Winter dull drums
Last winter was fantastic. There was so much snow that I went snowshoeing almost every weekend. This winter? I've been snowshoeing all of once and cross country skiing once as well. Needless to say there haven't been many outdoor adventure posts lately because outdoor adventures have been few and far between. [image error]
In mid-January, I did get to use my winter hiking boots and crampons again on a repeat hike of Day Mountain, The Triads, and Pemetic. The ice up the east cliffs of Pemetic was particularly interesting. The summit itself was a patchwork of glazed snow and ice mixed with bare rock. It was great fun and took the better part of a day as we added on a hike along the Eagle lake to reach the car. We only lost the trail coming down off of Pementic about five times. I was dead tired by the time we reached Eagle lake, but the sunset was beautiful.
A few weeks later, we undertook the first Jax hiking/adventure club cross country ski outing by circling Eagle lake. It was a little under 6 miles and took about 3 hours to accomplish. The snow was excellent and the trail recently groomed. The next day it rained.
That's the trade-off of living along the coast. The mild summers are heavenly. The lukewarm winters are just a tease. We've been getting a little bit of winter cold, but without the snow there isn't much going on outside except walking.
And so I've fallen into the winter dull drums. The gym has been my venue for exercise, but even that gets a little boring. Fortunately, I just received my latest issue of Shape magazine with a new workout of the month to try. Tomorrow I'm off to Orono to try out the climbing gym at the University of Maine. The hours of operation aren't the most convenient, but I am itching to climb.
As for writing, I've gone little. There are a few stories I need to finish and countless ones I want to write. I'm just trying not to stress about it. I've got a long way to go before I get published again. It makes me cherish the opportunities I have had. But I want to be better and that takes time and practice.
