The Weak-End Warrior: Playing Catch-Up

Things have been hectic. Lots of travel and had to get an NIH R01 grant submitted in the past few weeks. I'll bring things to the present:

Wrap-up of Arizona peakbagging trip:

The last day of hiking in Arizona truly felt like Arizona - hot with cactus. Coincidentally, that was the name of the low-budget film I watched in my hotel room for the low price of $12.95. Got some trail runs/hikes in, went shirtless and encountered an unexpected bushwhack through thorns (a fitting punishment for shirtless douchebaginess). This all took place near Mt. Lemmon - a beautiful area just near Tucson.

Next up was a conference in Southern California, and I was able to sneak in Sandstone Peak after it was over and before my flight. An added bonus was the 90 minute drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to the trailhead. Southern California is not ugly - there may be a reason housing is slightly more expensive than in rural North Dakota. Didn't run as much of Sandstone as I would have liked; the trails were slick with water and I took lots of pictures. 6.1 miles, 1370' elevation gain, 2:01. The smell of blooming shrubs was in the air, making the olfactory and optical experience equally wonderful despite my body's remarkable efficiency in returning solid and liquid mass (vegetarian fare, fermented hops and barley) to the atmosphere.

Next up was New Hampshire in late May - I had to work in Boston on Monday and had a free Sunday before with the wife and son out of town. I planned to do some trail running and peak bagging at the same time, but the very rocky trails foiled me. I got some running in, but not as much as I would have liked. It also turned out to be hotter in New Hampshire (89 degrees in Gorham) than North Carolina (about 82 degrees)! I summited Mount Shaw and Osceola Peak - both highly recommended despite the biting flies which kept me moving. I did manage to log 12.6 miles and 4400' elevation gain in a total of 4:51. Views from Osceola: