On the trail, South & Middle Moat, NH

Hi all:

Last week I wrote that I’d follow up with you on my hike and yes, it was successful. I made it to the top (two summits, actually). There was foot pain, but as I know, the path to achievement is so often in one’s mind. The hike was not beyond me or my fitness ability, but dealing with the pain and discomfort was a chance for me to flex my mental fortitude. And yes, steeling myself for some discomfort and making it to the top was 100% worth it. The sun was out and the winds were ripping – standing at the top was invigorating and the views were spectacular.

Oh, and the adventure between the parking lot and the top made for a pretty good story. My 11-year old pup is a seasoned hiker with the hips of an older dog, but the drive and determination of my two-year old puppy. She’s mostly great on hikes (except when lunch comes out and then she’s pretty awful), stays by my side and comes when called. But when I heard her crazily barking, I knew we had a problem. The only time she barks like that is when she wants to tangle with a porcupine. And yes, she was losing her mind over a very cute porcupine at the base of a pine tree. Unfortunately, the path for me to catch and leash her was a slippery one over exposed ledge. I carefully walked over, yelling her name, but in those moments her brain turns off and her attention is 100% single-mindedly on that very prickly adversary. Kate made her way over for the assist and thank goodness the two of us were able to leash Alfredo (the two-year old pup who was sure something exciting was happening, but wasn’t sure what exactly) and the porcupine-crazed Fannie. See, it’s a fun story although if I had had to hike down with a dog full of quills and then make my way to the emergency vet for general anaesthesia and quill extraction, that would have been significantly less fun in the retelling.

Along this theme, I listened to a podcast today from Radiolab about lengthening our relationship with time. You can listen to it here, but one line that I loved was about looking at some life moments as Ctrl+ S (or Control Save). Finding Control Save moments in life is a gift. I’m going to write more about this soon.

Here’s the porcupine and a Ctrl+ S moment:

photo by Kate

Reading your replies to my email last week was helpful and made me feel less alone. What I know is that many of us are grappling with the aging body issue and we may have different ways of dealing with the reality of it, but we’re in a very similar boat.

Try this hike (South and Middle Moats) if you’re looking for amazing 360º views without crazy elevation gain. You can also hike all three peaks (we did two) and leave a car at both ends for a hike that’s not out and back (Moat Mountain Traverse).

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

🍁 November 27: Two Maine Mermaids, Full Moon Dip
🍁 November 27: Pineland Farms Full Moon Hike
🍁 November 28: Introductory Fly Tying with Maine IF&W
🍁 December 2: Millinocket Marathon & Half
🍁 December 2: Maine Audubon Seed Sowing Workshop
🍁 December 7: Maine Audubon Bird Walk
❄️ December 7: LAC Strength Training Class (add your name to the wait list here)
❄️ December 14: Maine Outdoor Film Fest, Snow Day Dreams
❄️ January 1: Lobster Dip for Special Olympics Maine
❄️ January 11: LAC Strength Training Class (add your name to the wait list here)

Happy adventuring,