Fun Run

Vertical Adventure

I'm really excited to be in touch with some of my local climbing community. It's very interesting learning about everyone's climbing interests. I just want to climb, but I'm meeting those who want to bring climbing to newer generations, those who want to find virgin climbs, renew old climbs, and then some people who want to climb the big numbers so they can make a name for themselves. There's just so much more to climbing than simply climbing!

The two guys I've been climbing with most recently are working on renewing climbs in our area posted onto MountainProject.com. The fun part is that we're finding new climbing in the area to add! It's not big cliff sides or anything, but there's so much undiscovered bouldering in the area, I can hardly believe it. I'm really excited about my new project I'm taking on this fall season which is pioneering the bouldering in the woods directly behind my apartment. Two hundred acres and plenty of virgin boulders! Don't mind me, I'll just be the weird girl in the woods with the big brush and a broom.

These picture are from Pawtuckaway State Park.

B.A. Lady Hiking

One of the best parts about hiking is the feeling of accomplishment each time you reach a peak. What adds to that accomplishment is when you are hiking in an all girl group. I'm sure there are plenty of people not thinking baout this, but it seems most women I meet are just not genuinely interested in going through the effort of hiking. It's more of a novelty, perhaps. But fortunately, I have met some other women who love to hike! (Duh, it's what I've been doing all summer).

My friend Nichole and I hiked Jackson, Pierce, and Eisenhower. It was very fun on Eisenhower with it's small, bald peak and the wind blowing so hard. We were trying to see how much we could lean into it without falling over. I have a feeling it would have been like that one Michael Jackson video if we had thought to take our packs off. We didn't stay on the peak too long because the puppy really hated the wind. I'm looking forward to going back to that peak. I hope it's just as fun!

Explore Local

I rememeber when I was in school and every kid thought there was nothing to do, like we all live in some drab hole simply classified as 'the sticks.' Sure we were limited in mobility because we didn't have cars or our parents didn't trust us leaving our own back yard, but I still think back to those days. Is it really that unsafe if we encourage our kids to explore? Are we really afraid of what's in our own town?

And the biggest question I have; Do the only adventures worth having exist in some exotic foreign country?

Well, I'm taking on my own challenge and I hope others challenge themselves. I went out into my area and looked for fun because I don't believe for a second that I have to spend even a dime to find adventure.

I found boulders out at the Newmarket Nature Conservancy, just a couple miles down the road from where I live. I'm looking forward to getting a couple buddies out here to climb. And a bigger crash pad.

I biked back towards Durham and decided to visit a farm. It's Durham Farm Day! And I'm a sucker for animals.

I hope the good weather keeps it up because I want to get back out tomorrow and check out those rocks!

Tom, Field, and Willey

We haven't been having much luck here for hiking. We've had to call off most of our hiking in the past couple of weeks because of overwhelming humidity and thunder storms.  We're still pretty reluctant. Kelsey and I think we can finish all of the 4000 footers by the end of the season. But the thing that gets me is how people talk about hiking as if it's only worth it on those rare, pristine, high visibility days. Let me tell you, there are plenty of wonderful, magical things to find.

I'm looking forward to the things we've planned for the hours we can't go hiking. We just invested in a small slackline and I'm looking into getting another crash pad for bouldering. Who knew you didn't have to drive all the way north just to climb some rocks? It's time to get out of the gym and back to nature. And I can't be more thankful for the pioneers before me who were smart and kind enough to start and share something fun like Mountainproject.com. I can boulder right down the street!!

Have you been able to get out and explore your own back yard? 

Bobcat Bolt

I have to say, I was a bit miffed as my first 10K road race drew near. My support system fell through and I realized that not only would I be running this race alone, I would have to be my own cheerleader. It's still a sore subject mostly because it astounds me how little people, even one's own family members, really, truely listen. I just wanted someone to be around when I crossed the finish line, but for some reason everyone thought I was asking them to run the race with me. And I think that if I had only done the 5K, I would still be quite upset.

Now I'm going to move past that and focus on how it became a really fun run.

I may have came to a 10K by myself, but I did see an old teacher of mine from high school who made me feel good about running the race. I hit an amazing stride running up a big hill and even passed other runners! On a hill!! I walked off a major stomach cramp between mile 2 and 3, and then pushed through the last three miles as best as I could. I mean, really there's no stopping when the UNH football team are the flag and water boys. And they made me laugh too! By the time I did finish the race, I definitely felt like a million bucks... A million sweaty bucks. And also like a little kid because I was probably about as excited as I've ever been because of an ice cream truck that was on site.

I may have came alone, but runners always run together and I couldn't ask for a more solid feeling of community.

Osceola

Today a good friend and I hiked, and climbed, Mt Osceola and East Osceola. I've got to say, hiking is my favorite way to get exercise. You don't realize how long you've been at it, expecially when you have such great company. And apart from being surrounded by beautiful nature, it's very enlightening to be able to stop and chat with fellow hikers about how the hike is going that day. It's the older men hikers I ove the most, so sweet and encouraging. They make you feel more proud that you're out there making it happen.

 

Will Run For Beer!

It was unbelievably hot today as my best friend and I tried to push through a 6K run (yes 6K) in Hampton. I'm very impress with all the runners that came out today and so very, very thankful to the families that were in their driveways hosing down the hot runners. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

I definitely do not recommend running in hot, humid weather, but I do recommend trying out a road race. Runners, volunteers, and spectators are so encouraging and it feels great to be in a positive environment, even if physical discomfort is running high.