Summer, so far.

July came and went in a whirlwind!

The weather has been awesome, and I've been reacquainting myself with the outdoors. Last post I talked about the Glacier Challenge, and the team I was on placed 7th out of 10 all-female teams. I don't think I've ran that fast since high school, which wasn't incredible but I was proud of myself. It was a gorgeous day, and we all had a blast. I'm sad I won't get to do it next year, but maybe one day I'll come back and do the whole thing solo :)

I did my first backpacking trip in Glacier with a group of ladies to Akokala Lake.

It was super hot and buggy but it the hike was nice and mellow. One of the highlights was enjoying our boxed wine and playing Catch Phrase until our faces hurt from laughing.

I took the PT students up to Numa Ridge Lookout a couple weekends ago. Another hot and buggy hike, but with a great climb and beautiful views at the top.

How cool would it be to live up there all summer?

On a side note -- you know you live in a rural area when you drive an hour and a half to go hike in the wilderness and you run into at least 4 people you know.... Such is life in Whitefish!

I seem to have caught the race bug this summer, too. I agreed last-minute to do the Paddlethon in Kalispell last weekend with a friend. This entailed 3 miles of kayaking, 5.5 miles of mountain biking, and 4 miles of trail running. It was definitely tough, and it was a hot hot day, but somehow I managed to finish with a decent time and placed 7th out of 10 solo women. Apparently 7 is the magic number?

(we paused just long enough to take this photo before jumping directly into the lake)

I also just managed to fit in a Thursday Night Race League event yesterday on Big Mountain. Do you remember 2 years ago when I was racing almost every week? I did all beginner courses (1 lap) except for one week when I attempted sport class (2 laps) and finished DEAD LAST. I didn't get to race at all last year because I worked every Thursday, but this year I was bound and determined to attempt a sport class course again and finish BEFORE they started the awards ceremony.... So yesterday I dragged a friend up to do it with me, and low and behold I kicked a little bit of ass! I was by no means super fast, but I did tons better than I remembered ever doing the first year. I managed to pass a few people, I didn't walk any of the course, only fell once (toppled over trying to push up onto a lip and caught myself on a trail sign - it was pretty entertaining to watch I'm sure), and my lungs didn't feel like they were going to explode. I even placed second in my category and got a raffle prize, too. Success!!

This weekend I'm off to bike a section of Glacier Park with a couple of ladies, followed by camping in Many Glacier and hiking Ptarmigan Tunnel. Whew! Getting tired just thinking about it. Better get to bed...

2 years ago today

Tomorrow morning is the Glacier Challenge.

As I was preparing for my leg of the race tonight (and by preparing I mean eating homemade pizza and watching hulu), it hit me that at this time 2 years ago I was spending my first night in my new apartment after just pulling in to town with Dad and Mike, trying to get a decent night's sleep before I competed the next morning in the same race.

I had agreed to be on Whitefish Therapy's team, so literally less than 24 hours after getting my keys, I was canoeing Whitefish River (and pretty much dying since I had done one day of training all summer) on the second-to-last leg of the race.

Talk about jumping right in! Nothing like being so sore you can barely get dressed, much less lift people's limbs all day, on your first day of work.

I had a blast though, and this will be my 3rd time at it. Last year I did the road bike section, and this year I'm running the last leg of the course.

Who knows, maybe I'll come back one year and do the whole thing on my own... but in the meantime, wish me luck!

Meet my new best friend.

Did I mention that I finally invested in the best kitchen appliance I will ever own??

Can you see the drool marks on the shiny stainless bowl?

Can you smell and taste the endless amounts of baked goodies I will be able to make with this bad boy?

Can you tell that I'm pretty stoked about it?!

And of course, what better way to break it in than with a full-on batch of Linda Smith Cookies.

Oh, and did I tell you that I got an ice cream maker attachment too?

If I disappear from the public for a while, you'll know where to find me. Up to my chin in dough and frozen magic.

Mission: PDX

Kyle and I got back very early Monday morning from a whirlwind of a weekend trip to the City of Roses.

If you haven't yet heard, we'll be moving to Portland this fall. Both Kyle and I are super excited to be moving back to a city and do the urban thing for a while. While we love Whitefish and hate to leave a place where you can be hiking, mountain biking, or skiing within minutes of our door, we are ready for a change of pace. It feels like the perfect time in our lives to live it up!

So this weekend was all about exploration. Scope the neighborhoods, check out the public transportation, and most importantly - find some really good food.

(digging in at Pok Pok - Kyle was like a little kid on Christmas morning;

at the Screen Door for brunch - totally worth the wait)

I wish I had taken more pictures of some of the places we went. We had some awesome desserts and pastries (my fav) as well as food and drinks. We even managed to watch a little of the Grand Floral Parade outside of our hotel room, and caught glimpses of the City Fair going on and some smaller street fairs. There were definitely not enough hours in the day to see everything we wanted, but we will be back!

Oh yes, we can

A little back story: Last fall/winter we had 2 students at the clinic, Jamie and Amanda, who were interested in learning to can their own jam. I had plans to do so anyway since I was out of stock, so they came over for a "canning party" before going cross country skiing one Saturday. We successfully got the jars all filled and processed and sealed up, but they never quite set up like we had hoped.....so we ended up with strawberry sauce instead.

Well, I've had the jars sitting out, waiting to be poured back in to the pot and fixed up, then returned to the jars so that they can be eaten. However, for the last 6 months they've just been sitting there, taunting me, teasing me with their sweet goodness while I keep putting off the re-do.

So anyway, I FINALLY corrected the recipe and have been enjoying some delicious homemade strawberry jam - on my very own homemade bagels, nonetheless. One of the most rewarding baking projects to date! They're really not that hard to make, if you find the right recipe. I'm sure they'd be even better if I used the recipes that call for overnight proofing and whatnot, but hey, I like to keep things simple.

So then I had the canning bug...and some cucumbers to use up... so I went for it and made some pickles. Another pretty easy task, just a little time consuming. But, ta-dah! Pickles that cost almost nothing that taste better than the store bought kind.

Saving the environment, one loaf at a time.

I told you I had projects going on, so here's numero uno: bags.

I've been following a woman's blog about reducing household waste, which has been a goal of mine but something I've gotten away from recently. I was inspired to start up again, and my first task was to make bulk shopping and food storage bags.

I have been baking bread a lot more lately, but the problem has been in how to store it. My loaves are too big for most plastic bags, which I don't want to use anyway since they ultimately end up in the trash after a few uses. And I hate to use plastic wrap because I feel like the plastic seeps into the bread and gives it a funny taste. I had been using foil but, again, it ends up in the trash can.

Solution: fabric bags.

I know, I know, seems counter-intuitive to store a baked good in a breathable bag, but it actually has worked pretty well so far! Yes, if it's left in the pantry for over a week it gets hard, but we don't often go past that long before it's all eaten up (toasted homemade bread with butter is one of my many addictions). And it holds up great in the freezer, too. Who'dathunk?

I also took an old sheet and some laundry bag material and sewed up some bags for bulk items at the store. My goal is to significantly reduce the amount of packaging I take from the store, so I'm buying most things in bulk (flour, oats, even chocolate chips and pasta) and from the bulk produce. To go even further, I take my own bulk bags instead of the plastic ones at the store. I write the numbers down on a piece of scrap paper (usually a receipt from the previous trip) and have the tare weights of the bag written right on the fabric. So far it's worked great! When I get home, I just put it into glass jars for storage.

It was great to break out the sewing machine and be creative again. Having projects definitely helps my sanity in this wet and cold Montana spring.

I'm baaaaack!

For anyone who is even still following this practically abandoned blog.....

It's making a comeback!

I've taken quite the hiatus, but I think it's about time to resurface. I've been hard at work creating, cooking, baking, sewing...all sorts of fun projects lately. And what better way to keep a tally on them than to archive it on this here blog.

And with the weather finally getting nicer and nicer it's about time to head into the wilderness and see what kind of trouble I can't get myself into.

I know I'll have stories to tell.

So you can look forward to some new posts, as well as a little blog facelift action to come!

It's good to be back.

Seasons change, and so do we.

You know how you get to that point where too much has gone on to know what to write about so you put it off but the list just gets longer and longer so you want to write less and less?

Welcome to my blog!

My household has grown since we spoke last. Kyle (and I) adopted a little orange fluffball of a kitten last month. His name is Remi, short for Remoulade Wellington Toots McGoo Big Kitty Belly Little Pretzel Peanut Monkey.

And he's freakin' adorable.

Zoje, though getting more comfortable with the idea, was not so stoked about him. He pretty much plays the little brother card to a "t", but at least they run around and chase each other for exercise.

I bought my ski pass last week. Possibly selling my skis and buying some new ones over the next few months. There was snow on the mountain yesterday, and the temps this week won't get over 62 according to the experts. Winter, here we come!

Kyle is in Illinois on a month-long "tour", if you will. He's playing some shows there while business is slowing down here in Whitefish during the shoulder season. Go and see him if you're around and have a free night. He's good, I promise! (Listen and find out where he's playing here.)

Went camping and saw Dave Matthews at the Gorge in Washington over Labor Day Weekend. Had a bear scare but made it out alive and well. Gosh I love camping!

Had another bear scare last week mountain biking on Big Mountain. Turned a corner and there he (or she) was! 30 feet is as close as I hope I ever have to get. Good thing I was going slowly uphill, and not flying downhill!

I'm coming back to IL next week for Kristina's wedding. Going to be a short trip, but really looking forward to seeing old friends and spending time with family.

Ok, I think we're caught up now! Happy autumn, everyone.

Columbia Mountain is evil.

Went on another hike yesterday. That made a total of 42 miles in one week for me. Whew! No wonder my legs feel like rubber today...

Kyle and I attempted to get to the top of Columbia Mountain, which is just outside Columbia Falls, which is the next town over. It sits between the town and Hungry Horse Reservoir, and is apparently one of the most strenuous day hikes around. Of course, we didn't find that out until after we suffered through it.

The trail is made up almost entirely of switchbacks. If I never encounter another switchback it will be too soon. (Okay, not really, but holy uphill there were a ton!) We trudged on for 3 hours going straight up, until our legs finally just gave up on us. That's like being on the stairmaster for 3 hours -- it sucked. We didn't quite make it to the top, but both of us were weighing the end and it just didn't seem to make up for the means, so we stopped and turned around. It was frustrating enough to keep seeing the ridge at the top but not feeling like you were getting any closer to it.

So what comes up must come down, and we certainly did. It only took us about 2 hours to get down but it felt like an eternity because our legs were already tired. We jogged quite a bit because it was easier than trying to slow ourselves down but the rock underfoot was loose so we slid several times. I was never happier to see my car at the end than at the bottom of the trail.

Check out the rest of the pictures here.

So how did we recover? With a fabulous meal on the patio at the Lodge, watching the sun set behind the lake, listening to some live music. Perfect way to end the day, even if we did just fall asleep as soon as we got home!

Today, we continued the recovery process by taking a dip in Murray Lake, just a few miles outside of town. What a gem of a spot! The water was deep and bright blue, pretty darn clear, and not nearly as cold as Whitefish Lake. Not to mention there were only a handful of people on the entire lake so it felt nice and secluded. Definitely going back on hot days to cool off and catch some sun.

Bakin' and bikin'

I'm spoiled.

I have a live-in chef. His name is Kyle. He makes pretty much all meals but breakfast and dessert (yes, dessert is considered a meal in this house; and both of those are my specialty).

And I love it.

But when I get a chance to shine I take full advantage.

The ever-popular berry tart, my new summer fave.

Lately I've gotten the baking bug. Luckily it has been unseasonably cool the past week or so, and so the oven has been runnin' full steam on my days off.

See, I have this list written down of things I want to do this year, and it's a reference for me when I'm sitting around saying "I'm bored" (I know, hard to believe that happens here where there are so many things to do, but sometimes I need a little reminder to get me off the couch...). On this list are a few foods that I wanted to hand-make instead of buy, like bread and jam. I made jam before and it was actually really fun and satisfying, AND I haven't had to buy the expensive all-natural, organic jam like I used to at the store since last fall -- even better!

So this week I decided to tackle high-altitude bread baking. Whitefish is at about 3,000 feet which is just at the cut-off for needing to adjust for altitude. So I found some recipes online and gave it a shot.

First attempt - ehh not entirely stoked at the final product. Especially since the loaf rolled off the counter onto the floor and just about busted into pieces (by some miracle it stayed together...) when I was dumping it out of the pan. The flavor was nice and nutty (100% whole wheat) but it didn't rise much so was really dense and short.

Second attempt - voila! More yeast and kneading and the thing rose to the heavens! AND the second recipe didn't have any oil so FAT FREE (though more honey next time, definitely more honey).

So of course I HAD to make some blackberry jam to go with this delicious bread. I found a recipe (by the way, the bread and jam came from http://highaltitudecooking.blogspot.com) that didn't require ANY sugar, just honey, berries and citrus, and used gelatin instead of pectin. Good and good for ya, even better!

AND to top it all off I made a zucchini and yellow squash quiche. My very first pie crust and very first quiche. Not too shabby, and quite tasty!

I don't know how long this kick will last, but both Kyle and I are enjoying it while it does, that's for sure.

And oh yes, I had a nice trail ride the other night and just wanted to share, once again, why I love Montana. (Though I could have done without the black and blue leg from tumbling end over end down the singletrack after attempting to go over a huge log...but that just comes with the territory and my penchant for hurting myself).

Okay, okay, I'll update, sheesh.

Since the (nearly) entire family from California (mom's side) just finished their visit to Whitefish and I've had a chance to catch up on some sleep, I suppose it's about time to update this blog. Their visit, by the way, was absolutely fabulous and so much fun. I couldn't have asked for a better week. Okay, maybe not having to work all week would have been kinda nice... but it was still a blast.

Summer is in full blast. 90 degrees and not a cloud in the sky today. I had intended on spending a lot of time in the park this summer, but so far I've only been one time other than the 2 hikes I did with the family this week. Kinda pathetic. But I've been keeping myself pretty busy with all the other stuff I've been learning, not to mention the stuff I already do like bike and hike and kayak. I tried my hand at wakeboarding a couple weekends ago, and even learned to man the oars of a raft down rapids. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty good at it! I might have missed my calling as a river guide.

Kyle has been booking some music shows lately and I'm enjoying being his biggest fan/groupie/road crew. Might even do a duet with him one of these times, you never know!

I kind of don't think I'll ever run out of new things to do or try here. Just when I think I'm getting bored, something pops up and renews my energy. I just love it!

Photos from Ninko Cabin - finally!

My friend Sarah put some photos of our trip to Ninko Cabin earlier this year up so I snagged a bunch of shots. I didn't take my camera so I didn't get any pictures but she managed to snap several so I'm going to share with you. Enjoy!

Dear Bikes,

I've missed you two.

Took my bikes out for the first time this week after having them tuned up at the shop. I gave in this year and got them professionally looked at since I've been doing my own repairs/tunes for the last 3 years. I figured it was about time; I don't need my bike falling apart on me in the middle of a ride. I do enough damage to myself as it is...I don't need the added risk.

It felt SO good to be riding again! The stationary bike just doesn't cut it. The cool thing is that I went on one of the uphill rides I did last summer and felt 10 times better doing it this time than when I did it last year, so that's promising. Mountain bike race league starts up in July and I want to race in the sport class this time, not beginner. Gotta get those legs and lungs ready for it. The nice thing is that I've been living at this elevation (about 3,000') for a year now so I'm finally acclimated enough that it doesn't burn when I do things anymore. This should be a good summer!

Smells like summer.

This week has been amazing. Sunny, warm, and beautiful. I haven't felt this good in weeks! There's just something about the smell of warm grass and bark that gives me such a good energy...I just can't explain it.

Kyle came over after work last night, and after barraging him with all sorts of thoughts going through my head, he finally said, "Is this how it's going to be all summer?"

Me: "What do you mean?"

K: "I mean you, being all giddy."

I guess I get a little excited about being outside on gorgeous days like yesterday and today...

I took the kayaks out for the first time yesterday. Ben and I wheeled them down to the beach, hopped in and paddled down the river to the park down town and then back. I wasn't expecting the water to be as not-frigid as it was, though I certainly didn't test it by getting in... It's pretty low though, so unless we get some good precipitation between now and July it won't take long until it's swim-able. Oh man, I can't wait.

Oh, and I took the road bike out for it's first ride of the season. Already averaging 15-16 mph, which is significantly faster than last year at this time. Triathlon, here I come!

Oh the weather outside is... confusing??

Welcome to Montana, where if you don't like the weather, stick around for 5 minutes. No, literally, that's how quick things change around here.

It's spring, which apparently means sunshine and blue skies one minute, clouds and bean-sized hail the next. Take this afternoon, for instance. Here's what it looked like about 20 minutes ago:

And here's what it looked like about 10 minutes ago:

This will go on all day, too. I just can't keep up! Puts a damper on my outdoor exercise plans. Just when you get think you can get ready to go out and take a run, it clouds up and you're stuck inside. Such is life, though. The good news is that summer completely makes up for it -- weeks of sunshine at a time, I can't wait!

What HAVEN'T I been doing??

Now that spring is upon us, I thought I'd jump back into the blog writing and see if I can't catch you up to speed on the goings-on in my life, once again. As I sat down to write, I asked myself, "What have I been doing?" My first response... "What haven't I been doing lately?".... (hang with me, this is going to be a long post...)

Cross country skiing has become a staple in my winter activities menu. I love going out on a trail and gliding across the snow instead of trudging through in boots. And you get a fantastic workout without even really realizing it. AND you can get a little sun on the cheeks (don't worry, Mom, I wear my SPF 615). I plan on purchasing a xc get-up in the near future.

I learned to snowboard. Officially. I'm an official snowboarder. I can make it all the way down the mountain with total ease. Ok, I still fall of course, but I'm finally comfortable and can make nice turns and I don't get scared switching from heelside to toeside. So that's pretty awesome to me.

Hiking Big Mountain is now my workout of choice. There were recently some restrictions placed on uphill travel (hiking, snowshoeing, skinning) up the Big, so instead of having all access, those who don't want to ride the lift can only go up a designated route and have from 6:30 AM to 4:00 PM to do so. So on the last night before the restrictions went into effect, Ben, Kyle and I put on our snowboard boots, strapped our snowboards to our packs and started up at sunset. It was a perfectly clear night, and as we reached the last crest the moon was staring right in our faces. It was like a huge spotlight on the trail and probably one of the coolest moments since being here. We celebrated with a Kokanee tallboy toast, and then boarded down with the moon lighting the way. Since then, I've hiked up twice during the day, and have plans to do so every week until mountain bike season starts up. You just can't get much better of a workout than walking straight up the side of a mountain for an hour...

Also to be added to the wishlist: backcountry set-up. Skins, AT bindings, avalanche beacon, probe and shovel. I spent a weekend at Ninko Cabin, one of the forest service cabins available for rent in the winter, for Scott's wife Erica's birthday with some friends. Again, another fantastic workout, skinning up the side of a mountain and skiing back down. We had such beautiful bluebird weather that we were in tank tops by the time we reached the summit. An experience I won't forget for a while. Well, I have no choice considering I have the remnants of the blister I got from wearing borrowed ski boots for nearly 3 hours of skinning and then 5 1/2 miles of skating (mostly uphill) out from the cabin the next day on our way home. Did I mention that this cabin is 13 miles in from the road, 3 miles of which I mistakenly drove and managed to get stuck in a ditch which took 3 hours, 3 shovels, 2 stuck cars and 2 times being pulled out by a chain? Yeah, that happened too....

But alas, spring has sprung and the snow is melting away and it's time to start thinking about Thursday Night Race League and getting my hike list in order and breaking in my backpack and all that good stuff that comes with warm, sunny weather. It's been fun, first winter in Montana, but I'm not gonna lie, I can't wait for summer again!

Something new for the new year

I may have a new tradition, though I imagine it's something people have been doing all along without me realizing it.... and that tradition is doing something new on New Year's.

What inspired me, you ask? Well, this year I went cross-country skiing on New Year's Eve for the first time. It was fantastic. I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to catch on, but once I got the rhythm part figured out it was so - much - fun. Ben, his friend Sarah, and her friend Cody all skied through town (we got a bunch of snow so all the roads and sidewalks were covered) to the golf course, then through the golf course on to Grouse Mountain Lodge to listed to a funk band and mingle with some friends who were there. We managed to get the fire pit outside to ourselves just in time to pop open our champagne bottle for a midnight toast. I couldn't have asked for a better time, though my legs and arms were awfully sore the next day after skiing for about 5 hours... I think one of the best parts was that I managed to score a couple of full-body ski suits from the 80's in one of the local thrift stores, and Ben and I wore them out. They kept us warm, but man we got some looks! It was classic.

So anyway, I had so much fun this year that I decided I want to try to do something completely new every year. The whole going out to a bar and waiting until the clock strikes 12 is not really my idea of an awesome way to celebrate, so I'm going to try to find something different to make it interesting from here on out.

Happy 2010!

Mountain-top islands

Man, I could really get used to this skiing every day thing. Having a 3 day weekend for 2 weeks in a row is going to spoil the heck out of me!

Today and yesterday I spent a few hours up the mountain putting in some runs. I must say, I've already seen a pretty significant improvement in my skiing ability, even if it's just a result of being more comfortable with the runs after going down them a few times. But the stuff that I would have turned a timid eye to before is looking more appetizing now. Pretty cool stuff! And I'm glad I invested in a helmet cause I'm gonna need it with the sort of skiing I'm starting to explore (you all know how clumsy I can be, and we don't need me to go bonking my noggin on any tree trunks...)

Yesterday and today I got to see what an inversion is. If you're not familiar, it's when the clouds are low and it's clear at the top of the mountain. It's pretty crazy because in town it looks completely socked in, but you get to the top and it's clear as a bell, sunny, and you can see for miles. The clouds below look like an ocean, and only the peaks of other mountains are visible, so they look like islands. Really neat to see in person, but I'll give you a peek at what it looked like yesterday and today.

No electricity? No indoor plumbing? Yes please!

If you've heard me talk about Montana, I'm sure you've heard me mention a tiny town called Polebridge. This is a gem of a town, nestled near Glacier Park, complete with a Mercantile, and bar and restaurant, and a handful of cabins. There's not really much more to it, and it's a great place to get away and live a little primitively for a change.

A couple of weekends ago, I headed out to a friend's cabin with Kyle (see previous post if you don't know who I'm talking about) and we spent the weekend just enjoying each other's company out in the middle of nowhere. It was absolutely fantastic! I couldn't have asked for a better couple of days. We played guitar (which means he attempted to teach me a couple of songs, and I somewhat caught on), cooked on a wood stove, walked in the snow, played cards, and got to know each other a little better. I can't wait to go up there again. I love that sort of thing, and luckily he did, too.

The weather was kinda weird; it rained, then snowed, then rained, then snowed..... but inside the fire was crackling and the wine was flowing, so it didn't matter! Definitely have to go back and take some snow shoes or cross-country skis and explore the area a bit.

I brought my camera and actually managed to snap a few photos, so take a look if you please!

Polebridge

Happy birthday to moi!

Another year has passed, and now I am one year older. Obviously...

I had an awesome birthday this time around. My friend Kyle came back to Whitefish to visit and happened to have the hook-up to rent out this awesome condo above the sushi restaurant he works at. I had some friends over and he played his guitar for a little impromptu concert before heading out for some fun downtown. It was snowy and in the middle of the week, but there were enough good friends there to make it a great night!

I put up the photos on Picasa, so click on the album below to see them.

Birthday Party

Also, a big thank you to those who wished me a happy birthday! It's always good to hear from people from home and away.