Summer Update

The thing about a blog is that it's a nice digital logbook. Little snippets of places, experiences, and thoughts that I felt were worth sharing. I haven't been keeping up with posting here lately and that's due to a number of things: lack of inspiration, ideas, and time. I've been climbing a lot and I have visited the Red three times in a span of a month. But on each of these, I didn't even bring my camera. Besides not wanting to lug around 5-7 extra pounds of equipment that is easily broken, I just haven't felt the desire to be the "documenter" of these trips. I want to be along for the ride and just enjoy it without  feeling........somewhat disconnected from everyone else. When I take a lot of photos on trips, it sometimes feels like I'm on the job instead of being on vacation.

At the same time, I do regret not having some quality photo memories of these little weekend escapes. Maybe next time I'll bring my gear and just take a few snaps to look back on, but for now. Here are a few iPhone grabs to show you where I've been in the past few months.

48 Hours in New Hampshire

I have a tendency to look at flights when I’m bored or maybe just feeling extra wanderlust-y. Just making up fake trips that I know I can’t actually go on but it technically could be possible makes me feel less stuck. Well, I was looking up flights to Boston to visit Annie again and I realized I had enough travel credits for a free round trip flight. Hello mini vacation!

The first weekend in May I flew out to meet up with my cousin in Boston and then drive up to New Hampshire to explore White Mountain National Forest and stay in a perfect A Frame airbnb. We didn’t have a lot of time - I got in at 12am on Friday morning and left at 7am Sunday morning - but we made the most of every minute.

Here’s our basic itinerary and you can follow along with the photo gallery below!

Friday:

• Breakfast

• Drive to NH

• Stop in Conway

• Check out the outlet stores because VACATION and LLBEAN and also it was raining

• Veggie burgers

• Check into the airbnb

• Find a tiny hike up the Foss Mountain Trail

• Get freaked out by “BEWARE OF TICK” signs everywhere

• Get caught in the rain

• Enjoy dusk on basically a private beach

• Practice headstands and relax in the cabin

Saturday:

• Find breakfast and coffee

• Hike up Moat Mountain

• Struggle

• Take in the most gorgeous panoramic views and take too many photos

• Find lunch and more coffee

• Took a scenic drive on the Kancamagus Highway

• Stopped at Lower Falls scenic walk a small trail and view the river and falls

• Drive back to Boston

Sunday:

• Uber to airport and fly home

So much packed into barely 48 hours.

New Hampshire isn’t a state I ever thought of visiting before this year, but I am definitely going to go back when I have more time. I’m quickly falling in love with all the East coast has to offer!

Failing is Good for You

A few quick thoughts on failure after a weekend of climbing in Tennessee and not necessary succeeding. These are mostly applicable to my situation of being shut down over and over while leading a 5.9 named L.A.G., but maybe these thoughts can work in general life as well.

1. Failing puts your ego in check. You aren’t as amazing as you think you are. Get your brain back down on the same plane as everyone else. Have confidence in your abilities, but don’t think you’re the most talented person in the room.

2. It means you tried! Most likely, it also means you tried something difficult and or scary. Even if you didn’t nail it, you pushed yourself outside your comfort zone.

3. You’ll do better next time. Even if you don’t finish, you’re progressing forward with each piece you put together.

4. You probably learned something. Maybe how to do better and also have a better attitude next time.

5. Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new - Albert Einstein

A Weekend With Strong Women

In January, Melissa, Paige and I took a weekend trip to Eastern Tennessee to stay at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park’s rustic cabins, get off the grid, have some bonding time, and hike out some stress.

These cabins are nearly a hundred years old and were built during the great depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. They aren’t bare bones by any means, but there is no cell signal and no wifi and it was perfect. Sometimes you just need to get away from regular life and spend quality time with people you love.

I’m not going to go into detail about every aspect of this trip, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves, but, we got to eat pancakes, dance by a fire, get absolutely frustrated during a game of UNO that wouldn't end, walk on frozen lakes, lick massive icicles, explore a giant cave filled with sand, hike up rock formations, pet cute dogs, drink all the coffee, and best of all, had plenty of wonderful conversation with two incredibly strong women. It's honestly hard for me to make friends with ladies. Many of them annoy me (okay, actually that's just most people in general), some  just have personalities that stress me out, and a lot of them actually intimidate me. So for me, it's truly special when I can connect deeply with some ladies that share my same morals, interests, and some of the same goals. Because of that, I'm able to truly be myself and feel at ease just spending time talking, listening, laughing, and growing.

Make time to get away and enjoy the company of your friends, those memories are the ones you’ll hang onto the longest.