Returning to Katahdin...

My first time on Katahdin!

Shane & I after our 2,178.3 mile journey!

 I have a horrible memory.  But one thing I'll never forget is the day I first hiked up Mount Katahdin in Maine.  In 2009 I was fortunate enough to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail with my wonderful husband (fiance at the time).  You can read more about our hike on our Trail Journals site.  Katahdin was the final climb along a 2,178.3 mile journey from Georgia to Maine.  I remember the strange emotions I was feeling with every step I took.  I remember being so excited to complete this journey I'd been dreaming about for years and at the same time being so sad for it to come to an end.  We hiked up with a group of people we'd been traveling with since North Carolina.  We laughed and shared inside jokes.  We talked about what we wanted to eat when we got down.  And we cried a little (at least I did!) when we got our first glimpse of the famous Katahdin sign.  You can see it in the distance for over a mile on a clear day.  From that point on, you're no longer climbing over rocks using rebar holds or surrounded by forest.  You're well above tree line and can't be slowed down by the gradual elevation gain.  When I finally got the sign I hugged it and had a photo shoot with every angle of the sign and the various people up there.  And then I sat up there.... for nearly 3 hours just basking in the sun and never wanting to come down.  That's the strange thing - you always hear about Katahdin being the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, but you never really hear about the 5 miles after that. The long, slow down hill giving you time to soak in what just happened.  Allowing you to recall highlights from the past 5 and half months.  Think about how excited you are to call home and tell them you did it! To share with friends and family endless pictures and stories and thank them for supporting you along the way.

My second time with this sign :)

I often relive September 2, 2009 in my head, but last week I got to relive it in my trail runners :) After an amazing week long work conference in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I had the opportunity to return to Katahdin with 5 amazing people.  We camped at Katahdin Stream Campground the evening before summiting, and got to stare up at the mountain dreaming of what tomorrow would bring.  We headed out early and were lucky enough to have a warm, clear day to spend on one of the best hikes I've ever been on.  We started out laughing and chatting, but quickly the rolling first mile turned into a 2 mile rock staircase.  I took about an hour to hike on my own, which was so nice.  It was a great time for reflecting and remember the individual hand holds and challenging scrambles where 3 years ago Shane had definitely given me a boost to get up!  Once above treeline I sat and took a break, but couldn't sit long because I was soooo anxious to get to the summit.  And, by the time I arrived to the plateau and last mile, I was booking it!  It was such a great feeling to be on top of that beautiful mountain again!  We spent some time up there talking to other hikers, eating lunch and deciding which trail to take down.  In 2009, Shane had gone down the Knife Edge trail, which is a narrow trail with steep drop offs on either side.  I had taken one look at it and decided to head down the Saddle Trail.  But I always somewhat regretted not doing the Knife Edge.  So this time I was determined! All five of us decided to do it (although I'm not sure they all are happy with that decision! :) ).  It was AWESOME!  And actually not quite as scary as I expected.  I know my mom would be so disappointed in me for even considering it, but there was only one section that truly had me questioning my decision to take this path.  But after some help from another hiker, I made it down the scary scramble and to the end of the Knife Edge!  The rest of the Trail down is just that... DOWN.  Not too steep, but 4 long miles of down hill.

Knife Edge - if you look really close you can see Julie!

I have a horrible memory, but I'll never forget the first TWO times I climbed Mount Katahdin... and hopefully the next 10 times :)


Happy Trails!

Quinoa with Black Beans

Yum! This was my first time trying this recipe and it was soooo good I have to share! I'm obsessed with quinoa and I'm always trying to find new ways to eat it.  So, after some searching, I found lots of mexican quinoa dishes and decide to concoct one of my own :) Shane even said "I think this is the best meal you've ever made" -- which maybe isn't saying much for my cooking, but still made my day!






Ingredients:

Chopped fresh ingredient that go on last

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped or pressed
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• a couple of dashes of salt and pepper (or more to taste)
• 1 can (15oz) sweet corn, drained
• 1 can (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• a few squeezes of fresh lime juice
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped

Boiling veggie broth and quinoa mixture

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute for a few minutes until lightly browned.
2. Add the rinsed quinoa into the saucepan and pour in the vegetable broth. Add all spices and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir corn into the saucepan, and continue to cook on low for about 2 minutes until heated through. Then, add the black beans and cook for another minute.  Try not to stir too much to avoid making the black beans mushy.  
4. Dish out the quinoa mixture into individual bowls and squeeze a little fresh lime juice on each serving.  
5. Top with cilantro, tomato and avocado.  

Final hot mixture

Final product -- delicious!

Enjoy! :)

Our Garden :)

We live in an apartment in town, so we don't really have space for a garden.  Last year, we grew a few tomato plants and herbs outside of our window and became members of a CSA.  But this year we really wanted our very own garden :)  So we rented a plot at our community garden (only $35 for the year!).  We started work early in the spring prepping our beds and starting all sorts of vegetables, herbs and flowers from seed in our apartment under a grow light.  At the beginning of the year, we were out at our plot a few times a week.  I remember walking by all of the plots (there's about 40 total) early in the season just baffled that some people hadn't even touched their plot by early May!  And here we are a few months later praying for rain so that I don't have to go out this week.  It's not that I don't absolutely LOVE being in the garden - I truly find my zen there and "a quick trip to water" turns into several hours of basking in the sun and admiring all the beautiful plants we grew from seed... oh yea and a little weeding :) The problem is this cute little puppy named Juno :)

Building our raised beds

My pea trellis :)

Row cover -- this stuff WORKS!!

Our enemy!!!

Peas!

Can you blame us??

Our first little garden :

Since dogs aren't allowed at the garden, it's really been put on the back burner.  Since Juno's crated all day (except for a lunch break), the last thing we want to do when we get home from work is put back in the crate so we can go garden.  It really makes me anxious to have a house of our own with a garden out back, where I can be pulling weeds and throwing Juno a tennis ball all at the same time...

Kale

But even after literally a full month of not visiting the garden, I went out to find how amazing it was still doing all on its own.  I almost teared up when I walked out to our plot to find so many greens and peas and radishes and broccoli and flowers doing so well!  Here's a few photos of our plot this year.

Harvesting Radishes!

Lettuces!

Radishes

Broccoli

Radish

Sugar Snap Peas

Future Tomato!

Tomatoes

Happy Gardening :)

Baby Wrap

My cute nephews (and husband!)

So, I have the two cutest nephews in the whole world!  I'm one proud aunt, that's for sure :)  When Cooper was born, I really wanted to make a baby wrap for my sister-in-law, Hannah.  I searched and searched for different patterns.  This is my favorite one I came across - it's easy, has great step-by-step instructions and photos and it's affordable to make! It only requires 3 yards of fabric, where many others call for up to 6 (at that point you might as well buy one).  So, save your JoAnn Fabric coupons (or wait for the knit cottons to go on sale) and make a cute baby wrap for yourself or cute babies in your life!

Cooper in his wrap

Side view - look at that cute face :)

Fabric for JJ's wrap - excited to get started!

I got the pattern from a great blog - Five Little Ladies.  Check out the instructions for making the wrap here.  I'm so happy with how my first one turned out, that I'm getting to work on my second for little JJ.