January in Minnesota- usually not the most comfortable place to go, has been unseasonably warm and snow-free this year.
I recently went "winter camping", though, it didn't get much below about 25 degrees outside, not exactly your cold adventure. We've seen temperatures over 40 several days already. As far as the snow goes? Nothing worth noting, especially when you compare this year to last, where I went snowshoeing several times already by this time.
There have been some positives, though. I'm getting the feeling a few more people are actually sticking to their new years resolutions! People are still running and walking all over the place outside. I've also seen many people out riding their bikes and rollerblading on the trails in Minneapolis. Of course, it also makes for a more mild walk to work in the morning.
I'm looking forward to skiing, snowshoeing, and more winter camping, but we'll need some more snow!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Saturday, December 17, 2011
2011 in review
Looking back, 2011 has been a great year, with plenty of adventures and great moments.
Starting with January/February, I went snowshoeing several times, once in Duluth, and the most special time had to have been at the Luminary Loppet, a large skiing/snowshoeing event on Lake of the Isles. It was a wonderful event for people of all ages and abilities. I played on a broomball team, which was a fun excuse to get outside on some cold nights. I also began indoor climbing, which is something I've continued to do. This was pretty significant, as it has become something I've done roughly 1-2 times per week since then.
Getting into March, I made a trip to San Diego, California. It was nice to go to a warmer climate and get a taste of Southern California. My favorite part was going on a run in Torrey Pines reserve. The weather was great and the trail i ran on definitely kept me on my toes. There were switchbacks, rocks, and many tree roots. I ran down to the ocean, touched it, and just took in the moment.
As the weather began to warm up in April and May, I began to run and bike outside, in addition to climbing indoors. I went on a couple of short camping trips, including Interstate State Park in Wisconsin.
Once the summer came along, I was busy trying out several ice cream shops in the twin cities (though I never did a formal review on here), which was a tasty challenge. I think I ended up trying 8 different shops over the course of the summer. I also spent a lot of time outside, including checking out Minnehaha falls. The most unique event I went to was the antiques roadshow, which will be airing on PBS in January. It fun to volunteer and see what goes into the production of a TV show.
Later into the summer was my biggest adventure of the year: Backpacking in Yosemite National Park. I really enjoyed the challenge, and the rewards were obvious. I am already very nostalgic for the trip, and hope to go back there again, even if it means taking a long road trip like we did this summer.
As the fall came around, I continued to get outside, making my way to a few state parks for day hikes, including spending a night at Frontenac State park. I did some pretty good running too, enjoying the twin cities ten miler, and even won a 5k race (1 second off my PR) that I ran in! That was a great feeling, as I've never won a race before.
Getting into the colder weather, I've tried to keep myself busy as to not get depressed by the long winter. I've been successful at going to the climbing gym more often, and even going on a few short runs. I went winter camping at Afton State Park as well, which was a good way to test out my winter gear, including a new pair of boots.
It has been a great year, with so many activities and adventures. Through all of my new adventures I have learned something, and I hope to have just as many great experiences in 2012! Happy holidays!
Starting with January/February, I went snowshoeing several times, once in Duluth, and the most special time had to have been at the Luminary Loppet, a large skiing/snowshoeing event on Lake of the Isles. It was a wonderful event for people of all ages and abilities. I played on a broomball team, which was a fun excuse to get outside on some cold nights. I also began indoor climbing, which is something I've continued to do. This was pretty significant, as it has become something I've done roughly 1-2 times per week since then.
Getting into March, I made a trip to San Diego, California. It was nice to go to a warmer climate and get a taste of Southern California. My favorite part was going on a run in Torrey Pines reserve. The weather was great and the trail i ran on definitely kept me on my toes. There were switchbacks, rocks, and many tree roots. I ran down to the ocean, touched it, and just took in the moment.
As the weather began to warm up in April and May, I began to run and bike outside, in addition to climbing indoors. I went on a couple of short camping trips, including Interstate State Park in Wisconsin.
Once the summer came along, I was busy trying out several ice cream shops in the twin cities (though I never did a formal review on here), which was a tasty challenge. I think I ended up trying 8 different shops over the course of the summer. I also spent a lot of time outside, including checking out Minnehaha falls. The most unique event I went to was the antiques roadshow, which will be airing on PBS in January. It fun to volunteer and see what goes into the production of a TV show.
Later into the summer was my biggest adventure of the year: Backpacking in Yosemite National Park. I really enjoyed the challenge, and the rewards were obvious. I am already very nostalgic for the trip, and hope to go back there again, even if it means taking a long road trip like we did this summer.
As the fall came around, I continued to get outside, making my way to a few state parks for day hikes, including spending a night at Frontenac State park. I did some pretty good running too, enjoying the twin cities ten miler, and even won a 5k race (1 second off my PR) that I ran in! That was a great feeling, as I've never won a race before.
Getting into the colder weather, I've tried to keep myself busy as to not get depressed by the long winter. I've been successful at going to the climbing gym more often, and even going on a few short runs. I went winter camping at Afton State Park as well, which was a good way to test out my winter gear, including a new pair of boots.
It has been a great year, with so many activities and adventures. Through all of my new adventures I have learned something, and I hope to have just as many great experiences in 2012! Happy holidays!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Winter camping in Afton state park
This past weekend, I spent a night outside in Afton state park. Afton state park is located near the st. Croix river, just east of the twin cities.
We headed over to the park in the early afternoon, when we found out we were te only ones camping in their backpaking campsites. We traveled about 3/4 mile from where we parked the car to our eventual campsite. This included going up a pretty big hill. Our site was great, and with no one else out there, we had the park to ourselves.
We set up camp, got a nice fire going, and cooked some good food as it got dark outside. It was a windy day, but not incredibly cold. By the time we went to bed, it was somewhere just under 20 degres, I believe. My sleeping bag is rated to 20 degrees, and even though I hd a sleeping pad and a small blanket underneath, I was still a little cold, mostly in my feet.
The next morning, we got the fire going, cooked some pancakes, packed our stuff up, and got out of the park. It would have been nice to check out some of the snowshoe trails,but I didn't have my snowshoes with, and there really wasn't much snow.
I recommend afton state park to anyone who wants to camp a little distance away from their vehicle, but not too far. There are some great views of the st croix river as well.
We headed over to the park in the early afternoon, when we found out we were te only ones camping in their backpaking campsites. We traveled about 3/4 mile from where we parked the car to our eventual campsite. This included going up a pretty big hill. Our site was great, and with no one else out there, we had the park to ourselves.
We set up camp, got a nice fire going, and cooked some good food as it got dark outside. It was a windy day, but not incredibly cold. By the time we went to bed, it was somewhere just under 20 degres, I believe. My sleeping bag is rated to 20 degrees, and even though I hd a sleeping pad and a small blanket underneath, I was still a little cold, mostly in my feet.
The next morning, we got the fire going, cooked some pancakes, packed our stuff up, and got out of the park. It would have been nice to check out some of the snowshoe trails,but I didn't have my snowshoes with, and there really wasn't much snow.
I recommend afton state park to anyone who wants to camp a little distance away from their vehicle, but not too far. There are some great views of the st croix river as well.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Indoor Climbing in Minneapolis
Vertical Endeavors, a climbing gym in St. Paul, has recently opened a new location in Minneapolis. The new gym offers a variety of new routes for climbers to try.
I've been climbing at the St. Paul location for almost a year now, and have had fun trying bouldering, top-rope, and lead climbing there. The new Minneapolis location offers all of these, and to make it a little more interesting, the building is significantly taller. This makes for some seriously tiring routes. I tried two top rope routes, one of which I wasn't able to finish due to the difficulty combined with the distance. I was too tired!
In addition to many new climbing routes, there is a large "party room" for groups. There was a large birthday party when I was there, which made it quite busy.
All in all, it was a great experience, and I am happy that I now have two locations to check out, especially as it starts to get colder outside.
I've been climbing at the St. Paul location for almost a year now, and have had fun trying bouldering, top-rope, and lead climbing there. The new Minneapolis location offers all of these, and to make it a little more interesting, the building is significantly taller. This makes for some seriously tiring routes. I tried two top rope routes, one of which I wasn't able to finish due to the difficulty combined with the distance. I was too tired!
In addition to many new climbing routes, there is a large "party room" for groups. There was a large birthday party when I was there, which made it quite busy.
All in all, it was a great experience, and I am happy that I now have two locations to check out, especially as it starts to get colder outside.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Frontenac state park
Recently I spent a night camping in Frontenac state park. We enjoyed great views overlooking lake Pepin, and went on a fun hike.
Our campsite was in a nice spot, with no immediate neighbors, and easy access to a hiking trail. We set up our tent upon arriving, had a few snacks, and went on the hiking trail.
It didn't take long for us to realize the trail had the potential to be dangerous. Soon, we saw several people helping a man up the trail. As they got closer, we realized his ankle was wrapped. Not a surprising injury on a trail littered with leaves. We were careful as we hiked down from our campsite to the lake, heading down several switchbacks. Of course, when you go down, you have to go back up, so we had a scenic workout heading back up the bluff.
I slept in a 20 degree rated sleeping bag, and felt pretty good as it didnt get too far below 40, though we had some rain and wind.
I would definitely recommend Frontenac state park to anyone who wants to get out of town for the weekend and do some hiking and camping.
Our campsite was in a nice spot, with no immediate neighbors, and easy access to a hiking trail. We set up our tent upon arriving, had a few snacks, and went on the hiking trail.
It didn't take long for us to realize the trail had the potential to be dangerous. Soon, we saw several people helping a man up the trail. As they got closer, we realized his ankle was wrapped. Not a surprising injury on a trail littered with leaves. We were careful as we hiked down from our campsite to the lake, heading down several switchbacks. Of course, when you go down, you have to go back up, so we had a scenic workout heading back up the bluff.
I slept in a 20 degree rated sleeping bag, and felt pretty good as it didnt get too far below 40, though we had some rain and wind.
I would definitely recommend Frontenac state park to anyone who wants to get out of town for the weekend and do some hiking and camping.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Lake Como
With unseasonably warm weather this fall, I have been able to enjoy summer activiies a little later in the year than I would have expected. One of those activities is riding my bike. I went for a ride around Lake Como (in St. Paul, not Italy), and enjoyed the fall colors.
Lake Como is 1.75 miles around, so it made for a quick ride, but it was definitely the best part of my 8 mile ride that day.
Nestled in a residential neighborhood on one side, and a golf course on another, it is a small lake surrounded by trails. There were many walkers and runners on the trails, but I had the bike trail almost entirely to myself. The trails were fairly flat, but I do remember a couple of small hills.
After I left lake Como, I headed towards the state capitol building, which is only a couple miles away. It was a great ride on a beautiful evening.
Lake Como is 1.75 miles around, so it made for a quick ride, but it was definitely the best part of my 8 mile ride that day.
Nestled in a residential neighborhood on one side, and a golf course on another, it is a small lake surrounded by trails. There were many walkers and runners on the trails, but I had the bike trail almost entirely to myself. The trails were fairly flat, but I do remember a couple of small hills.
After I left lake Como, I headed towards the state capitol building, which is only a couple miles away. It was a great ride on a beautiful evening.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Medtronic Twin Cities 10 miler
On Sunday, October 2nd, I ran the Medtronic Twin Cities 10 mile race. It was a very popular run, with over 7500 participants. We all ran from the metrodome in downtown Minneapolis to the tate capitol in St. Paul.
The weather couldn't have been much better, as it was in the 40s at 7:09 when the race began, and warmed up from there. The race went along the western side of the mississippi river, until we crossed at franklin ave into St. Paul, where we ran on the eastern mississippi river road. After a couple miles there, we turned onto Summit ave to finish the race to the capitol. I was very familiar with the last half of the race or so, as I have done many runs along Summit ave.
With the great weather, familiar course, and all of my recent training, I knew it would be a solid race for me. I ended up with a PR, and wasn't exhausted at the end. The rest of the day was great as well, as I watched other finishers in both the 10 mile race and the marathon.
The weather couldn't have been much better, as it was in the 40s at 7:09 when the race began, and warmed up from there. The race went along the western side of the mississippi river, until we crossed at franklin ave into St. Paul, where we ran on the eastern mississippi river road. After a couple miles there, we turned onto Summit ave to finish the race to the capitol. I was very familiar with the last half of the race or so, as I have done many runs along Summit ave.
With the great weather, familiar course, and all of my recent training, I knew it would be a solid race for me. I ended up with a PR, and wasn't exhausted at the end. The rest of the day was great as well, as I watched other finishers in both the 10 mile race and the marathon.
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