Tag: Camping

Looking Up

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This weekend was a kaleidoscope of soft snow, roaring wood stoves, homemade food (cooked by someone else!), big hugs, sweaty mittens, unbeatable views, and the happiest of happy hours.

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It felt as if we had gone through the closet doors and found ourselves somewhere near the lamp post in the Narnian woods.

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The joy of being outside, with people you love, in a place far less touched by the 21st century does something to you- no cell reception meant there was no thinking about responding to emails, checking Instagram, or texting back a friend. I was free, breathing in and out nothing but gratitude.

 

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As two young twenty somethings (one still in grad school), we live on a tight budget, and often say no to expenses that fall outside of our needs. But trips like this are a need– a few times a year, we budget for experiences that break us out of our ruts and help us to look up, above the tree line. The views up here make me want to hold on to this perspective for dear life.

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I hope wherever you are this winter, you have the chance to go somewhere that lets you slow down and reflect…preferably somewhere with a piping hot, enormous slice of homemade gingerbread.

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Magic Apple

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We’re about 3,500 feet up and my head is spinning. My heart is pounding everywhere except in my chest- in my ears, in my temples, in my feet, and OH MY GOD my quads are on FIRE. I’m out of breath, and hating myself for not being in better shape. For not being able to propel myself up this mountain as fast as the rest of the group. The self-doubt comes rushing in and I lean up against a tree, wheezing. And then, Trevor hands me an apple.

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It was a magic apple. Bright red and small. Sugary but not too sweet, juicy and crunchy and purely satisfying. It lifted me out of my own head and put the pleasure back into hiking. The last 1,589 feet weren’t easy, but they were far from torturous. My thoughts changed from shit-talking my abilities to positive reinforcements of my own strength. We summated Mt. Lincoln, all 5,089 feet, in an hour and a half.

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One of my very favorite parts about hiking, aside from the spectacular views and the sense of invincibility, is that food takes on a whole new meaning. Whether it’s a handful of trail mix or an apple on the way up, a hummus-cheese-and pickles sandwich at the top, or even downing the last drops of your water bottle, you can taste with every bite or swallow new strength coming into your body.  You can almost feel every glorious calorie finding its way to the parts of your body that need the most repair.

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It made me think about all the meals I have when my body isn’t being heavily strained. “Food as fuel”- the notion that we should eat solely to keep our strength up- has never been a motivating concept for me before. I believe food has purposes far greater than simply caloric intake. Food brings friends and family together, it can connect you with the seasons and to your community, it can bring back memories of wonderful times and people, or food can be just be simply fun.

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But there’s nothing like a long hike to help you take stock of how much food for fun vs. food for fuel you’ve been enjoying recently. Last weekend’s hike helped me to re-evaluate my diet. I noticed that my portions have been a little large lately, and that there really isn’t a need to snack between meals unless you have a workout you’re prepping for, or unless you’re really, really hungry.

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And if you are really, really hungry- eat an apple.

Katahdin-bound

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This weekend, Trevor and I celebrated our first anniversary. Thanks to the generosity of a wonderful friend, we stayed in a log cabin on Lake Millinocket, just a short canoe paddle away from breathtaking views of Mt. Katahdin.

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I’ve been visiting this northern Maine mountain every summer for as long as I can remember. It’s my spiritual touchpoint- a place that clarifies what’s worth pursuing, and what I should stop worrying about.

Trevor hiked Katahdin a number of times as a boy scout growing up, which somehow makes it an even more hauntingly beautiful place. A mountain we were both climbing long before we knew the other existed, or would come to be the one.

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This weekend we let ourselves dream without reservations. About getting Rosewood on its feet, about Sri Lanka next summer, about tiny houses, about the many touchstones and anniversaries we’ll celebrate down the road. In between dreams, we made pasta from scratch…

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…and drank endless mugs of cocoa, and read an entire book…

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…and played cards on springy sunlit moss…

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tesscards…and went on many wonderfully lazy canoe trips, searching for moose who didn’t want to be found.

canoeHere’s to many more anniversaries, and to remembering the lessons of Katahdin: chase what matters, let go of the rest.

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Gratitude Attitude: List 2

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This week was a lunar eclipse- I think it was called a blood moon? I don’t really follow astrology, but sometimes I can’t help buying into it just a little. There were warnings that this week might be more chaotic and confusing as a result. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on that, but if your week did feel a little of whack (like ours did), chalk it up to mars being in retrograde and make a list of everything that was good, big or small.

Trevor:

  • I’m so grateful that four years ago today I asked Tess to be my girlfriend. It was the capitol of Vietnam’s millennial anniversary. There were millions of people in the streets outside our dorm, fireworks going off all around us. I knew it was the start of something special.

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  • We’re spending our wedding anniversary weekend up near Mt. Katahdin- I’m so grateful for our buddy Paul’s generosity in letting us stay at his family’s cabin.
  • FALL BREAK. I’m 100% grateful for a long weekend and a break from grading papers and studying.

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Tess:

  • Despite the crazy price (our jaws are still on the floor) I’m extremely grateful to have our Subaru fixed up and safe again. I don’t have to worry about it breaking down on Trevor anymore.
  • I’m really grateful for my team at work- these two guys are extremely supportive, creative, and help me get through the tough stuff.

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  • I’m grateful to be back at the gym- it’s starting to get really dark when I get home, so the gym will start being my primary workout space again. As much as I’ll miss the outdoors, there’s something about the gym that makes me want to work a little harder. The quote on the wall says “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

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What were you grateful for this week?

Catching Peak

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This weekend, Trevor and I were fortunate enough to attend Maine Huts and Trails’ second annual Harvest at the Huts: a five course, sustainable, local meal served at Stratton Brook Hut. It’s a three mile hike up a hill with stunning views of Sugarloaf Mountain and the Bigelow Mountain range.

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We were utterly blown away.

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The guest chef, Jordan Rolleston, outdid himself. Every ingredient was brought up to the hut from a local Maine farm. No course was quite what we expected- the oysters were paired with a blueberry vinegar, the “salad” was made from pickled apples and squash, the rabbit dish was served with pine nut breadcrumbs.

Each course was paired with an exceptional wine. The 30 or so other guests there were warm and rugged (our two favorite qualities.) It was a weekend to remember, and repeat.

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Our favorite course was the lobster veloute- a rich and creamy soup studded with big chunks of Maine lobster and dotted with chive cream.

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Though the rabbit pappardelle and the honey cake dessert were close runners up.

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Our sommelier was knowledgable, attentive, and friendly. He’d come around with every course and tell us small info-bites about each wine and why it was chosen:  “It’s got a fresh ripe overtone with an undertone of butter,” “The perfect example of what a Sauvignon Blanc should be,” “It has a velvety smooth taste which pairs well with the velvety smooth rabbit.”

Our favorite description was, “If I had to characterize a Syrah, it would be a cowboy wearing a tuxedo!”

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We paired up with another newly wed couple, Ben and Petra, and deemed ourselves the kids table.

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We slept in bunks that night, waking several times to marvel at the stars. Trevor pointed out the Andromeda galaxy- a cluster of bright infinity.

The next morning we woke to coffee and blueberry pancakes with local syrup- and somehow managed to keep eating. We enjoyed a slow and easy hike back to our cars, stopping at every viewpoint we could find.

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Since we were right next to Sugarloaf, and becuase it was the Great Maine Outdoors weekend, we decided to indulge in a lift ride up Sugarloaf mountain on our way home to take in the views one more time.

On our way down the mountain, our lift guide told us, “You guys are lucky- you just caught peak this weekend.”

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We are indeed exceptionally lucky. My advice to all Mainers? Take some time this week and go someplace quiet where you can completely revel in this color explosion. There’s something about the energy in the woods this time of year that lets you be your best self- surrounded by nature, free from worry, and filled to the brim with gratitude and love.