Camping

This weekend's camping trip was a nice experience. It was the 13th year of our annual "Guys" weekend trip. Winhall Brook campground in Vermont is a gorgeous camping place. It's always a relaxing time & this year was no exception.

It's been a long summer.

My gameplan this year was to find a happy balance between eat,drink, & be merry but, also get some exercise in & not overdue it on the eating. I'm happy to report I was successful on all fronts.

Eat. Historically this camping trip's menu has been 95% meat. I avoided that pitfall by making sure I brought along some healthy alternatives. We're all about the same age so, everybody can appreciate a little break (veggies, pasta,etc..) from the chicken/beef/grilling hoedown. Although, I might've overdone it on cheese consupmtion. I brought along of wedge of Jarlsburg (a personal favorite) & picked up some smoked Gouda from a local farm. Delicious. They didn't come home with me.

Beer. I didn't overdo it either day I was there. Friday, after my run I enjoyed a 4 pack of Sam Adams' "historical" beers. There was a George Washington Porter (with hints of licorce & molasses),a James Madison lager, a hard root beer (not too sweet,made from a 1790 recipe)& a terrific Ginger beer. Each beer had a little story of its historical significance. Combining history & beer drinking is just about perfect for me. Saturday was spent with a 12 pack sampler of organic beer from a local brewery, most of that beer came home with me. I was very conscious of how much weight I've lost & how that might affect my ability to consume mass quantities. I behaved myself & as a result had a really good time.

Exercise. I went for a run almost as soon as got there Friday. I had plotted at a route online earlier this week. The route went along the West River on a dirt road (fairly level),turning into pavement & turning onto Rte 100 (where the route turned into about 2-3 miles of one big hill), finally turning into a downhill back into the campsite. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. It was a challenging course but, the training is paying off. It was very humid & I was really sweating (I'm glad I drank some Propel & eat some Gu before I left). I felt good at the end & felt just a tickle/chill of dehydration at the end running into the camp. I had a couple of drinks of Propel & felt fine. I actually had wisps of steam coming off of me as I cooled down, some combo of cooler air & hot,sweaty body I guess. The guys were impresssed.

I also went for a solo 10 mile hike to Ball Dam & back. Nobody else wanted to make the effort so I headed out by myself after 1 on Saturday. As I was standing on the dam I heard the rumble of thunder & started hightailing it back to the camp. I got caught in a wicked downpour before I got half a mile back down the trail. I got totally soaked. My glasses kept steaming up & I was slipping & sliding all over the place. It kind of sucked but, no more than a long run in less than ideal conditions. Either way it was "relaxing".

The rest of the weekend was either spent in the river, sitting in a chair reading, or hanging out by the campfire.

I spent a lot of time with my friend Joe. Joe had a brain tumour removed last year & had missed last year's trip. It was nice to see him there. It was nice to see him alive. I've know him since I was in third grade. He's always kept himself in shape, he's one of the last guys you would expect to see get ill. You never know...

Really interesting catching up with my other friends. Most of the guys I've know since grade school. It's weird to see how life/fate has treated us all. Some guys are getting divorced. One guy had been diagnosed with adult ADD & is taking medication for it. One friend takes Xanax for anxiety. We're all getting grayer or balder. Some of us have put on lots of weight; my younger brother & I are the exception. Independentt of each other we both underwent some serious weight reduction. We look good.

Weight loss wise it was a gratifying trip. A couple of the guys did doubletakes when they saw me. It was interesting comparing myself to my friends. I've gone from being just another fat guy to being one of the more in-shape of my peers. Out of 12-15 people probably only 4-5 of us workout consistently. Only a couple of the guys have never been out of shape. The others are like me & have worked to get it back. Unfortunately a couple look like they're heart attack candidates. One of the most obese is almost another brother to me. I talked to him a little bit about it but, didn't pressure him. Not the right place.

Nothing lasts forever. I was back home by 1 Sunday & spent the rest of the day weeding the gardens that have been neglected in this Summer of Painting. DW was slightly miffed at me. I feel a little bad becasue I had a good time without her but, I earned it this year. Besides, the last thing I did before I left Friday is book a week of camping up at Acadia National Park so, the family's fun awaits...