It was midnight, the moon was shining and the runners were ready for the start of the race...

For those of you who aren't from around here, the town Pownal Vt  had their 13th annual Midnight in Vermont 5k run last night.  It was the first time I had heard of it, but friends had asked if I would run with them. I guess I missed the whole memo on racing at night! Never the less, I entered the race and met everyone at the Pownal fire station. I was met by a flurry of glow sticks, EVERYWHERE, People had them wrapped around their legs faces and wrists. I got a sweet shirt and my very own glow stick. The race began fittingly with a cowbell and the runners were off. Naturally at the beginning of the race when everyone is huddled together it's easy to observe a wide variety of footwear. The concept of "natural" running was present in many different form. There were the  Vibram fivefingers and one man inparticular who had made his own running shoes which looked to be made out of a tire and a leather strap. Personally i would never try to run on pavement without a "trainer" but the whole natural running idea does interest me. I found a happy medium. The Mountain Goat just started carrying the Scott running shoe line particularly for people like me who don't feel comfortable running barefoot or with the finger shoes. Scott has developed a shoe that is their own version of Natural running. The ones I bought were  light enough so that it felt as if I were wearing nothing but with the added support of my custom orthotics. For those of you who want to try a "natural" running shoe try out the Scotts.

Back to the race! Throughout the course  were scatterings of  glowsticks and candles that would be the only light aside from the moon. You honestly couldn't have asked for a better night. Peaceful and cool; the race was a success. Running with friends and glowsticks, the hills of Pownal were no match. We all finished with no visible injuries, so everyone agreed to do it again next year. For those of you traveling the Northest make some time beautiful Vermont, it wont let you down.

Rainy one secon and sunny the next.  Lately it has been nerly impossible to judge what mother nature will throw at us.  Thus far today it has been overcast, sunny, and raiing like no body's busines.  It is hard to know what to do?  Should I go for a hike? Or stay inside. If I hike it might be beautiful or I could end up being soaked to the bone. It's impossible to tell what will happen.  Now, most might opt to stay inside and not run the risk of getting an unexpected bath, but I say the heck with that.  Afterall, it is pretty fun hiking in the rain, especially now that it is a bit warmer.  Last week I did a little exploring up in the Dorset Hollow.  It was raining when I started out and not once did mother nature relent.  I returned to my car completely soaked but full with the satisfaction of the adventure I had.  With all the new spring colors and smells its hard to resist being outside so don't let the rain hold you back.  Go on your favorite hike and run the risk of an unexpected shower.  So what adventures are in store for the future?  I am thinking some trail rides on my bike and some canoeing.  I hope to breat out the new Big Agnes tent I just slurged on very soon.  So keep your fingers crossed for those perfect Vermont days and get excited for the summer's adventure that are in the very near future.

Unfortunately, we are getting to my least favorite time of year again, where we are left hoping for one last hurrah of the ski season. I still have faith in it's ability to come back for us a bit, even later this week we are expecting some precipitation, described by that interesting term, Wintery Mix. I'm never quite sure what that means, but I know at least up on the mountains that it hopefully means some fresh coverage. So, I'm predicting (by no means accurately, haha) a couple more weeks of decent spring skiing conditions down here at Bromley, and up north at least an extra week or two I would think. The northern half of the state was blessed with almost 2 feet of snow last week when all we had gotten was rain and wind, so it might be time to migrate north for a day for a nice ski vacation. Today is also the start of the indoor soccer season here in Manchester, an exciting chance to show my father up in the one arena of life I can best him in athletically. If that's not your cup of tea then you can start dusting off the warmer weather gear for all of those things you love to do when winter has left us, the hiking boots, camping gear, bicycle, and much more. Enjoy the last winter has to offer and we'll see you soon.

 

-Riley

 

Alright, so it has been a while since anyone wrote one of these and I thought it about time that I share my excitement for the upcoming winter with everyone. I am dying to enjoy the holidays at home and almost as excited to play in the snow, skiing Bromley, sledding down Equinox and just admiring the beauty of Vermont in the winter. My only concern at the moment is acclimatization, because spending 6 months or so on the warm mediterranean coast and then being thrown straight into late december in New England will be quite a shocking experience. I'm having my parents send me at least my Arcteryx Hoody to get me home from New York and once home I will be really happy to jump right into my Mammut Jacket, Mukluks and Rondenee gloves. In conclusion, get excited people, it looks (or rather sounds like to me from here) like the beginning of a great snowy season so far!

-Riley