Sunday was our big traverse of the eastern part of the island - Tim led the women from west to east, while I tagged along with the men in the opposite direction. The mountains of Acadia are small but rugged - classic Maine hiking, with lots of roots, rocks, and steep grades - which made for a challenging mix of running and hiking. The women covered Cadillac, Dorr, and Champlain - they would have hit Gorham as well, but a minor navigational error put them at Sand Beach instead. Beaches, mountains - easy to confuse the two. The men did their best to get lost as well - they took off when I stopped for a donut break and promptly made a wrong turn. Only dumb luck and my superior tracking skills averted a catastrophe (Polasky's size 27 footprints are easy to follow). In four hours, we crossed Gorham, Champlain, Dorr, Cadillac, Pemetic, and both Bubbles. We wrapped up the day with mini golf in arctic temps, a burrito dinner, and the best carrot cake I've ever had, courtesy of Jessica and Emma.
Before leaving on Monday, we took to the carriage roads for a sweet run on the Around the Mountains loop - 12 miles of rugged terrain and gorgeous views, interspersed with some strength work. I can't remember when I've enjoyed a run more. To sum up the weekend, I'd say that there's nowhere I'd rather be in October than Acadia.
Back on campus, we finished out the break with a 3 1/2 hour rollerski/run combo - four long and hard days of training. The team handled it as well as I could have ever hoped, especially the first-years - most of them haven't trained at anywhere near this level before, but they tackled it all with no complaints. Serious tenacity. I'm really proud of everyone - this is one tough group.
Fall Camp in Acadia would not have been possible without the gracious hospitality of Joanne and Greg Askins, who invited us to stay in their cottage in Trenton (ironically, Maren couldn't be there due to a wedding). My original plan was to have the team camp out in the park - that probably would not have ended well. This was better. Thanks for everything, Greg and Joanne!
We didn't get many photos, unfortunately - we were trying to travel light on the OD days. These few hardly do justice to the scenery.
The carriage roads are surprisingly hilly in places.
Niko is sleepy - he's a senior, so he's heard all my ramblings before anyway.
Men at work. No poles for James - shoulder injury.
Tim's view from a tree.
Poles only near Runaround Pond. Rainer representing Otter Valley High.
2 comments:
Perhaps it's a good thing that this group is not an orienteering team!
That picture of you talking to the team is a classic! Go U bears!
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