Swim, Bike, Run, Read Weekend

Horseshoe Pond, Concord NH

What a great weekend! Swim – Bike – Run – Read.

Saturday:
Swim – I started Saturday with a 3,100 yard swim.

Bike – Then immediately went for a bike ride and decided to take a more scenic, never-been-on-this-road route. Hopkinton is just the next town over but I rode past an Army Corp of Engineer damRowell's Bridge Hopkinton NH and a covered bridge.

Run – Then once back at HQ I immediately ran; in pretty decent temperatures and cloud cover.

Then I finished reading Desperate Steps as part of my recovery.

Sunday:
I woke up sore! Sore! I knew I needed to run but I was completely enthralled reading Critical Hours.

It’s such a great book about recent Search and Rescues in the White Mountains. The author, Sandy Stott will be in Concord this week for an event. I can’t wait to see his talk.

Critical Hours

But eventually I knew I need to run, so I ran. This weekend was about new routes so I ran towards NHTI and took a few pictures along the way so I could rest from fatigue, sweat and just overall tiredness; it was hot and muggy as well.
Here is Horseshoe Pond. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a lily pad.

Horseshoe Pond, Concord NH

And a random tree with interesting things growing on them near the Heritage Trail by the NHTI boat launch. (no clue what the tree or thing was, I’m no botanist that’s for sure).

Foliage in Concord NH

Now as evening approaches on Sunday evening I chill out and read more Critical Hours.

And hang out with this pup:

Winnie Dog

Critical Hours, Search & Rescue themed reading

Critical Hours Search and Rescue in the White Mountains

Today I got the Gibson’s Bookstore newsletter and learned about a new search and rescue book, Critical Hours: Search and Rescue in the White Mountains by Sandy Stott and he is coming to the bookstore next week for an author event.  This book will be a perfect next-read after I finish Not Without Peril for this month’s themed reading about rescues in the White Mountains.

I did a bit of research and Sandy Stott is a teacher, editor and ultra runner. In one article he wrote he talks about how trail running is the new endurance event for people looking to push their limits so there are much more runners on hiking trails (and that they are rescued less). I’m looking forward to attending the event and buying his book.

I’m still reading Desperate Steps and it’s really good. The stories are so intriguing and at times I’m actually holding my breath waiting for the rescue teams to arrive. I can’t put it down even though my eyes want to close and go to sleep (I tend to read at night). Many of the stories brought me to tears when a hiker/climber dies. Mathew Potel Foundation. I admire the rescued hikers and the other survivors who let Peter Kick tell their stories in this book to educate others. I particularly like the detailed information about how each search was executed and communicated between each organization; it’s what I enjoyed so much about Ty Gagne’s book about Kate Matrosova. Interesting connection that I just learned: the article I reference in this post is written by Sandy Stott.

P.S.
Last week’s training (read: giggling from happiness from the number of hours and actually feel pretty darn good on Sunday night).

Mountain Rescue themed Month of Reading

Desperate Steps Peter Kick

I finished Where You’ll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova in two days. Matrosova’s story was so well told by Ty Gagne. As I read, I researched all the organizations and people. The SAR organizations are so interesting to read about. It was a sad story because she perished but every hiker/mountaineer should read this book and learn the lesson of doing research about a mountain region especially the weather; learn when to turn around. Here is a link to the NPR interview with the author,  a guide and a rescue organization.

It’s also inspired me to want to hike in the winter – and hire a guide. So I began researching guide services, which I’ve never done. But I never have been interested in hiking in the winter. What I really want to do is be comfortable in the mountains since my new life goal is to be a mountain runner.

A book that was listed in the bibliography is Desperate Steps,  Life, Death, and Choices Made in the Mountains of the Northeast by Peter W. Kick. The book is really interesting and the stories of rescues and (not) rescued are well told. These stories are educational about hiking in all terrain and conditions.

Up next after this is another book referenced in Gagne’s book, Not Without Peril.

Get It Done video

Get It Done

I watch this every morning:

I want to bolder, better stronger every single year.

Every single day you wake up, you’ve got to set new goals, new benchmarks – raise it higher and higher to make your dreams come true.

Take ownership of your mistakes, your shortfalls, your problems.

And then take owner of the solutions that will solve those problems.

#getinspired #reachyourgoals