Thump, thump, thump went my feet, pounding on the packed dirt trail. The rythmic sound, masked by the matching pounding of my heart in my ears, and my screaming legs telling me to stop.

Crash, swish, crash went the spider filled branches as they hit my face, leaving silky threads in my hair.  My arms itch, my ankle hurts, and my puppydog is tired.

Why am I doing this again?

CAUSE IT'S AWESOME!!!

On July 11th George, Patrick, Butter and I drove down to Roanoke VA to race in The Gear Junkie Treasure Hunt. I'd never done an adventure race before. This two hour treasure hunt covered Explorer Park with colored flags, fancy card punches, and exhausted racers. Participants were given a start time and a map. Navigating through the woods from point to point, we gathered points by punching our cards and attempting to return to the finish line within the two hour time period. We were 6 minutes late.

George did a fantastic job navigating through the woods, taking the most direct - if not difficult - route from station to station.

Butter was a trooper too. At the beginning she was pulling me up hills. By the end I was pulling HER around. At one point we stopped beside the river to let her cool off, and as we walked on the tiny beach a kaleidoscope of butterflies surrounded us and took skyward. I've never seen anything like it.

Between two hours of running and the thrill of spending it in the woods, the prizes at the end of the race were almost not needed. Almost. Butter got a new running leash, Patrick got a knife, and George walked away with a new pair of climbing shoes.

Overall, awesome day. Well worth the drive. It was hot, tiring, and slightly miserable. As George would say, type two fun - the kind you know your are having but it still sucks a little. Would go again in a heart beat!

It's finally up!

I've had the honor of writing a guest post for The Clymb's blog, and today it's up! The climbing series has been so much fun to read and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.

Aleya on

My 4th of July weekend began like any other: frantic house cleaning and food stuffs purchasing in prep for our annual 3rd of July party. What? Everyone is always busy on the 4th. Friends and strangers alike descend on bean dip, flag cake and "adult" watermelon, leaving us with enough cheap beer to last for the rest of the year.

This year I was happily joined by my best climbing buddies Katie, Dan, George and Patrick, and our new friend Phil - who all arrived early and made me feel like this was MY party after all.

After a night of corn hole and ladder ball (if you don't know what these games are, I will gladly explain them. I'll just need one of those cheap beers first,) we said goodbye to Katie and Dan and the rest of us set off for Seneca Rocks in West Virginia. Did I mention it was 93 degrees outside? Mmm, superheated trad climbing...

My most terrifying and life changing moments in climbing have been at Seneca. That beautiful fin of rock sits and taunts me to come near, and each time I do it shapes and changes my character.

We had no plan really, just to find an empty line and climb it. We chose the shady east face to start. George and I went off with John, a friend from DC and did three pitches of what we later discovered was a 5.9. A Seneca 5.9 is nothing to be trifled with, in fact, if I had known what it was before I started I wouldn't have even tried. But try I did, and after a hanging belay-threesome (awkward) and a roof, I found myself at the third pitch.

I'm not sure what it is about pitch number three. Pitch one is defined by hope and energy. Pitch two, by an attitude of perseverance. By pitch three it seems I need to be coached and told I'm not going to die at regular intervals. Whatever it is, I need to find a way to deal with it. The third pitch was another, slightly easier route, but it involved an odd dihedral and a pine tree. I couldn't handle both of those problems and a 150 foot drop at the same time. I deep-breathed my way around the tree, demanded a redirect at the dihedral, and pumped my arms out trying to get on to the last ledge.

Anxiety had won that round, and it wasn't pretty.

That night we were treated to the first meal produced by George's new dutch oven: Cubed chicken in an onion soup mix/french dressing/pineapple preserves and beer sauce, served with egg noodles. (Mix well and set on coals for an hour.) ((Longest hour of my life.)) We lay back in the grass to watch the stars as fireworks back lit the camp ground. I've never seen the sky that black. The milky way sat blurry on the horizon, the shadow of my nemesis in the foreground.

God I love this place...

Monday woke us bright and balmy. Knowing the fires of hell, er summer, were on their way we got an early start and headed to the west face. After sweating blood on the stairmaster we set up on Con's West. This is a nifty little route that finishes on the summit ledge, making it easy to top out and rapp off on two ropes.

Patrick and Phill went first making good time. George led next and I followed, grunting a swearing at his expert gear placement. (Read: Impossible to remove.) Every so often I'd hear Patrick yell "WHoooo!" or "Expooooosuree!" and I'd pause and wonder if I could make it. The first pitch is a piece of cake. The second starts in an awkward corner and heads up to an even more awkward flake/chimney.

It took a bit, but I got it. I silently thanked God that no one was around to see me flopping around like a fish. It was at the top of that pitch that I felt the fatigue set in and the anxiety creep up. I wasn't even sure if I could make it off the belay ledge, let alone clean the anchor and gear.

The last pitch started with a "fun" layback crack and ended with some vertical fin shaped things. I banged my knee pretty solidly, but I made it up. Again, with some coaching, but I made it.

It strikes me as odd how much I love following trad climbing, but how reliably I seem to hit this roof. I'm reliving the feelings now as I type, and I'm still not sure what I can do in the future to fix things. I often find myself back on that third pitch. The place where I'm questioning my ability, exhausted, and in need of encouragement. Am I alone there? I've felt like that in work and my personal life as well as climbing. How do you muster the guts to keep going?

I'd gladly take suggestions by the way.

We sat around on the summit for a while before rapping off of Traffic Jam Notch. After going down (still awful) the stairmaster we decided pizza was in order - obviously. I fell asleep in the car 15 minutes later.

Another long weekend spent well with friends.

"I came home tonight, stepped out of my car and walked to the front
door when a strange light caused me to turn around. I didn't see what
it was but it did cause me to look up. For an instant my heart
stopped. The night sky was alive with the light of an endless sea of
tiny jewels flickering their light years of history down towards my
frozen gaze. At first I felt like some fortuitous fool who had
stumbled upon this hidden beauty no one had ever set eyes on before.
Then I laughed to myself thinking about the countless idiots who must
have shared that thought over the ages. I lied down on the warm cement
driveway and marveled for hours as my mind burned with curiosity.
These are the same celestial performers who have been playing out this
wonderful twilight act for an eternity to a constantly changing
audience. Each spectator attempting to divine their own allusions and
prophesy while the truth is the stars bear no interest in any of our
answers, riddles, or interpretations. They just are. Beautiful,
selfless and whatever meaning we need them to be.

A lucky fool am I."

(c) Arnoud Moes 2010

This is a delayed trip report from my spring adventure to Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park, WV.

I hiked with George (@privong), Katie (@k8tlevy) and Dan (@kakistocrat) after camping at the Big Meadows Campground on Saturday evening. The drive to the campground was beautiful. Skyline Drive is a twisty, windy, scenic road of goodness. Nearly every turn has a breathtaking view as you slowly increase your altitude through the park. Coming from the DC area where the temperatures were cresting 80, throwing a jacket into my pack was an after thought. For the rest of the group who forgot warm clothes it turned out to be a very sorely missed thought. That night temperatures plummeted into the 30's, making waking up and leaving the warm tent/sleeping bag incredibly hard.

We began our hike around 8am. Our main concern was that the parking lot would fill up before we arrived. Fortunately there was plenty of space. Our park entry pass from camping the night before counted as entry to the mountain. The cool temperatures proved to be ideal for what turned out to be a strenuous hike. The first section is composed of wooded switchbacks, sun-dappled clearings and one below-altitude camp site. The real fun begins once you begin to clear the tree line. At this point I stopped thinking about the weight of the pack, or the burn in my legs, and the hike became an adventure. Rocky overlooks gave us our first views of the valley. The path turned into a scramble as blue blazes became our only guide. At one point I remember thinking "You want me to go where??" I never would have found the path were it not for the markers.

From natural rock staircases, to butt stems, to wildflowers (which we appreciated) to butterflies and windswept boulders, this is by far my favorite hike. Navigating the outcroppings and standing on the edge of such an amazing landscape made me feel like an explorer. The 10 mile trip took us 6 hours to complete, gaining 2,600 feet in elevation. We opted for the long (boring) fire road descent. While easier, next time I'll lose the pack and go back down the way I came.

Name: Old Rag
Location: Shenandoah National Park, Va
Length: 10 miles
Time: 6 hours
Elevation Gain: 2,600 ft
Difficulty: Strenuous
Rating: 5 Stars (out of 5 of course!)

This month I've been more of the proposal writing, stressed out traveling introspective girl instead.

No more though. Time for more goal setting. (Please click here and play in the background to get the full effect)

I started this year with a fresh goal: My Everest - to conquer my fear of heights and to not let it stop me from going on any adventures. I'm happy to report that I've taken my first intentional (first ever actually) lead fall. It was the scariest moment in my short life - it took 15 full minutes for me to let go the first time - but I did it. And then I did it again, and again. It was a major first step in conquering my fear. The next step will be to fall from a step higher above the bolt, and so on. I refuse to quit on this. It may take me a long time, but I will climb with a clear head. My first goal, to achieve this summer is -

1. To sport climb outside. (And live through it, maybe even like it - but that might be asking too much.)

So much of my problem has been in getting my head to cooperate with my heart. I'm a closet free spirit, a hippie in a business suit, a dancer in boots. I over think and over plan, focusing on the destination rather than the journey. I want to climb, but I think about the consequences and worst case scenarios rather than the rewards and the process. So,

Goal 2 is: To enjoy the ride more. To plan, but not let it stop me, physically or mentally, from doing anything.

I think I'm finally realizing that proficiency doesn't come after one or two tries, it comes after 100, or 200 attempts. I rediscovered a song from highschool last week that said:

"I'm not afraid to fall, it means I climbed up high. To fall is not to fail. You fail when you don't try."

I haven't been trying for fear of failing. No more.

And finally Goal 3: Train for my long term goal of a Summit for Someone climb. I have a whole year to prepare after all. Why not get ahead of the game? I also hiked Old Rag in WVa with a loaded pack, a good kick start to my summer of training. (Post and video to come)

I found a great resource here: Steps to the Summit They've been a big encouragement, especially knowing that I'm not alone in the process, and that others have done the same.

So what are your summer goals? Think about what's holding you back, personally or professionally, and why. Don't wait for new years - start taking steps now.

Ready to fail,
Aleya

Two years ago on a grey, stormy in-service day at South Mountain Middle School in Allentown Pa, two teachers sat in a classroom and talked about their passions. One said they wanted to write childrens books, another said they loved designing curriculum and training teachers. When they left school that day they had formulated a plan to write together. They had no support, and no promise that it would amount to anything. They spent many nights in the basement toiling away, correcting words, searching for misconceptions, thinking through every possible scenario. They perfected their system through blood sweat and tears, all the while their belief that what they were creating was good carried them through.

Two years later, infront of a small crowd at the National Science Teachers Association in Philadelphia, they presented their book.

I am one of the teachers :)

I've had so many once in a lifetime moments this year, but this is one that I really feel like I own. Ali and I began the Think Scientifically project on our own, and through my new job at Goddard I was able to make it into a solid, funded, elementary education program. Our first published book is called "The Day Joshua Jumped Too Much." While it isn't the first story we wrote together, it is the first that we have seen through to completion. Two illustrators, edits, graphics, and typos - the road has been long and hard. But we started it, and we are finishing it. I can't express how good it feels.

While getting ready for our presentation at NSTA we kept saying to each other "It's really happening!" over and over... I can't believe it's really happening. Ali and I work so well together. We bring out the best in each other creatively. We have similar goals, and we understand the scope of this project like only founders can. I never dreamed it would get to this place. I hoped it would. I couldn't see this place from the beginning. It just goes to show the surprises life can throw at you. It's taught me never to stop pushing, and to dream harder and bigger.

Dream harder and bigger.

"Shoot for the moon, cause if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

A few thoughts have been rattling around in my brain and I thought I'd dump them out here before they get too mixed up.

While I have no idea where I will be in 5 years, I know what I love. I love teaching, I love the outdoors, I love kids, and I thrive where I can be creative. I also love not being told what to do, but that's another story.

A coworker at the gym and I had a quick discussion one night about the fact that urban gyms are so... vanilla, for lack of a better word. A lot of it has to do with the cost associated with the sport - I was told point blank I couldn't get involved when I was younger due to how expensive gear is. You typically see a lot of middle/upper class suburban kids climbing after school, then waiting for their parents to come pick them up in their Lexus SUV. Hooray for the adventure lifestyle.

His idea to help bring in some diversity was to run an after school mentoring type program for at risk kids in the city. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. We could partner with schools or afterschool organizations, invite kids through teacher nominations, provide gear, climb twice a week, expose them to indoor and outdoor climbing, maintain a one to one student/mentor ratio, and give them the opportunity to grow their confidence in an unusual way for their demographic. For students who make it all year, they keep their gear with the hopes of continuing in the sport.

There is also potential to spread it to summer programs like BCM where we take the same students out of the city and let them discover the world as it should be. After hooking @Adventuregrrl and @Vkearns on the idea, I did a little research and can't find anything quite like BCM out here on the east coast, so maybe there is a niche to fill. It's doable, right?

I'm not talking about doing everything at once, but I am proposing to dream without limits. What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? If we aim high, whose to say we won't get it? It's better than not aiming there at all. I'm no good with paperwork and legal stuff, so we'd need a lawyer on board. We'd also need someone with a gift for solicitation, and someone who loves to administer. As long as I could teach I'd be happy.

I'd love your input. Is this worth pursuing? Do you have any experience we can learn from? Please, please share!

I just want to say a big thank you to Cathy and the people at Champion. The box was unnecessary, thoughtfully put together, perfectly fitting, and made my whole day. :) It will all be heavily used and will make a huge difference in getting me prepared (especially the running shorts! I have no excuse now... *sigh*) I love everything. I can't express how much you've empowered me, and how inspired I am to pass it on.

So thank you thank you thank you!

Yours,
Aleya