Brazil on the Horizon

I will be heading to Brazil tomorrow afternoon, so you can check the Twitter box to the right for updates on what's happening.

I will be traveling down with a dozen teens and a few other adults to do some ministry work in Sao Paulo. We will be spending a lot of time working with young people in the school system there.

I'll have tons of photos, video and stories for you when I get back!

Nature's Trail Mix...Mmmmmm!

White Water Rafting

I went up to the White Haven area to go white water rafting on the Lehigh River with a bunch of friends last Saturday. What a blast! This was a perfect experience for someone who has never done white water before (like me!) The roughest rapids were a class 3, so there were some big drops - usually only a few feet, and lots of rocks to get stuck on - which we did a few times. We lost a few guys out of the raft at different points along the river, but that is all part of the fun. During the times we drifted on the calm sections, people were having fun with water cannons and buckets making sure there were no dry people anywhere.

This was definitely a great experience, as there were no scary spots at all. If you like roller coasters, it was kind of like an unpredictable roller coaster with a much softer landing if you fell out. I highly recommend doing this if you get the chance!

Wow!

This guy needs to do movies...oh, wait.

AT, SRT, PVP, GLSP, CBC

These are the places that I've been spending my time. I've been either hiking, biking, camping, trail running, fishing, or generally having a party hanging out with people who also enjoy being outdoors.

Life really is good.

AT - I've hiked with two different groups over the last couple of weekends in two different areas of the Appalachian Trail. The first trip was a day hike with four friends. We did about 7.5 miles that day and saw some awesome scenery and interesting wildlife. I came nose to snout with a rattlesnake and got some sweet pics. The second trip was in the Harper's Ferry, WV area. I went with a friend from my church and a group of almost 20 from Faith Bible Church in NJ; it was a blast meeting up with acquaintances from NJ and making new friends as well. The experience of camping and hiking is awesome for developing good bonds with others. Nothing quite like campfire smoke, mosquitos, and poison ivy to build a friendship.

SRT - The Schuylkill River Trail has become my preferred recovery route. After some intense hiking, a leisurely bike ride on the SRT does the trick. No shortage of wildlife there, either!

PVP - I still do rides out to Peace Valley Park to get a longer, harder ride in. I also enjoy the various views that the change in seasons bring. There is a lot of wildlife there. The people watching isn't bad either!

GLSP - Green Lane State Park is where I do the majority of my trail running. I meet up with several guys from church now and then and will start dragging my brother there as well. GLSP has a number of trails that are great for trail running and there are short loops for us newbies.

CBC - Calvary Baptist Church is central to my outdoor life experiences these days. There are many people in the church who love getting outside as much as I do, and it has been awesome to make those connections. I am looking forward to getting in some great experiences with the teens this summer; sharing passions with others is one of the things that makes getting outside so much fun.

100 Miles of Nowhere: Report 2

40 miles done. The legs are starting to ache. Time for some Ibuprofen.

100 Miles of Nowhere: Report 1

For those of you who might not be able to see Twitter at work, I figured I could post up a quick report. It also gives me an excuse to get off the bike...I'll take what I can get!

I am 30 miles in. And it hurts.

I am taking a break every 10 miles and doing some stretching, refilling bottles, etc.

The legs feel pretty good, but that may only be because of a small relativity issue. Other things are NOT feeling so good.