Let's get adventurous

I’ve told you a bit about the bucket list I started back in 2005. And I’ve told you some about my renewed love of hiking. So where did all these fancy ideas take me next? Adventures! Sounds so silly and childish to say I love adventures, but that’s probably why I like to say it.

I told you in an earlier post about my interest in Deerfield Spa and how I’d read about them in one of my fitness magazines. Well, another business that caught my eye was Adventures in Good Company, a travel company offering “trips for adventurous women who want an active vacation and love being outdoors.” I kept them in mind and here and there I’d check out their website, to see their offerings and read what others said about them. I liked what I saw and was pretty sure I wanted to try a trip with them, but I was comfortable with the always enjoyable Deerfield week. That was it. Comfortable? Time to mix it up! So 2009 was the year I decided to give it a go and try something new. An adventure!

So right after the new year I signed up for Slackpacking Georgia, a week-long October trip. Seemed like a good place to start. The trip offered hiking all day every day for a week through the fall foliage of Dahlonega, Georgia, carrying only a day pack. We’d start at Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and work our way through sections each day, with a van shuttling a small group of us back and forth. After a tough day on the trail, we’d arrive back to a new hostel reserved just for us, with warm showers, the promise of delicious food and plenty of it, and comfy beds at night. This was right up my alley. 

The group starting out at Springer Mountain on the Appalachian Trail.

The trip turned out to be a game changer, an excellent choice for me. It was so exhilarating and challenging to hike with the small group of like-minded women through the week. Our two guides were amazing and really made our trip memorable. The food was great like they said. And we could eat lots of it because we were burning mega-calories every day.

Sounds like a dream vacation, right? As long as you know what you’re in for. No, the reality was it was hard work, damn hard work. But I wouldn’t ever trade that experience. The sense of accomplishment I felt at the end of the trip was worth all the blood (my tootsies) and sweat (mine and the bears) on the trail.


On top of the world.

I know that all sounds heavenly, but I won’t romanticize adventures since it’s really important to be honest and accurately assess what you need to do to get yourself there. The company website with trip descriptions and ratings accurately reflects what you’ll experience, so if you’re thinking about an adventure for yourself, read carefully and call if you have any questions.

I see now two years later that the trip I took was upgraded (or is that downgraded?) from a level 4 (difficult) rating to a 5 (most difficult), which is a good call in my estimation. That trip was hard work. One woman in our group gave herself the adventure for her 50th birthday and had to sit out here and there since she hadn’t really trained as suggested. Seriously, I began training and hiking to be ready from the time I signed up in January, right up until I left on the plane in October. And thank goodness! I’m not sure I would have made it without that rigorous regimen.

I notice that the adventure company now offers a new service, Fit for Trips, "a fitness program designed to help you prepare for your next adventure.” Obviously, someone smart saw a need and jumped to fill it. Not a bad idea to give yourself some structure to ensure you have fun and make your goal!

So what am I doing lately? Am I deterred by hard work? No! I've started training again. And I’m dreaming about my next adventure! Yes, I’m scouring the Adventures in Good Company website, but I’m also perusing Travel with REI and interested in trips I see on Backroads.com. I’ve heard firsthand from friends who’ve tried each of these other companies that the trips delivered and they had an awesome time like I did on my adventure. It’s always nice to get a referral from someone you know who had a good experience.

Thinking about my next adventure.

For me, one of the most attractive benefits of going through a travel or adventure company is that you don’t have to do any of the planning, a boon for a busy working mom. Ah, so much to think about! So much to do and so many places to see! I want to visit every national park (lots still to go!) and continue to section-hike the Appalachian Trail. Where should I go next? What adventure awaits?

And where do you want to head next? Let me know if there’s a trip you’re contemplating or have scheduled. I’d love to hear from you!

Until next time, yours in fun and adventure…Therese

i live. i ride. i am. Jeep ®

Not really, but I do drive a Jeep. What a silly 2009 campaign that never quite took off! Not sure what that tagline or this commercial had to do with Jeep branding, which has always been about independence and rugged adventure. The new 2011 Grand Cherokee ad does a better job illustrating the brand, but falls short ending with yet another goofy tagline: The Things We Make, Make Us. What are these guys on Madison Avenue smoking?

My interest in cars started young. I’m sure it’s inherited. My dad always loved cars and drove a bright blue Fiat, and then an orange Chevy Nova. Always in the forefront, he was. So at 16, when I was an exchange student in Germany, I was attracted to the Mercedes-Benz the father of one of the German students drove us around in to sightsee. I thought it was the coolest car in the world and so I made it a life goal to own one. I promised myself that I would own one before I was 40 and my incentive was that it would be a sign of my success.

Time passed. As a young mother of three children, I drove a few different wood-sided station wagons─a yellow, and two different brown ones. And in 1995, at the age of 34, I graduated to the latest in a Plymouth Grand Voyager two-tone minivan, green with silver trim. All the cool people had one.

As forty approached, I revisited the promise I had made to myself and Mercedes-Benz. I pondered if any of it meant anything to me at that point in my life. And it didn’t. I made a statement and continued to drive my minivan. It made me happy. I could cart my kids and their friends everywhere, I could stow any purchases I wanted in the cavernous back, and our family of five could be joined by my parents for Sunday rides with plenty of room for everyone. And nights out with friends, we could transport three couples. You know, the more the merrier. Most importantly, the minivan served us quite well through many family road trips, camping, and vacations.

We were happy with our track record of making cars last and getting the most out of them. When I was 43, though, we decided to disregard the “uncool” minivan image propagated by the SUV industry (we knew we were cool and we were comfortable with our decision that a minivan would do the job we needed it to do) and we purchased a 2004 Chrysler Town and Country in bright silver metallic for me. We decided to get into the SUV craze anyway and also purchased for hubby a 2004 Grand Cherokee Jeep in slate. I was very happy with my luxury minivan and drove hubby's Jeep here and there when the van was in the shop. I liked the Jeep, but didn’t think too much about it.

Long story short, when the three kids began to drive, we slowly but surely added to our fleet, and eventually broke down and bought a 2008 Chrysler Grand Cherokee Jeep Rocky Mountain Laredo 4x4 in red rock crystal pearl (hint: I loved the color)…for hubby. Or so that was the plan.

Hubby enticed me to drive the new Jeep for a few weeks before he broke it in. Mistake on his part. He never got it back! Now mind you he had never been enthusiastic about the differences between the new 2008 and his 2004 Jeep, so I don’t think he ever really wanted it back. Worked for me! And happy hubby still drives both the 2004 luxury minivan and the older Jeep. He gets two cars and is always sure to give them equal attention.

And so as I’m driving the 2008 Jeep a few years now, I think here and there about how that car is my home away from home. I have a lengthy commute each day and I really do live in my Jeep. There’s everything I need in there. Briefcase, laptop, smartphone, Bluetooth, gym bag, numerous pairs of sneakers, hiking boots, yoga and exercise mats, weights, a bin with all my “green” shopping bags, travel pillows, a blanket, slippers, driving shoes, a basket with everything I could ever need...the list goes on. Sounds full and messy, but those who get in my car for work lunches always remark how clean and neat the car is. Is it new, they say?

So, yes, we take pride in our cars. They say something about us. Although it wasn’t a conscious choice to drive the Jeep I’m in now, I really love it. I’ve recognized that it says a lot about this stage in my life, representing fun, rugged adventure, road trips, and most of all, independence. Makes me feel all shiny and new. Maybe i am. Jeep.

Until next time, yours in fun…Therese

So I’m blogging about fun

Okay, so I’ve been tossing around ideas and thinking about writing a blog for awhile now, and this is the one I keep coming back to. No, it’s not a blog about my work. It’s a blog about my life. Yeah, I really like my job and am thankful that I have an exciting and challenging career, but I want to write about why I really work…so I can make money to live.  

Bitten by the travel bug at a young age, it’s hard for me to not have some trip or adventure planned. I’m fortunate that I have a nice amount of paid time out of office, so I’m always thinking about what to do and where to go next. And it helps to have something to look forward to, you know, to get you through the day. Let’s be real: Our jobs are called work, and not play, for a reason.

Now, of course, the realities of life get in the way here and there, so there’s not always a “big” trip planned. And with this economy, we’ve all learned that “staycations” can be nice, too, since time at home is at a premium for most working women.

With three grown children, you’d think I’d have more time to myself now that I’m not volunteering, carpooling, and running to music lessons and school or sporting events, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.  I’m always busy, but I’ll admit it’s a new time in my life and the activities are different.  Yes, I’m still running with and for the kids some part of the time, but now it’s for wedding plans, visits to whatever state or part of the world they happen to call their temporary home, or shopping for meals cooked with love during their visits to our family home. How’s a girl to find time for herself? It’s no easy feat, but I do.

Now mind you, this won’t be a blog where I’ll complain about how busy I am or how tough life is. Yes, no one’s life is perfect, certainly not mine. But I’m a true believer that life’s all what you make of it. Always look on the bright side, glass half full type of girl. Take the bad with the good, and deal with it. No moaning. No whining. Well, sometimes in private. But I won’t burden you all with that….

So my plan is to write about fun and adventure, whether it’s an idea for a fantastic trip near or far, a menu for a great meal, a day trip with old or new friends, or snowshoeing in my own backyard. Let’s see how long I can sustain a blog about all my shenanigans and if I make the time for the fun it will be for me to share with you.

Until next time, yours in fun…Therese