I spent Monday and Tuesday this week dismantling an 8 day backpack that we committed to over a year ago. Of all the possibilities we thought might cancel our trip, we did not seriously consider that our dog would go into heat. We are tremendously disappointed. Our destination, the Arrigetch Peaks in the Brooks Range …
I went for a run last week, a one mile run. While this isn't a big deal to anyone but me, it was my first such effort since late May when I became sidelined by injury. Piriformis syndrome (PF) has been part of my running life for over 10 years. After my first episode, it …
As last week drew to a close, I slipped away for a few hours of kayaking. The weather was sunny and warm and the lake, smooth as glass. Great conditions for a beginner kayaker. Of course Carolyn and Deborah were along again because there is nothing better for a new kayaker than to have two …
There is something warm and comfortable about spending time with people you grew up with. A specific set of experiences and memories that forever bind you together. For Deborah, Carolyn and me those circumstances meant growing up in the same neighborhood, going to the same schools and hanging out with the same people. But as …
Injury and weather have been occupying our thoughts as our Alaska backpack looms ever closer. An inflammation of my piriformis, my 3rd such over the last 10 years has physically derailed me. Summer's heat, humidity and rain has mentally derailed us. We desperately needed to get back on track! Several weeks ago John cleared his …
I first heard about the Happy Hikers from my father some 25+ years ago. Not long after his retirement I remember his Thursdays became dedicated to hiking. A few years later I learned his Thursday hikes were with a group based out of the John T O'Conner Senior Center in Knoxville, the Happy Hikers. The …
