A Real Chick Christmas Note From MJ

Today was a great day for this RC.


Saturday before our hike I spoke with Shannon Smith from HER Magazine who is doing a story on the Real Chicks. How cool! We spoke for a few moments before the hike and I mentioned how being a RC is really about a lot more than hiking. It’s about relationships, and attitude, and an adventurous spirit. Our friendships go beyond the outdoors to encompass jobs and kids and faith and more. She was intrigued and decided to join a few of us for lunch to get more details.

12/22/10

Lunch today was wonderful; we went to Ingredient at Midtown Crossing which is my favorite spot lately. Carla, Eleanor, Cara, April and I met Shannon and spent at least an hour telling her about our lives as real women who happen to have a common interest in outdoor pursuits and fitness.

I sat in amazement listening to our conversations.

I’m a Marian High School (which is all female) girl and to me that means I have always known that I have every reason to be a confident, capable leader (even in a male dominated field). It also means I come from a background of being around a lot of really strong, wonderful women. It’s just my expectation that women are capable of doing great things.

I was amazed listening today because it is really remarkable how a hiking group created such amazing friends, and how our friendships have greatly enriched and even changed our lives. Today made me celebrate this community for what it is and gain perspective that our group is unique and that a lot of women don’t have the amazing support system we do as RCs, or like I had in high school.

I love being a real chick because I am inspired by my friends to be a better person and to live life more fully. It is a blessing to be in a community where healthy eating is the norm, being active is a common pursuit and is fun, and chasing dreams is the only acceptable option. We get along wonderfully and we can count on each other for support – no matter how crazy our goals.

This Christmas season I have been frustrated with myself for rushing through my shopping and not stopping to visit with people I know that I have run into along the way. Christmas isn’t about getting stuff done or crossing items off the list. I want to keep perspective on the season. Spending the lunch hour being grateful for my friendships was the perfect way to get me back on track. Merry Christmas!

Exploring North Carolina

 I've been in North Carolina for the past 5 days, enjoying my bf's amazing family and friends...and doing a little exploration. His family owns 113 acres of woods, creeks and "kissing trees" in Eden, NC and, having never been to that area before, I took to the hills on several occasions to wander through the leaf-laden forest floor.

 In the rural south, one can find all sorts of treasure out in the woods...both wanted and unwanted. The homes around Eden are incorporated into the landscape in a way I hadn't seen before, which means that old tobacco barns and chimneys appear out of nowhere along trails. Unfortunately, so does a lot of illegal dumping.
  All of the pictures to follow were taken on the family land. I was able to collect a few interesting old glass bottles from the rubble I passed, although (as an avid fan of American Pickers) I didn't come across any priceless antiques. Dang! It was amazing to see the land taking over all of the discarded rubbish along the way. The bottles growing ferns inside, old shoes being devoured by moss and mold, young old trees overtaking an old hunting road.

 A great reminder that sometimes, the best adventures are right in your backyard.

Show Your Support

If you're in Omaha...and a chick (okay, a woman), hit the trail this weekend and show your support for the Backwoods Omaha Real Chicks Hike. This month's hike will be at Platte River State Park and we will be granted the opportunity to recruit more local ladies.

How will we be doing this? Well, this month's hikers will be joined by a reporter from Omaha's HER magazine, who is working on a story about the Real Chicks!!

That's right, we are quickly becoming a story to tell.

Women? Who hike?!? Consistently?!?!? Insanity!

It would be great to get a big showing of chicks despite the temps and impending holiday madness so tell your friends and grab your boots. Contact Backwoods direct for more information on the hike.

Air Rage

 
I'm traveling (again) this weekend. It will be a short flight compared to several I've been on lately but given the number of times I find myself on an airplane in any given year, this article on cnn.com struck a cord.

 I will be back in blog action next week but here's some food for thought for the weekend. A good read during the bust holiday travel season. Let me know your thoughts on the article.

Air Rage: Is reclining your seat a right?

In a two horse open sleigh

  Any time I hear the Christmas Song "Sleigh Ride," I am reminded of the Sleepless in Seattle scene where Meg Ryan sings along in her car on her way to dinner with her family. "Hawrses, hawrses, hawrses." I'm sure you can imagine how annoying I was at the Sleigh Ride I went on this past Wednesday night. Singing to myself as if our cowboy guides don't hear that song 50 times a day.
  M and I were invited to head over to Sombrero Stables for a 40 minute sleigh ride and dinner on Wednesday and jumped at the chance for something a little different outside. We arrived at about 5:10, signed our lives away, and loaded up in the sleigh. Pulled by two incredible draft horses, we enjoyed talking with the other passengers, singing Christmas carols and taking in the brilliantly clear night sky and snow covered Spruce. It could have been a very cold experience but the crew at Sombrero plans ahead and hands out cozy fleece blankets to curl up with on the ride. We rode through forest and past old homesteads, the nearby hillsides looking decked out for the holidays as house lights flickered in the distance.



  After the ride ended, we entered our quaint dining hall and stepped into a Cowboy Christmas. Christmas lights hung around horseshoes and picnic tables were already set for dinner. We were all relieved to be greeted by large thermoses of hot water and an assortment of beverages. Our cowboy crew served us our selection of Chicken, Steak, Trout or Veggie Burger, with baked potato, salad, beans and garlic rolls. Our cook came to each table offering her large urn of cowboy coffee. After dinner, we were served some warm peach cobbler and ice cream, tempting even those of us who thought we had stuffed ourselves to the brim.
  The whole event took about 2 hours and while we were offered this excursion for free, Sombrero's rates are pretty reasonable, especially in light of the fancy-pants dinner we were all served. For those who aren't looking for the big dinner ride, they also offer a S'mores and Cocoa ride, where participants stop at a campfire that has already been built out at the homestead and roast marshmallows and sip hot chocolate. The Real Chicks did this last year on our March trip and it was a HIT! It's amazing how long you can hang out in the cold with a campfire roaring nearby. So, if you find yourselves in Grand County, CO, check out Sombrero Stables for your friends and family. It also makes a great date night activity.

They do offer special rates for groups, but you'll have to take that up with Brian and his crew.

Outdoor Movie Review: 127 Hours

  I am waiting for the day when they make a movie about people who have great outdoor adventures and ALSO make good choices. I would much rather see those people rolling in money and book deals. Sure, we can all learn something from the poor choices of others but when do we get the opportunity to learn how to be smart, intelligent, appropriately trained outdoorsmen and women?




  Last weekend, I went to see the movie 127 Hours. For those of you who have been living under a rock (HA!), this film is based on the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston. The book recounts his 2003 experience in the canyons of Utah, when his arm became trapped between a large boulder and a canyon wall. He hadn't told anyone where he was going. He hadn't even communicated that he would be gone. He didn't pack his ten essentials or nearly enough water.

 Here's the thing...Aron Ralston had a loooong history of really poor outdoor choices. Not only did he consistently put his own life at risk, but he has talked openly about needlessly putting the life's of others in jeopardy for a quick thrill. He lost a lot of friendships for what I can only describe as being an outdoor idiot. In fact, there is now a whole movement that refuses to support Aron or his book/movie because of these choices. Because for those of us who recognize that we are not invincible outside and who work tirelessly to train ourselves and others in proper protocol, Aron Ralston is not someone to be admired.

  The movie itself, is beautiful. This is no surprise as it's directed by Danny Boyle, who has given us some of the most stunning filmwork to date with Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting. It says a lot about both an actor and a director that a guy stuck in a crevice can stay interesting for 2 hours. A similar feat was achieved in Cast Away...thank you Wilson! Danny Boyle does a fantastic job of making both the setting and sound their own characters as once again, his music choices were spot on! Utah doesn't need a lot of dressing up to be spectacular in theory but as anyone who has ever attempted to capture its beauty with a camera can attest, it takes a keen eye to truly capture its spirit. The canyonlands are both mystical and ominous and Mr. Boyle was able to convey these characteristics very well.
 
And then there's James. Oh, James Franco! How far you have come from weeping over your dying Green Goblin of a deadbeat dad. Seriously, he did an amazing job in this movie! His performance is worth seeing even if you don't agree with supporting Aron Ralston...support James Franco. We can pretend he needs the money. I digress. He really does give a powerful, insightful performance here and he's not bad to look at for a few hours (although I'm more of a Jake Gyllenhaal girl), even covered in dirt and drinking his own urine.
  Finally, let me just warn you that if you have a squeamish stomach, there will be about 5 minutes that show off some CSI-type special effects, involving an amputation. It's rated R for a reason even if I did see the same thing last week on network television. And if you have an eye phobia, like my boyfriend, there's a part where he has to adjust his dried out and dusty contact lens.

So, all in all, I'm glad I saw it. Movies that give the scenery as much screen time as the actors are always worth it. They make us dream up our own adventures and show us places we couldn't have imagined. I would recommend the movie but I would ALSO recommend that you keep studying up on how to be as safe and smart as possible while sporting through the world.

Arthur's Rock

  Despite my role as a blogger, I am terrible at remembering to take pictures of my various adventures. I was forced to hijack a few of these from the State Park website.

This weekend, M and I drove over to Fort Collins for a weekend of fun and frolic with friends. Friday night we went to see 127 Hours (review to follow later) with RC Lindsay. Saturday, we kicked M out of the house to hit the REI member garage sale with the guys while good friend, Lisa and I scurried to prepare a big breakfast for 15!

 The guests, all good friends of Marty's (and becoming good friends of mine) came, each bringing at least 1 dog and something to share for breakfast. We laughed, we cooked, we talked. These are things M and I don't seem to get enough of in Grand County. We have a great community in Winter Park but it's very different than our FoCo community and doesn't often lend itself to large group gatherings, just for fun. By contrast, the FoCo crew almost always has a long list of events and activities planned for any given day. They are active, outdoorsy and spontaneous and it's fun for us to enfold ourselves in that for a few days.

After breakfast, we piled 9 people and 4 dogs into 2 cars and drove over to Lory State Park for a 3.5 mile hike up to Arthur's Rock, boasting an incredible overview of Fort Collins. On this hike, you gain over 1100 feet of elevation which allows for these views from 6780 ft. The trail was in good condition and well marked, although a bit icy. We ran into very few people and our well behaved mountain dogs had a great time scrambling up rocks with us and watching for wildlife. For those with more time, look into the campsites in the area. There were also some mountain bikers cruising around, although I don't know just how many bike trails they have at Lory.

  We finished off our weekend exploring Old Town Fort Collins and I am excited that I was able to find a few great local/fair trade Christmas gifts. I always struggle with holiday shopping at Big Boxes.

Thanks for a GREAT weekend Lisa, JV, Christa, Dave, Greg, Amy, Molly, Rob, James, Mike, Trinity, Elliott and Drew (and dogs: Emma, Lola, Bodie, Fiona, Mia, Roxie)

(Bodie and Bracco WORN out after our hike)