Hostess with the Mostest

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I heard this story on NPR about Hostess shutting down due to an ongoing national strike. What?! And we all thought Twinkies would, quite literally, be around forever.

Later, I found myself recalling fond Hostess memories with a friend. My mom used pack pink Sno Balls in my lunch as a special treat on field trip days. It truly added to the excitement of getting to be away from school to visit some cool museum or historical site, and even as an adult, I associate Sno Balls with school field trips. I used to eat the outer coconut-covered marshmallow part first, then the creme-filled brownie.

When I went to week-long swim camp as a kid, my friend Sarah and I would bring a box of Ho-Hos and save them until mid-week (always Wednesday night), and then we would gorge and eat the entire box at once.

Perhaps it will be better for America's health if Twinkies and Wonderbread are off the shelves. But.....what will we do when the zombies come?!

I would love for friends and family to share their Hostess memories in the comments..... :)

Release

It's amazing how easy endurance workouts are when you have a lot on your mind. I have come to rely on some of my favorite activities - particularly running, swimming, and yoga - when I feel life's stresses beginning to close in.

Time and time again, I have found clarity while running, especially on wooded trails. Having that moment of realization that yes, everything will actually be OK, literally leaves both my mind and body feeling weightless and free. In those times, I find myself running faster with more energy and a huge smile stretching across my face. It is a feeling of true bliss.

I always seem to find peace of mind in Shevlin Park.

A couple days ago, my mind was feeling heavy, and I was trying to sort out my thoughts by writing a letter. I found myself getting emotional, confused, and overwhelmed. So, I shut down my laptop and headed for the pool. The 50 meter pool was open, which always makes me happy, possibly because I can stretch out without having to do so many flip turns. I jumped in and just started counting my 100s, and before I knew it, I swam for 2,100 meters and 30 minutes straight. I wasn't even tired. I just took a break because I was thirsty, and then I kept on going.

I don't think my life is particularly stressful. Of course I have problems and obstacles and challenges, just like anyone else. For the past several months, my life has been in a constant state of flux, and I have felt less grounded than I ever have before. However, even this, I have learned to accept. I know that eventually I will find solid ground again, and for the time being, it's okay to let go and "go with the flow."

As we are reminded in yoga practice, everything we know is based on our past experience. Therefore, it is common for fears to rise up when we encounter something unfamiliar, whether it is going into a headstand or being unemployed, crashing on your cousin's air mattress, and ending a relationship. The gut instinct often tells us to retreat, as quickly as possible, back into familiar patterns and territory. But that doesn't create growth. Growth occurs when we dig in and push through our fear, trusting ourselves, and trusting that everything is going to be okay. 

I am so grateful to my mind and body for being able to find release and clarity in exercise. I think that when I push my body, these matters weighing on my mind rise up and must be released just like any other energy. Sometimes it's painful - I have found myself in tears mid-run. But, you know what? If you can do a 10 mile run and cry for the first 5 miles, then you're going to be tougher after that. I certainly felt a lot stronger, physically and emotionally, after that release. 

My pink Vibrams after a muddy trail run.

Of course, I don't always find clear answers to all my problems just by going for a run or a swim. Problem solving is not so simple. What I have found, however, is that often the answers are already there in your heart, and if you run, bike, swim, etc....hard enough to make your brain stop its never-ending dialogue (or diatribe), then you can hear the voice coming from your heart. That's when you know it's all going to be okay.

Summer Solstice

My Dad instilled in me years ago a tradition of spending every possible waking moment of the summer solstice outdoors. I am so grateful for this, along with many other values he has taught me. Yesterday, I had a goal of "boycotting the indoors," by literally not going inside between sunup and sundown. I did not achieve my goal, but I had a perfect day nonetheless, and I wanted to share my experiences.

4:15am: Jenny's alarm went off. Jenny and Dee and I were all sleeping in Dee's gigantic bed. I am middle spoon because it seems that I sleep flat on my back and do not move during the night. I believe Dee and Jenny each gave some sort of groan in response to the alarm. I should also mention here that we had stayed up until 1am the night before, talking until our eyes would no longer stay open. Somehow, for me, my excitement level at 4:15am was about the same as on Christmas morning, so I hopped out of bed and started getting ready. I went outside to get some warm layers from my car, and the still, quiet, grayness of first light brought back memories of biking in the mornings with my dad in Pennsylvania. In my memory, I heard the snap of bike cleats clipping into pedals and the whir of wheels spinning on an empty road.

4:42am: Dee and Jenny both rallied and we sat in the kitchen while Dee made us some coffee for the road. Dee had offered to take Jenny and me to a special rock that has a 360 degree view of the mountains and Central Oregon. It consisted of a short drive and a 1-2 mile hike. We knew sun would rise at 5:22am.

5:08am: We chugged our coffee on the short drive to the trail and hopped out of the car knowing that we were pressed to make it to the viewpoint in time to catch the sun. Dee, in the lead, took off running. Reluctantly, I followed suit, and Jenny followed behind me. The coffee and lack of sleep were battling to dominate my motivation.

5:22am: We made it to the overlook just in the nick of time. My glasses were fogged up, but I could see the orange stripe on the horizon without them. Fortunately, I cooled down enough to put them back on as the sun rose in the east precisely on schedule. We cheered the sun, snapped photos of the pink mountains, laughed, and shifted some loose boulders (yikes!).

6:30am: Once we got too cold, he hiked back to the car. We drove through various parking lots along Whychus Creek looking for our friend Corey, who we thought might be camped out in the area. We stopped at Ray's for some blueberries to make blueberry pancakes, but the computers were down at the checkout stations, so the manager gave us the blueberries for free! Then we stopped at Sisters Bakery to indulge in some fresh pastries. YUM!

9:11am: After working on my apple fritter until I couldn't eat another bite, I warmed up in Dee's hot tub and then took a nap. The 3 hours of sleep and coffee/sugar combo was just not working for me. Jenny also crawled into her new sleeping bag on Dee's living room floor and passed out for a bit. 

9:56am: We woke up feeling refreshed and set out on mountain bikes with a map of Peterson's Ridge, sunscreen, and plenty of snacks and water. Dee and her son Zane headed off for Hood River in search of some rocks to climb. 

3:00pm: Jenny and I returned to Dee's house with tired legs and sore sit-bones. We had a superb, bluebird day on the trail and look forward to heading back there in our running gear!


4:30pm: Jenny had been planning on a 2-hour yoga class for the solstice (108 sun salutations) and I had a softball game at 5:30, but sitting outside with our books was feeling very tempting. However, we both decided to rally back to Bend, and we were glad we did it. Jenny had a powerful class that raised money for a great cause. My softball team, the Masterbatters, dominated our opponent 24-2. 


8:00pm: Jenny and I reunited at the base of Pilot Butte for one last hike for the day. We wanted to catch the sun set from the top of the butte at 8:53pm. Our legs were feeling fatigued, but our spirits were high. We watched the sky shift through shades of hot pink and orange behind Mt. Washington. It was beautiful, and we enjoyed seeing the sun and the mountains from a different perspective than we had that morning. We talked about what a beautiful paradise Central Oregon is, and how grateful we are to be living here!


10:00pm: I returned to Travis and Kellie's, we exchanged our stories from the day, and then we all turned in for the night. I slept so well, I am not even sure I had dreams. 


I am so grateful to have celebrated the solstice so fully, with such great people, and in such a wonderful place! I am feeling full of love, gratitude, and happiness! 


Here are a few photos from the sunrise, before I broke my camera:

Three Sisters at sunrise

Mt. Jefferson peeking out from behind Black Butte

Tam McArthur Rim and Broken Top

Here comes the sun/do-do do-do

Cleanse

Lately, I've been focusing my time and energy on taking care of myself and surrounding myself with good friends. I have been pursuing some job leads, including an interview....and then a second interview with a law firm in Bend. The reality of potentially returning to the nine-to-five world, and everything that working at a busy law firm entails, hit me like a swift kick in the gut. It's not a bad thing, but suddenly my freedom has significantly increased in value. So, I am savoring every second of it by spending my time outdoors, going to yoga, and checking things off my "I want to go explore this" list. Life is short.


Two weeks ago, at an inversion workshop at the local yoga studio, I tweaked a muscle in the middle of my back while doing a tripod headstand with splits. Ouch! Luckily, my friend Jenny, who is a massage therapist, saw the pain cross my face and did a little work on it in the parking lot. It felt much better at the time, but soon tightened up to the point that it hurt to do anything but lie flat on my back. Then Dee came to the rescue and spent 4 days with me out in the Steens Mountains and Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. Most of those 4 days were spent in various hot springs, though we took breaks to hike and look for wildflowers, sip wine, and cook delicious meals. It was a beautifully desolate land; it felt like we were on another planet, which was something we both needed at that moment. I found that when I was not sitting in a hot spring, I tended to be laying on my back staring at the sky, or laying on my stomach inspecting wildflowers. I returned to Bend feeling cleansed and refreshed, though my back was still sore.

Steens Mountains and Alvord Desert

The biggest, loveliest full moon I have ever seen.

wildflower near Hart Mtn.

 I continued on the cleansing theme with a 24-hour green juice cleanse. I made my own juice with Travis and Kellie's juicer, using romaine lettuce, chard, kale, fennel, ginger, lemon, pear, broccoli, cucumber, and celery. YUM! Although I had an active day of mountain biking and then climbing, I never felt hungry. I drank quite a bit of juice and felt that I could have kept going for a second day, but I was low on ingredients and my yogurt and cherries were speaking to me from the fridge the next morning. 

Ingredients.

My body was grateful, feeling light and energized. I continued spoiling myself with morning runs in Shevlin, midday swims in the sun at Juniper, and plenty of yoga and bike rides. I went to see Jenny at her office on Wednesday afternoon, where I dozed off and may had drooled a little as she worked out my back. I felt like I could do backflips after she was done! This feeling continued into Thursday, and I don't think I have ever felt so much like a fish in the pool. My back felt like liquid, and what was meant to be a short swim went for almost an hour nonstop.

I had been thinking that I would abstain from racing triathlons this year, mainly to save money, but also because I was getting such a late start on training. Recently, however, I have been having second thoughts ("one little triathlon wouldn't be so bad...."). I may end up signing up for the Deschutes Dash at the last minute, though my sights are truly set on ultra trail running and a full iron man in the next year or two.

Katy and me atop McKenzie Pass, one of my favorite rides in Oregon.

Things seem to be falling into place, for better or for worse. I have been valuing my "girls' nights," which usually involve Dee and Jenny, Dee's kitchen table, 2-5 dogs, and a bottle of wine or two. I have been spending most of my time in Bend at Travis and Kellie's, though I promise, Smith Rock, I haven't forgotten you....


Most of all, I have finally been learning to focus on the present moment and enjoy it to its fullest, by treating my body well, honoring myself, and showing gratitude. I will need this lesson when I re-enter the working world, whenever that may be.

Spinning Wheels

Over the past 5 weeks, since returning from Thailand, I have been slowly transitioning from a traditional "working a 9 to 5 and living in a house" lifestyle to "unemployed and living out of my car and tent." It's been frustratingly difficult to adjust and find the balance between embracing my new freedom and developing some sort of structure and routine.

Some of the minor luxuries I am learning to live without include: staying in to bake banana bread, purchasing yummy perishables like cheese and yogurt, reading on the couch, and one of my favorites, taking long, multi-hour naps. It seems these things just don't happen when you live out of a Honda Accord.

Even more difficult has been trying to find the balance between climbing, learning to highline, and triathlon training. Throw in a passion for bike touring, backpacking, and mountain climbing, and I am spinning my wheels in all directions. I know, you're probably asking, "And this is a problem because....?" Hell, I ask myself the same question. I should be so lucky to have too many fun activities and goals. Yet, I find myself both restless and paralyzed at times, and then I accomplish nothing. Other days, I try to do it all and drive myself to exhaustion. And then we're back to the lack of an adequate napping location.


Last summer, I raced almost every weekend from June to August, and I was in the best cardio/endurance shape of my life. I want to get back there. No, actually, I want to go beyond, into the realm of iron man and ultra marathons. But.....I am also climbing harder than I ever have before, and I want to keep pushing myself and developing my strength and technique in all styles. But.....I am finally seeing myself improve on the slackline and I'm craving my first step on a highline. I know that the best way to achieve this is to just get out there and do it, over and over again. But......I have been tuning up my touring bike and dreaming of Eastern Oregon as well as Highway 1 South. And South America. Crap!

Why can't I be one of those people with one singular passion? No, no....that's never been my style.


Gosh, life is hard.

It's okay, I expect no sympathy. But, can someone please develop a schedule for me that includes a healthy dose all of these activities? And please, leave some room for spontaneity and adventure........
 

Frogs and Jumps

The monkeys have just wrapped up a brief excursion to Koh Phi Phi and Tonsai/Railey, aboard our favorite mode of transportation, the pirate ship Dragon Heart. It seemed that not only were the monkeys reluctant to leave the low-key atmosphere of Koh Yao Noi, but we were equally hesitant to enter upon known tourism hotspots. But alas, the prospect of clear waters, snorkeling and abundant climbing won out and we set off to investigate some new areas.

Phi Phi is gorgeous. Upon arriving, we immediately donned snorkeling goggles and flippers and jumped overboard to explore. There was deep water soloing above water and an assortment of colorful fish down below. When then sky grew pink and our bellies rumbled with hunger, we ventured into the harbor and took a long tail boat to the beach. The town was quite a shocking difference from what we had experienced at Yao Noi, bustling with tourists and large restaurants. We finally selected a place with decent prices, but very little Thai food on the extensive menu. Rather, options included everything from onion rings, to spaghetti and pizza. I opted for something safe - shrimp and rice in a pineapple bowl. It wasn't bad. After dinner, we maneuvered through a maze of souvenir shops and retreated back to the boat. The rest of Phi Phi seemed to just be waking up for the night, but we were falling asleep after a long, active day.

Next morning, while some headed back to town for errands, Brian, Luke-mon and I explored the coral reef nearby. I loved snorkeling! It was one of the most fun, fascinating things I have ever done. I can't convey how many different colors and patterns I saw. I even found "Nemo" - and they are curious little fish that aren't afraid to swim right up to your snorkeling mask! So cool. I also saw some black and white striped water snakes that shyly peeked out of the reef, but didn't linger in view. I was definitely inspired to paint some more batik!

That evening, we moved on to Tonsai and arrived around sunset. We took a long tail to shore again to check it out and find some grub. It was more laid-back than I was expecting, though still crowded with foreigners. Again, it was difficult to find true Thai food on the menu, and I opted for something safe in light of "Tonsai tummy" stories I had heard. After a yummy meal, we explored the little beach village, and ended up spending most of the evening playing on slacklines that are set up there. We came up with a ridiculously fun game, involving many people on a line at the same time, trying to race each other and knock each other off the line.  I ended up drenched in sweat and with sore abs from too much laughing.

We woke with the sun the next morning and packed up for a full day at the beach. As I was down below the deck of the ship, packing my bag, I noticed something move in the bottom of my pack. My stomach turned. It was a large enough movement that it had to be some sort of rodent or large spider. I tenderly closed my pack and took it up to the deck, where I opened it up and turned it upside down in full view. To my relief, it was only a big, fat toad! I have no idea how it got in my pack or how long in had been stowed in there, because I have been incredibly careful about keeping my pack closed so I wouldn't be surprised with a spider or some other critter hitching a ride. This toad was no prince, so I tossed him overboard and re-packed my bag.

Andy and Scott loaded their base jumping gear, and did about 6 or 7 jumps off Tonsai tower. The rest of us climbed some pitches in the morning and then relaxed during the heat of the day, lounging and watching Andy and Scott jump from a tower above us and land on the beach next to us. I had never seen anyone base jump before, so it was awesome to witness my friends doing it in such close proximity and to be able to give them a fist bump when they landed! 

In the afternoon, Brian, Jared and I hiked to another climbing area, near a cave. It was an adventurous hike, through some shallow water around a rock outcropping, down a beach, through an endless maze of a resort, past some monkeys, down another beach, through a patch of jungle, and up a sketchy bamboo ladder to a deserted climbing area (which is almost unheard of in Tonsai). However, on our return, we took a different and more interesting route back. Around sunset, we entered a giant cave that was just coming alive with bats. The cave was essentially a giant, hollowed out tower. We climbed several bamboo ladders, used fixed ropes, and scrambled through the dusty darkness, pausing to turn off our headlamps and listen to the eerie sounds inside the cave. The air was stuffy and hot. We heard bats and insects...but not much else. It was a strange and exciting place. Eventually, we reached an opening on the other side of the tower, where we rapped down in the last light of the day, and then precariously made our way through the dark jungle back down to Railey beach. We crossed the beach, found a trail and hiked through another patch of jungle, and finally arrived back at Tonsai, exhausted, sweaty and thirsty. I was grateful to Jared for taking us on such a fun and unique adventure, particularly in a place that tends to be overrun with tourists!

We headed back to Yoa Noi the next day, because about half the group will be departing Thailand tomorrow. It's a transitional and a bittersweet time. Our group, and therefore the epic projects, will dwindle, but I am glad that I still have another week with Brian, Jared, and Preston, and then about 2 more weeks with just Brian. We don't have any solid plans yet, though Brian and I have both expressed an interest in checking out Chiang Mai in the north. I am sure that as long as the Aldens are around, the epic-ness will abound, and I continue to welcome new experiences and adventures!

The crew on the pirate ship Dragon Heart.

Ryan "got" Scott in Tonsai (Scott now has to do a push-up)

Preston and Brian playing on the slacklines in Tonsai

Tonsai

Scott (left) and Andy (right) base jumping of Tonsai tower

Mai Pen Rai

Mai pen rai = All is well.

We, a group of about 10, just returned from 6 days at sea aboard the Dragon Heart pirate ship. We spent our time traveling from island to island, scouting for prime deep water soloing and highlining. We slept on the boat and ate family-style traditional thai meals. We got rained on most nights, but it was usually in the form of a brief but torrential storm, and it always calmed and cleared by the time we went to bed. 

The first couple of days were spent anchored outside an island with a cave. We boarded kayaks and paddled into the cave to discover that it opened into a huge cavern with an open ceiling. As we continued paddling, we discovered there were more of these caverns inside caverns inside caverns. It was truly magical, and perhaps the most special part was that you can only access these inner caverns when the tide is just right. If the tide is too low, it's just mucky, sticky mud, and if the tide is too high, you can't get the kayak through the cave. On top of this, the water has bioluminescence, which lights up neon, glowing in the dark when the water is disturbed. So, if you swim at night, the water glows around you....and if you are swimming in a cave, you can still find your kayak because it is outlined in neon where the boat touches the water!

The group rigged several slacklines, one rope swing, and one zipline inside the first cavern, and to our surprise, hundreds of tourists in kayaks started coming through the cave during the middle of the day. It was hilarious and bizarre to watch European tourists, most of whom were overweight, lounging kayaks being paddled by petite Thai men, but I think they found us pretty entertaining, especially when we erupted in monkey noises at their approach. 

We moved on to another couple of islands, containing both a tower and stalactites galore for climbing, as well as another cave, where a highline was rigged and sea shells were collected.  Because we moved north toward the river delta, the water was murky and we were unable to spot the abundance of jellyfish lurking below. Jared was the first victim....he got stung pretty badly on his knee while deep water soloing. Andy rushed to his rescue, offering to pee on Jared's leg, but unfortunately Andy was fairly dehydrated and only a trickle came out. Preston, Jared's brother, got stung the very next day, and his screams were agonizing! He declined offers of urine on his wound. Then, yesterday, I got stung while swimming back to the boat after deep water soloing. My sting wasn't as bad, but I definitely screamed loud enough that the others knew what had happened. Andy offered to pee on my leg, but instead I opted for the Thai method of vinegar and tobacco. It burned for awhile, but it's fine now.

I have been working on my chongo start but I have yet to stand up on a waterline. I helped Hayley rig a mid-line and took a few attempts. I've made some baby steps, and I am so psyched to walk my first line!

The group is pretty banged up, but doing well. We are covered in scratches and bruises and are taking a much-needed rest day before raging to Koh Phi Phi or perhaps Tonsai. No plans yet, but things seem to work out better that way....

Coconut juice...yum!

A couple of monkey pirates

Dragon fruit

slackline using the pirate boat and a stalactite as anchors