Thursday, January 28
Watched the video of our skiing attempts and presentations, then hit the road for VT. The trip took longer than expected, some folks were getting cranky, and it was pretty much stated that we were eating lunch before we went out on skis. We had an hour and a half of free skiing with the buddy system and then were to meet up at the lodge for drills.
An hour later, most of us met unplanned at the top of the big hill where I had seen several of us skiing while I did drills on the flat land and ventured up smaller hills to practice wedges (snowplows). The hill ended at the bottom of what looked like plowed snow as a boundary and curved around to the left. The regulars encouraged the newer arrivals to wedge on down for a controlled run. Coquette and Katie ventured the wedge well so I thought maybe I could, too. I was wrestling with my inner voice to practice my drills more, as Joe determined to do. When I was on the little hill, I had seen Joe ski over the crest of a larger hill and run down toward me looking relaxed, balanced, and practiced. My vote goes to Joe for most improved skier. He had told me he had no real interest in skiing and was learning more or less because it was offered. With an opportunity to ski in actual snow, he seems to have more interest now. As a hunter, I would think skiing might be a benefit to him.
"She's going for speed!" That's what Jen told me was said while I skied the big hill. I had decided to "fully participate" and wedge down the hill, put my fear of the hill and potential speed behind me. I moved up slowly to wedge my skis and then poled or glided forward. My wedge apparently disappeared as my skis slid neatly parallel. I'm amazed at how many thoughts fly through one's mind in a matter of split seconds. As I picked up speed, I thought about sitting down to fall but realized I was going way too fast and that solution would end in flying limbs. My only option was to go with it. Commit. Relax. Ride it out. Let my feet and legs absorb the bumps. I bent my knees and leaned forward, tried to tuck my poles behind me. It began to feel right, to feel as my mind had imagined. I heard shouts and whoops from the top of the hill as my relatively aerodynamic self flew down the hill and stood more upright as I met the bottom bowl and maneuvered the turn left.
Graceful is how my fall was described. Other than sliding fast on my back, it felt anything but graceful and I immediately put the feel of it on a par with The Wild World of Sports "agony of defeat" clips. My butt hit the ground hard and I slid, grateful that limbs and poles didn't slam into the hard snow boundary. Anna skied over to make sure I was okay. I got up slowly, of course, trying not to look injured. And I wasn't sure if I was. I figured I'd have a good bruise though that hasn't developed. I had been told when I jammed my finger that current research encourages moving and using the injured part rather than resting and letting it swell and stiffen. It worked for my finger so I used the same thinking now. Relieved that I was able to move and ski, I headed down to the flat land to get back to drills and participate with less risk. It was almost time to meet up for the group drills.
Anna and I paired up to develop our teaching eye and then I needed to do the glide and ski up a small hill to Beth. I felt myself begin to fall--of course, right in front of Austin. I always fall in front of Austin or Beth. I put my hands out to break my fall but my butt still landed and that pain is when I began to suspect that I may have been injured more than I thought. I got up slowly, did ski up to Beth and the others but let her know that I was going to watch the instruction but was not up to the practice wedges and tele turns. She knew I fell but thought I fell on a little hill and could tell I was in some pain. She suggested I take it easy tomorrow and not ski. . . we'll be learning skate skiing with an instructor from Grafton. I said I'd see how I felt tomorrow but I was increasingly fearful of the thought of downhill anything that might make me fall again. Near the end of the lesson, the group headed to the big hill so those who wanted to could take a run. Austin suggested I head back and meet at the lodge. I thought about taking my skis off and walking down the slope but gave it another try and made it down okay. I skied across the flat and watched the group ski down the hill. I saw Joe at the bottom of the hill and asked if he had skied down. He did!
I claimed a ride back in Austin's car figuring it would be less bouncy than the van. Climbing the stairs to the classroom caused some pain and I decided I'd get an x-ray so I knew what I was dealing with. When Beth realized that I fell on the big hill, she agreed about the x-ray and told me to let her know what was going on. On my way home, I called Anne and asked if she could keep me company in the ER for a while. She rousted herself away from her book and her I'm-in-for-the-night clothes to meet me. She brought chocolate and her IPOD so I could entertain myself with games. X-rays determined nothing broken and the doc thought the soft tissue and SI joint took a beating. He offered me pain meds, told me to ice every couple of hours for 2 days and suggested that I would likely be too sore next week to go on the Backcountry Winter Trip, a brave endeavor, he thought, in good shape. Nothing surprising there. I wish I new a healer with amazing ability that I could work with short term.
Heading out from the ER, I couldn't find my car keys and after searching all my pockets, we found them locked in my car. Anne hauled me home, past her bedtime. Beth called on my way home to get an update. I told her I wasn't really going to think about what this could mean for me regarding the trip and overall with the program. I pulled out the cliches about mind over matter. She said not to worry about missing the skate ski lesson that I could get one at Northfield. She knows I'm upset after buying gear for this trip and said she'd figure out a way to get me some backcountry winter experience but I really don't see how that can happen given our schedule. I still have until Monday to make a decision about being up for the trip.
I woke around 4 a.m. and my eyes teared a bit at the thought of what has happened. In the grand scheme of things, it could have easily been worse. I imagined the voices asking what the hell I was thinking pulling a stunt like that at my age. Challenge by choice. Judgment vs fully participating. sigh I determined that I would act as though I'm going on the trip. Continue prep. But I also find myself making contingency plans. Who will do my LNT Dispose of Waste Properly lesson? I bought gear to fix the sled but that's still here. I have one of our 2 stoves so I'll need to get that back in time.
More lessons in acceptance and how to mesh that with will power and self determination.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Ski Lesson Notchview, Windsor, MA
Wednesday, January 27
Monday's rain has ruined the best skiing Notchview had seen in a decade. That according to Jim, Trustee's representative, who was at the warming hut while we ate lunch. We didn't go out on any trails but stayed at the first area past the hut to practice drills and present our lesson plans on the meager and hard snow and ice. Austin filmed our presentation and mine was on relaxation while double poling and the benefits of mental relaxation as well. I referred to when I was a beginner skier and not at all mentally relaxed--good for a few laughs as was my demo. It was almost impossible to relax and get any semblance of the strides and extension we were supposed to be able to teach. But every once in a while, I'd feel a stride or two that felt more stride-like. Balance is key and it's difficult to develop and trust it on skis that slide sideways when my intention is forward. I'm beginning to understand the desire for powder--easier to ski in and fall in. Women Outdoors has gone skiing at Notchview but since I don't ski, haven't gone. I look forward to getting out on the trails with the group once I have a better sense of technique, including how to get up once you've fallen. I went skiing once with Anne last year and it took me all of 15 minutes and every bit of will power to get myself vertical again. After my first lesson, I now know why it was so difficult.
Austin and Beth made potential connections for OLP to intern or volunteer with The Trustees at Notchview and potential other areas in their purview. Reminders that we have resumes to work on.
Tomorrow, we head north to Grafton, VT.
Monday's rain has ruined the best skiing Notchview had seen in a decade. That according to Jim, Trustee's representative, who was at the warming hut while we ate lunch. We didn't go out on any trails but stayed at the first area past the hut to practice drills and present our lesson plans on the meager and hard snow and ice. Austin filmed our presentation and mine was on relaxation while double poling and the benefits of mental relaxation as well. I referred to when I was a beginner skier and not at all mentally relaxed--good for a few laughs as was my demo. It was almost impossible to relax and get any semblance of the strides and extension we were supposed to be able to teach. But every once in a while, I'd feel a stride or two that felt more stride-like. Balance is key and it's difficult to develop and trust it on skis that slide sideways when my intention is forward. I'm beginning to understand the desire for powder--easier to ski in and fall in. Women Outdoors has gone skiing at Notchview but since I don't ski, haven't gone. I look forward to getting out on the trails with the group once I have a better sense of technique, including how to get up once you've fallen. I went skiing once with Anne last year and it took me all of 15 minutes and every bit of will power to get myself vertical again. After my first lesson, I now know why it was so difficult.
Austin and Beth made potential connections for OLP to intern or volunteer with The Trustees at Notchview and potential other areas in their purview. Reminders that we have resumes to work on.
Tomorrow, we head north to Grafton, VT.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Ski Lesson Canceled. . . not quite
Tuesday, January 26
After all the rain yesterday, there was no place to ski from here to Maine, so Beth and Austin showed us a video about Telemark skiing. Beth presented more theory and we were assigned in pairs to research and present a topic in an hour. Jen and I reviewed and designed a Power Point summary on the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) Level 1 certification exam.
We also were assigned topics to present tomorrow related to Core Concepts for Snowsports Instructors which is used in all 4 snowsport modalities: Alpine, Nordic, Adaptive, and Snowboarding, and the Nordic Technical Manual. We'll use a 3 part teaching system: Visual Cues, Skills Concepts, Stepping Stones. Jen and I will present the same topic of relaxation but separately. We need to:
1. teach the concept with activities
2. come up with a one sentence statement as to why relaxation is important and describe the concept
3. give a demo
4. teach the skill to learn concept and allow practice time
5. give feedback on the presentation
Then, Austin found a spit of snow in a campus field and we went out to practice our drills while he filmed us so we can review tomorrow. . . before we go skiing. And, there were little flakes that fell just in time for our filming.
Tomorrow, somewhere west of us, they found a place that apparently still has some amount of snow on the ground and we'll be heading there in the morning.
After all the rain yesterday, there was no place to ski from here to Maine, so Beth and Austin showed us a video about Telemark skiing. Beth presented more theory and we were assigned in pairs to research and present a topic in an hour. Jen and I reviewed and designed a Power Point summary on the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) Level 1 certification exam.
We also were assigned topics to present tomorrow related to Core Concepts for Snowsports Instructors which is used in all 4 snowsport modalities: Alpine, Nordic, Adaptive, and Snowboarding, and the Nordic Technical Manual. We'll use a 3 part teaching system: Visual Cues, Skills Concepts, Stepping Stones. Jen and I will present the same topic of relaxation but separately. We need to:
1. teach the concept with activities
2. come up with a one sentence statement as to why relaxation is important and describe the concept
3. give a demo
4. teach the skill to learn concept and allow practice time
5. give feedback on the presentation
Then, Austin found a spit of snow in a campus field and we went out to practice our drills while he filmed us so we can review tomorrow. . . before we go skiing. And, there were little flakes that fell just in time for our filming.
Tomorrow, somewhere west of us, they found a place that apparently still has some amount of snow on the ground and we'll be heading there in the morning.
Monday, January 25, 2010
More Planning. . . and Adjusting
Monday, January 25
Continued group planning of our Adirondack Winter Backcountry trips today. . . while it poured buckets. Looks like our next ski lessons will be on hold. Supposedly it's raining as far north as Nova Scotia so an hour or so into Vermont or west to the Berkshires won't make any difference. Snow showers are possible for tomorrow and Saturday but nothing significant. I wonder how we'll fill the week in class. I've sure got plenty to do to prep presentations and my Independent Project.
Continued group planning of our Adirondack Winter Backcountry trips today. . . while it poured buckets. Looks like our next ski lessons will be on hold. Supposedly it's raining as far north as Nova Scotia so an hour or so into Vermont or west to the Berkshires won't make any difference. Snow showers are possible for tomorrow and Saturday but nothing significant. I wonder how we'll fill the week in class. I've sure got plenty to do to prep presentations and my Independent Project.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Ski Lesson Day 2
Saturday, January 24
9:30 am and on the mild side, cloudy, and the snow is crusty and hard, especially on the plowed road.
We were told to practice this weekend and it would be smart to go out with a group so that we could offer constructive criticism on our form. Beth planned to check out Wendell State Forest so a few of us met there.
We gear up and Beth casually mentions that we'll have a hill first to get to where we're going. She wasn't kidding. A long plowed hill that felt icy and fast. I lost count of how any times I fell, some of them hard, but it took me probably 20 minutes to get to the bottom. Beth told me to stop sitting down but when I started to panic, that seemed like the best way to stop. It's analogous to me jumping off the back of Mary's bike when we were kids because we were going too fast and I got scared. Then I hit my chin. Here I hit my butt. . . and my knee, pulled my arm back, and my knee made strange feelings and sounds when I struggled to stand up. Why I couldn't get up as easily as yesterday was frustrating since I had to do it at least as many times as yesterday. Oh, I think because then we were in deeper snow and here it was a plowed road which lent no support.
The others had all made it down and were out of sight. Beth and I agreed that I'd stay on level ground to practice my drills or I'd play on the hilly road again and would call her cell if I got hurt. She headed off to the group and I did the glide, transfer, glide drill, making my own tracks for about 45 minutes and started to feel a little confident on the turn move I worked on. Then I moved to the road and skied up and down the relatively flat parts and then incrementally on the hill. I jogged up as Beth showed me yesterday and eventually began to feel better about the wedge and the snowplow that actually stopped me. . . I felt a smile of satisfaction.
The group came back eventually and then Beth, me, Coquette and the dogs took another loop through the woods. I fell and was struggling to get up again when some woman came by and complained that we were taking up the whole trail. Beth had something to say and I said I was learning how to get up. She kind of stared like she couldn't understand the concept. After she skied off, Beth gave her the Italian up-yours which was pretty funny, while she told us her philosophy of how to talk with people in a productive and respectful way. We continued on to find yet another curving down hill that I had to be coaxed down. I did a little better as did Coquette. She said she's done downhill since she was a kid. When we headed back Beth said, "Now you can say you've done backcountry." I'm trying to picture us carrying packs and hauling sleds as we ski. Al said I'll be a human Percheron and refrained from calling me a human ass.
9:30 am and on the mild side, cloudy, and the snow is crusty and hard, especially on the plowed road.
We were told to practice this weekend and it would be smart to go out with a group so that we could offer constructive criticism on our form. Beth planned to check out Wendell State Forest so a few of us met there.
We gear up and Beth casually mentions that we'll have a hill first to get to where we're going. She wasn't kidding. A long plowed hill that felt icy and fast. I lost count of how any times I fell, some of them hard, but it took me probably 20 minutes to get to the bottom. Beth told me to stop sitting down but when I started to panic, that seemed like the best way to stop. It's analogous to me jumping off the back of Mary's bike when we were kids because we were going too fast and I got scared. Then I hit my chin. Here I hit my butt. . . and my knee, pulled my arm back, and my knee made strange feelings and sounds when I struggled to stand up. Why I couldn't get up as easily as yesterday was frustrating since I had to do it at least as many times as yesterday. Oh, I think because then we were in deeper snow and here it was a plowed road which lent no support.
The others had all made it down and were out of sight. Beth and I agreed that I'd stay on level ground to practice my drills or I'd play on the hilly road again and would call her cell if I got hurt. She headed off to the group and I did the glide, transfer, glide drill, making my own tracks for about 45 minutes and started to feel a little confident on the turn move I worked on. Then I moved to the road and skied up and down the relatively flat parts and then incrementally on the hill. I jogged up as Beth showed me yesterday and eventually began to feel better about the wedge and the snowplow that actually stopped me. . . I felt a smile of satisfaction.
The group came back eventually and then Beth, me, Coquette and the dogs took another loop through the woods. I fell and was struggling to get up again when some woman came by and complained that we were taking up the whole trail. Beth had something to say and I said I was learning how to get up. She kind of stared like she couldn't understand the concept. After she skied off, Beth gave her the Italian up-yours which was pretty funny, while she told us her philosophy of how to talk with people in a productive and respectful way. We continued on to find yet another curving down hill that I had to be coaxed down. I did a little better as did Coquette. She said she's done downhill since she was a kid. When we headed back Beth said, "Now you can say you've done backcountry." I'm trying to picture us carrying packs and hauling sleds as we ski. Al said I'll be a human Percheron and refrained from calling me a human ass.
Ski Lesson Day 1
Friday, January 23
Northfield Golf Course, mid to high 30s, soft snow turns slippery and mushy as the day went on.
We arrive somewhere in the back of the course and I've not paid attention to the route. Change into our ski boots and carry our gear to the course. Some of us are downhill skiers and are learning Nordic for the first time. Some of us haven't skied before. We start with clipping into the bindings, and do some exercises and games to get us comfortable with balance on skis. Two skis then one ski. Move a ball around the circle to the person next to us using one ski tip. And they taught us how to fall and more importantly how to get up starting with the turtle position. . .lay on your back and put your skis in the air and then bring them down together. Drills without poles, following Beth's and Austin's tracks. They stood on the curve to watch us come by. I inevitably slip or look clumsy in front of them having lost the rhythm I found for a few strides. Glide, glide, transfer weight, glide, glide, transfer.
Eventually went from flat ground to the downhill where we were instructed to bend at the knee but relax and keep our hands in front as though holding a tray. Down we went! Literally. I fell about 3 strides into my approach to the downhill. Got up and finished the run. We came back up, herringboneing or side stepping up the hill so that we could do this run with a double pole pump while hinging at the waist. Again, slightly bent knees.
We skied around to another hill, another hill, and another hill, each progressively longer and steeper and practicing varied drills. I fell more than anyone and each fall was accompanied by "shit" sometimes with laughter. Usually, I fell well though, as the day wore on, I may have been tired and the laughter ebbed as did "shit."
Austin asked me about prior experience and complimented me on my willingness to keep trying and to ski downhill given the level I started at in the morning. I appreciated his comments though tried to dismiss the consideration. I need to get better at accepting compliments. All in all, felt good about the day.
Northfield Golf Course, mid to high 30s, soft snow turns slippery and mushy as the day went on.
We arrive somewhere in the back of the course and I've not paid attention to the route. Change into our ski boots and carry our gear to the course. Some of us are downhill skiers and are learning Nordic for the first time. Some of us haven't skied before. We start with clipping into the bindings, and do some exercises and games to get us comfortable with balance on skis. Two skis then one ski. Move a ball around the circle to the person next to us using one ski tip. And they taught us how to fall and more importantly how to get up starting with the turtle position. . .lay on your back and put your skis in the air and then bring them down together. Drills without poles, following Beth's and Austin's tracks. They stood on the curve to watch us come by. I inevitably slip or look clumsy in front of them having lost the rhythm I found for a few strides. Glide, glide, transfer weight, glide, glide, transfer.
Eventually went from flat ground to the downhill where we were instructed to bend at the knee but relax and keep our hands in front as though holding a tray. Down we went! Literally. I fell about 3 strides into my approach to the downhill. Got up and finished the run. We came back up, herringboneing or side stepping up the hill so that we could do this run with a double pole pump while hinging at the waist. Again, slightly bent knees.
We skied around to another hill, another hill, and another hill, each progressively longer and steeper and practicing varied drills. I fell more than anyone and each fall was accompanied by "shit" sometimes with laughter. Usually, I fell well though, as the day wore on, I may have been tired and the laughter ebbed as did "shit."
Austin asked me about prior experience and complimented me on my willingness to keep trying and to ski downhill given the level I started at in the morning. I appreciated his comments though tried to dismiss the consideration. I need to get better at accepting compliments. All in all, felt good about the day.
Winter Trip Planning
Thursday, January 22
We have 2.5 days to plan this trip and Beth and Austin are on us to use every minute. Itinerary, transportation, etc., etc.
We have 2.5 days to plan this trip and Beth and Austin are on us to use every minute. Itinerary, transportation, etc., etc.
Backcountry skiing and Avalanche Awareness; Trip Planning
Wednesday, January 20
Demo about Nordic Skiing. Alpine skiing involves lifts.
Watched a video from Backcountry Magazine. Skiers and snowboarders were in backcountry not frontcountry at a typical resort. The camera man shot footage of lone skiers on the face of the mountain. . . and I mean vertical. We saw where they positioned themselves from some small place on the face and then turned and jumped from their perch onto the ride, virtually straight down. As they sped, I wondered what the freedom must feel like--freedom in their body, freedom in the speed, freedom laying the first tracks, freedom on a mountain. No crowds, no lifts. Pristine. One of the guys interviewed said that they didn't ski backcountry to drop out but rather to tune in and feel connected. He didn't have much use for 9-5 jobs and had actually been fired from any 9-5 he ever had. He may have been one of several guys hold up in a tiny but newer cabin plopped on a tiny space of mountain. They had all the comforts they could have wanted while they waited for their next ski run.
Austin said that there's a big increase in people who believe they are avid skiers getting more and more out to the backcountry. Development of "resort spread" is encouraging this access but he said the resorts have less control of the terrain and accidents have risen dramatically.
Watching the flick made me think back to high school when I went Alpine skiing twice with Lynne at Mt. Tom and stood at the top of one of the runs for at least an hour. We took a lift up and there was no way I was going down. People came up for multiple runs before I pried my skis out of the snow and began my slow descent crossing back and forth so I wouldn't fly down. But I have thought on occasion over the years about my first out of control runs on the baby slope and how it felt to snow plow and turn at the bottom once I began to get the hang of it. And, that was lots of years ago. Tomorrow, I get to see if there's any muscle memory left in this ageing body.
Then we moved on to avalanche awareness and how to read the snow pack layers, how types of snow adhere or don't based on stress, strength, angle degree and weather. Risky Shift is groups making risky decisions. Heuristic Traps are again based in human error. Risk culminates when a combination of human and environmental factors overlap. We then reviewed a case study of poor decision making ending in an avalanche death. I won't be taking the avalanche course certification that will be offered. In fact, in addition to not taking the mountaineering trip, I told Austin that I'm bowing out of the rock climbing course. We talked, I looked at the schedule, and though he said he would encourage me to take the course, I realize that given the pace this spring, I could use that break. I give it to myself despite my reticence in not continuing to learn the technical aspects of rock climbing instruction.
This afternoon the 2 groups gathered and began planning our winter trips. I'll be with Beth and Austin, Joe, Erin, Ian, Sarah Maney, Jake, Laura, Sarah Levy, and Mark. Should be a good group though I know I'll miss George who left the program to take the EMT course this spring.
Demo about Nordic Skiing. Alpine skiing involves lifts.
Watched a video from Backcountry Magazine. Skiers and snowboarders were in backcountry not frontcountry at a typical resort. The camera man shot footage of lone skiers on the face of the mountain. . . and I mean vertical. We saw where they positioned themselves from some small place on the face and then turned and jumped from their perch onto the ride, virtually straight down. As they sped, I wondered what the freedom must feel like--freedom in their body, freedom in the speed, freedom laying the first tracks, freedom on a mountain. No crowds, no lifts. Pristine. One of the guys interviewed said that they didn't ski backcountry to drop out but rather to tune in and feel connected. He didn't have much use for 9-5 jobs and had actually been fired from any 9-5 he ever had. He may have been one of several guys hold up in a tiny but newer cabin plopped on a tiny space of mountain. They had all the comforts they could have wanted while they waited for their next ski run.
Austin said that there's a big increase in people who believe they are avid skiers getting more and more out to the backcountry. Development of "resort spread" is encouraging this access but he said the resorts have less control of the terrain and accidents have risen dramatically.
Watching the flick made me think back to high school when I went Alpine skiing twice with Lynne at Mt. Tom and stood at the top of one of the runs for at least an hour. We took a lift up and there was no way I was going down. People came up for multiple runs before I pried my skis out of the snow and began my slow descent crossing back and forth so I wouldn't fly down. But I have thought on occasion over the years about my first out of control runs on the baby slope and how it felt to snow plow and turn at the bottom once I began to get the hang of it. And, that was lots of years ago. Tomorrow, I get to see if there's any muscle memory left in this ageing body.
Then we moved on to avalanche awareness and how to read the snow pack layers, how types of snow adhere or don't based on stress, strength, angle degree and weather. Risky Shift is groups making risky decisions. Heuristic Traps are again based in human error. Risk culminates when a combination of human and environmental factors overlap. We then reviewed a case study of poor decision making ending in an avalanche death. I won't be taking the avalanche course certification that will be offered. In fact, in addition to not taking the mountaineering trip, I told Austin that I'm bowing out of the rock climbing course. We talked, I looked at the schedule, and though he said he would encourage me to take the course, I realize that given the pace this spring, I could use that break. I give it to myself despite my reticence in not continuing to learn the technical aspects of rock climbing instruction.
This afternoon the 2 groups gathered and began planning our winter trips. I'll be with Beth and Austin, Joe, Erin, Ian, Sarah Maney, Jake, Laura, Sarah Levy, and Mark. Should be a good group though I know I'll miss George who left the program to take the EMT course this spring.
And it begins. . . .
Tuesday, January 19
Spring semester starts today and I arrive with some trepidation after a month away. I'm fully aware that my intentions to practice knots, rock climbing set-ups, and be able to dismantle and reassemble the camp stove blindfolded are all unfulfilled. I worked on my Independent Project early in the Break but once the holidays were here, intentions all fell away. Now we're back in the classroom and didn't need to arrive until 12:30 because the crew from the Equador trip arrived back late last night. Ian, a favorite of mine, came over and gave me a big hug. I gave him a can of Ian's Pasta Kit that I found at Deals and Steals and couldn't pass up given the name and the price.
Plans to ski have changed to plans to hike. We drive out to an area in Greenfield and hike through the woods and I put on my Christmas gift Microspikes footwear traction and my footing feels solid. We summit to a wooden platform but can't see anything because the clouds are too thick and low. We circle up on the platform and share a highlight of our holiday and/or Break. The Equador group has no shortage of highlights although Aaron says that his highlight was getting to see his sisters. My turn and I say, "You know how sometimes the thing that is most recent stands out. Well, my most recent is going to Cambridge to see friends and them talking me into trying on black leather pants and jacket in Filene's Basement." They made me do Charlie's Angel poses in the dressing room. It was a lot of fun, something I've never done but fulfilled a secret desire to try on black leather. . . all the better because I had friends to play with doing it. I'd never dare to wear the pants but I loved the jacket and, with help from my sweet friends, bought the Basement Bargain. But Jake had the best news. He went for his WFR Certification and completed it! We were all psyched for him.
Beth and Austin talked about the coming semester and how the fall was about building community in the group as we had our introductions to various course work. The spring will be directed toward technical instructor levels and we'll be going in different directions, 1/2 the group here, 1/2 the group there and we won't necessarily be all together again. They're pushing us to think in terms of leadership and asking us all to pony up with our focus and responsibility to ourselves and the group. On the way back to the cars, we were to consider our leadership goals for the semester and share them with someone. Jake and I talked and I was happy to since we haven't spent much time together but will be on the winter trip together. He's come such a long way. I was impressed with how he took responsibility for things he didn't accomplish in the fall but intends to accomplish in the spring. Way to go, Jake. My leadership goals are to trust myself, speak up more even when it's uncomfortable. Easier said than done but it's one of my growth places and one of the reasons I'm in this program. As Austin and Beth say, we need to make sure we get out of this program what we came here for and some of the return is only possible through our effort.
Tomorrow, Nordic ski lesson in prep for the winter trip.
Spring semester starts today and I arrive with some trepidation after a month away. I'm fully aware that my intentions to practice knots, rock climbing set-ups, and be able to dismantle and reassemble the camp stove blindfolded are all unfulfilled. I worked on my Independent Project early in the Break but once the holidays were here, intentions all fell away. Now we're back in the classroom and didn't need to arrive until 12:30 because the crew from the Equador trip arrived back late last night. Ian, a favorite of mine, came over and gave me a big hug. I gave him a can of Ian's Pasta Kit that I found at Deals and Steals and couldn't pass up given the name and the price.
Plans to ski have changed to plans to hike. We drive out to an area in Greenfield and hike through the woods and I put on my Christmas gift Microspikes footwear traction and my footing feels solid. We summit to a wooden platform but can't see anything because the clouds are too thick and low. We circle up on the platform and share a highlight of our holiday and/or Break. The Equador group has no shortage of highlights although Aaron says that his highlight was getting to see his sisters. My turn and I say, "You know how sometimes the thing that is most recent stands out. Well, my most recent is going to Cambridge to see friends and them talking me into trying on black leather pants and jacket in Filene's Basement." They made me do Charlie's Angel poses in the dressing room. It was a lot of fun, something I've never done but fulfilled a secret desire to try on black leather. . . all the better because I had friends to play with doing it. I'd never dare to wear the pants but I loved the jacket and, with help from my sweet friends, bought the Basement Bargain. But Jake had the best news. He went for his WFR Certification and completed it! We were all psyched for him.
Beth and Austin talked about the coming semester and how the fall was about building community in the group as we had our introductions to various course work. The spring will be directed toward technical instructor levels and we'll be going in different directions, 1/2 the group here, 1/2 the group there and we won't necessarily be all together again. They're pushing us to think in terms of leadership and asking us all to pony up with our focus and responsibility to ourselves and the group. On the way back to the cars, we were to consider our leadership goals for the semester and share them with someone. Jake and I talked and I was happy to since we haven't spent much time together but will be on the winter trip together. He's come such a long way. I was impressed with how he took responsibility for things he didn't accomplish in the fall but intends to accomplish in the spring. Way to go, Jake. My leadership goals are to trust myself, speak up more even when it's uncomfortable. Easier said than done but it's one of my growth places and one of the reasons I'm in this program. As Austin and Beth say, we need to make sure we get out of this program what we came here for and some of the return is only possible through our effort.
Tomorrow, Nordic ski lesson in prep for the winter trip.
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