Randolph Mountain Club Shelters

If you've ever climbed in the Whites of New Hampshire during the summer, you might have some idea of how incredibly busy the AMC hut system gets. To say it's crowded would be an understatement, given that you often have to make reservation weeks prior to your trip. Reservations?! For hiking?! That's sort of my mentality...

Gray Knob Cabin, Randolph Mt Club
photo credit- Unstoppable Drew
great shot- eh!

Another alternative to the AMC huts are the four Randolph Mountain Club Shelters. I haven't been to one of the Randolph Mountain Club Shelters yet and I guess that they can be quite crowded as well in the summer months. I've heard that they have a quiet off season though and are quite nice in the late fall months.

Dog Emergencies

I can handle my own against pretty good spills off my bike & anything bloody, but honestly dog emergencies are pretty upsetting to me. Recently, Adam was involved in the care of a dog who had unearthed a hornets nest. His friend saw his dog acting weird from across the field and decided to see what was going on. As he got closer he realized the dog was swarmed with hornets.

Misty staying out of trouble for once

They pulled the dog inside in an attempt to wet the dog to get the hornets off. Realizing that the dog's thick double coat type fur was infested with them and that wetting the dog would only trap the hornets, they resorted to pulling the hornets off with towels and stepping on them.

The whole time the dog was ultra calm, which probably helped her situation. They decided to get an emergency vet on the phone (it was a Sunday of course- all the serious stuff happens when the docs aren't in). Adam says there were hundreds of hornets on the dog and when they finally got the dog to the vet, they were still pulling them out of her fur. In the end it was a good call to bring the dog to the vet as the shear number of stings brought the dog into anaphylactic shock.

As you can see we've had our share of crazy events this summer and other dog emergencies as well. In an effort to be more prepared for events like these I've been trying to have a few more things on hand. The truth of the matter is, if you have your dog outdoors a lot eventually you run into some situations.



I'm thinking about having a basic dog emergency book on hand like this one. There are some online resources, but it is hard to find good fairly comprehensive resources (this one isn't too bad). Anyway, if you know any other resources please feel free to share :)

Favorite Fall Gear

Some peaks at my favorite fall gear...

Jake the Snake Cyclocross bike
Sure it's built for a guy, but really of my last six bikes only one was designed for a woman. Moral? I've been riding a guys rig for over 90% of my cycling career. Plus, this bike is built for quality at a seriously decent price.

Swobo's Vintage Inspired Merino Wool Shirts
When I first fell in love with biking (eek- maybe 15 years ago) this was one of my favorite cycling companies. I think, for a period they may have gone out of business. But the good news is there back and they've got some drool worthy biking shirts, swag, and even bikes.

Ibex Arm and Leg Warmers
I wish I could wear arm warmers to work....

Dog Surf Contest

I found this over in tweetville and just couldn't resist. A dog surfing contest in California recently drew over 4,000 spectators.

photo credit (not from the actual contest mentioned I'm afraid, but too cute to pass up)

One of the things on my to-do lists includes teaching Nuggets a new trick. Not sure how surfing would go over being that she hates the water though.

Nuggets in case you didn't know

On Being Hit by a Car

I'm petrified of being hit by a car. I take all the recommended precautions. I always indicate when I am turning. I wear bright colors and flashing lights. I avoid roads with no shoulders.

But the truth is, you can take all the precautions you want. You can worry about it while you ride, before you ride, or even after you ride, but all it takes is one stupid distracted driver.

Last week, after a series of extreme, rare and difficult life moments (which is why this is so even more random to me) I was hit by a distracted driver. Thank God, she barely skimmed me. I was hardly hurt- but I was very,very, shaken up.

The weather was perfect- there was no sun in any one's eyes. I had been riding on a super quiet back country road where cars come once every few minutes. I was pausing for a moment on an open stretch of road- no hills to be hidden by, no corner's to tuck around. I had stopped to take a break, because let's face it- I need breathing breaks when I ride.

The car scraped around my arm and swerved across the road. The driver slammed on there breaks maybe twenty feet past me- obviously too late if she had been any closer to me. She comes out shaken up- saying she's so sorry, she didn't see me (sitting on the side of a quiet open road with a bright yellow jacket on- right). She had been distracted by her four kids she tells me.

She swears to me she will never drive distracted again. We're both crying now because she was an inch from killing me.

Redic.

What's the lesson here? I dunno- that we should all know better- right? I mean- when we drive we should drive- not text, or watch tv, or surf the internet or god knows what the heck people do other than drive when driving.

It occurs to me that some of you all must have had collisions or near collisions with cars. Anyone feel like sharing? Any tips for avoiding future catastrophes? PS thanks for listening to my story all.

Ratcheting it Up

I've really ratcheted up my paddling this year. Not only is our new local great for more road and mountain biking, but it is also excellent for paddling. Before I had one- max two- spots for paddling nearby. Now days I have my pick of over a dozen killer spots.

I've also been purposefully ratcheting up my paddling because really- truly-- gosh darn-it-- I am doing a triathlon in a month. The triathlon involves a 5- mile paddle, 8-ish mile mountain bike, and 5-ish mile trail run.

Sure I could definitely be in better shape, but that would be really boring. It isn't fun unless you aren't sure you are going to finish.

Just kidding. I am pretty sure the finishing will be in my realm of doing, but I could have been doing some more crunches and stuff. You know- the boring indoorsy things to stay in shape. I've really been just mainly playing outside without a lot of pressure for time or distance so it should be interesting.

Things I Would Like...

As fall creeps in there are just a few things I would like to ease the transition...

photo credit

A new tent- The Mountain Light by LLBean

Our faithful EMS Tristar has finally submitted to the elements. Recently our tent pole splintered in two places. We duck taped it- because duck tape basically works for everything- but there is only so long I can handle this fussy little ghetto tent.

I've picked out the Mountain Light because it has all the features we particularly love about our current tent at a excellent price. Here is our list of tent loves- dual side doors, ample vestibule room, ample room for canine friends, and lots of netting.

A new sleeping bag- EMS' Mountain Light Bag

Okay- I am seriously not going with a "mountain light" theme here. I just realized while typing that these two items from separate companies are both called Mountain Light. Guess that keeps it simple.

Really though I want the Mountain Light bag because it packs down into nothing and is perfect for backpacking and bike touring trips. I know, I know, that is what down does. But seriously, I can't wait until my sleeping bag takes up less than half my pack.

About a million more nights outside

Let's face it- no matter how much I get outside I'll always feel like I need to get out more.

Stump Jump Trail Race

Oh Stump Jump Race, you art thou the coolest. I wish you were closer.

Favorite Things From the Summer

Some of my favorite things this summer:

photo credit

• Homemade salsa
• Night Hikes Galore- I never night hiked in the summer because it stays light so late...But due to some extra long hours and the weaning hours of light in August, we've swung back to night hiking.
• Long bike rides- No longer avoiding the hills! We moved to a very hilly area- so there is just no avoiding them now. My legs have been thanking me.
  
• Camp Chef- I am literally drooling over their goodies. While there style camping isn't my typical style- I still wouldn't mind scoring some of those cast iron skillets for some deep dish pizzas- yum!
• Outdoor Showers- This is a must when I own a home. Maybe I'll use real plumbing though...
• My Tikka- Sure I've technically had it forever, but lately it has been me, the Tikka, and Misty vs. The Skunk. Stinky little jerk has made home in our backyard. It's a constant war. Adam has decided to be the good farmer boy that he is and relocate it with a have a heart trap. This should be fun. Updates soon.
  

Well Hello

Hey guys! Sorry for the slow blogging summer here at Betty Mountain Girl. I very much appreciate all the checkin' ins, the where are you's, questions and comments that still are coming my way. You guys really help check me back into the fun side- and I can't tell you how much that means.

I've had a hum dinger of a summer in many ways...the kind where the rest of life pushes in and takes over. I've still been out and about- picked up running (for reals this time), been kayaking way more miles than typical (I'm up to 15 miles per week!), and of course biking myself silly.

But, I've forgotten to keep up over here with all you inspiring outdoorsy blog friends that I have and I miss that! So if you'll still have me- I'll still be checking in. Sporadic for a bit longer. But having fun nonetheless.

Thanks for reading you'all!!! You are the best!