The Fig Adventure Race

November 5th, 2011


On Saturday, I woke up at 4:45am Eastern Standard time.

Barry and I ate a simple breakfast while Ann and Jane cooked up eggs & more. At this hour, I just shove food down the hatch and hope it stays down! I can’t eat anything complicated-a little rice or a banana is sufficient.

Ann’s other drove us the 30 minutes to the race start, thank goodness! We were all much too groggy & pre-occupied with last minute race preparations.

Big Bone Lick State Park Rangers
Overall, I was very happy we worked so smoothly as a team. The hurdles we encountered were mostly caused by our lack of experience and I believe we were all very proud that we finished. It is definitely a challenging and serious undertaking to do the Fig!

Jane & Ann Study the Map Barry - One Tough Kayaker Ann, Our Expert Navigator Team Gets Checkpoint #5
We found out later that one team capsized in the river and became hypothermic, one gal broke her nose when she went over her handle bars, and one team did not finish because they got lost and had to walk back to an aid station-following railroad tracks.

Barry did crash his bicycle, but thank goodness he was okay enough to make it the last couple of miles to the finish. He’s one tough dude, that’s for sure!

Clare Kayaking on the Kentucky River
Thanks to my companions: Ann, Jane, and Barry. I will look back at my first Adventure Race with fond memories. Wobbly bacon, the repeated offerings of warm gloves, kayaking advice & help on the river, and the frequent stops to make our “bladders gladder”! What an amazing day!

Rock Climbing – Muir Valley Moderates

November 4th, 2011

Clare Climbing in Muir Valley RedRiverGorgeTheFig 017

I have never before missed a flight, but this weekend I did. I was supposed to leave on a Wednesday night, so we could drive down to the RRG (Red River Gorge) on Thursday. The plan was to climb a little Thursday, some on Friday, and then do the Fig adventure race on Saturday. Read the rest of this entry »

Rock Climbing – Third Flatiron, East Face (5.6)

October 21st, 2011

Clare Enjoying Third Flatiron Summit

Wayne - Conquerer of Third Flatiron
Wayne and I climbed the third flatiron on Friday. We had lovely fall weather and came across very few people. It was great to swing lead with Wayne. He hadn’t led this route before, so it was fun for him too. I did the odds and he did the evens.
Read the rest of this entry »

Rock Climbing – Fandango Variation (5.6) – CMC

October 15th, 2011

CMC Climbers After First Flatiron Fandango Ascent
Gary was kind enough to help lead a group of my Basic Rock Students up the First Flatiron. We climbed the Fandango Variation route in two teams of three.

Team Rich Chile Caramels 3rd Pitch of Fandango
I had Michael and Chris (Team Rich Chile Caramels).

Team Yearning Air Climbs First Flatiron
And, Gary took Ian and Erin (Team Yearning Air).

Team names were generated using our names plugged into an anagram machine (found online somewhere!).

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday Night Football – Detroit Lions at Ford Field

October 10th, 2011

Dennis & Clare Party at Lions Rooftop

Monday Night Football Party Bus

Inside the Party Bus - Detroit Lions Monday Night Football

Dennis and I flew to Detroit to see a Monday Night Football game, Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears, at Ford Field. We stayed with Aunt Jean (what a gracious host!) and visited with family. It was so nice to catch up with everybody.
Read the rest of this entry »