Don't need an excuse cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes

4 times out and I still can't tell which I like better; rock climbing or the people (guys) I've met rock climbing. Went up to SportRock (Alex) last night and met a couple new ones, Adam and Edwin, who both quickly picked up that I'm not too fragile and like dirty jokes and sexual undertones just as much as they do.




Things overheard that night...
"How much wider should I spread my legs?" - Amy asking about the best way to walk down the wall
"Use the one between your legs" to which the response was "its not big enough to hold onto"
"Use the one shaped like a boob"

Kept the Keens in the car as I got some new rock climbing shoes (Eric ROCKS!) which are about as comfortable as heels but a couple times up the wall was all it took to appreciate them. I am now able to rope myself in with a double figure 8 knot as well as the safety knot (which may in fact have a different name but its the best Adam and Edwin could come up with). I was also able to climb an entire wall using one route and I did it so well Christian and I started racing up it. I won with 12 seconds, which Christian probably (definitely) could have beaten but he let me have my moment.

I also must (again) point out that the eye candy at SportRock is top notch. I've mentioned this to a couple (girl) friends who say they'd like to join me, to which I say hell no, find your own climbing gym.

Amy's vote for Hottie Of The Night was the brunette in the background (couldn't get his face in the photo) who on second (and third) glance may have only been 18. With abs like those, age is just a number, right?

;p

Take me to the river...drop me in the water

So not only did I finish Billy Goat in 62 minutes last week (knocked 10 whole minutes off my best time) but I also completed the longest hike I've ever done; an estimated 13 miles of the Potomac Heritage Trail. The trail itself (once we found it) was along the Potomac River and runs parallel to the George Washington Parkway.
We could not have asked for better weather, but after Old Rag in the rain, I like to think we deserved the sun shine and mid-70s temperature.



The trail was wonderful. Started out with some ups and downs (and a gas station) and just like many of the other trails in the MD/DC/VA area, we were surrounded by bluebells. Its too early in the spring to have to worry about snakes and the bugs weren't even bothering us. Hiking along side a river is great, and we walked all the way to the 495 bridge to check out what the parking situation was like on that end of the hike.

Found a great spot for a bite to eat, complete with water falls and kissable frogs. Our lunch spot is at the other end of the hike, only about a mile from a parking lot, so I'm looking forward to taking people out there for pictures.


I know it sounds weird, but I wore the perfect clothes. Light pants, tank, light jacket (that spent most of the day in the backpack) and my brown hiking sneakers. I now know that those shoes are good for a hike less than 6 miles long, but not for the whole day. When you add up the mileage from Billy Goat and all the rocks along the river, I could tell that my bigger hiking boots would have been a better idea, only because the bottoms of my feet felt like they were getting a little abused. I used my small hiking bag and had it filled with 2 liters of water/lemon aid. I ran out of water about 9 miles in, and I think that was because it just tasted so much better than plain water. I went to REI and got a 3 liter bladder and I think thats as big a one as I'll ever need. Packed in a couple apples (Galla), a handful of Jolly Ranchers (grape and cherry) and a couple low calorie chocolate snacks. I also hiked with my MP3 player which I value as much as drinking water.


We had estimated that the 12 miles would take us about 5 hours, and even though we got a little lost in the beginning we were still able to finish it up in 6 hours. I think I held up pretty well for the whole hike, spending 2/3rds of the time leading our group. It wasn't until the many hills towards the end that I started to feel the previous miles and the soreness in my feet moved all the way up to my thighs.

Right now 15 miles is the most I can do in one day, so I've got some work to do.

If the weather stays good on Wednesday, after Billy Goat I'm planning on doing a 9.8 mile loop from Riverbend NP to Great Falls (and back to Riverbend). Along with the extra weight of the 3 liter bladder I'm planning on stuffing my bag with stuff so I'll get used to its heaviness. I know I should start hiking with the hiking pack I'll be using in Yosemite, but I can't bring myself to start that part of training yet.

Its what I do

Click here to check out
The Northern Virginia Hikers!

Girls Night Outside

To say I haven't been camping in a while would be stretching it. The last time I went I was 8 years old, camping with my best friend and her family on a beach in Japan. Good times, although I'm willing to admit that as an 8 year old my contribution towards camp life was singing Disney songs off key.

Last weekend a group from the Northern Virginia Hikers (Meetup.com) were going to give Old Rag a try at sunrise. I liked the idea of finishing the long hike in time to have yummy brunch, but wasn't too excited about meeting people at the Vienna metro at 4am. So I asked if anyone wanted to camp out. Lucky for me I got several takers.

It ended up being me, Jayne, Molly and Kelley (and Jeff, kinda). Jayne had a new tent that said it could sleep 6, so the 4 of us had plenty of room. Setting up the tent with 4 people to help went really well, although naming our camp took a bit longer.











Molly does a lot of hiking and camping, so lucky for us she really knew her way around a camp stove. On one tiny burner she had two dishes made of pasta, tuna, cheese and green peppers going in no time, totally spoiling us with its yummy-ness. We roasted some marshmallows, setting a couple on fire, took a few swigs of celebratory wine (which was only half fermented) in honor of Jayne's retirement, and as the clock struck 9:30 and the rain started, we headed inside our tent to gossip and eventually fall asleep, dreading the idea of having to get up early to hike in the rain.

I won't lie...it rained all night long. When the alarm clock went off at 5am it was still raining. Were the others from the meet up still make the drive out to Old Rag knowing it was raining? We thought about it for a minute (20 seconds), took a vote, snuggled back into our sleeping bags and went back to sleep. Unfortunately a couple cars pulled into the parking lot at 5:45, forcing us to crawl out of our sleeping bags, don our rain gear and join the other 4 hikers that did in fact meet up at the Vienna metro in the rain at 4 am.

In the next 4 hours I was able to confirm what I already knew; I HATE HIKING IN THE COLD AND THE RAIN. It was miserable. Old Rag is a hard hike to begin with. Add the early hour and some rain, take away the sun and the warmth, and it makes for a hard (and at times dangerous) hike. 2 hours in and I wasn't having any fun at all, but I did finish the 8 mile hike, knocking almost a full 90 minutes off my previous best time. The brunch of french toast and eggs that followed was the best meal I've eaten in a while. It seems that everything tastes amazing after a little suffering.


Had so much fun camping that Jayne, Molly, Kelley and I are planning on doing a couple more trips this summer, one in Dolly Sods (WV) and another in the Harpers Ferry area.

I just hope it doesn't rain.

On the black rock is where I spend my time...

So last week, in an effort not to end up totally useless in Yosemite/King's Canyon, I decided to check out a climbing group (VA/MD/DC Rock Climbers) out of Meetup.com. Their leader Jim had written that beginners were welcome, so I thought I'd put them to the test.

Ended up having a blast. The two guy I met, AJ and Christian, could not have been nicer. Showed me how to put on my harness, how to attach the rope, what the different numbers meant and why you should start out on a boulder with your ass on the ground (which I've been told is a tad contrite).

First time up the wall I wasn't trying to stay with one color path, instead trying to touch as many grips as I could. Got about 2/3 of the way up when I looked over my shoulder at AJ who was belaying me. I couldn't have been more than 20 feet up, but my left knee started shaking (climbers call this sewing machine leg) and it took me a good 10 second to get started again. Made it down, then back up again, then spent some time on the boulders. Loved it all.

On a side note, if I had known that 'cimbing gym' is code word for 'meat market' I would have been going a hell of a lot sooner.

At the end of the evening my arms were pretty tired, but it took until mid afternoon the next day for the full hurt to come on. By the weekend the soreness was gone, and I just got back from another night of climbing. Again, I loved it. As long as they keep meeting up on weekday evenings, I figure might be able to take a belay test before June comes around. Jim was telling me what kind of harness I should buy, but I think I'll take it a bit slower.

I've got a wedding to shoot on Saturday, otherwise I'd be joining them at Great Falls, but I wouldn't want to get in the way trying to climb. Nah, I'd bring sliced oranges and provide some comic relief with a side of ball busting...;p

How I learned to love Goat in 30 days

I read somewhere that it takes 30 days to work a new 'thing' into your life. Big shock that going to the gym never really took, but I am getting the hang of a couple other things.

A couple weeks ago I woke up at 4:45 am to hike Billy Goat Trail for the 6th time with a group from MeetUp.com. It’s a 3 mile loop along the C&O tow path and a rocky trail that runs alongside the Potomac River, just below Great Falls. The first morning I tried it, well, it almost killed me. 5 weeks later and I finished 1st out of our group, and this time I wasn't doubled over from being out of breath. It took just over 30 days for me to get used to the early hour, the darkness, the cold, and the hike itself.

A couple days ago I bested my time again by 8 minutes, finishing the hike on the tow path and the rocky trail in 72 minutes. I can't wait till next Wednesday.

3-29-08

One Saturday morning a couple weeks ago my alarm clock went off at 6am. I got up, put my shoes on, found my warmest jacket and headed out to the car. 20 minutes later and I'm standing in line outside of REI in Fairfax, hoping to be in the first group of people let in the doors for the famous (or infamous) REI Used Gear Sale.

At 8 am they handed out tickets; I was going to be in the first group, thank God. Ran across the street to get some coffee and got back in line so I'd be ready when they opened the door at 10 am. Listening in one peoples' conversations and realized that while these people looked like me, we were a bit different. The group ahead of me were talking about their permits to do Whitney, and yes, I knew they weren't talking about the museum. A couple behind me were discussing if they were going to get a tent for their dog to use on the AT. The 12 year old boy in front of me had his lap top hooked up to a power source that was solar powered.

These people all looked like me, but they were from a different planet, one were everyone wears North Face and Patagonia. Where their cars could carry a boat, a couple pairs of skis, the family dog, a camping stove and a 6 person tent.
I wanted to know where this planet was and why I wasn't born there.

Anyway, they eventually opened the doors and we all ran to the back storage room where we all went nuts grabbing anything in our size. 30 minutes and a couple hundred dollars later and I made it out alive w/...

~ a back pack by Deuter
~ jacket by Mountain Hardware
~ jacket by Marmot
~ vest by North Face
~ gloves by Mountain Hardware
~ pants by REI
~ shoes by ???
~ fleece by REI