First cold swim of the season

After my long dip yesterday I decided to go for a swim today. I met some friend on the beach and we all got in a little distance. My goal as I set out was to do a quarter mile swim - that's about twice the length of the long swim at the swim festival and also more than I've swum in a while. 

I got to the beach and it was so nice there - the sun is out and it's pretty warm feeling still. When the sun went behind the clouds it was a little chilly. We chatted for a bit before getting into the water, but soon it was time. Walking in it felt pretty cold, and I was dreading the swimming part a bit. The first lap, especially the first 30 or so strokes were especially challenging. But then my body got used to it and it was really nice. I could feel the sun on my back and swimming felt fine even though I haven't been swimming for a while. I got my 3 laps in and didn't feel a need to rush out. According to my watch the temp was 57, I went .23 mile and it took me a little less than 13 minutes. I definitely started my first lap a little too fast, and had to slow down as I went. Looking at my heart rate from my watch I was in zone 2 for over three minutes and in zone 3 for over 5.5 minutes, so good exercise! One of my friends did an a half mile, which was pretty impressive. After we got changed and didn't really need anything to warm up, though one person had brought tea, which hit the spot. 

There were a few other people there swimming, and so we tried to recruit them to the group. 

First Afterdrop of the Season

I went climbing today and brought my swim suit and dry robe with me so I could go for a dip after. Climbing was good - I did a few 5.10's, one of them clean :) There were some new climbs up and one especially was super fun, and a second pretty fun - excited to be able to do them again. After climbing I did go to the lake.

The plan was to go to the beach and bop around for 10 minutes and then go home. At 10 minutes I was like "I could stay in another 5" and then the same thing happened at 15 minutes. At 20 minutes I decided to shoot for a half hour, which is what I wound up doing. I didn't have my swim cap or goggles, and I didn't want to swimswim, so I walked back and forth, did a little chorus line kicking, sidewise walk like a crab, etc. There were a couple of people there who I knew, and one hung out with me for about 5 minutes. I didn't have booties or gloves, and I could feel my hands getting cold, by the time I got out they felt pretty chilly, as did all the rest of me. According to my watch it was between 56 and 57 in the water, so getting colder! After I changed and then headed right to my car, where I blasted the heat for the ride home. I actually did some shivering at the start of the drive, which felt kind of nice, but also really cold. When I got home I didn't want to get out of the car because I don't have my heat on in my place (which is just silliness on my part) and I knew it would be colder inside. Fortunately I have a really nice space heater which I turned on, and it's pretty cozy now.

Yesterday I had to go into work to give a presentation. I stopped at Walden on my way there for a short dip. I ran into someone I know in the parking lot - it's such a small world! It was so pretty at Walden - the leaves are changing and there was a mist coming off the water. I stayed in for about 10 minutes, and it was about 59 degrees. It was hard to make myself leave for work, but what can you do?

Tomorrow my plan is to go to join school of honk and bring a flute and play the flute, which I haven't done since middle school when my flute teacher made me cry all the time in lessons. I think this will be a lot nicer. 

Long weekend

This weekend was Honkfest - a weekend of street bands and activism. It was also my first time "performing" in a thing since like high school. I had a blast! I spent an hour dancing with school of honk on Saturday. I had no idea of many of the moves, but they are easy to follow, and I just did my best. After the performance I realized that the person on the ladder with a camera was a friend from parkour! It's such a small world. Anyhow, I went to dinner at a friends later that day and she plays flute really well, so I brought my flute for her to look at - she said a few of the pads needed changing and it needed an oiling, and gave me contact info for a grumpy man who has fair prices on repairs. In the meantime she also loaned me an extra flute that she had sitting around (a former student gave it to her), so I can try playing with school of honk. I'm gonna get my courage up and try it - I had a pretty awful experience in middle school with my flute teacher, but I can see that this crowd is very different. It would be so cool to march in a parade actually playing an instrument.

I was planning to march in the parade on Sunday, but we've been hit with a noreaster, and I just wasn't motivated to spend the afternoon in the rain, so instead I went on a hike in the fells and then went to the lake. The water was 62, I stayed in for 10 minutes and felt a chill after. 

We have this "walktober" challenge going at work, for the month of October - it's a step challenge and we have a few teams in the office. The highest level to get each day is 10,000 steps, and I am determined to reach 10K steps every day this month. Some days it's been really easy, like hiking days or dancing days, and some days, like today, it's much harder. The weather today is really nasty - rain, wind, cold. I spent the morning on the couch and then met a friend for climbing. After climbing I was only at like 2500 steps, so I decided to stay at the climbing gym and run on the treadmill. I did a short run one day last week, but today I needed a lot of steps, and so I did my longest run since I got my watch last year. It was actually 5K! I started pretty slowly, and soon bumped the speed up to 5 mph, which isn't fast by any means. I did have a few short breaks from running where I walked for a minute, and one short bit where I bumped it up to 5.5 mph, but mostly I stayed at 5. It look me 40 minutes, but I did it! Mostly it sucked and I had to push myself to stay with it, but after I felt amazing. The one thing that was really fun about it was that I could see these two little boys wrestling for about 20 minutes of it - they looked like they were about 4 or so, and they were cracking me up. One would knock the other down, and then vice versa, for a while one was pulling the other one around by a leg, and then there were all the ninja arm moves. It was very entertaining!

It's been really great getting back into climbing. I've been going with one of my swim friends, which has been really nice. At metrorock in everett I'm back to climbing 5.10's - today I started with a 5.8 then 5.9 and then 5 - 5.10's, though I didn't get up one of them. I did do this one climb I've been working on for a while clean - it's a 5.10b with these bubble holds that's pretty balancy and sequency. Lots of fun! The other climbs I had some falls and rests, but whatever, I got to the top on my own power. 

Mount Eastman

Eastman was the second hike of my weekend-during-the-week in NH. I went up on Thursday and hiked Thursday and Friday, with an overnight at the Coho Hostel in between. Mount Eastman is on the opposite side from the Baldfaces from Meader and Eagle's Crag, so I was familiar with the area and was able to hit the Emerald Pool after the hike again (part of why I chose it, of course).

My alarm went off at 6:30 and I was out of bed by 6:45. I started the coffee, used the bathroom, got dressed, stripped the sheets off the bed, put my lunch in my bag and was ready to hit the road by 7:15. I got to the trailhead at around 7:45 and headed out a little before 8. Which was pretty good, even though I had hoped to start hiking a little earlier. The drive over was really pretty, except there was one part of the road that was covered in fog - I could bearly see to drive! And then I came out the other side and it was really pretty again - cool and weird.

To hike Eastman you start on the same trail as for the Baldfaces for almost the first mile. It's a pretty chill start. When you first turn away from the Baldfaces onto slippery brook trail it's chill for a bit longer. There was a section of the trail that was almost like a dirt road - it looked like someone had been widening it - maybe a snow mobile trail for winter? After you cross a brook (which was really low due to to the drought, and almost nothing to cross) things started to get more intense. According to all trails, the hike was 8.86 miles with 2595 feet of elevation gain, which is no joke. But, the trail wasn't one of those white mountain trails that's just a pile of rocks. While it was pretty relentlessly uphill for much of the hike, it was also fairly easy to navigate and just hike, rather than having to climb up rocks and such. Kind of refreshing! It took me a little less than three hours to get to the top.

I didn't see anyone until I hit the ridgeline, and then I bumped into a couple with their two dogs (really cute dogs, really chatty woman). They had come up the other side and sped off to the top. I enjoyed the ridgeline, which was a really nice one - it was .9 mile from hitting the ridge to the top of the mountain, though probably half of that was uphill. 

I got to the top, tagged the cairn that is there, and found a nice rock with a view to sit on. The couple was sort of nearby and as soon as I took out my sandwich their dogs came over to say hi. Like I said, they were cute dogs, but there was no way they were getting my sandwich - I was so hungry!

I sat in the sun up top for about 45 minutes eating and admiring the views. The other folks left like 10 minutes after I got there - it seemed like they bushwacked down, because they headed off away from the trail. The weather again was perfect! Sunny and warm, but not hot. I had started the morning wearing a smartwool top over my tshirt, but had taken the smartwool off around the turnoff for slippery brook, and I didn't need to put it back on. The sky was blue, there were a few fluffy clouds, and the trees were so nice. I could see as far as Mt. Washington and over to Maine. I really didn't want to leave. But, finally I had to get up and head back down. 

The hike down was quite delightful. My left knee has been a bit sore, but because there weren't a ton of rocks to go down it wasn't a huge issue. The only thing that was a bit sketchy was that at one point I heard what I thought was a couple of gun shots and I realized that it must be hunting season. And I was alone on a trail in very neutral colors. But, hunters usually stay away from hiking trails and I did think they were kind of far away, and I didn't hear any more. 

I was pretty excited to get to the Emerald Pool, but as I got close I heard people. Of course, after seeing almost no one all day... When I got to the area of the pool, though, the people were sitting in the sun a little above it, and I got the pool to myself. I stripped down to my underware and stepped in. I will say that the water was a lot colder than the last two times - according to my watch it was 48. It felt so refreshing after my hike and a bopped around for a little bit, but since I still had .7 miles to go, and didn't bring a change of underware, I got out after about 2.5 minutes so I wouldn't get too cold. I dried off, put my hiking tights and shirt back on, and headed out. It only took about 15 minutes to get back to my car - my knee felt so refreshed even from that little dip. A trail runner had passed me on the way out, and he was sitting in his car right next to mine, so I went into the outhouse to change into dry clothes. I stopped for ice cream again on the way out, and then had the long drive home. 

I enjoyed this hike for sure, but I think if I went back I would do one of the other hikes there - either the two baldfaces or the meader/eagle's crag, just because the views from those were a bit nicer. Still, two thumbs up, really nice day!

Table Mountain

It's fall foliage season and so I decided to take a long weekend and head up to NH for Thursday and Friday, doing two hikes and staying at the Coho in between. It was a fun during-the-week-weekend. 

I started with Table Mountain on Thursday. It's a short hike with a really nice view - I would never drive all the way up to NH to do a 4 mile hike, but since I was up there it fit the bill perfectly. I drove up rt 93 and then took the Kancamagus highway across NH, which was really gorgeous with the trees all changing. The driving was a little tricky because I swear half the drivers were in slow mode and the other half were in crazy driving mode. But I made it.

Table Mountain is in Bartlett off Bear Notch rd. The parking lot is pretty small, but thankfully there was only one car there when I arrived, and a different car there when I left. I saw one person the entire time I was hiking - the people in the other car were just letting their dogs out for a break or something. So, one on a Thursday is a perfect time for that hike.

The hike is a little less than four miles with a little less than 1400 feet of elevation gain. So, it's not nothing, but it wasn't super intense either. It started with a gradual uphill on the approach and then only got steep close to the top. A bunch of people commented on all trails that the steeper areas were pretty slabby, with a skree on top of them, making it kind of slippery, and they weren't kidding! We are still in a drought here, so at least it was dry, but the way down was harder with trying not to slip (which I didn't). The top is viewless, but there is an amazing slab with a lookout just a bit below the top. After I'd tagged the summit I sat down with my cheese and avocado sandwich on durum bread, which was delicious. I got so lucky with the weather - it was sunny with just a few clouds, cool but not cold - just a perfect day. I admired the view for about a half hour, looking at all the taller peaks and thinking how I had hiked all of them. 

After I went to the Coho, checked in, took a shower and then went shopping in North Conway. I planned to go to the outlets, but they closed at 6. But, there's a sierra there, so I did a little shopping there. After, I returned to the hostel where I sat in the common room, played on my phone, and chatted with some of the other guests. It was so much warmer inside than a tent would have been, and they had the coziest comforters, but one woman in the shared room kept waking me up. IDK - it was way easier in the morning since I didn't have to pack up a tent, but I didn't sleep as well... I'll have to think about which is better for the future. Anyway, nice day, good hike, two thumbs up.

Knee pain

My knees have been really creaky lately and I realize I have to do more strength training to help them. I found a workout from the nytimes that is specifically for this and I did it for the first time today. Most of the exercises were pretty hard for me - a sign that I needed them! So, I'm going to try to integrate these into my exercise program a couple times a week, at least to start. I can potentially go to once a week if I get better at it.

It took me 20 minutes to go through all of them, and then I added some planks - a minute on forearms and a minute of high plank, and then dead bug when I dropped opposite arm and leg between them. After I did some bench presses, and a couple other arm exercises. Probably should look for a nice arm workout like this to complement the routine. 

I know I should be doing 30 minutes of strength training 2x a week faithfully, I'm really going to try harder to do it. Once I get going it's not really that painful. 

Meader, Meader Ridge and Eagle Crag

It's been a while since I got in a good hike, so I decided to take today off and hit the trails. I've been wanting to do Meader and Eagle Crag, which are the mountains next to the Baldfaces, since I did the Baldfaces. So, that was the plan for the day! An added bonus was that I was able to make the hike a loop with just a short road walk, and park by the Baldface trailhead. Which allowed me to hit the Emerald Pool for a little dip.

Wednesday was the first day back at work in person after a whole summer working at home. Re-entry is so hard. I decided that I would drive up to NH after work, camp at the Co-Ho hostel (but this time with the indoor access) and then leave from there to hike. There was a lot of traffic after work, and I thought about just going home, but I'm so glad I stuck it out. I got there a little after 8, set up my tent, used the bathroom and the kitchen, and then headed out to sleep. For August it was cold out! Fortunately I had my smart wool long underware, jams, wool socks and a sweatshirt, plus my down sleeping bag. I had to go all the way in the sleeping bag and pull the part around my face tight so only my nose was sticking out. Once my body heat warmed up the bag it was OK, though still a little chilly.

I set my alarm for 6:15, only hit the snooze once, and was on the road before 7. It's funny how it's so hard to get up at that hour for work, but so easy when it's for hiking. Anyhow, with driving and organizing and such I hit the trail a little before 8. I could have done the same if I'd left home at 5 am, but I actually slept pretty well in my cocoon, and was more rested than usual at the start of the hike. 

Because I did a loop, I started with a .6 mile road walk that was very easy - it was a little downhill and so I was able to get it done fast. Then the trail started on what looked like an old dirt road, with two lanes for tires, and that part was fast too. In fact the first 2.5 miles were pretty chill, a slow uphill, but not that tiring. When I got to the real climb I was psyched because there were switchbacks, and so that was fine as well. I was starting to get hungry - it was about 10:30 ish, and I thought I would sit once I got to the top of Meader and have a snack. There was an amazing view of the area from close to the top, but the actual top was viewless. It was also really nice, with pine trees and moss - it smelled amazing. But I decided to head on to the ridgeline before snacking because I thought there would be a view, and there was. I sat on a nice little rock with an obstructed but still amazing view and ate some not very delicious rice cakes. But I still ate the whole bag, so I guess they weren't horrible.

I continued on the ridgeline, which was viewless but still really enjoyable. There were some amazing mossy parts, with several different types of moss. There was a bit of up and down, but not too intense, and then I hit the top of Eagle Crag, which has an amazing view! I admired the Baldfaces, feeling impressed with myself that I'd hiked them, and looked around for somewhere to eat. There was a big boulder that looked so tempting - I was pretty sure it was a bad idea to climb on it because I could fall, and it might be hard to get down from. But of course then I climbed it, and it was fine. It was pretty sticky rock, so there were all kinds of holds to grab and my boots stuck pretty well as I went up and down. I had two bagels with cheese, and I ate 1.5 of them while I sat and admired the view - from my spot I could see the Carters, Wildcats, and a tiny bit of Mt Washington. And in the other direction I could see a lot of Maine. It was such a perfect weather day - there were some small fluffy clouds that were so close to me at the top of the mountain - I could actually see the top of the clouds from my perch. I thought about how ephemeral hiking is - I worked so hard to get up to the alpine zone, and I was just going to eat a bagel and then go down. 

As I started down I realized there was a hole in the butt of my pants, which I thought about worrying about, but honestly I had only seen 3 people all day - 2 hiking together on the ridgeline and one trail runner coming through when I was eating, that I decided that no one would see it. And I was right. The trail down started with a huge amount of descent at the top - I did some butt scootching, thinking how I was going to make my pants worse. The trail soon became more manageable and I was able to move reasonably fast for me, sometimes doing some rock hopping but mostly the trail was just a little root-y and soil with pine needles. 

I was so excited to reach the Emerald Pool, it seemed like it was faster than expected, but also my feet were killing me and my legs were tired, so it seemed like it took forever. Anyhow, I was psyched that no one else was there and stripped down to my undies and hopped in. Even though there is a drought and the water in the streams was low, the pool was full. It was so nice swimming around there - water temp was 57 according to my watch, and my feet throbbed in the cold. Just as I was getting ready to get out a guy who looked like he was in his 20 arrived to take a swim. Figures, three people all day and as I'm swimming around in my underware someone comes. But then he was like "sorry, sorry!!" and practically ran away, even though I was like "It's OK, I've got clothes on!" I thought maybe he was waiting for me to get out to come down, but I think he just left. Since he was gone, I changed into clean underware, a top and shorts, and sat with my feet in the water to eat my last half a sandwich. It was so good!

I finished up and reluctantly packed up my things, put my boots and socks back on and headed off for the last .7 mile, which went really fast. The last time I finished the hike I used a tree to pee instead of the smelly outhouses and some guy came biking buy just as I was midway through my business. Having already kind of flashed someone, I decided to use the outhouse. I got settled in my car and drove a bit to this country store that I'd seen on my way there that turned out to have ice cream! It was the best ice cream - I had a raspberry chocolate chip in a waffle cone, and got an apple cider. I got in my car and drove home - even though labor day weekend is coming the drive back was totally fine, and I got home without any problems. 

Interestingly, the all trails map I planned from said the hike would be 8.93 miles with 2779 feet of elevation gain. I did follow a short path that claimed to have a view (but didn't) but I'm 100% sure that wasn't over 1.25 miles. Curious. Anyhow, really good hike, two thumbs up, would definitely do again.