Spring into Summer

Our regional go-to guide for outdoor “race, play,experience” info changes seasons this weekend. The spring issue, with my article on the pleasures of walking, gets posted on-line, while the summer issue becomes available to the region in print.

With hordes of visitors in town for the annual Ski to Sea relay race the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, folks from all over will get to check out the great writing and super photography of the magazine. The summer issue includes my Backcountry Cuisine article on home-packed food for backpacking and kayaking trips, and offerings on the geology of a bike tour, paddling in Victoria, mountain bike racing, and feeling at home on the Wonderland Trail. 

A fine collection of inspirations to get you springing into summer. Read and enjoy.

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Move More, Watch Less

If you want to get your family outside, many times you have to wean yourselves away from the tv, computer, and iPod. To this end, you might consider participating in your community’s Screen Free week or TV Turn Off week. Whatever it gets called and whichever week your community or your family designates, it’s a chance to think about how we spend our time, and take a break from all those screens.

It was Dana’s idea for us our family to participate. No screen time at home, Monday through Friday, all week this week.  She wants to go to the pool and the bookstore, her brother will bike or scooter with friends more after school I bet, and we parents will make sure to focus on family time. We get lots of that when we’re on bicycling, backpacking, and kayaking trips together, but sometimes not enough in the busyness of everyday life.

I hope we go for a family hike and solidify our summer trip plans this week. I think we’ll feel like we have more time and be outside more too. We don’t have tv, but there’s often someone at the family computer in the kitchen. Even we need to move more and watch less.

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Parents Hike

With the kids at school and spring break for one parent, we decided the adults should get out for a rare without-the-kids hike. The weather was a bit gray, so we started in fog and rain, and got snow as we gained elevation. Oyster Dome looked windy, and we knew there would be no view today, so we snacked at the Bat Caves and talked about how all this would be a great setting for a northwest hobbit.

We also felt like we had a moment of hiking solidarity with our friend Mary, who began her 5-month trek on the Appalachian Trail today. I figure we and she were hiking at the same time, just across the country from each other. We wish her well and we’re hoping she was having better weather than we were. When I got home, I googled the weather in northeast Georgia and found 67 degrees. Nice.

While a good fitness hike for us, this would not have been as good a family hike. Cold drippy weather and sloppy slushy footing might have made this frustrating for the kids. Spring is coming though, so I hope we’ll be hiking more as a family soon. 

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Runnin’ O’ The Green

Family adventure requires some level of fitness, and kids getting fit with their friends is more fun for everyone. The weekend nearest St. Patrick’s Day, that puts us at the Runnin’ O’ The Green, a local race with 2-mile and 5-mile options. In the beginning, we went because dad/husband plays drums in the Celtic-rock band Maggie’s Fury, and the group plays pre- and post-race. But for the last three years, the kids have run the 2-mile race.

They like dressing up in crazy green outfits, don’t seem to mind that it rains most years, and after they finish, they cheer in their friends, which is darn heartwarming to see. Then while everyone waits for results, the kids dance to Maggie’s Fury songs. The whole event is good green fitness fun. I’m proud of the participants and those of us who only cheer. Yep, I get my fitness in bicycling around town, but I sure can appreciate those runners.

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