Hi all:

On Thursday night I went out to dinner with a friend and then we enjoyed the Moth storytelling show at the State Theater. Three quarters of the way through, I started feeling nauseous. Surreptitiously, I unbuttoned my jeans, breathed deeply, but the nausea lingered. After the show, I hustled home with terrible memories of the recent norovirus that floored me for almost a week. I will spare you details, but it was not the norovirus (thank god), but I think it was food poisoning. Anyway, I tell you this not because you care a whit about me laid out on the bathroom floor, but because of what I was supposed to do at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning. My friend Deke had invited me to join a group bike ride from Portland to Yarmouth and back again. Aside from LAC rides, I’ve never biked with a large group and I was nervous. I knew I could bike the distance and I thought that I could probably keep up, but doing something with strangers is scary! (I don’t use exclamation points lightly.) I did want to go and enjoy the cycling, the camaraderie, and the challenge. But a small piece of me said, it would be so much easier if you backed out – you could ride alone OR you could sleep in. I pushed that tempting, but unhelpful whisper out of my mind and committed to showing up at 8:00 a.m. ready to ride. When I really did have to cancel at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning, I was hugely disappointed, which was great info for me to have. The thrill of anticipated achievement was way more enticing than the lure of my bed. I’ll always try and be brave enough to choose the scary option. (Side note, have good friends who are great cheerleaders and help influence that decision.)

Upcoming Community (not all LAC) Adventures – These are not LAC adventures (except for the ones that say, “LAC”). These are adventures we’re sharing that are put-on by other orgs. If you have ideas for the calendar or want to organize an LAC community adventure, please send me a note.

Maine

🌿 April-November: AMC Trail Work opportunities
🌿 June 15: Portland Park Conservancy Riverton Trolley Park Historical Walk
🌿 June 15: Kennebec Estuary Land Trust Trail Building 101
🌿 June 19-21: Maine Audubon’s Creating Like A Mountain: Deepening your creative connection with the Maine Woods
🌿 June 20: Maine Audubon Book Club: Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Shape Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
☀️ June 21: Libby Hill Longest Day 5K
☀️ June 24: Rumford Gravel Bike Race
☀️ June 24/25: Queer Intro to Whitewater with Packraft Maine & Kindling Collective
☀️ July 1: Lakes Environmental Association, Paddle Battle
☀️ July 5: Two Maine Mermaids Full Moon Dip
☀️ July 14/15: Lewiston/Auburn Riverfest
☀️ July 16: LAC Camp Cooking
☀️ July 22: Maine Summer Adventure Race

Happy adventuring,