Ryan left on Friday for his annual guys’ hiking trip. I didn’t mention his absence on the blog right away because I wasn’t sure about my plans this weekend and didn’t want to say he wasn’t in Ocala for safety reasons if I ended up there alone… even if I did have my ferocious beast with me.
Through picture texts and some spotty cell phone conversations (the reception on the Appalachian Trail is less than stellar), I’ve gathered that he’s having a fantastic time.
(For those of you who missed the whole Daddy 2012 thing, no, I’m not pregnant. It’s a reference about our ongoing campaign to be Sadie’s favorite.)
Ryan said it’s absolutely beautiful in North Carolina right now and I’m happy to hear that he’s having a lot of fun. Though there was a high of 69 degrees in the area where he was hiking yesterday, they hiked through a bit of snow at one point. Thank goodness for waterproof boots!
Breakfast
Last night I made the game-time decision to stay in Jacksonville through tomorrow and ate breakfast at my parents’ condo this morning.
My meal started to with two pieces of Ezekiel toast topped with Earth Balance and jelly.
I also made myself a rather unattractive chocolate cherry protein smoothie topped with Honey Bunches of Oats cereal.
Now it’s coffee time!
My sister had some vacation time built up that she had to use and took this week off from work in St. Pete, so she’s hanging out here, too!
Since her boyfriend, Ross, lives in Jacksonville Beach, we’re watching his adorable chocolate lab Kona while he’s at work.
Hoping to have a productive morning followed by a fun afternoon!
Question of the Morning
- Would you ever want to go on an overnight hiking trip? (Overnight hiking trip = The kind where you carry a backpack with all of your camping gear and food with you along the trail.)
I love hiking and I love camping, but I don’t like hiking in order to camp. Carrying a huge backpack on 10+ mile hikes doesn’t exactly intrigue me.
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I’ve never been overnight backpacking, but I have been camping and on some super-long hikes…does that count? I would love to go backpacking someday! Recently I also read a story in the newspaper about Mary Breckenridge, a woman who does an annual solo ride across the Sierra Nevada range here in SoCal. So brave! I would love to do something like it…but maybe not by myself 🙂 Here’s the whole story: http://framework.latimes.com/2012/10/25/sierra-solo/#/0
I love hiking & camping, mostly b/c my husband has all the right gear & is so good at all–so it’s nice to be able to get away and he takes care of the ‘hard’ stuff. I think it’s fun!
Overnight hiking is so much fun! I’ve only been in West Virginia but I bet North Carolina would be beautiful! See the beauty in overnight hiking is everyone has an {unspoken}, yet mutual agreement that you are ALL going to feel & look disgusting! Also, it’s an adrenaline rush…Like a scary movie if you’re into that sorta thing!
I’d definitely be down to try it once, but I have a feeling I’d get pretty cranky by the end of the trip. I can’t blame you for not being into the idea.
I hiked the (2200 mile) Appalachian Trail after college and it was, hands down, the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I am more independent and stronger because of it. 6 months in the woods will do that to you. The long distance hiking community is amazing. It is made up of doctors, engineers, teachers, the unemployed, etc. It pulls together people from all income classes and puts them together, enduring the same thunderstorm or watching the same sunset. All equals.
I met my husband in 2009 just before leaving to hike the (2400 mile) Continental Divide Trail and knew he was the man for me when he quit his job and joined me for a 5 month journey that we talk about weekly to this day. You get to know someone pretty quickly when you spend 24 hours a day together, including nights in a tent after bean burrito dinners and temps dropping to 15 degrees. The things we went through, from the highest highs to the lowest lows. We have a shared experience that cannot be put into words.
I can’t say enough about how much I learned about generosity, kindness, love, and compassion from others, often strangers. Long distance hiking offers a freedom I wish everyone could experience. Your only job is to get from point A to point B with enough food and water to sustain you. It’s amazing.
I’d be game for an overnight hiking trip … but I’ve never been “normal” hiking, so maybe that’s the place to start. 😉
I don’t think I’d be up for an overnight hiking trip. I’ve always been interested in camping though but my type of camping is like a log cabin with s’mores type thing 🙂
Love overnight camping! 🙂 I wasn’t always into it. In fact, I used to hate the idea of even staying in those open-air cabins. But over time, I’ve developed an infatuation with the idea of sleeping under the stars. And backpacking. And poopin’ in the woods. 🙂
If you asked me this question ten or so years ago, I probably would’ve said yes! I used to be really outdoorsy when I was younger…but I’ve grown into a pretty high maintenance young woman. Yep, I’m way too much of a “princess” to rough it out in nature now and I’m not ashamed to admit that 🙂 I’ll take a comfy hotel over a tent any day, haha.
The idea of hiking to camp SOUNDS fun, but I don’t know about actually doing it…Since moving to Washington, I’ve seen a lot of people who do this, but I don’t know if I am one of them. I enjoy hiking, coming home, showering and getting comfy. I don’t know that I’d like busting my arse all day, only to find out I was going to get a mediocre night’s sleep…let’s be honest 😉
I’d like to try it one time! Doing the whole ‘Bear Grylls’ thing haha! I think it could be fun, but I think it’d be a one time thing 😛
Kona is so cute!
And no, I’d never do an overnight hiking trip! SO NOT my thing!
That picture of Sadie is too funny!
I go to school in Boone, NC and we’ve still got a little snow left on the ground, even though it was in the 60s this weekend! The big piles that were plowed off the roads take forever to melt!
so this prompted some discussion at work…….not for the reason you make think. we started talking about how we label people in our phone. Husband vs. Ryan vs. Ryan Fagan vs. Honey or Sweetie. we all had different titles for our partners. Something to chat about. Love your posts! we are expecting a vizsla from Shelley in Dec! thanks for the Reccomendation,we are hopeful we get a Sadie junior!!!! 🙂
Kate
Oh gosh.. NO! I can’t even handle sleeping in a tent, let alone sleeping in one for an entire trip! Give me a cabin in the woods, though, and I’ll be a happy girl 🙂
I don’t camp. My idea of camping is staying in a motel. I do love to hike. I am super impressed with your vizsla picture taking skills. I have a Weimaraner named Bailey. I feel like vizslas and weims are pretty similar. Bailey is a CRAZY weim, full of energy, she loves to dress up and loves to have her picture taken. We run a lot together. She has gotten up to 12 miles with me so far but I am sure she could easily run more.
LOVE that picture of you and Sadie! I actually wouldn’t mind the hiking even with the camping gear as long as I didn’t camp afterwards!
Oh my goodness, now I know of three Labs named Kona, LOL! Sounds like Ryan’s idea of camping is the same as my husband’s. I’m all for tenting it, but hiking everything in on your back is not my idea of a good time 😀 Such a hilarious pic of you and Sadie, was she yawning or something, her mouth is open SO wide, haha!
My mum always said that camping is having to carry your own bags to the hotel room ha! I like it for one night. One night and I’m ready for a hot shower and a real bed. Hiking though, I love!
I love backpacking when I’m thinking about it, but when I’m actually doing it, I’m reminded how totally exhausting it is! Maybe it’s most accurate for me to say that I enjoy having backpacked (past tense!).
I’m with you on that! Hiking is for enjoying the scenery, not lugging tons of crap. It stinks that you need to be so worried about your safety; guess that’s the downside of having a successful blog. Hope you had fun at your parents’.
I backpacked the Isle of Skye for a week in Scotland while I was studying abroad and loved it! We didn’t have as waterproof boots as we thought we did, though. Big whoops!
I love backpacking!! I’ve only ever done 2 nights in the woods at a time but I would love to do a longer trip someday.. I would probably max out at a week though, I like showing and being clean when I go to bed too much. I love sleeping in the woods though and backpacking lets you get so much further back to secluded and peaceful places 🙂 loved the pic of you and your pup!!
That picture of you and Sadie is so great. I looove camping, and I love a good hike. But I don’t think I would enjoy lugging around a tent on my back for miles and miles. I would definitely get cranky.
I’m re-reading Wild right now and it’s totally making me want to hike the PCT. Although, I’m way too chicken! haha