Keeping it Real

It's always this time of the year that I start to feel ready for winter to end. It's been fun, but I've had my fill. Sure I love snowshoeing and hiking in the winter, but really driving to work in a decent amount of time sounds like it would be a lot better...

To help perk up my mood and remind me that, yes, there are bits of earth and leaves and things under all that snow, I dug up these videos from this fall. Both are from Mount Eisenhower.

Also, on a side note- thank you to everyone that comments, emails, and gets in touch with me- I truly appreciate every single note and every single follower of this blog. I've spent a lot of time digging through my posts from this past year and if there is one word to capture it all I would say-- fun. It has been freakin' fun and I can't wait to keep the adventure going this year!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!! 2012 was a wonderful year full of adventure and outings. Have you built yourself any adventure lists for the New Year? If so- what 'cha scheming?

Here's some things on my list for 2013:

• Finish Hiking the White Mountain's 4,000 Footers (37 down so far!)
• Finish at least 10 of the Winter 4,000 Footers (2 down!)
• Try log rolling
• Complete Trans Presidential Hike (this goal keeps cropping up year after year- time to get it done!)
• Visit Lake Umbagog

Ways to Connect with Betty Mountain Girl

We recently completed a redesign of the blog to allow for easy of use, simpler navigation, and more fun! Drop on in sometime and check us out! While you are at it here are some more ways to connect (also in sidebar):

Or drop me a line: bettymountaingirl (at) gmail (dot) com. Hope to here from you soon!!

Made in Iceland

MADE IN ICELAND from Klara Harden on Vimeo.

Made in Iceland By Klara Harden

In case you needed some fuel to start your fire for the new year. Here is some amazing footage of an amazing area by an amazing young lady.

The Winter Solstice List

We've been pumped for winter since it means the start of a new list. While we still have 11 more peaks for our 4,000 footers list, we're starting the Winter 48. Essentially we'll be completing all the White Mountains 4,000 Footers during winter.

Winter really changes everything for hiking the 4,000 footers. Streams and rivers that are typically crossed with shoes off and pants rolled up become a major make or break moment. The worst weather in the world brings it in the winter. The winds are regularly strong and now become a windchill factor. Roads are closed for the winter sometimes adding five to six extra miles to an already long hike.

So tonight we celebrate with whiskey and jalepeno poppers as we tackle a new challenge. Here's a list of other smart winter adventures that may peek your fancy...

• Build an igloo
• Dig a snowcave
• Ice skate on a lake
• Climb up a mountain just to sled down it
• Throw snowballs for your dog
• Scoop up your own all natural snow cone (food coloring too!)
• Winter Camping
• Winter Peakbagging
• Breaking the trail with your snowshoes
• Make your own snowflakes (below)
• Night Hiking

source

The Best Adventure and Outdoor Blogs for Women

After so much great feedback we've expanded the original list of best adventure and outdoor blogs for women. My new list includes blogs, websites, and companies that tailor, feature or inspire outdoor women athletes. Enjoy!

Tales of a Mountain Mama

An amazing mountain family that is really living the dream for so many- living it up with their little ones in tow!

Just a Colorado Girl

Just a Colorado Girl is a great blog that features long distance cyclying, endurance sports events, running, skiing and adventuring. Fun and inspiring!

Gear Gals

Gear Gals is a blog dedicated to reviewing and featuring outdoor gear reviews for women. Not only are their reviews helpful and insightful- but they also have a pretty spiffy dress up section too.

Crag Mama

A rock climbing enthusiast sharing her love for nature, climbing, the outdoors, and family.

Outdoor Industry Women's Coalition (OIWC)

The Outdoor Industry Women's Coalition is a group that brings outdoor industry women together through online networking, networking events, and kick ass professional development. Really a must join group for any female currently working in or interested in the outdoor industry.

Monica Prelle 

I love Monica’s blog because it is all about fun, outdoor sports, and outdoor lovin’ lifestyle. She’s not constantly pitching you products- she’s much more into posting amazing photographs, writing sharp little features, and inspiring you to shut off and get outside. Great blog!

Women's Adventure Magazine

Seriously one of my favorite sites to stop by. They have killer reader adventures posted on their blog, you can read past issue or current issues ONLINE. For reels. Amazing photograpy, writing, and inspiration for women adventurers.

Outdoor Women’s Alliance 

A great organization that is all about inspiring women to get outdoors in any non-motorized way whether it is skiing, biking, or climbing…. Their twitter feed regularly features 

Jill Outside

The amazing female adventurer Jill. Words can't describe..

Rock Climber Girl

Rock Climber Girl is a truly inspiring blog. She details her climbing adventures, provides tips and tricks on gear and climbing.

Specialized Bikes- Women

Specialized Bikes has truly expanded their women's bike selection. They're one of the few companies that really analyzes women's geometry and builds better bikes for female riders. More than that- they've got an inspiring website and have really spread out across multiple social media. Check them out on twitter or facebook. Specialized has been kicking butt in the women's specific arena- but here is my challenge for them. Remember the Specialized Trail Crew from last year? Well I think we really think we need to see a Women's Bike Crew...What do you say Specialized?

Girl Bike Love 

A passionate group of cyclists inspiring women to be involved in racing, commuting, and riding bikes. Great bike blog that I definitely recommend

Mudd Bunnies

A women's biking club out of Vancouver, BC featuring forums, tips, and teams for downhill, freeride, or cross country mountain bikers. Oh, I so wish I lived nearby!

Outdoor Divas

Outdoor Divas are based out of Colorado and feature clothing, gear, killer events and classes for multiple sports.

Velo Mom

Connecting women, bikes, and their children. Truly informative posts on biking, pregnancy and biking, and kids.

Expand Outdoors

Totally original and authentic- a life coach with a specialty in the outdoors.

Adventure Inspired

Philly based outdoor blogger Katie Levvy regularly features an array of sports, events, and reviews on her blog.

Chicks with Picks

Chicks with Picks is a site for women rock climbers and ice climbers. Their site features a blog, newsletters, and merchandise for female climbers. They also have amazing clinics all around the country for women climbers.

Hiking Lady

The Hiking Lady blog mainly features reviews and tips for women who hike or backpack. Honestly- she has some great tips on lacing your boots to prevent blisters as well as video features. A must check out blog!

Girl Mtn Biker

Girl Mtn Biker is a brand new site for women mountain bikers. Currently they feature a blog, reviews for women, and a great event section. I expect that we will be seeing more and more as this site begins to unfurl.

Terry

Terry has been making bikes and cycling gear for women before it was cool. Now they're still kicking butt and taking names in all things female and bike related.

Girls Outdoors

Girls Outdoors is a great forum for women outdoor athletes. Whether you bike, paddle, ski, or run- Girls Outdoors has tips, reviews, events, and inspiration for everyone.

Bike Shop Girl

A site dedicated to helping women handle more of the mechanics in biking, reviews on gear, and bike industry info.

Title Nine

Title Nine sells all my favorite brands and puts together an absolutely amazing catalog that is always inspiring me to get out more! I love their gear, their amazing positive can-do models, and amazing photography. First rate outdoor women’s company for sure.

Women's Wilderness Institute

Courses, news, tips, and inspiration for both the seasoned outdoors women to young girls.

See any great sites or blogs that I missed? Please comment below and we may include them in future posts!

Planning

I hope the weekend found you all some adventure! We've been hunkered down with the cold that has been making the rounds, but finally starting to feel better!

The holidays are fast approaching and we are already planning our new year. We still have 11 more peaks from our List to finish. We have our heart set on the Winter List, which is essentially all of White Mountain 4,000 Footers in the winter. 

The winter list is much more difficult and contains far fewer "members." All of the peaks are more challenging because they are covered in snow and may or may not have been packed down and you have winter weather to deal with. My favorite winter challenge is that many of the roads that lead to the trails are closed for the winter, which adds sometimes five additional miles to a ten mile hike. 

Our plans this next year will also include a few traverses that we have dreamed about and up over the years. We grow a garden every year and every year learn something new about how to improve it. And I've also added log rolling to my list of must do's. What about you? What new schemes are you dreaming up this year? Do share...

AMC Trail Sign Auction

I stumbled across AMC's trail sign auction via twitter yesterday and just thought I would share... Can't afford your very own sign? A blown up photo might do the trick too ;=)

Hiking Down From Jefferson

We had another great day grabbing number 35 on the list! Coming down off of Mount Jefferson around noon. Fairly low visibility and wind speeds somewhere around 35 mph. Fun!

Ibex Tent Sale

Photo Source

One of my favorite things about fall- the ibex tent sale. Seriously fabulous deals on seriously fabulous clothing. Sign up for ibex's emails if you are an east coaster and mark your calendars in advance.

Hop in the Saddle Kickstarter

ummmm....yes...great kickstarter! Makes me want to visit Portland!

L.L. Bean Gear Giveaway

In celebration of L.L. Bean's 100 years of exploring, L.L. Bean is giving away a custom prize package EVERYDAY. Tell them about the experience you've always wanted and they will pick a winner each day and outfit them with gear to help them get started!!

What would you do with the right gear? Would you start on a list of mountains to hike? Maybe finally go on that trip with someone? Or start a new sport you've always wanted to try?

What are you waiting for? Write yourself to where you have always wanted to go...

Visit L.L. Bean's site to get started!

Ten Things You'll Never Regret Bringing on a Hike

1. Mint Milano Cookies (Oreos a close second)
2. Duct Tape around a water bottle
3. A friend that specializes in long stories, jokes, or one minute mysteries
4. Wet wipes
5. Something salty
6. Second set of socks
7. A carabiner or two
8. Parachute cord
9. Toliet paper
10. What little luxury items do you have to carry? I always seems to find some extra room for food related things....

Getting Outside

Do you feel like you are constantly wagging a war between life and sport/outdoors? That each day you face the choices (or challenge) of work vs bike, meals vs hikes, or worse TV vs anything? I have to admit that I am completely guilty of participating in this war- a war that should flat out not exist.

The problem is cyclical. It starts with a long day at work, followed by "what should we eat for dinner?, followed by I'm too tired/too full/too hungry to (fill in the blank- hike, run, bike). And better yet, as a female-do-everything- the heck-herself- young lady I feel the need to be great at everything for everyone.

(that's me spending my time)

See it's not enough to just work and come home and call it a day. I want us to eat healthy so I take charge of that. The dog needs to be walked. The bills need to be paid. Blah Blah Blah. Are you catching the drift here? And for all my fellow mountain girls with small children you definitely feel the pull in a thousand directions and the guilt of taking a little "me" time outdoors.

I'd love to hear from everyone on any tips, tricks, or whatevers that help them just get the heck outside more. Here are some things that seem to help me:

• Meal planning- I am so not the organized person in daily life but I do try to do a little pre-planning in this area. For me, I've discovered that an evening meal makes or breaks my outdoor time. If I have nothing planned I will eat junk and then crash on the couch. Lately I've been cooking two large pots of different beans on Sundays and refrigerating or freezing them for the week. My typical meals look something like this: black bean soup, homemade bean dip, beans and rice, stir-fry, and eggs and spinach.
• Game planning for the week- I try to take a good hard look at my week and figure out where the outdoor time is. If every night I have a commitment- I find something to let go of. Do I really need to visit that client or can I reschedule them? Can I switch something to Saturday morning? etc. I say NO a lot. I squirm out of plans.
• Organizing- I'm feeling like this seems to be a theme in this post even though I feel like it is a definite area of weakness for me. What I do for organizing is simple- I have two small folding boxes with bike gear for the week and running gear for the week. I can literally grab that box and be outfitted head to toe in under five. I waste a lot of time looking for random pieces of apparel, remembering where the heck I put my running shoes, etc. So this seems to help.
• Keep it local- I would love to hit trails that are a thirty minute drive from me. Those trails are by far better, climbs are sweeter, and of course the downhills?- killer. But during the work week I have to make compromises. I walk to local trail systems and gain another thirty minutes to spend outdoors.
• Lastly consider where you spend your time. Last week I read an article about how we all have a lot more time in our day than we think and it really made my wheels spin with possibility. If you cut technology out of the equation- time really does become more plentiful.

The Outdoors and Your Brain

As if we all needed another reason to do the thing we truly love...

I was catching up on a few old issues of Outside magazine and was pleased to find this snippet that supports that idea that many of your brain's functions (attention, memory, processing, etc.) perform better with healthy doses of the outdoors.

Personally I am a very strong believer in the relationship between a healthy mind, body, and the outdoors. Coming off a very odd winter I just didn't get outside to extent that I like to. I also didn't exercise nearly enough. How did my brain feel? Like a big slushy mess.

Now that we are onto an early freakish spring up here in the Northeast- I've been trying to tip the balance towards more outside equals more happy. I will certainly let you know how that goes...

Pioneers of Rock: New Hampshire

Best Outdoor Blogs for Women

I've been culling my list of the best outdoor sites or blogs for women. Some are by women or for women. Some of them are companies, groups, or organizations for women. It's heavy on biking blogs, but there is a little something for everyone. Without further ado- The Best of Outdoor Blogs for Women. Enjoy!

Gear Gals

Gear Gals is a blog dedicated to reviewing and featuring outdoor gear reviews for women. Not only are their reviews helpful and insightful- but they also have a pretty spiffy dress up section too.

Outdoor Industry Women's Coalition (OIWC)

The Outdoor Industry Women's Coalition is a group that brings outdoor industry women together through online networking, networking events, and kick ass professional development. Really a must join group for any female currently working in or interested in the outdoor industry.

Women's Adventure Magazine

Seriously one of my favorite sites to stop by. They have killer reader adventures posted on their blog, you can read past issue or current issues ONLINE. For reels. Amazing photograpy, writing, and inspiration for women adventurers.

Rock Climber Girl

Rock Climber Girl is a truly inspiring blog. She details her climbing adventures, provides tips and tricks on gear and climbing.

Specialized Bikes- Women

Specialized Bikes has truly expanded their women's bike selection. They're one of the few companies that really analyzes women's geometry and builds better bikes for female riders. More than that- they've got an inspiring website and have really spread out across multiple social media. Check them out on twitter or facebook. Specialized has been kicking butt in the women's specific arena- but here is my challenge for them. Remember the Specialized Trail Crew from last year? Well I think we really think we need to see a Women's Bike Crew...What do you say Specialized?

Outdoor Parent

The Outdoor Parent hasn't posted since last year, but they have a great collection of articles for parents who want to be outdoors with their family.

Mudd Bunnies

A women's biking club out of Vancouver, BC featuring forums, tips, and teams for downhill, freeride, or cross country mountain bikers. Oh, I so wish I lived nearby!

Outdoor Divas

Outdoor Divas are based out of Colorado and feature clothing, gear, killer events and classes for multiple sports.

Velo Mom

Connecting women, bikes, and their children. Truly informative posts on biking, pregnancy and biking, and kids.

Expand Outdoors

Totally original and authentic- a life coach with a specialty in the outdoors.

She Pedals Magazine

It's really pretty flipping fantastic that the bike industry has morphed enough to allow for a women's specific cycling magazine. She Pedals features reviews, industry news, and features on top athletes.

Chicks with Picks

Chicks with Picks is a site for women rock climbers and ice climbers. Their site features a blog, newsletters, and merchandise for female climbers. They also have amazing clinics all around the country for women climbers.

Hiking Lady

The Hiking Lady blog mainly features reviews and tips for women who hike or backpack. Honestly- she has some great tips on lacing your boots to prevent blisters as well as video features. A must check out blog!

Girl Mtn Biker

Girl Mtn Biker is a brand new site for women mountain bikers. Currently they feature a blog, reviews for women, and a great event section. I expect that we will be seeing more and more as this site begins to unfurl.

Terry

Terry has been making bikes and cycling gear for women before it was cool. Now they're still kicking butt and taking names in all things female and bike related.

Girls Outdoors

Girls Outdoors is a great forum for women outdoor athletes. Whether you bike, paddle, ski, or run- Girls Outdoors has tips, reviews, events, and inspiration for everyone.

Bike Shop Girl

A site dedicated to helping women handle more of the mechanics in biking, reviews on gear, and bike industry info.

Women's Wilderness Institute

Courses, news, tips, and inspiration for both the seasoned outdoors women to young girls.


See any great sites or blogs that I missed? Please comment below and we may include them in future posts!