Life has been plenty busy here in Craftsbury since returning at the end of April. There are gardens plots to prepare and plant, compost sheds to build, and BKL kids to coach. And, of course, plenty of training! Here are a few photos showing what I’ve been up to the last couple weeks.
Hug that post.
Lauren vs. 6'8'' rower.
Need a nail? Just ask Satchel.
Compost shed. Sponsored by Swix wax.
Ani taking aim under the watchful eyes of Mike.
Ethan helping Patrick at the range yesterday.
The first round of planting in the new plot behind the office.
Pepa brought Chelsea and I down to Elmore State Park for a run/hike workout this morning. Our goal was to scope out a potential up-hill running time trial location for the NENSA REG camp that Craftsbury is hosting in June. The road heading up the mountain will be perfect for the time trial, which will end at the remains of an old cabin situated near a little overlook. After the cabin you can keep heading up a short but very steep section of trail and climb the fire tower. It was hot and humid today, but even with a bit of haze the views from the fire tower were wicked good. We had more time to go for our workout so we went down a trail to the “Balancing Rock” and explored the Catamount Trail for a bit. It’s a beautiful spot that we’ll definitely be coming back too. Plus, it’s great to jump in the lake at the end of a long hot run!
Chels at the top of the fire tower on Mt. Elmore.
The boys are in Bend, Oregon skiing on snow right now but my big trip of the summer will be a lot closer to home. Starting next Tuesday (June 1) I will be hiking the Appalachian Trail from Katahdin to Caratunk in Maine. It’s 152 miles and includes the “100 Mile Wilderness,” which is generally considered the most remote section of the AT because it doesn’t cross a paved road for 100 miles. I’m doing the trip with my friend Bob, who was a couple years older than me at Gould. Hiking this section of the AT has been on my life list for a long time and I’m really happy that I have a friend crazy enough to do it with me! I’m also grateful that Pepa is okay with the trip. Bob’s hometown is Caratunk (population 40) so it will be cool to walk right over to his Dad’s house at the end of the trek. We’re hoping to average 15 miles a day, with maybe a day of rest (and fly fishing) somewhere in the middle. It will certainly be an adventure and I can’t wait to get started. Undoubtedly, I will bring plenty of stories and photos home with me…if I don’t get carried off by black flies along the way.
The AT in Maine. We're starting at the far northern end with Katahdin and ending at Caratunk on Rte. 201.
