Nancy on a Boat

Nancy on a Boat is the winter/rainy day version of Nancy, which I don't think I have done (though I would have to check). It was actually a pretty good WOD for me, lots of rowing!  Coach told me that I should get my legs pretty much straight before using my arms on the rower. Oh! That makes things a little different, better I think.

First we did snatches, 5 rounds of 3. This woman asked me if she could work with me because she was new at crossfit and found snatches to be hard. It was weird being the one who was lifting more and knew what was going on. We started with 35 pounds. Then I went up to 55 pounds, which was really too heavy for me. So I went down to 45 for a couple rounds, and then 50. My technique for 50 was good.  55 was poor, though I did lift it so I counted it when we wrote down our scores.

Nancy on a Boat: 5 rounds
500 meter row
10 overhead squats (I lifted 35 pounds)
my time: 18 min 9 sec

I did level one on Nancy, the regular workout is 15 overhead squats, but I didn't think I could do that for 5 rounds. My last round of 10 was really tough, I was wobbling a lot.

Vacation has been nice, though unfortunately I got a cold and haven't been feeling so great. It did give me an excuse to sit on the couch all day listening to Game of Thrones on my iPad for a couple days. But it led to me only going to crossfit once this week so far - tomorrow is NYE and I'm doing my two hour yoga - 10 pm to midnight, so I don't think crossfit is a good idea.  I did go climbing twice this week though, so that's good.  I also did the Rock Circuit hike to the viewpoint Christmas Day. I decided I couldn't blog about it every time I did the walk. It was pretty much exactly 5 minutes from the MIT observatory site to the viewpoint though, I did want to note that.

After almost 9 years in my place I finally got curtains for my bedroom!  I'm irrationally excited about them. I found ones that I really like at Pier One. Of course they only had two panels in the store, so I had to order the other two online. So, they look kinda silly right now. But, I'm happy with my choice. I was hanging them yesterday, standing on top of my sewing machine table, when I forgot that it only has three legs (ok, didn't think about the fact) and stood on the part with no leg. It tipped over and I fell about 3 feet backwards onto the floor. I wound up with a bump on my hand, at that's it. So, all this exercise is helping my bones to remain strong!!

Happy Hanukkah!

Once again I got myself in the position of it being Saturday and I had only been to crossfit once this week, so I had to go. The WOD had a mile of running, two 800 meter runs. I wasn't excited about it. Happily, it's rainy and cold out which I felt gave me an excuse to row - surprisingly few people felt that way, most everyone ran. Good for them, but I was happy on my nice dry rower.

First we did core work:
40 sec on, 20 sec off for 3 rounds:
plank up and overs
BB wipers (which involve holding lying on your back, holding a barbell up, and bringing your feet up to the barbell back and forth. Ouch.)
BB Rollouts (like one of those rolling wheel things for abs, but with a barbell. I can't do them well)

WOD:
1000 meter row
then 3 rounds:
20 thrusters (I lifted 35 pounds)
100 jumps (everyone else did 80 doubles)
then:
1000 meter row
my time 21 min, 21 sec

Although I am still far from being able to do double unders on the jumprope, I am happy to say that I did all three sets of 100 single jumps with the jumprope unbroken!

I have been pretty good on the exercise this week- I did yoga on Thursday and climbing yesterday. I've kind of lost some of my zing at climbing because I haven't been going regularly, but I did a 10 at Metrorock yesterday. It took a little while, but I did it!  I was happy - since I won't be hiking as much in the winter, I feel like I can get some of my climbing skill back.

My neighbor upstairs, Slam Chowder, has a kayak and she actually keeps it insider her apartment. Interesting idea. The places are pretty small, but she says it fits fine. Something to think about for after I finish my 4000 footers. Maybe my celebration gift to myself??

Winter Solstice in the Fells

Winter is coming! To celebrate the solstice I decided on the hike to the view point on Rock Circuit Trail. Of course, I started too late and wound up getting to the trail at 3:25 and so I only had enough time to get to the old MIT observatory. I think it would have taken another 5 minutes to get to the view point. Not far, but that's another 10 minutes, I didn't have my headlamp and, even if I did, I don't think it's a good idea to be in the fells alone after dark. As it was, I finished just as it was getting dark.

It was a good day for a walk in the woods! The weather was crisp and cool, but not too cold. I got to wear my non-winter boots and practice working with gravity. It's a lot easier when it's not a 4000 footer.

I took my car in earlier today. You never know when to believe them about what needs fixing. They told me I needed a new battery and tires, plus assorted other stuff. The tires were the most expensive thing, so I just got the other stuff, reasoning that since winter is coming, I do want a good battery. On the way home I compared my tire treads to a couple other cars and they do in fact look smaller. But, on the other hand, I remember driving a car until I could see the steel in the steel belted tires (in retrospect, not the wisest move.)  Sometimes it's hard being an adult.

Anyhow, 12 days of vacation now!!  Yay!

Last two WODs combine

Today's WOD was a partner WOD with rowing and sit-ups! I read it and thought "seems familiar!" It was the "cool down" from the last WOD I did plus partner WOD from the one before. Anyhow, it was a good one for me, so I was happy with that.

We started with back squats. We were supposed to hold for two seconds at the bottom, which I did, but it made the whole thing harder. I got up to 125 pounds for two rounds of two! I was pretty happy with myself on that one.  I'll have to look and see if it's a new record or what.

It was a small class today, I guess because we're getting close to the holiday. At the start there were only seven of us, which meant one person was the odd person out on the partner thing (that would be me). I was doing my best fake sadness-while-inside-feeling-happy because really I don't love partner WODS. And then this guy came in like 10 minutes late, so I had a partner after all. Meh.  I was kind of sad about it, but in the end it did push me to do better, especially in the sit-ups.

WOD: partners alternate
Together row 5K
partner not rowing does sit-ups
our time 22 min 5 sec
I did 205 sit ups

My stomach is going to really hurt tomorrow!

Tomorrow is my last day of work until January 3!  I'm working from home, or actually from the car dealer because I have to get my oil changed and such. So, the plan is to get there earlier so that they will hopefully not take too long. I have a few things to do, but not much. And then I'm on vaca!  I don't have a ton of plans, climbing, yoga, hiking, a couple nights out, getting ahead on my reading for the next class. Hopefully it will be fun!

Fran

Today was a benchmark WOD: Fran. I can't remember if I've done it before, will have to check. It's supposed to be killer, in fact coach said that the last time he did it he had a steak and cheese sub for lunch and threw it up after. I don't know, it's short and sweet and though it's hard, so are all of them.

Fran: 21-15-9
Thrusters (I lifted 35 pounds)
Pull ups (I used a green band)
my time: 7 min 20 sec

The guy who owns the gym did the work out at 5 am in 2 min and 9 sec. That's just crazy!  After we finished Fran we had a "gentle and relaxing cool-down to ease the tension in our legs."

Cool down:
750 meter row
50 sit ups
500 meter row
40 sit ups
250 meter row
30 sit ups
untimed, but it took me about 17 minutes

It was really weird to do a long workout without the pressure of a clock. Not everyone did the "cool down" (I have to put it in quotes, because there's an irony to a cool down that's more than twice the length of the workout. Plus, that's not a cool down, Hello!).  It was way more chill than a crossfit workout usually is.  I liked it, but it wasn't as good a workout I have to confess.

Today at work the professor in the office next to me asked me if I was going to the university holiday party. I went though my explanation of how I went to the Provost Office party yesterday, and then I had my mentoring meeting after, so I was partied out. And then I realized that she was on the telephone. Don't you hate it when that happens??

Next week I'm just going to work 2 days and then I have two whole weeks off!  So exciting. I have no plans though, I really need to make some.

Mt. Kearsage

I decided that I would hike a shorter mountain, not a 4000 footer.  I chose Kearsage because it's supposed to be nice, has an amazing view (it's on the 52 with a view list) and it's not too far to drive too. I was kind of psyched about the fact that I didn't need to get up at 5:20 am for this one, I left my alarm set for the usual time that I get up during the week, about 7:30. I left home around 8:00 and started hiking at 10:00 (with Game of Thrones on my iPad, drives seem so much shorter!) Because it's winter the access road to the parking lot is closed, so it adds about a mile in each direction, really uphill on the way there.

It was so cold out! Fortunately I got a new Marmot down puff jacket with a hood. I also wore my Athleta running pants with the extra lining up front to keep the fronts of your lets warm, another pair of pants, thick wool socks, winter boots, of course my ninja hoodie, and another fleece. Plus heavy gloves. I had fixed my hiking poles sort of, the one that was broken seems to be stuck, but it's at least stuck in the right spot for me to hike. So, I was able to use it! It was a huge pain on the way down because I had it in my backpack and it kept getting caught in trees. Sigh. I may need new ones which is sad since I really liked these poles.

There was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. I forgot how hard that can make winter hiking! Between the extra weight with all the layers (I had another jacket, a hat, another set of gloves, and a turtle fur neck thing in my bag) and going through the snow, it was tough going. It took me about 2.5 hours to get to the top! It was a mile on the access road (which was just as uphill as the mountain) and then 1.7 miles on the mountain. I kept getting really hungry and stopping for a little nibble of my sandwich, which took forever because I had to take off my gloves and backpack, find the sandwich, eat, and then do the reverse. Then warm up my hands. When I finally reached the top it was soooo windy and cold! It was a little funny because there were two picnic tables that had obviously been brought up by helicopter, but I couldn't imagine being able to sit at them and eat. I huddled in the shelter of an old fire tower, next to this noisy generator, and ate what was left of my sandwich. I actually had the place to myself, though as I was leaving a couple other hikers came up. The view was nice. No pix, it was too cold!

The way down was a lot faster. I was so glad my new puff had a hood, I really needed it for the cold as the sun was going down. Puffs are the greatest invention ever!  As I was finishing, in sight of my car, there was a group of kids from one of the boarding schools, with music playing really loud on their iPad, just starting out. So glad that I missed them mostly!  I finished at about 2:30. My feet didn't hurt at all! Love short hikes :)

Bring a Friend Day

Team WOD today. I wound up partnered with a woman who's like 4 months pregnant, so you would think I wouldn't be slowing her down, but of course that wasn't really the case. She still did hand stand push-ups. WTF? I can't even do a hand stand (ok, I could, I just don't want to.) It was a pretty long WOD, one partner worked at a time, so you actually got a lot of rests, which was good. Because it was also a bit intense.

WOD: 2 rounds
5 minutes
50 calorie row (we broke it up 15 each then 10 each. 15 took me about a minute for most of them)
Hand stand push-ups for remaining time (I did banded pushups)
1 minute rest
5 minutes
50 calorie row
Wall balls
1 minute rest
50 calorie row
pull ups (I used bands)
1 minute rest

Final exams are starting at work, so the semester is winding down. It goes so fast. I finished another one of my classes today. Assuming all goes well with the grade (which given that I currently have 50/50 for a grade so far, I feel like is a given) I now have my elective left and then I start my research classes! I'm trying to decide if I should start research in January and take the elective in the summer (since they don't offer research classes then) or take the elective in January and take the summer off. I did promise myself the summer off so I could go to Africa in August, but now I don't know. American's aren't really that popular abroad as it is, with out a xenophobic racist leading our country....

4000 Footer Fail

I had my first complete and utter fail with a 4000 footer yesterday. I wanted to do the Kinsmans, I was so good, got up at 5:30, out the door and on the road before 6, at the trail at 8 am. I got out of the car and looked at the snow and felt the wind, and was like "I'm not hiking 10 miles by myself in this, that would be stupid." The Kinsmans are right by Cannon, and I was prepared for this outcome. I drove over to Cannon, parked and had an equipment fail! One of my hiking poles wouldn't lock, so I only had one pole!  I got started hiking with my one pole. I was actually just fine for warmth, in fact I was starting to pull off layers. The trail got steep, there was snow (like 2-3 inches) and only two people had gone before me. I walked about 20 minutes. Just wasn't feeling it. I turned around, the was like "you can do it!" Went a little further, and turned around again. My legs were still wobbly from Saturday's crossfit, and I had been feeling headachy on Sat night. I should have just stayed in bed. I decided I would just drive to the Laconia outlets about an hour down and get some shopping in. But when I got there I didn't feel like stopping. I got home at 11:30 and took a 3 hour nap! Total bust. On the plus side, I did get to listen to 4 hours of Game of Thrones. And I didn't hurt myself.  I think the 4000 footers are over until spring.  But, there's still Mt. Major, Monadnock, and others....  It doesn't always have to be a 4000 footer.

Today I was still a bit shaken by my hiking fail yesterday. But, the WOD was all stuff that I don't hate, so I packed my gym bag, "just in case."  After work I was thinking about how sore my legs felt hiking yesterday, and how I am going climbing Wednesday, and want my arms to be fresh. And I decided not to go to Crossfit. But, I would just drive home in the way that was in that direction. 15 minutes later I found myself turning towards the box, and I was like, fine, guess I'll do it. Of course now I'm glad I did!

We started with deadlifts, 4 sets of 5, they were meant to all be at a heavy weight for you. I did 20 deadlifts at 125 pounds. It's lower than I usually do, but that's a lot of deadlifts. Plus, they were all at the heavy weight!

WOD: 21-18-15-12-9
Power snatch (I lifted 35 pounds)
Box jumps (as you must know, I stepped)
Kettle bell swings (I did the lightest weight)
my time 17 min 18 sec

Northeastern is changing the way that it does it's exercise rewards program starting in January. It's going to count steps differently, so that 7000 will no longer be the magic number. I wonder if this will inspire me to do more steps??

Aerobic Sandwich

Today's WOD was posted with a typo that almost made me skip the thing, but then I decided I had only been once this week, I only went once last week, so I needed to go. Here's what was posted:

WOD:
2000 meter row
then: 4 rounds
7 clean and jerk (I lifted 45 pounds)
21 wall balls
1 mile run

What was missing was the word "then" between 21 wall balls and 1 mile run. So, you actually ran only 1 mile, not 4. That made all the difference! It took me pretty much exactly 10 minutes to row. Then a little more than 10 minutes to finish the 4 rounds of clean and jerks and wall balls. I had a little fail in the mile run. Running a mile is 3 loops. First loop was slow but fine. Second loop I could feel my IT Band cramping up. I stopped at the end of loop 2 to stretch it and was like "I'm done." So, I only ran 2/3 of a mile. I want to do a hike tomorrow, and I didn't want to over do it today. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it! My legs were just feeling like jello.

So last week at work I talked to this alumni who wants to apply to podiatry school. I was trying to be helpful, but I haven't worked with any podiatry students, so I was just doing my best on that one. There's an alum who's graduated from a podiatry program and is doing a residency, and I offered to put them in touch. Then, like a total flake, I sent the wrong student's info to the alum. And, I emailed again and sent the wrong info AGAIN! Dope. I got it right on the third try. For some reason the alumni thought that this was awesome help on my part and emailed my boss about how wonderful and intelligent and helpful I am. Haha! And then my boss sent it to her boss who was all "that's great!" So hopefully they won't fire me when the economy tanks. It was just ironic that all that happened over what was a slightly dubious interaction :)

Oh yes, final thing. As I was leaving for crossfit today there was a woman in a fuzzy pink bathrobe standing on the street corner across the street from my house. I was thinking, "that's a little weird. But, whatever, Somerville." Then it turned out to be my neighbor. Haha, she sent me an embarrassed text explaining...

Lots of Lifting

Today's workout was mostly lifting, it was a pretty good one. We started with a warm up that was somewhat cardio, but not too killer. Then, front squats. I actually lifted 100 pounds twice! Not the best form, especially on the second one, but I decided I could count it. I got all the way down, and then back up. My back rounded a bit, but not too bad. I lifted 95 pounds for two rounds of two, form was much better on that one.

WOD: 12 minutes AMRAP
10 power cleans (I lifted 45 pounds)
12 back squats
I did 5 times plus 8 power cleans

A friend of mine and I were talking about The Very Bad Day coming up in January, and we decided to take the day off work and protest. There's a march on the Boston Common, they're having them in cities all across the US. I was going to go to a march the day after, on that Saturday, but somehow it seemed more authentic to protest as The Awful Event occurred instead of the next convenient weekend day. It will be my first political protest (is that bad?)  I feel a little better know that I have something to do that's constructive.

Bear Hill Tower

Even shorter walk in the Middlesex Fells, but I realized that I should also write down the length of this one. I wanted to take a walk again today, but I had put a turkey in the oven and didn't think I had time for the Rock Circuit hike, so I decided to do a shorter walk. I thought that a walk from the Sheepfold to Bear Hill Tower would be about an hour round trip if I took the road, and it kind of was! The walk there was more uphill, it took pretty much exactly 30 minutes. The walk back took 20 minutes. I think in the future I could take one of the trails back (as opposed to the road that I walked on) and it would be pretty much exactly an hour.

I finally got my new fitbit and it's totally awesome! Yay! I did way too much Black Friday shopping. I don't think I need to shop again until spring.

I only did crossfit once last week, which was pretty lame. On the other hand, I did do yoga, and yesterday I went climbing at Metrorock instead of to crossfit. I decided that was allowed, I need to get back into climbing! I don't think I will be able to do as much hiking soon, winter is coming. So, that will allow me to get back into climbing....

Short Walk on Rock Circuit

Happy Thanksgiving! Once again I ate way way way too much and then was filled with regret. But it's just such a delicious meal, I can't help myself. To help empty space before the meal I went for a walk on the Rock Circuit trail in the Middlesex Fells. It is my favorite trail, and there's one point where theres' a nice view of the city. I decided that because I had limited time I would only walk from the parking lot to the view point and then back. It's a short walk, but I wanted to blog about it because I really liked it and want to remember how long it took, in case I want to go again and have limited time (and, face it, I like to know exactly how long I will be walking).

It took almost exactly 45 min from the trail head to the view point. It was a really nice day for a walk in the woods, a cool crisp fall feel, crunchy leaves on the ground, and not too many people out and about. The weather was perfect for a walk. I'd worn my wool hat because I hadn't washed or combed my hair and it looked like a mess, and my down puff because I was wearing the same sweat shirt that I slept in, and I'd spilled coffee on it. I actually wound up getting overheated, eventually enough that I decided that if I ran into anyone they could see messy hair; I had to take off my hat.

Total walk time was an hour and a half, so half the time to do the full circle. Definitely worth the 10 minute drive to get a little nature!

I'm headed out to finally get my fitbit soon. I hope this one won't be broken!

Thanksgiving weekend!

I have a post from Thanksgiving weekend crossfit last year. It's actually a little amazing to me that I've been doing crossfit for so long, almost a year and a half (minus the 8 or so weeks I took off. So, not really almost a year and a half, but whatever.) I took Wednesday off from work again this year because there are no students on campus, and it would be silly to work. And then today I left an hour early because I didn't think anyone would benefit from me sitting at my desk shopping online. Particularly not me. I've been on a bit of a shopping spree the past week. I guess I figure if the economy's going to tank again there's no point in saving my money, might as well have a few new toys that I can weather out whatever comes next. So, I got a new modem and router (it actually turns out you are supposed to replace these more than every 8-10 years anyhow. Who knew?) Now my internet is way faster.  And then I saw they had such good deals on TV's at BB. My old TV was cheap when I bought it 8.5 years ago. I was able to upgrade to a 43" ultra high def TV for not too much money!  It's like 2x the size of my old one, which wasn't high def at all. And, this one's a smart tv, so I only have one remote to access my netflix :)

I got a new fitbit too, because my old one is falling apart. It's now literally being held together with duct tape. I got the super cute fitbit alta. Only, the damn thing won't work! I have to talk to customer service tomorrow about it. It's so frustrating! I also had a technology fail with the first TV I got, after about 25 minutes into each episode the volume cut out. Always right at the good part, when the mushy gushy moment was happening. So, I had to return that. But, the TV I could take back to the store, the fitbit is going to require talking to customer service, which I predict will be annoying. Such a weekend of first world problems!

Anyhow, crossfit. It was an endurance workout today, with lots of burpees. I really didn't want to go, but I talked myself into it by saying that I could do level 1, which had way less burpees.

WOD:
1500 meter row
15 burpees (everyone else did 30, but whatever)
15 pull ups (ditto on the 30)
7 burpee pull ups (I did burpee jump up) (everyone else was doing 15)
rest 3 minutes

1000 meter row
10 burpees (everyone else did 20. You get the pattern here)
10 pull ups
5 burpee pull ups
rest 2 minutes

500 meter row
5 burpees
5 pull ups
3 burpee pull ups
my time 29 min 17 sec

I really wanted to throw up at the end. But, I didn't.

I was thinking about a hike for tomorrow. It's supposed to be the nicest day of the long weekend. I just don't think I can make myself go all the way to the Whites, though. Wednesday is always the worst traffic day, and I would be in Concord right around when it was at its peek. I'm gonna think about Friday. Considering the Kinsmans, bagging South Kinsman which I didn't get to on the beginner backpack weekend with the egg salad sandwich people.

1.3 miles of running

Today was another running WOD, at least it is actually nice outside. Although, that meant actually running. I wasn't really in the mood, I didn't sleep well last night and today was a kind of dull work day, but tomorrow involves 100 burpee lateral jumps.  So, I went.

We started with push jerks and split jerks. Since it was the Friday at 5 class, it was full of real cross fitters. I sort of checked around to see if anyone was lifting similar to me, but no. They were all starting where I was finishing. So, I lifted by myself.  I got up to 65 pounds x2 on push jerks and 70 pounds x2, three times on split jerks. I was kind of happy with myself, even if some of the other chicks were lifting like twice that.

WOD:
800 meter run
21 deadlifts (I lifted 105 pounds)
600 meter run
15 deadlifts
400 meter run
9 deadlifts
my time: 17 min 13 sec

When I was finishing my 800 meter run, some of the guys were starting their 600 meters. And then I got in and had run a 10 min mile, and was all proud of myself. These guys were finished when I came in from my 600 meters. Ya.

Next week is a two day work week. Thanksgiving weekend! Yay! I'm gonna go for a hike and remember all I do have to be thankful for. It's good to remind yourself sometimes.

Second smallest kettle bell :)

I was talking to a good friend of mine from Mexico, apologizing for the election, and she reminded me that Mexican's come to the US illegally because of their corrupt government that doesn't provide opportunities at home. So, we all kind of fuck up the world sometimes. I guess Americans can just no longer be all superior about their decision making. It was strangely comforting. I can't believe that a week ago at this time I was so happy and optimistic about the future. I was so excited to vote, I got up at 6:15 am and was third in line at the poles, and I was practically skipping to go watch the election coverage. I'm gonna need to stop whining about it on my blog, though I believe my only reader is of like mind, so maybe not.

My boss was saying the other day that she plans to go to DC to protest. She can't decide if she will go for the election, or wait for later. She's so cool!

Anyhow, today was a crossfit day. The WOD had a lot of running in it, but it was pouring rain outside so we got to row instead. I was pretty psyched about that. It was a tough one, though.

WOD: 5 rounds of 4 min each
500 meter row
20 kettlebell swings (I used the second smallest!)
wall balls until time
rest 2 minutes

Your score was the total number of wall balls. I was pretty consistent on the rowing, doing 500 meters in about 2.5 minutes all five times. The first three rounds I did the kettle bell swings unbroken, and then 10-10-9 wall balls. The last two rounds I did ten and ten kettle bell swings and 7-8 wall balls. Total wall balls = 44, which was low, but I feel like that's a lot of wall balls!

My fitbit is totally falling apart. I got it last December, so I think that they should replace it for free, I believe it has a one year warrantee. But, I kind of want a prettier one. I was thinking that I would get a new one in January - that's when they brought out the new models last year. I'm not sure that this will make it until Jan, though. It's degrading pretty fast. I'm pretty sure I actually kept the receipt this time, so we'll see.

Hancock and South Hancock

I had to get out of my state of mourning for a little bit, so I headed up North for a hike. It's a long weekend, with Friday off, so Saturday was the perfect day for a hike. I decided on the Hancocks because the road is still opened, and because they both sounded like fun! Which they were.

The Hancocks are in the Pemigewasset Wilderness and, before the Kancamagus Highway (or, the Kanc as I like to call it) was built, they were two of the most remote peeks out there. Now there is parking right by this hairpin turn of the Kanc and you have to cross the road at this really sketchy section. So, no longer remote, but now dangerous to get to the trail head :)  I was really proud of myself because I woke up at 5:40 and was on the road at 6 am. I started out hiking at 8:30!  Of course, part of that's just because I haven't been sleeping well, but whatever, I'm still impressed with me.

The first 1.8 miles of the trail are pretty much totally flat, very pretty, a relaxing hike. There are 5 stream crossings in the hike, and the first two are in this section. There were a few rocks that were covered in ice. There were both hands and feet involved. It wasn't pretty. I got to the first trail junction after just an hour!  The second section was .7 miles. It was still pretty gentle of a hike. A few more roots in the path, and 3 more crossings. On crossing #4 I slipped on an icy rock and my foot got completely soaked! Fortunately, for once I was prepared with extra wool socks and a plastic bag to put in my boot. A little less breathable, but fine none the less. I reached the next junction pretty fast! This is where things finally started being really uphill. For 1.1 miles you could tell you were going up, but it was fine, there were roots other than the usual rocks. And then the steep part began.

You could either go .7 to North Hancock or .5 to South Hancock. There's a 1.4 mile trail up top that connects them. I decided to go up the .5 trail on the assumption that this would be the steeper trail. Much as it's painful to go up a steep trail, it's do-able. It may not be fun, but it's possible. Going down is so hard on the knees, I'd rather that be more gradual. Also, it said there were limited views and I wanted to be on the mountain with the better limited view last, and that was North Hancock. The up part was tough. Since the rest had been so gentle, the .5 up was intense; it took me 45 minutes. At the top I sat in an overlook (which was amazing, I don't know why anyone would call it "fair" - maybe because it wasn't 360 degrees?) to have a cheese sandwich. Of course, as soon as I sat down there were a bunch of people there, and a dog that really wanted some cheese. Dogs love cheese. Well, they seemed like nice people, and a very nice dog. I sat for about 15 min and enjoyed the view.

The ridgeline from South to North was the best part of the hike. It was so nice up there! I was in the woods, which was good because it was cold and windy out and the trees offered protection. There was a dusting of snow, the sky was so blue, and it was peaceful. I love a good ridgeline!

I was a little sad to get to North, but not sad to sit and have cheese sandwich #2 and a banana. I was pretty hungry!  The view from the second mountain was in a different direction. It was better, you could see the tripyramids, the osceolas, and a bunch of others. No roads, no cars, no houses. And, of course it was full of people. There was a scouting troupe I think, and they brought ramen and stoves to have a warm snack. Not a bad idea. And, two more dogs to admire my second sandwich. Dogs. I stayed for a while, about 30 minutes. Then it was time to head down.

The way down was so so slow, probably slower than going up. I had my microspikes on, it was slippery in some places and dirt in others, so it was complicated with the walking. Plus, it was so steep! It took me an hour to get down. After that, the rest was much quicker. I left the top at 1:30. Got to the bottom at 2:30, and got back to the car at 4:30! The 1.8 miles at the end I was just flying because I really didn't want to be in the woods after dark due to hunting season, crossing the road, and not wanting to drive on the Kanc in total darkness.  Total hike time was 8 hours, with about 1 hour of that sitting, eating, putting bags in my boots, etc. Book time was 6 hrs 15 min. That downhill killed me!  All and all, a really nice hike!  All the hard work was done in one hour 45 min, the rest was pretty chill.

More sad days

It's two days later and some of the acute anguish from the election has faded. The sick knot in the pit of my stomach is gone some of the time, I've stopped eating ice cream and carbs (mostly) and feeling numb. I still haven't been on social media, except to go through Facebook to make my moves on Scrabble. I haven't looked at the news in any form. I've been listening to Game of Thrones on my iPad in the car (because even stations that play music are going to talk about politics I'm sure) and so the only political shenanigans I've listened to are the Lanisters, Barathions and Starks. I was at yoga class yesterday, and the despair there was still palpable. My fav yoga teacher is headed to Costa Rica for a little bit, I hope he comes back.

I'm still trying to keep busy and active. Which includes crossfit, even though I considered not going today. It's Veteran's Day and I have a long weekend, I decided to get there early-ish, so I wouldn't have it hanging over my head all day. Once I finish this and shower, I'm going for some retail therapy. Might as well spend it, I don't think my money is going to grow over the next few years (I hope I don't look back at these words and regret them).

Since it's Vet's Day, we did a hero WOD:
Whittman - 7 rounds
15 kettlebell swings (I used the smallest one)
15 Power cleans (I lifted 35 pounds)
15 box jumps (I did steps)
my time: 20 min 26 sec

Whittman was 26 when he was killed by a roadside bomb. I hope we can avoid killing more people.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to get in another hike. Hopefully it will make me feel better.

A Very Very Sad Day

We elected a new president yesterday. I'm so sad about it I can't talk about it, can't think about it, can't even acknowledge it. I feel like right after 9/11, when we knew something bad was coming, but there was an eerie quiet while waiting. Right now I think I may never look at the news or social media again. It's been so hard for me to get to this place in my life where I'm happy, I hope this doesn't fuck it all up. It's scary stuff.

I've decided to try to keep life the same as much as possible right now, keep doing things that are good for me (except that for dinner I had chips and guac and ice cream, so without complete success). I did go to crossfit. We started with back squats in sets of 3. It was a small class and I got my own barbell, so I was able to do a lot. I started at 65, then 85 then 95 then 100 for four sets!  It wasn't my highest ever, but I felt like my form was pretty good throughout, and I got stronger as I went through the rounds.

WOD: 10 min AMRAP
15 toes to bar (I did knees to chest)
20 wall balls
I did exactly 4 rounds

My mentee from Big Brothers Big Sisters is really into Strange Things, so I decided to watch it too. It's scary but good (and less scary than watching the news, let's be honest.)

Garfield

I went back and forth on what to hike today, the weather didn't look so good, but I really wanted to get in a hike. I've been seeing posts on Facebook that there's snow in the Whites, and I wanted to make sure that my first "winter" hike wasn't too hard. But I also didn't want to do a really easy one like Cannon - I figure I should save that for real winter. Garfield has all the requirements, plus an access road that closes once there's snow so it can't be hiked in the winter. The only thing is that the top is opened so there's a really nice view, and it was supposed to be cloudy....  Still, I went with it, and was glad I did!  It was a really nice hike, one to put on the list to revisit (unlike The Owl, Isolation, or Adams) on a day when it's clear out.

I did pretty well getting up. I left home at 7 am! I had put some stew in the crock pot last night, and put it in the fridge. I even remembered to put it on to cook when I left :)  I added corn when I got back, should be done in like 10 min, which is good because my stomache is rumbling. I got to the mountain at 9:30. I was pretty impressed with myself for finding it because it's on this mostly unmarked access road with pretty much no signage until you get to the parking lot and trail head a mile and a half in. When I got there, though, I was a little horrified to see a Meet up group with like 20 people gathering! Sigh. I also realized that I didn't have my 3 season boots, and was going to have to wear the winter ones, and that I needed to wear two pairs of socks with them (I confess, I found one pair in the back seat of my car, balled up from my last hike). I was glad I had them, though, because up high there was snow!

I decided to take my time and let the Meet up group go ahead. In addition, there were two groups of three guys, one of Spanish  speakers, one of whom kept whistling which was annoying and one that was three guys in like their 20's + a really nice dog.  I let them go ahead too, because I assumed they would be faster, but I actually wound up passing the dog guys!  And the Latino men too, though they passed me again.

The hike was really gradual for the first part, with two pretty nice stream crossings. The first half didn't even have a ton of rocks in the path which was refreshing. It obviously got steeper, but not too steep until the last .2 miles. There were even a few switch backs!  Eventually it started snowing, lightly. It's 5 miles up and it took me about 4 hours.

One woman from the Meet up was having a hard time. I passed her on the way up, she was eating a rice cakes with something on them, which I thought was a funny trail snack. I ran into people going down in a bit, and they were all like "do you have a purple parka? Are you with the meet up?" Everyone had a message for her on the way down, and they kept asking me because I was a woman hiking by myself. It was a little weird because in the middle of nowhere do you want to tell a stranger you are alone? Usually with hikers it's fine, but I feel like most people don't ask.

Anyhow, the top was cold and windy and no view. I walked around for about three minutes and then went and stood in a  grove and ate something. There was actually a tent set up - it's right on the AT, I wonder if someone's still through hiking? It's an in and out hike, so after a snack and a chat with a few other people in the grove (I was alone on the summit for my 3 min, but you are never alone up top), I headed back down.  My 3 guy and a dog friends were headed off to Galehead. Brave. 10 miles is good for me!

The top was slippery, and I got to use my spikes! I was about 2 hours down and starting to have dark thoughts, when I realized I hadn't sat down, and I really hadn't had much to eat. So, I through a jacket over a rock, sat, and ate a power bar. I felt so much better! The last hour was a lot easier. Must remember for future.

Didn't jump on the box

Today was the big day when the Dean visited campus - it turned out pretty awesome, there were just the right number of students, and I only said one totally bone headed thing. All and all, a big success! I confess, I was kind of nervous all afternoon about things working out. After, I went to crossfit just to complete my stalking and debrief. Also, it was a pretty good WOD-ish.

We started with front squats. Sadly, everyone else was lifting way more than me - there were two groups of women, the first group said that they would probably lift like 200 pounds. Ha! I went and joined the other group. We did 5 sets of 3, and I got up to 88 pounds with reasonable form for 6 lifts, and 93 pounds really horribly such that it really barely counts (it was like a demi plie). I think that might be a new front squat record for me.

WOD:
50 box jumps (despite my 3 successful jumps last week I did steps)
40 thrusters (I did 35 pounds)
30 box jumps
20 thrusters
10 box jumps
my time: 13 min 16 sec

I'm hoping to get in a hike this weekend, Sat looks like the better day. Maybe Cannon, Garfield, or Lincoln.

Tuesday is the election. I can't wait for it to be over, and I hope that people have enough sense to make a good decision. Electing Hills isn't going to make for smooth running of the country, but the other option, it just makes me wonder who we are?

Stanky Legs

Today's WOD involved a lot of running, a mile in the WOD and a third of a mile for the warm up. In the WOD it was broken into three loops of a third of a mile, the first one I did took me about 3 and a half minutes, which is about a 10 min 30 sec mile, which is OK I guess. I was puffing pretty hard!  First we did Power Snatches, 5 rounds of 3. I got up to 55 pounds, which I did for my last two rounds. I actually felt a little bit like my form was good for a few of them.

Stanky Legs WOD: 3 rounds
535 meter run
15 overhead squats (I did 15 front squats with 45 pounds)
my time: 15:56

It was supposed to have a cap of 15 minutes total. After, my legs did feel pretty stanky. Looking at the board, there were some people in the morning class who did the entire workout in about 10 minutes, which is faster than my running time! Wow!

Thursday the Admissions Dean is coming to Northeastern to talk to the students. I saw him today and was all, "we're so excited" to which he responded "yeah, I'm not coming." Funny.

Rock Circuit Trail

Never underestimate the Middlesex Fells. I've said that before, and I say it again today. I was thinking about going to the Whites and doing one of my 4000 footers, but I wanted to sleep in, and the weather in NH said views from the mountains wouldn't be that good. So, I decided to hike in the fells instead. My favorite hike over there is the Rock Circuit I think, anyhow, that's what I decided to do.

I guess I decided that since it wasn't a 4000 foot mountain I didn't need food, water or a map. Dumb! I also forgot how long the trail is - it's 3.7 miles, which isn't that far, but it's not short either. It was a really nice day, and the walk felt good (until the last 45 min or so, when I started getting really hungry and thirsty). I took one small wrong turn, which turned out really well because I found this guy rock climbing - I knew there were a few places to climb in the fells, but this one was pretty nice. The climbs were easy, he wasn't using a rope and he was alone. I don't know that I would be that brave - the top moves looked a little hard for so high up.

I was getting to what I hoped was the end, and turned on what I hoped was the trail back to the road, only it wasn't. I walked an extra 5 or 10 min to get to the wrong road. That was a bad moment on the hike. I cut one little corner out of the trail, but I decided it still counted as complete and blogable because of the extra walk on the wrong trail.

The entire hike took me about 3 hrs and 20 min, which I guess is OK. I talked to the climbing guy for about 10 min and I looked at views for 5 or 10 min on the way. So, that's probably 3 hours of hiking. After I was so hungry I went to Whole Foods and pigged out on the free samples - they had crab legs that were really good, and cheese! I bought coconut water, sushi, and pretend healthy chips. That's good post hiking food, right? :)

Jumped on the Box!

In one of the gyms, the one that I'm not usually in, they have a more cushioned box to practice box jumps. Since I went to the regular levels class today because I couldn't get my lazy butt to the 10:30 class, I realized I had time to practice some box jumps on the soft box. And I actually did some!!!  It took a few tries of not getting it - the first try I freaked out half way and landed on the box on my knees, which was embarrassing because there was a guy there who was all "are you ok, are you ok?" Then, I pulled it together, did a little two foot hop first, and jumped up!  I was so excited I did it!!  I did it two more times, with the two foot hop to get a little momentum, but whatever. Now I know I can do it, I just need to work on technique.

The WOD today was a hero WOD, which means it was particularly brutal.
WOD: 10 rounds (I did 8 because I was seeing spots out of my left eye)
100 meter run
10 burpees (I only did 6)
100 meter run
10 pull ups (I did 6 with bands)
rest 30 seconds
my time: 24 min 46 sec

It doesn't look so hard, but it really really really was.

The class that I'm taking this quarter has 4 case studies. I was almost done with the study that's due for this week, just one more page to write, and I went to look at the readings.  None of the readings had anything to do with the case, I was so puzzled. Then I realized that I'd done the wrong case! Sometimes I am such a flake! On the bright side, I then went and did the right one. And now case #3 is almost done. So, closer to done....  Once this class is done I have my elective and the research classes. I'm thinking I will start the research classes in January and then either take my elective in the summer (which I know I said I wouldn't, but I might) or take it next winter....  I don't want to be in the hardest research class in the spring when I'm writing all my letters at work - even I can only spend so much time writing.

115 pounds back squat!

I was pretty excited with today's WOD, lots of rowing with clean and jerks in between. Like a delicious Oreo  :)  And, I'm pretty happy with myself for having already done one workout on Monday!

First we did back squats to one max.  I was able to do 115 pounds with pretty bad form!!  (Two exclamation points about 115 pounds, not about the bad form)  I think 105 pounds I did with reasonably good form, which I was pretty happy with.

WOD:
1000 meter row
20 clean and jerk (I did 35 pounds)
1000 meter row
my time 13:43

It took me pretty much exactly 5 min both times to row 1000 meters. I did a little lighter weight on the clean and jerks because my legs are still sore from Saturday.

My nephew got engaged this weekend!  It's exciting, and she's really a perfect match with him. I remember when he was just a little butt in the NICU though. I feel so old.

Double WOD

Two WODS today, and the warm-up was kind of like a third WOD. It was intense.  I'm so out of shape after my six weeks off, I did level 1 on both of the WODS, and a little less on the warm up. And, at the end I was seeing spots and kind of needed to puke!

Warm up: 12-9-5
Front squats with just barbel (I lifted 15 pounds)
Burpee box jumps (I did 9-5-3)
Front lifts

WOD 1:
21 front squats (I lifted 45 pounds)
20 ring rows (everyone else was doing rope climbs)
15 front squats
16 ring rows
9 front squats
12 ring rows
my time: 8:20

WOD 2: (3 rounds)
400 meter run
15 burpee box jumps
my time: 17:40

The second WOD was supposed to be 4 rounds, but I couldn't manage the last one, it was killing me! I decided that even with just 3 I had done a good workout, and could call it a day. Especially since I was last, and everyone else had done 4 rounds and still finished ahead of me. It was the damn burpees that did me in!

I recently applied to be a mentor though Big Brother's Big Sisters and on Thursday I finally met my mentee! Our first meeting seemed to go pretty well, we will meet once a month and then connect once a week via email. I'm pretty psyched about it, finally I get to be the Big Sister!

Back to Crossfit with Christine!

I'm definitely feeling better, no excuses for not going to crossfit. Today's WOD was a tough one, but all things I kind of like - rowing, deadlifts, box jumps (steps). No running, no snatches, no 80 wall balls, no handstands...  So, I went back!  I'm pretty sure I will be sore tomorrow, but it was actually really nice to be back - who would have expected it?

WOD: Christine
3 rounds
500 meter row
12 deadlifts (I lifted 83 pounds)
21 box jumps (I stepped)
My time: 15 min 34 sec

WOD 2:
1000 meter row
100 sit ups
10 minute cap

I got to 89 sit ups. Couldn't quite finish, and I am sure I will feel like someone punched me in the stomach tomorrow. But, it felt good to be back sweating and doing and exhausting workout and pushing my limits.

I just set up a snapchat account for my work - it's where the kiddies are, so I guess that's where I should be too. Sending out snaps tonight to my sister and my neighbor upstairs (Slamchowder) it was so fun - of course I did some cat snaps :)

Waumbek - my 300th post!

Even after doing OK on the Mt. Major hike, I was still nervous enough about my hiking that I decided to do an easier hike for my next 4000 footer. I chose Waumbek which is one of the mountains that's really far up north and can't be combined with any of the other mountains. It's a 2.5 hour drive to get to on a good day, which is not a drive that I'll always be wanting to do. On the other hand, the hike is 7.2 miles (I made it 7.4 by going a little past the peak to a lookout that's a little beyond the peak) and it's more gradual than most NH mountains.

Once again I got off to a late start. I left home around 8:30, which was just stupid on my part. Of course there was a ton of traffic because it's a work day, and then I got caught in construction - which was particularly annoying because as far as I could see they weren't actually doing anything. Just a few cops and a few construction folks putting down cones and acting important. It was 11:45 by the time I got to the parking lot, which is way longer than it should have taken! (I did stop to pee and get more coffee, which led to another stop to pee, so not all driving.)  Thank heaven for books on tape. It makes the drive so much easier.

It was so pretty up in NH, peak foliage I think, the trees were all changing color. Lafayette and Washington even had some light snow up top! The trail at the bottom was covered in leaves, it was so crunchy and nice walking through. Of course, since I started at 11:50, I was worried about the time. The sunset is around 7, but it gets dark earlier in the woods, and it's hunting season. Not that hunters usually go near trails, but still, I didn't really want to be out in dusk. Book time was about 5 hrs and 15 min, with the first uphill part being 2 hrs and 20 min - to the top of Starr King Mountain.  

I tried to book it as much as I could for me heading up. I was actually feeling pretty good for most of the hike - breathing heavy but still moving, feeling strong! The guide book broke the hike from the parking lot to a ridge and then from the ridge to the top of Starr King. The only thing was the ridge wasn't really clear from walking. According to the book, the ridgeline was about 1 hr 20 min, and the top of the mountain 2 hrs 20 min.  I was thinking that the hike would be uphill but the kind of hike that you could walk to the ridgeline, and then a NH kind of hike to the top - which is to say someone just blazes a trail straight up pretty much, and you need to use some trees, rocks, etc to help you up. After about 2 hrs I hadn't reached the part I was expecting, where it really gets steep and I was worrying. Suddenly, though, I could see the trees getting thinner, and I was thinking, if this is the ridgeline I'm in trouble and may need to turn back. Ha! It was the top of Starr King!  I was 20 min faster than book time!! That should help me get my confidence back :)

The top of Starr King was really nice. There were these birds, grey jays, hanging out. They will land on you and eat out of your hand if you feed them. I didn't feed them, though, I kinda don't believe in that sort of thing. There was also an old chimney from a cabin that had been there. The clearing up there had some nice flat rocks, and it was sunny, and warm. You could see the Presidential range, including Washington (and I felt impressed with myself again for having walked the Presi traverse.)  There was one other person up there who was unimpressed that I hiked faster than book time. After he left, I had the place to myself for a little snack.

From Starr King it is a mile of ridge line to Waumbek. It took me about a half hour to get there.  There's no view from the top, but .1 mile after there's a blowdown with an amazing view of the Presidentials again, where I stopped, ate a sandwich, and chilled. I kinda wanted to stay there forever, it was so nice! But, I did need to get back down.  I swear I thought, "I haven't heard any hunters." and almost immediately after I started to hear shooting! But it was so much, it must have been a shooting range.  I did at one point startle what must have been a wild turkey, it sounded like a really large bird, and it made a lot of noise taking off. Turkey.

Anyhow, by the time I finished eating my sandwich (three slices of cheese on a challah roll, and you can't believe how good that tasted) it was about 3 and so reluctantly I headed back. I stopped again for a short pause on top of Starr King and headed down.  I went down using my poles, and trying to let gravity help me, instead of fighting it. The trail wasn't very rocky for a NH trail, and it was pretty gradual as well. But, it had rained the day before, and there were a ton of leaves, so it was a little tricky. I slipped on a couple rocks but didn't fall at all.  As I was about half way down, a trail runner and his dog passed me going up! Ha! I wasn't the last one that day!!

I got back to my car around 5:30. I was a little tired, but not too bad. My feet weren't killing me, no blisters, and I didn't wonder why I had gotten myself into this crazy challenge. So, not a bad mountain!  It took 2 hrs and 45 minutes of driving to get home. I've gotten into the very bad habit of stopping at the rest area just past Concord NH and getting pizza or a burger. So, it was about 9 when I got home. It was a good day, and I'm feeling good about the hike! Next time, something bigger!!

Mt. Major, my most climbed mountain!

After all these 4000 footers, Mt. Major seemed really really easy. It turned out after the last hike that I wasn't totally exhausted because I was a bum, it was because I had a sinus infection. I don't think the hike helped it. Anyhow, I decided that I would do Mt. Major as a way to ease back into hiking and exercise in general.

I like that you can sleep in a little with Mt. Major. I got up at 10. Left at 10:30, was on the mountain around 12:30 ish. It took a little over an hour to get up to the top. When I got there, there were THREE school buses in the parking lot. I was sad. But, I had driven all that way, and it was a beautiful fall day, so I headed up. Fortunately the three bus loads of kids were on their way down. It was actually kind of entertaining to hear the little snippets of conversation as they went by.  And, by the time the trail got narrower they were gone. Yay!

When I was almost at the top, this small plane buzzed really close to the mountain. It kind of freaked me out!  I think they were going in low towards Lake Winnipisakee.  There was someone up on one of the ledges with a drone taking pics of himself. You really can't get away from technology anymore.  But, the view was amazing, and the walk down was really nice - I took a longer and more gradual route down. Total hike was only 3.9 miles and it took 3 hours total, but that's with stopping at the top, and several stops due to the large masses of kids.  Still not breaking any speed records.

It's now been a full month since I froze my crossfit membership! I can feel the difference. I have to go back - next week when staycation is over, I'm gonna hit the box again. And, it's gonna suck.

Whiteface

I got hike number 21 done today - Whiteface. After Owls Head, I wanted to do a nice one, and I thought this fit the bill. It's only like 7.5 miles long, it's one of the lower ones (4020 feet) and it has really good views from the top. Also. my research said that there was a lot of exposed rock on the top, which I always like.

I went up to NH for the weekend for my friends Greta and Eric's wedding. It was really nice - they got married on top of Chapel Ledge which is one of the places they climb a lot. The guests stood, and they had laid out rope for the aisle. After, my friend Kerry and I walked down - there were shuttle busses but it was really nice out.

Anyhow, today I really wanted to get in another hike - after the Owls Head fiasco I got another cold and actually had to stay home from work for a couple days. Plus, when I went climbing with my brother for that last time I hurt my back.  I've been so pathetic!  So, I was like "I gotta get off the couch and stop being such a slug."  I kind of wished I'd eased back in a little more, this was hard!

The first part was a gentle climb and I was thinking it wasn't going to be so bad. Then it started to go up, and for a moment I thought about giving up and just going to the outlets. But I stuck it out.  There were some pretty relentless uphills.  There were some really nice rock ledges that I loved. Some of them were almost like climbing! Probably like a 5.2 or so, but no rope and I was 3 miles from the road, by myself.  Getting to the top, I wasn't totally sure if I was there, but then I went further and it went down, so I was there.

I stayed at an airbnb. I didn't totally love it - you're at someone else's house. So, it's kind of weird. The woman who owns the place made me breakfast, and it was really good. But, it's not like a restaurant - I told her 7-7:30 for breakfast the night before, so she got up then, so I had to...  Because otherwise I would have felt rude. Even though you are paying to stay there, it's still someone else's home...  I would do it again, but hotel first. Or, if I was traveling, like Cuba!

Day 2 of 2

I think one of the biggest mistakes you can make right before crossfit is eating sushi. Not that that stopped me from doing so, but I had regrets. I was so hungry today, first I ate my lunch early, then I needed something to eat before I could work out. I was kind of counting on laziness to keep me from getting a snack, because I have to walk down 3 flights of stairs and to the student center to get food, but then I just got something on the way out.

Anyhow, I'm going climbing with my brother tomorrow, so I had to go to crossfit today. Which I was a little sad about given the WODs - todays kind of sucked, and tomorrows looked much better. Though, I guess I wouldn't think that so much tomorrow...

First we did front squats. I did 6 sets of 3. I wound up working with someone who's new to crossfit, so I was actually lifting more than her! That never happens. I got up to 80 pounds with relatively decent form.

WOD: 8 minute AMRAP
30 chest to bar pull ups
25 thrusters (I lifted 35 pounds)
20 chest to bar pull ups
there was more to it, involving descending reps, but that's as far as I got.

I'm trying to decide if we should climb inside or outside tomorrow - not so sure about the weather. One thing I do know, def not going to hike owls head! :)

Day 1 of 2

Once again I'm in the position of having to do two days of crossfit in a row. Today wasn't too bad, I got caught in traffic and got there late so I missed the warm up, which was a good thing because it was the coach's birthday and the class did 29 burpees in his honor. Hum, I've been 29 many times before too (except I think maybe he really is).

WOD:
400 meter sprint (WTF? Sprint?)
3 rounds:
5 power snatches (I lifted 35 pounds)
5 squats (it was supposed to be overhead, but those hurt my shoulders, so I did back)
25 double unders (I did 50 singles)
400 meter sprint
3 rounds:
5 power snatches
5 squats
25 double unders
400 meter sprint
my time: 17 min 50 sec

We started with snatches or power snatches. I did power snatches because I'm so powerful :) Also because I can't squat with the barbel over my head. We did 5 rounds of 3 and I got up to 60 pounds for the last 2 rounds.

The students are back at school. It's so strange, but it is kind of nice.

Owls Head!!

I did it!!! And, I'm never doing it again :)  According to my fitbit, it was a total of 55,374 steps!  Which, when you consider Owls Head (or, The Owl, as I've been calling it) is an 18.2 mile hike, isn't surprising.

I was thinking about either Owls Head or the Osceola's. The Osceola's are way shorter and easier, and have much better views. Owls Head's view looks like this:

When my alarm went off at 5 am, I was determined, though! (OK, I hit the snooze bar, but I was determined at 5:10). I knew it really was pretty much my last chance for this year to do Owls Head, and I really didn't want it hanging over my head all winter. I got up at 5:20 am, got dressed, and hit the road by 5:45. Now, this was actually my first mistake - that was too late to be leaving this time of year - by the time I got to the trail, it was already 8 am. Book time for the hike as 11 hours and 35 minutes, and it gets dark now around 7:30 pm. So all day I was kind of racing against the fact that I was going to be short of daylight at the end of the day.

As all the other bloggers say, although it is an 8 mile hike to the base of Owls Head, it's not like 8 miles of NH hiking. The first three miles were basically a dirt road. I accidentally wound up on the wrong side of the river on the wrong dirt road (there's one on each side, I took the correct one on the way back). It only took me an hour to get to the camp site that's about 3 miles in, I was pretty psyched about that. Conveniently, as I was looking at the map trying to figure out how to get to the other side of the river, a ranger walked by and gave me directions that started with "keep going down the road until you get to the bathrooms...." Heck yeah! They were composting toilets, but still better than the woods. After using the bathrooms I was at the river, thinking about how to cross, and then thought "actually, I kind of have to poop..." which costed me about 15 minutes to return to the bathroom and take care of business, but time well spent.

The second trail, Franconia Brook Trail, is also wide, fairly flat, easy to hike, and gentle on the feet. There weren't any rocks like there usually are on NH trails. There was one point where I got a little confused because the trail branched, which it wasn't supposed to do. I figured out that it was because there was a bandit campsite there - a really pretty one! I would totally recommend it, and in fact on the way back I found that there were people camping out there.

I reached the third trail, Lincoln Brook Trail in pretty good time.  It was about 10:40. It's 3.4 miles on Lincoln Brook Trail to get to Owls Head. Lincoln Brook was a little more uphill and a little more NH like, in that there were some rocks and you had to pay attention to the trail some. But, it was still a very easy trail. It went uphill, but so gradually that you barely noticed. The Pemegawassit Wilderness is gorgeous, and I really liked the hike - all of the trails follow really pretty brooks and it was just a perfect day!  There were about 6 river crossings (including the unnecessary one because I hiked on the wrong side of the river on the way there). The water level was low enough that they weren't too bad, though in the spring I think they could be hard. I discovered on the way back that it's easier to jump from rock to rock if you yell "bamm!" as you leap. Yeah, it's a little weird, but effective.

Although Owls Head is one of the most remote mountains, it was like a super highway out there! I guess in part because it was a really nice day and a long weekend, there were a lot of people who wanted to hike it. It was pretty crazy, though. Just as busy as Lafayette or Washington, I bet! There was this one group of French backpackers who passed me on the way there - when I got to the top they had already summated, and were eating, when I was heading down, they were taking a nap, and yet they still got down at the same time as me!  And, there was also this group of 4 + dog that I wound up walking near a lot - they seemed nice, though their dog had apparently rolled in turkey poo. But everywhere I went on the way there, there they were! I mean, how far does a person need to hike to get some alone time with nature?

Anyhow, I reached the foot of the mountain at 1 pm.  I was a little worried that I would have a hard time finding the trail up, it's not an officially maintained trail and there's some discussion about that in the hiking books. I'd asked a couple hikers as I was getting closer if they had any trouble finding it, and they all said no - there's a cairn across from it, and when I got to it, it looked like this:

Really, no worry that I wouldn't find it! I took a moment to mentally prepare and headed up.

Climbing Owls Head wasn't really a whole lot of fun. The bottom of the trail was scree and rock. It was a lot of work going up, slippery and hard on the calves. There were a ton of people coming down, and they all looked like they were struggling too, going up is hard aerobically, but down is more a head game because you can see how far you have to fall! The trail for about the first half or so  looked like this:

After a while the trail became more tree lined and really more of a trail, even if it wasn't officially maintained. So many people traveled it, it was pretty much a trail. It seemed to go forever after it got to the trees. I wasn't prepared for that, I kept thinking I was almost there! But, of course, it's a 4000 footer, and it was 1000 feet elevation gain in a mile, so I should have expected it.  Once I finally got to the top (where the french people were eating lunch, it was still another .2 mile (or .4 mile?) to the actual summit. Apparently for a while people forgot that the real summit was somewhere else and were calling the french eating spot the summit. I'd like to know who re-discovered the top and give them a piece of my mind! It took forever to get there!  I was so hungry and wanted to sit, but really wanted to reach the top. When I got there, of course the people + smelly dog were there - they were so nice, though, they welcomed me like an old friend!  Hikers are great :)

I sat for like 10 minutes and admired the lack of view and ate a little and rested my feet. But, it was getting late and I knew I had to get down. It took and hour an a half for me to get to the top, it was 2:45 by the time I started heading down.  Going down was really hard too. There are a lot of smooth, well loved trees on that trail. I made use of them, holding on as I negotiated the moving trail. The scree fields took the longest - there were so many rocks that were big enough that I thought I would knock them on myself!  Fortunately I was pretty much alone at this point, so I didn't need to worry about knocking them on anyone else.  It took about an hour to get down, so it was 3:45 by the time I got to the bottom!  I was pretty much out of filtered water at that point, though I had a bottle that I had taken from the creek but not yet filtered, so I sat for a few minutes and filtered.  It was a few minutes before 4 when I started heading back.  I wasn't feeling so good about this, because I had 8 miles to hike, and it had taken me 5 hours on the way in, and sunset was at 7:30.

Again, fortunately the hike was not that hard, especially on the way back. Although it hadn't seemed very uphill on the way in, you could tell it was a little downhill on the way out. Not so downhill that it required navigating, rather it allowed me to walk faster. For me, I moved pretty fast, only stopping once in the middle of a creek to filter more water and have a power bar (oh, and put a bandaid on a blister I got on my second smallest toe.)

The hike again was very pretty. I got to the first trail intersection in about 2.25 hours. The second one I got to after about 3 hours hiking. I had a little internal debate with myself if I should cross the river and go back on the other side, the way I came, which I knew was going to be easy, or if I should take the chance that the other side would be easy too. Crossing the river would take time, but was safer. In the end I decided not to cross, and I was so glad I didn't! The trail on the other side of the river was actually better - it was once a railroad track, so there were old railroad ties on it, but otherwise it was so well graded, I was able to go really fast for me. It was getting dark by this time and I was worried about bears because, well, that's something that I do in woods with bears. So, I was singing and humming and talking loudly. At 1.6 miles the trail intersected with another one, and a couple minutes after I passed a couple other hikers came off that trail (sigh, I think I was singing at that time). They had two dogs, which was comforting because I figured that the bears would prefer the dogs.  They were so fast, they passed me like I was standing still and were off!

I got to my car at 8 pm, so it took me a full hour less to get out. The NH police had left a nice parking ticket on my windshield.  Live free or die, ha!  That's cold. I was so exhausted, and so happy with myself!  It took a little over 2 hours to get home, I showered and totally crashed. I woke up at 4:30 in the morning with a migraine - my body telling me "never do that again."  And I'm totally listening to it! I'm glad I can check it off the list, and that I did it in one day. I wish I had stayed up in NH the night before to make it a little easier. I am kind of glad I did it in the fall, even though it meant that the last 20 min or so were in the dark - I think the hike would be very buggy in the spring with all of the creeks and hiking mostly at a lower elevation, there weren't that many in Sept. Also, there were 5 brook crossings that had the potential to be really hard if the water levels were higher. We're pretty much in drought now, and I still took my boots off once and waded, I think with snow run off it would have been much harder. And it would be awful on a really hot day, way too long. Twenty of the 4000 footers done, and that includes the two hardest - Isolation and Owls Head!

The view from the slide:

Back again!

So apparently I was actually pretty sick last week, probably part of why the hike was so difficult. Not that it wasn't difficult to begin with, but it was even more difficult due to whatever virus I had. After the hike I spent the last three days of vacation on the couch. Monday I only went to work for a half day, and all week I was pretty much a couch potato after work, doing next to nothing. I have this hacking cough and am tired, but finally I'm starting to feel better.

Which is to say, I have not been a good crossftter. I didn't go at all last week, and I hadn't been this week either. I didn't want to go today because #1 it was a partner workout and #2 I didn't want to go. But, then I decided I had to go. I've wasted so much $ and I may never go back if I get too in the habit of not going. And I don't want that to happen. I was thinking I could just go tomorrow, but tomorrow is a killer looking hero wad, and also I want to go for a hike. I'm having thoughts about The Owl, but I also am having thoughts that that's a silly idea.  We'll see.

WOD: My partner was super nice and did Level 1 with me
60 calories rowing
90 wall balls
60 pull ups
90 box jumps (I did steps)
our time: 17 min 15 sec

For rowing we did 10 calories each and then switched, so I rowed 3 sets of 10. We did 10's on the wall balls as well, and so I did 4 sets of 10, plus one more in the warm up! That's pretty good for me. Pull ups we did 5's. I used bands but was actually getting them right with the bands :)  Box jumps of course I stepped.

They have a softer box that's made of some padding-type stuff. I'll have to try doing box jumps on it sometime. It looks harder to hurt yourself on. It would be a good way to work up to real box jumps. One woman was using it and we were talking about it, and this guy was like "it doesn't work well on the higher level, though." Coach looked at him and said "I think you are talking to the wrong crowd with that concern." Everyone but the guy laughed, I think he was embarrassed.

Presidential Traverse - Day 4

I had told myself on Day 3 of the hike that Day 4 was just going to be hiking down and going home. There was an option to do one more mountain, Jackson, but it's actually not named after Stonewall Jackson, and therefore not Presidential. So, I decided I didn't need to do it. I woke up on the morning of Day 4 and thought "why not try?"

I had talked to a couple of people about the trails. The trail from the hut to Jackson was supposed to be really nice, and the trail from the hut down was nice. But, the trail from Jackson down is hard and steep. So, I decided I would hike over the Jackson with just my day pack, then go back to the hut and down. It didn't make sense in terms of miles, but it sounded like the easier route. And, I was excited with the idea of hiking with just a day pack! I had eaten some of the weight from my backpack, but still it was heavy.

So, only Jackson (elevation 4052) was on the agenda for the day. I was thinking I might regret doing it later, but I came to do six peaks that I hadn't done, and so I wanted to get the last one. I was so glad I did, I think Jackson was my favorite one! It was 1.6 miles from Mizpah to Jackson, most of it through mossy pine forest. Several places in the trail had logs to walk on, and were so easy to walk! There was more down hill to get to Jackson than up, I think!  There was only one point I wasn't really happy - I came to a clearing in the woods and saw what I knew must be Jackson. It looked so tall and far away, I was questioning my decision. But then it turned out not to be that much further or that hard to get to the top.

The view from the top was amazing! You could see most of the Presidential range. I was so psyched because I was looking at what I had hiked, and I was really happy that I had done it all when it had been so hard. I sat on top for a long time, eating the last of the gummy bears and jelly beans, and feeling satisfied and hard core.

One thing that's funny about hiking is that you can see almost no one while hiking, but on the top of a mountain you are almost never alone. When I got to the summit of Jackson there was a thru hiker there who was asking me what the weather was supposed to be like, and how was the trail? He was headed towards Washington that day, and he didn't really seem that psyched about it. Washington was under clouds, and he was really sad when I said you can always tell Washington because of the antenna on top. - he had thought Monroe was Washington. There was also this couple that came up - very nice people. But the guy was telling me how he met some "really old" dude hiking. I mean, really old, "like maybe 47!" Sigh. I just laughed, but I wanted to say "and he doesn't need a walker?"

When I had my fill of the awesome view, and the awesome feeling of having made it the whole way, I headed back to the hut. The trip back seemed even shorter. I got back at 11:30 ish. Packed everything up, refilled my water, had a last bowl of soup and piece of bread, and headed out for the last 2.6 miles.  The first part of the hike was more mossy pine forest. Really pretty! It got steep for a little bit, and the rocks were slippery. I also realized that Jackson may have been my favorite because I was just carrying my day pack, it was hard putting on the big pack (which at some point I named Brutus) again!  By the time I got about half way down I could tell I had blisters on my feet. At the end, they were killing me!  I was still glad that I had done Jackson, but I was so excited to see the parking lot and my car. I had a huge blister on the ball and big toe of my right foot, and on the big toe of the left foot. Also on the little toe. I don't know what was up with that - it's not like they were new boots. First thing I did was change to flip flops.

I drove over to a vending area and got ice cream and two beverage for the drive home. I really smelled, and I was not sure this was the best decision, as I would need to stop then, but I did it anyhow.  It was a pretty amazing feeling sitting outside eating my ice cream - that was a tough hike, but I did it!!

It took me about 2.5 hours to drive home. I unpacked, showered and ate. Then I went to bed at 9. I woke up this morning and this coughing and wheezing that I'd been having during the hike was much worse - so bad that I went to the Minute Clinic and the nurse practitioner gave me a prescription cough med and an inhaler.  So, it seems I either was sick or made myself sick - or made myself sicker??

Presidential Traverse - Day 3

Day 3 started with me waking up in my bunk in Lake of the Clouds (I crawled back in from the floor at dawn) with a strange dude curled up next to me. Lake of the Clouds is the biggest hut, and there were a ton of people there. I think it sleeps 96, and then there were also about 20-30 thru hikers sleeping on the floor in the main room. It was an interesting culture, actually, because paid guests got first dibs on the food, and then I think the thru hikers could help with dishes for left overs. So, they were all sitting around waiting for us to eat, kind of like the poor step-children. Except, they were way cooler than us - I mean, they are thru hiking!

Breakfast again was delicious - coffee, oatmeal, pancakes, eggs and bacon. I ate a lot, knowing it was going to be another big day. On the agenda for the day: Monroe (elevation 5372), Eisenhower (elevation 4760) and Pierce (elevation 4310). I have done Pierce before, but there isn't a trail around it, so I was going over it again. The other two were optional. But, Monroe was practically at the door of the hut, so it could be done right away. Eisenhower was a little further, but the croo guy described it as such a nice mountain - it used to be called Mt. Pleasant, that I didn't want to bypass it. I set out at about 8 am feeling amazingly refreshed.

Monroe was a pretty tough one. It was another pile of rocks. But, it was only .3 mile and 360 feet elevation gain. Everyone had started out at pretty much the same time from Lake of the Clouds, so there were a fair number of people up there. The wind had died down even more and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! You could see Mt Washington perfectly, and the valley. It was gorgeous. I admired for a few minutes, and felt happy that I had done the hardest mountain of the day and it only took me about a half hour! I took a short rest to admire the view, but I wanted to keep moving.

After Monroe it was more than 1.2 miles to the turn off for Eisenhower. The trail was a lot easier, though. The AT here is the Crawford Path, which is the oldest maintained trail in the US (I think). Anyhow, it's been around for a while, and it's a little less rocky than some of the NH hikes, which is to say that you can see dirt sometimes. There was a lot of downhill, since everything goes down from Washington.  By the time I got to Eisenhower I was feeling pretty tired again and I promised myself a long rest on the top. Eisenhower seemed even bigger than Monroe, though it's not. The top was every bit as wonderful as promised by the croo guy. I spent a half hour up there, admiring the view, eating a power bar, and gummy bears and jelly beans. I was pretty psyched because it was only 1:30 ish, and I was about half way - once I got down the mountain I only had 2 miles to the next hut, Mizpah.

Once I got down Eisenhower, it was 1.2 miles again to the next mountain, Pierce. It started feeling like I was getting lower in terms of elevation at this point. There were a few scrub pines and the brush was a little thicker. I stopped at the sweetest mossy glen to refill my water.  It was really nice there! Soon I started going up again, and I could tell that I was on Pierce. It was actually the easiest of the climbs, so I was glad that I didn't have the option to go around it - I probably would have, but for no reason. It wasn't that hard to get up, and there was a nice view of where I had come from. The top of the mountain didn't really have any view, so I just touched the marker and kept going. I was eager to get to the next hut and stop hiking - I could tell I had a blister on one of my toes.

The .9 mile down Pierce to Mizpah hut was pretty steep, compounded with being pretty wet. It was slow going for me. There were a few places that had ladders, it was so steep!  My feet started hurting at this point, as they always do on the downhill. Mizpah is below tree line, and after two + days above it was nice to go down a little. There were a lot of really pretty mossy glens and pine trees, tons of mushrooms. It seemed to take forever to get to the hut - but then suddenly there was a clearing in the woods and there it was!

I think Mizpah was my favorite hut. Bunks were roomy and the weather was so nice, I could sit outside with my book. My Kalamazoo friends had arrived a couple hours before me (they went around Monroe and Eisenhower), and I chatted with them for a while. I also had a delicious slice of bread and soaked my feet in the stream from the spring. Dinner was pork tacos, bread, bean soup and a cake with cream cheese frosting.

Before dinner two of the Croo Kids came out and chatted with a bunch of us. They were showing us the pack boards that they use to carry all the perishable foods and supplies up to the hut - they have regular drops by helicopter apparently, but some stuff they bring in. They regularly carry 60-80 pounds up the trails, and some people have carried 100 pounds (a century). Everyone carries the same, gals and guys. The boards are wood and they last for like 20 years - the woman said that you get attached to your board during the season, since it's so hard to pack. The packs don't have waist straps in case they trip, they can eject. If you are on the croo you need to pack food up hills, cook for a group of about 60-100, check people in, stir compost, hopefully clean pillowcases, clean bathrooms, understand how the solar power works - it's a diverse skill set. It sounds like they hire based on personality type - they want outgoing, high energy people.

After dinner I read in bed for a little bit and then fell asleep around 9. The guy across from me snored like crazy, but still I slept really well!

Presidential Traverse - Day 2

Day 2's agenda was Madison Spring Hut to Lake of the Clouds Hut, with three summits on the way. Initially I had planned to already have Madison done, but given the weather that was still on my to-do list. So, I had Madison (elevation 5367), Adams (elevation 5793), Jefferson (elevation 5712) and Washington (elevation 6288). I decided I would see how things went, but since I already had done Washington, and didn't love it (it's a parking lot on top and a lot of people in flip flops who drove up, taking pics of themselves at the Mt. Washington sign) I could possibly skip that if necessary.

Breakfast at the hut was coffee, oatmeal, pancakes, bacon and eggs. I ate some of each, one thing I love about hiking :) I left my pack in the hut and did Madison. It was only .5 mile up, but it still took more than 45 minutes because of all of the elevation gain and because, though the wind had died down a lot, it was still pretty windy up there.  Things had cleared up and I had a nice view, but I also had a long way to go, so I didn't say up top for long. I went back to the hut, got my gear (with everything in my pack at home it weighed about 30 pounds) and headed out.  Adams was next, and pretty close to the hut.

I will say for the record that I am not a fan of Adams. It is a giant heap of rocks which requires hopping from rock to rock, scrambling, and a lot of picking your way. For someone who's more like a mountain goat I'm sure it would be fun, but for me it was a lot of work. From the hut it was .9 miles with 950 feet of elevation gain. As I was sitting on the top, enjoying the view and having a snack, this guy came running up. He had run all the way up from the parking lot in an hour and 49 minutes!  It took me almost that long from Madison Spring.

After a little rest I headed down the other side of the mountain to the AT. Once I got down I had a rather depressing moment because there was a sign that said "Madison Spring Hut .9 mile." And I had already been hiking for like 3 hours! I decided right there that Washington was probably not going to happen, and headed off. It's 1.2 miles of gradual uphill from Adams to Jefferson. It seemed to take forever! It was super windy and very rocky on the trail. I was pretty psyched to get to the turn off for Jefferson and head up. Jefferson was also a pretty tough climb, but definitely easier than Adams. It's cool when you come to the top of a mountain and a whole new side of the mountain range is suddenly there!

I had packed a "bag of sugar" before I left - jelly beans, gummy bears, and swedish fish, and I enjoyed sitting up top and eating for a while.  I couldn't rest for too long, though, because even with going around Washington I still had 3.5 miles to go, and it was like 2:00! Dinner at the huts is at 6:00, and I didn't want to miss the bread course.

I was so glad I decided to go around Washington. I was really tired and moving pretty slowly. In fact, at one point I was thinking I could hike up to Washington the next day and take the Cog Railway down, and then the hiker's shuttle to the car!  Serious dark trail thoughts.

Later, I was sitting at the side of a spring, filtering water, when this woman came by. We were chatting and I asked her where she came from - "Georgia." I had meant that morning, but wow! Thru hiking is hard core.

The trail I took went under the Cog, and as I was walking there was a train going up and the engineer and I waved at each other.  It was really nice, and the path was kind of fun - it was all rocks. but I had gotten my trail legs a little, and they were pretty flat and well organized, so I was moving pretty well, hopping from rock to rock. It was reasonably flat, and I was moving fast for me.

When I got my first sight of Lake of the Clouds, I was #1 really excited and #2 a little bummed because it was so far away. It took forever to reach after I had seen it. I mean, forever! And, at the end, I really really had to pee, and I didn't want to outside because there was water everywhere and I figured it all went to the hut's water (though I guess my little bit of pee wouldn't really have been that big of a deal). I was so happy to get there!  It was 6:30 - I went to the bathroom (where I noticed that my hair had blown in one direction so much from the wind that I looked pretty ridiculous) and then one of the nice Croo kids brought me a bowl of soup and some bread, and I was still on time for the rest of the meal :)

Lake of the Clouds was amazing! The lake was gorgeous, the sunset amazing, there were a ton of through hikers staying there. I talked to this guy named Kimosape, who was saying how much of a mental game hiking is. Yup, that's true.  I asked one of the croo about the hike the next day - I was like "today kind of kicked my butt. Will tomorrow be as hard?" and he said, "if it kicked your butt, you were doing it right." and that no, it wouldn't be that hard. So, I decided not to take the Cog down :)  Also, my buddies from Kalamazoo had gotten there a few hours before me, but they didn't do any of the summits. The woman said that she had been watching to make sure I got there - very sweet.

One down point of Lake of the Clouds - when I went to my room, I was a little scared of the bunk - since I was the last one there I got last choice in beds and I was on the bottom of three bunks. My bed was basically on the floor and the next bunk was so low you couldn't sit up in it. It was pushed up next to another bed and my "bed mate" was some dude. I woke up at midnight feeling claustrophobic and crawled out of the bed and slept on the floor next to it, where someone from level 2 stepped on me at 3 am going to the bathroom :P

Presidential Traverse - Day 1

I completed my 4 day-3 night hut-to-hut Presidential Traverse yesterday! 22 miles, 7-4000 footers, about 10 blisters on my feet, an amazing and exhausting journey. One that I am very impressed with myself for doing, and plan to never do again :)

I stayed Sunday night at the Highland Center which is an AMC hostel. I didn't want to have to wake up at 5:30 am to catch the 9 am hiker's shuttle to the start of my hike. Really glad I did that, it made it so much easier on the first day and it was a super cute place. They have shared rooms, but I was really lucky to be paired with a super chill woman who was exhausted from her hike and was out like a light. Monday morning I caught the AMC hiker's shuttle from the Highland Center to the trailhead for Madison Spring hut. I decided to do my best to make things easy on myself, so I hiked the "easiest" hike up, the Valley Way (3.8 miles, 3550 feet elevation gain). It was a tough one! 

The weather was pretty bad on the first day, the mountains were covered in clouds and it was windy. Below the treelike it wasn't too bad, but it was still wet on all the rocks, so I didn't really want to sit and rest. There were three other "groups" on the shuttle with me - this one guy from Europe who was planning to trail run all the way back to the Highland Center that day, three girls who had tents and were doing a two day traverse, and an older couple from Kalamazoo Michigan who were doing the same hike as me. Trail culture is so interesting! The guy was off once we got there, never to be seen again. The girls and I were passing each other off and on during the day. And the couple from Kzoo and I got to know each other some during the few days.

I started out feeling pretty good, breathing hard but moving steady. As I got closer to tree line I got more and more tired. I stopped to have something to eat, but was still moving pretty slow. After a while, I was just talking myself into moving to the next blaze and then the next, etc. Once I got above tree line the wind really picked up. There's a sign as you get to tree line that says something about how unpredictable the weather is, how people have died as a result of bad weather, and how you should turn around now if weather doesn't look good. I was like "it doesn't look good, but I'm still going to the hut." I later heard it was 78 mph gusts at Mt. Washington (hurricane force is 74 mph). I don't think it was quite that strong where I was, but it was pretty powerful. Visibility was also awful, due to the cloud cover - I was so glad when I got to the hut!

Inside there were a bunch of people, fresh baked bread, hot chocolate, and no wind!  I chose a bunk that seemed nice, which I later changed when I realized that the window didn't close all the way and it would be freezing. 

After resting for a while, I tried to summit Madison, which proved to be a crazy idea!  From Madison Springs Hut to the summit of Madison is .5 mile and 550 feet of elevation gain. A lot of the summit is a pile of rocks dumped by a glacier. The trail is marked well with huge cairns, so I decided I would try it, and see how it went. I decided if I couldn't see 2 cairns back I would turn back (it was so foggy).  I think I made it about half way up. The wind was so bad that a couple times it almost knocked me over.  I can't imagine what it was like on top, I thought I would have to crawl if I wanted to get up there.  I've never turned around on a hike due to weather, but it was clearly the smart thing to do. I spent the rest of the day hanging in the hut, reading, eating a delicious dinner prepared by the Hut Croo, and then going to bed at like 8:30.

Huts are an interesting place - it was really expensive to stay there - like $110 per night. So, I guess that limits who's going to be there. At Madison there was a group of boy scouts and their dads. At first I was nervous that they would be really loud and bratty, but they were actually really good. I accidentally sat at a dinner table with all the dads (and a couple moms) for dinner, and they were pretty funny. At the end of dinner this one family came in - they had hiked over from Lake of the Clouds with mom, dad, and a girl who looked like she was like 8 in the wind. Really impressive!  Mom said it took them 11 hours.

Anyhow, even though it's August and I felt funny packing my ninja hoody, patagonia long underwear, down puff, wool hat and gloves, I was so glad I had them that night! Because, I wore all of that, plus my two shirts, a pair of Athleta pants, wool socks, buff around my neck. I slept in my sleeping bag liner and had three wool blankets on top of me. And it still took about a half hour to get warm in bed! It was cold. Once I fell asleep, I slept like a log until they woke us up at 6:30 with guitar music and singing for breakfast.