and veggies.

Admission: I have to say that the elk burgers that these men cooked up our first night on the river were surprisingly delicious. But, I was cold. And possibly a bit drunk. So perhaps my judgement was a bit off. I can say that the meat heavy dishes got a little old somewhere around day 4. By day six all I wanted was a giant salad made with greens that hadn't been floating in cooler juice for a week.

What goes well with meat? Beer. Bring lots and lots of beer. 10 beers per person per day was the calculation we were given when standing in the parking lot after grocery shopping. (Um, what?!) We made another trip to the liquor store and we still ran out.

---

Also, bring whiskey. And please make it good whiskey. In retrospect, there could have been more whiskey. This girlie-girl likes the whiskey. If for no other reason than the fact that it cuts down on the trips to pee in the woods. In addition, multiple test results show whiskey does not give me the burly hangovers that other liquor can. So yay for whiskey.

---

Sneak some gatorade in the cooler. Make room. You're going to need it. Especially if you were there to see the discovery of funky goo under the cover of one of the drinking water jugs at the put-in. And you were there to subsequently hear someone say "Ah, its fine. We'll just use that one for coffee." When you feel like all drinking water is suspect you will be very happy to open something with a seal.

---

Be prepared to take some slack for anything you bring that's pink. Don't let it stop you. I think the boys secretly like that you look like a girl in the wilderness (provided you're not acting like a little pink princess) and pink things will help you pull this off even if you haven't showered in a number of days. But I'm just sayin'....be prepared to take some verbal abuse.

---

Don't over pack. No one cares if you wear the same clothes everyday, all day, for seven days. Even you won't care after about day two. You're just going to end up lugging all that crap around. Like shampoo. (yes, I did this. i even knew it was a mistake as I was doing it but in the short turnaround time between MTBing and river rafting I just transferred the shower bag and didn't bother to sort through it. lesson learned.) FYI, no showers on remote wild rivers. You can wash your hair in the river with special soap but that river is C-OLD and you are not going to want to put your head in it no matter how tough you think you are 'sconnie girl.

---

Do pack a headlamp and a book, so when the boys party a little too hard on the river and your whole camp is passed out by 8pm you won't be sitting alone, in the dark, on a remote river with nothing to do but stare at the stars and listen to the current. I mean, that's great and all....but for like, 15 minutes.

---

Most importantly, chill out, go with the flow, and try to pretend you're not trapped on a remote river. (i totally struggled with this...at first it was all fun and games but around day four i started to get overwhelmed by thoughts of everything I should be doing back in the "real world", possibly because this is where the plan changed from 5 days to 7, but probably too because I don't know how to shut my brain off.) It helps if you can get some girl time. And I'm not talking about finding the remotest tree to pee behind. I mean take off on a hike. Go explore. Get away from all the testosterone for a bit. It will keep you sane. Just watch out for mountain lions. For real.

Today

2010-04-21T19:38:00.000-05:00

Today, I love this town.

Lounging in a coffee shop window seat, chatting with the owner as I casually work on my computer. Watching impromptu conversations happen on the sidewalk as locals emerge from the winter sea of tourism and happy mountain dogs just keep doing their happy mountain dog thing.

The sun shining as I drive with the windows rolled down and stop in the middle of the street to chat with a friend. Then thunder and raindrops, the first I've heard this year.

A renewed post office box. A renewed library card. The budding of a whole new network holding so much potential for bloom.

And the mountains keeping watch above the whole dreamy scene.

Yes, today I love this town.

7 is the new 5, apparently

2010-04-21T01:05:00.000-05:00

I have been off the grid for 7 days. SEVEN FREAKING DAYS. Do you know how long that is to be without the internet? or a cell phone? or a SHOWER?! (though the no shower thing does wonders for your hair)

Something I was not without....a pillow. A pink down pillow, at that. And I took a lot of s#$% for it, but it was quite worth it. A girl's gotta have a few creature comforts when she's sleeping somewhere in the middle of the paleozoic era in a tent with someone who has entire conversations with himself while he sleeps. While HE sleeps....and I listen. First to him, and then to every teeny tiny noise within a five county radius BECAUSE THAT IS HOW QUIET IT IS when you step back in time. You can hear the wings of bugs flying miles away and they sound like jet airplanes that are about to land in your tent. One night you think you hear cows or elk meandering through your camp, but you convince yourself you are just suffering the delusional effects of cell phone deprivation, except the next morning you find out there were in fact cows wandering through camp and then your brain just kinda explodes because you can no longer deal with the fact that you are camping with cows, miles away from the rest of your life, which is suspended up in the air while you play Huck Finn on the river with a bunch of boys who drink a lot of beer, didn't bring enough water, and may or may not have washed that pan they cooked dinner in.

So ya, the river was good. But I am happy to be home. Home being relative, I guess. Seeing how it is only actually my "home" for two more weeks and then I have NO CLUE where life will take me.

Do I regret accepting that invite 24 hours out from departure and a three hour drive from home? Not for a second.

Sure I could have been bumming around my little mountain town all week, looking for the answers to life's questions somewhere deep in the murky depths of the readily available interweb while I sipped my Americano and enjoyed the benefits of indoor plumbing. But I would have missed out on one hell of an experience. And life experience should always trump the internet, no?

Anyway, my point.....I'm back. And I have stories.

A week of firsts

2010-04-11T00:55:00.000-05:00

I would love to write all about my FIRST TIME ON FAT TIRES....

(loved it, BTW)

but I'm in the midst of managing a laundry emergency....and packing.....to leave the grid. Yup, no internet....probably no cell reception. I'm headed out on my first ever river trip. Five days on a remote and remarkably scenic river.

I have no idea what to expect, and wasn't involved in any of the planning, so I'm truly along for the ride on this adventure. Can't wait!

Gone biking, be back soon....or maybe not

2010-04-09T14:53:00.000-05:00

Totally forgot how much I LOVE biking. The first ride of the season did not disappoint. Thank you Moab.

Unemployment, and other awesome things.

2010-04-07T17:56:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm officially kinda sorta unemployed. And its kinda sorta awesome.

What makes it even more awesome is that its off-season, and from what I can tell that gives everyone in town permission to run off and have crazy adventures for the next 2 to 6 weeks. How cool is a town where blowing off all responsibilities and getting the hell outta dodge twice a year is not only acceptable, its expected.

And so, while most of my life has camped out in the land of the unknown, I am trying to shut off my brain, live in the moment, and just see what happens.

Its harder than you think, this "living in the moment" stuff. But its been pretty fun so far.

What else is awesome?

Getting your oil changed and ending up in a conversation with the dude about mountain biking.

Getting a powder day after you thought your ski season was over.

When the biggest decision of your day is which coffee shop to hang out in.

Being able to hang out in the coffee shop ALL DAY if you wanted to.

Skiing and mountain biking in the same week.

Mountains.

Options.

Sunshine.

Great friends to share the road of life with.

Gravy

2010-04-06T18:27:00.000-05:00

One more powder day!! Happy spring to me! Knee deep at Beaver Creek!

More crazy

2010-04-05T19:59:00.001-05:00

This party happened on Friday. A kick-off to closing weekend. Those are flamingos, in case its hard to make out. I don't get it either. But then, there's a lot about this crazy town I don't get. Except that even a wacky flamingo party on Main Street has amazing scenery.....

Well, that was an experience.

2010-04-05T11:24:00.000-05:00

Closing day on the mountain.....I spent the morning in town, enjoying the sunshine. Stopped in at the coffee shop and enjoyed a waffle (my fave!), an americano, and the great company of new friends. Finally took one last ride up my backyard chairlift to say goodbye to all the runs that started this crazy adventure with me and realized -- I've come a long way. Then I headed to the party. At least the party I was "invited" to.....there are lots of little (or in some cases, pretty big) parties in secret spots around the mountain, the trick is you have to be able to ski there. So while it wasn't the exclusive hike-to party, it was still quite an event.....great music, crazy costumes, and fun friends.

It all seems bittersweet. Celebrating the end without knowing what's ahead. Shutting the door on a winter season with snow still on the ground, and just as I was seeming to get the hang of things.....or so I thought. This town....this crazy little mountain town always seems to throw something unexpected at me just when I get comfortable. One hour I love this place, and the next it leaves me shaking my head in frustration and looking for plane tickets to Portugal.

I'm still pretty directionless at the moment. But I do know that I need a break from all this. So today I'll be heading in the direction of new scenery and freedom from the confines of the box canyon.

I don't know where the next beginning will be, but I know I'm not going to sit around and mourn the end.

Will she do it?

2010-04-01T14:48:00.001-05:00

That's it. That's the end of season goal. That steep, bumpy, mess of a run. It greets me every day and yet, we are not friends. We acknowledge each other's presence. And at the end of every ski day our little game begins. The run just laying in wait, taunting me with the most direct route home. Me, avoiding, putzing and winding down the mountain the most indirect and miserable route to my front door. Only to look up when I get home and see the run, still waiting.

Less than four days to go.

Is this relationship one that will remain cold, aloof, and forever unknown? Or will we set aside our differences and see what can happen in these few, sweet final days of the season?

Not helping.

2010-03-30T13:06:00.003-05:00

A friend posted this video on Facebook, and I have to admit that I got a little teary when I watched it (its not sad, I'm just a nutjob).

To say that a lot about my life is up in the air right now, would be an understatement. EVERYthing is up in the air. I'm hours away from being pretty much unemployed (seasonal work tends to cause this, apparently). I'm weeks away from being pretty much homeless (ended my lease because at this point I don't know where the rent money is going to come from). And this video only reminded me what a great big world of options exists out there.

It's all a little overwhelming. I guess that explains the tears.

That's not to say that being overwhelmed is a bad thing. Options are good. How lucky am I to have options? And I am considering all of them right now. Even the craziest of the crazy ones. And really, how fun is that?

So bring on the crazy. And the pomegranate mojitos. Its time to celebrate options.

A little taste of home

2010-03-28T17:38:00.000-05:00

Change can be fun and exciting, but there's a lot to love about the familiar. About people who know you. Who don't need explanations when you tell stories because you share a common history. People who don't mind if you let your guard down and show the real you. People who've seen you in spandex, and without makeup......

Like change is necessary for renewal and perspective, I think so is a return to where you've been and what you know.

After three months in the mountains living my crazy dream, a few visitors breezed into town and brought a little piece of my former life with them. A life shared shared biking the country roads of southwest Wisconsin, sweating, freezing, chatting, and in the process learning about ourselves and each other.

Nothing had changed but geography. Backcountry roads were just replaced with ski runs. Mid-ride snack breaks became mid-mountain warming huts. Limits were still pushed, muscles tested, and little pieces of our lives were shared.

Wherever I end up, I have been lucky to share the road that led me there with some really great people. And for that I am thankful.

Gone skiin', be back soon.

2010-03-21T13:31:00.000-05:00

Friends in town......fresh powder, blue skies,.....life is good. Not figured out AT ALL, but good.

Busy, in a very good way

2010-03-19T18:26:00.000-05:00

Oh, hello blog.....sorry for the serious lack of attention as of late, but things have been....well, busy. Really, really busy. In a very good way. But busy, nonetheless.

I have skied more new stuff. Met more new people. Sought out new employment options. Thought about my life in 101 new and different ways.

So you see. Busy. But good busy. Very, very good busy.

I skied that.

2010-03-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

I have a strong aversion to speed, and heights. So why I even like skiing is a mystery that will probably never be solved. Standing at the top of a run is where it usually all hits me. Self-doubt and panic that I've been known to ponder too long, leading to temporary paralysis and an inability to drop in on something well within my capabilities because it "looks" hard.

Its a head-game. A game that has no winners, from what I can tell.

But there's been a changing of the tides around here. I maxed out my unlimited lesson pass this past week and after three solid days on the mountain I am skiing runs I would never have attempted before. Bumps, steeps, a little trip to the bowl....a season's worth of work is all coming together and I'm dropping in without even hesitating on runs that used to make me more than a little nervous.

I guess practice pays off! And more important than the accomplished feeling of saying "wow, look what I just skied," I'm having more fun on the mountain. And fun is really what its all about, right?

Well, fun and the workout. Did I mention the workout? Holy crap. Bump runs feel like never-ending wall sits. After three big days on the mountain and a required night on the town (parties, concerts and whatnot) I couldn't hang on for day four. My "epic" day was spent lounging in my pjs nursing my tired, aching legs and attempting to rehydrate.

But I have no complaints. Even a day on the couch is still a day on the couch in the mountains.

And I can still say, LOOK WHAT I SKIED (I swear its steep, the photos are deceiving) --

I have one more goal to be met for the season. A treacherous looking run that leads straight to my house. I will ski it home before the end of the season. Three weeks to go. Three short weeks....

Hello quads....

2010-03-12T10:27:00.000-06:00

No time to write. Must ski. The season ends three weeks from Sunday.

I have been getting out every chance I get and my quads are well aware of this fact. Hopefully they will forgive me. Because I am having a blast, and skiing stuff that terrified me at the beginning of the season.

Instead of asking "can I do that" I find myself saying "ya, lets do that."

The next three weeks are going to fly by so I'm doing my best to enjoy every minute of them.