Monadnock

First hike of the year, and it was really nice! I was thinking about the Mt Major/Kittery thing, but I'm trying to not spend so much money, and anyhow Monadnock is closer. I worked last Saturday so I took a comp day today, and I thought that a Friday in March might not be crowded, which it wasn't. So I did white dot/white cross, which I usually never do because it's like a super highway. I saw about a dozen or so people today, so it was a good choice! 

I was reminded of why everyone does that hike - it's really nice, there are stairs in a lot of spots, there's a loop so you can go up and down different ways, there's rock scrambling and some pretty wooded glades to walk through. It is 1775 feet of elevation gain, but in just 1.9 miles, so it's pretty much all uphill, with only a few more chill spots. 

Because it's not the longest hike, I was able to sleep in a little and enjoy my coffee before making a decision to go - I got there a little before noon, use the bathrooms (with flush toilets!) and headed out. There were some soggy bits and still a little ice, but for the most part the rock was dry and I felt good. I did have to stop and breathe a few times, but it wasn't bad. It was sunny and beautiful out, and I hiked in my patagonia tights and one of my smart wool tops, but at the top it was so windy that I had to put on another smart wool top and my big puff + hood, and that was with sitting next to a rock that blocked the worst of the wind! It's always so windy up there. I didn't have any bread so I brought a piece of quiche with sweet potato crust (so good - you grate the sweet potato, add egg and flour and cook it for 20 minutes before adding the filling. The only thing is that with the price of eggs right now, I feel like I should cover them in gold instead of eating them). I sat for a few minutes and admired the view, and thought about how ephemeral hiking is.

The way down was definitely faster - I was feeling pretty good on the slabby parts of the mountain. On the more steppy parts my knees and toes were really sore, so I relied on my hiking poles, focused on bending my knees and took my time. When I got down I was so hungry, I stopped at a gas station and bought ice cream and these really delicious, highly processed chips.

After I got back I met a friend at the lake for a dip. My legs and feet were so sore, I stayed in for 16 minutes to give my body a good chilling soak. Water is now 45, which is chilly but feels warm compared to where it was. 

Ran a mile!

I've pretty much done nothing today except work (stupid work) and I was feeling like a bum, but still didn't want to get up off my butt and go to a dance class, so I decided that I would run a mile. I mapped it out in google so that I could go in a triangle using the bike path and avoiding too many hills. It's so easy to measure pace with my apple watch! I did have to stop for about 10 seconds or so to wait to cross the street, but otherwise I just ran straight through - so I was glad to know that I still could. It took me 11 minutes and 9 seconds to run a mile, but that includes the wait to cross the street. So, not at all fast, but not so unreasonable for a time. I'll see if my knees are killing me tomorrow, if not maybe I'll try to incorporate a little running into my life again. It wasn't bad. 

Varying Water Temps

I went for a dip yesterday and the water was 50, today it was 45. It's pretty crazy that the temperature can fluctuate that much in less than 24 hours. It was different ends of the lake, but still! Before we know it we will be swimming to the point and enjoying a little time where the lake feels like it's still ours, but we can really get a swim in.

Yesterday was so nice out that I decided to go for a kayak before our swim. I took my folding kayak to the beach. Once I got there I realized how windy it was out. There were some waves in the water. I decided that the smart thing to do was to go into the wind, which meant going to the dock. It was pretty intense getting there! When I got to the point the wind was so strong that I was paddling and paddling and not moving at all! I finally got going, but it was a struggle. When I made it to the dock and turned around I was a little bummed because I had to paddle to get back - I thought I was just going to be lazy and sit in the boat as the wind carried me back. Once I got to the center of the lake, though, the wind picked up and pretty much carried me back :)

Dance classes

Last year some friends of mine went to the international gathering in Denmark and really enjoyed it - it's a creative movement, parkour, dance and beach volleyball training at this sports academy outside of Copenhagen. I thought it was just parkour, and didn't really want to spend a week doing all day, every day, but when I learned that there was also a dance track I started to feel interested in it. And, then I signed up for it  I've never been to Denmark, and it sounded so fun!

Now I feel like I need to get some practice with dance again (which I haven't really done since high school, about 40 years and 40 pounds ago). So, in addition to the honk dance, I went last Thursday and this Thursday to a class at the dance complex in Central Square. Last week I did a modern dance class and this week I did a house dance. They were really fun! I'm definitely going to try to keep going until the trip.

Before the modern class last week I was so nervous. I got to the building and was even more nervous because there were a ton of people and a lot of energy - in a fun city way. But I had no idea where I was supposed to go for class and no idea how class would go. It all turned out fine, I asked at the desk, found the right studio, and there were a few other people who were new to the class. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, we introduced ourselves at the start of the class, and it was actually pretty easy to keep up with and physically not that demanding. I enjoyed it, but felt a little bit like it could be more of a workout.

This week I decided to try the house dancing instead - I'd never heard of house dance before. It's a freestyle club dancing. This was a little more of a workout, though I was able to keep up fine. The instructor (who used to go to my tae kwon do school) led us through a warm up and then taught us some steps and then choreographed a little dance that we did several times. I was mostly able to keep up with the choreography, but kind of felt like more practice was in order. It was really nice moving through the routine and getting the steps down. 

Yesterday I stopped at Walden after work. The water was 41 degrees - perfect for an ice mile. But I just dipped for 5 minutes. 

Honk

A double blog day - have I had one of those before? Today I went to a session with the school of honk, and it was so fun! SOH is an open group that plays honk music and has dancers - I joined with the dancers. The dances are super easy, they are designed so anyone can pick them up pretty quickly, but they also look pretty cool with the music. I was a little nervous to go, even though I knew a couple of my swim friends were coming (one has been doing the dance for years, and another played the trumpet). I didn't need to be nervous, though, because everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

We started with a circle up, and everyone said their name, then there were a couple songs and we just followed the dance leader. Next we broke up into groups based on instrument, with the dancers going separately as well, and we reviewed the dances. One that was really fun was called "track suit" and we put on a pretend track suit and did a lot of fake zippering. After we joined back together there was a huddle, and then snacks! I love snacks :)

Next we did a parade around the park and played/danced for the folks who were hanging out there. It's one of the first warm days of spring, so there were a ton of people, and it was such a spring in the city moment, dancing around in front of a band that was randomly marching through a park. Everyone who was there seemed pretty into it, and we danced for about 45 minutes. Apparently the musicians meet once a week, dancers less - like once a month. Maybe at some point I would have the guts to try the music (though I'mm not really sure about that.) I will definitely go back, though, it was super fun!  

47 degrees

Things are warming up fast! I went for a dip on Friday and it was 39 at the docks at sunset, which felt pretty nice and warm. Today I went to the beach and it was so much warmer, my watch said 48! My watch tends to be a degree over what other readings get, so I count it as 47, but still that's a huge warm-up. We stayed in for 10 minutes, just bobbing around without swimming and I was totally fine when I got out. I didn't need my heated gloves or vest. Crazy!

Yesterday it was in the mid 60's outside, and sunny. A beautiful day. I decided that I would take a spring walk around the fells, but sadly when I got to the parking lot I discovered I had a flat tire. For the last few days the "tire pressure" light has been going off, and I actually put air in the tires on Thursday, but it turns out that it must have been something more than that - my car was making a horrible noise as I turned into the parking lot. I parked and was looking under the car for the sound, thinking "you aren't going to figure it out, you don't know anything about cars." But then I saw the tire was flat as a pancake, and I knew. Fortunately when I redid my car insurance last month I added roadside service, so I was able to contact them and get someone to come fix it. At first I was thinking I would need a tow, but then I remembered the whole spare tire thing. This guy from the towing company came in his prius, fixed my tire, put some air in the spare, and then I went off to the garage where they fixed it, changed my oil and sent me on my way. I was pretty lucky with that - I thought I was going to have to leave it until Monday. I had been planning to bring it in on Tuesday, so at least I got it out of the way, but a bummer to have to spend my beautiful day at the shop. Moral of the story is, when the tire pressure light is going off, believe it! 

Walden

Now that the ice is breaking up, it's time to get back to Walden! I stopped on the way home from work today for a dip, and wound up also doing a walk around the lake. Wednesdays at work are always so stressful because everyone is there and it's so people-e, I just feel tired at the end of the day. Fortunately we sprang forward over the weekend and sunset is now around 7 - I just love when this time of year comes! 

They are doing construction on the beach bath houses right now, and it's kind of a mess. The regular beach is closed so I had to go to red cross beach - I hope they get everything finished soon because it's a kind of small spot. Anyhow, the pond is still covered with ice, but there's some breaks in it, and there was a big swim area by the beach. I decided that I would keep my hands out of the water because I'm finally getting feeling back in my fingers, and I don't want to hurt them again just as the are healing. Plus, it's just so much easier.

I took my time getting my stuff together and ready, and then waded in. It was pretty chilly, probably around 38 I would guess. Since I didn't put my hands in all the way my watch didn't pick up the temperature. I walked around in the water for about 5-6 minutes and it felt amazing. As I was getting out this guy came swimming through the ice in a wet suit. I was being friendly-ish and asking him about his swim when this other dude arrived with a little dog. Wetsuit guy just got all up in arms about it because dogs aren't allowed at Walden, and he started yelling and swearing at dog guy, who was like "chill dude," and then ignored him, got undressed and went in the water. He left the dog tied to a fence and, to be honest, it wasn't bothering anyone. But wetsuit guy was making things tense - he was all "you think you are so special, you don't have to follow the rules. I'm going to go tell the rangers, there's a $250 fine." Apparently this other guy who was dipping called the police because of the yelling and swearing, which was a bit of an over reaction to the over reaction. 

Anyhow, I decided to get some movement in and walk to Thoreau's cabin site, just to warm up. And once I got there I decided to just walk around the rest of the pond because it was so nice. But I could see the sirens up on the street. Not sure what the outcome was there. I'm excited that I can stop at the pond on the way home from work again - it's a nice way to end my Wednesdays.

Over the weekend I went up to Gloucester and went for a dip in this quarry up there with one of my friends. The water there was just breaking up as well, and we were able to get in and float around a little. That quarry is awesome, hope to get in a few more dips before it gets warm.