Nothing has happened in days and days, it's been hot and dry and we have had our butts firmly at home. Jake had friends over Sunday and that was fun, if a little noisy. They shot fireworks and Kuma laid in front of my box fan and practiced happy thoughts. On the 4th, Jake and Ben went off to watch the local fireworks with part of the group, oh and they both went to play Pathfinder on Friday. It's been a big weekend for Ben at any rate, Jake is super social and is often off with friends, but Ben has just started joining in on that and I am SO relieved. I like to see the kids interacting.
Ben had this idea for a school setup where the students would study on their own most of the time, but twice a month they would all get together (a small group, maybe 20) and discuss what they have been learning. He thinks summer camp is so popular because it's kids learning and trying things in the woods. Like a tree school. I love that thought, that's what 'school' means, in Greek it was skhole and meant 'leisure time'. It was when people got together and chatted about ideas and things they had learned.
It's rained off and on all day, it's afternoon and still dark and a little cooler out!
Let's see. Due to lack of 2 of the 3 of us having hiking shoes, we did not go off last week as planned.
On Wednesday, Ben and I dropped off Chan in town and then headed to shoe shop IRL as I have sent back ALL the shoes I have bought online. We went to Cabela's because Ben wanted to try to only make one stop, he HATES trying on shoes. So, we hooked up with a nice girl who works there and she ran back and forth getting the shoes we picked from the back. They have a big wall and each shoe has a code, she had a scanner and we'd pick a shoe and she'd get it in our size. They have very few women's shoes compared to men's and only 2 of those were in my size!
I ended up getting Merrell boots, Ben got a pair of boots and some Keen sandals. We also got him a pair of zip off pants and a summer hiking shirt that buttons down. He has about 20 wicking shirts for running, but has recently gotten more into wearing button down shirts instead of tees. They were both OD green, so he looks like a park ranger, which pleased him greatly. He ran our trail in his new sandals and was happy with the fit. Here is a pic of my boot:
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| Brindle and eggshell. oooo. |
Last Thursday Karen and I walked 8 miles at the Land Trust. I powered up that hill, I was feeling quite strong and not at all tired at the end of the hike. I think that short jaunt backpacking built up my legs and I have been doing squats every day to keep them little powerhouses. It's not muscle I lack, it's cardio. Climbing hills half kills me because my heart rate gets up. I am contemplating ways to work on that, we lack the floor space for serious cardio workouts so I am thinking about...running on the treadmill.
I had started running and loved it, then ultimately quit because my knees, ankle and bladder were not having it. My joints are in great shape these days, nearly 2 years of serious balance and yoga, cutting out all sodas (they inflame cartilage in some people, apparently me because within 3 days of quitting, I had no stiff hips or shoulders) and taking enough tendon supplements to count as a daily snack, I think I can handle the stress. It's the bladder that will be an issue, though the squats have helped with that, pelvic floor and all. Ah well, here are a couple of Land Trust pics:
Toll Gate trail is like this the whole way down. AVOID! It would not be a bad climb up as it was thankfully not steep, but those shifting rocks, ugh! Go up this one and down Waterline is my suggestion. And look for my hat, I dropped it. :(
hat
This week, we have tentative lake plans. Next week, I am hoping to get in some backpacking with the kids. We have picked a 40 mile trail that stays pretty near water the whole way. There's a waterfall with a swimming hole on a 2.6 mile spur trail, too. If we feel like adding 5 miles to the trip, we may just add another day and do that, too. It's raining like mad in that area this week, so I am hopeful for good water levels. The water it follows is dammed, so I know that at least will have good flow. I don't mind the heat so much if I can float around at some point!
