Sunday, October 26, 2014

Pack Mentality

On June 1, 2008, Scott Spence, Barry Scanlon and I ran a 10 mile road race known as the Pack Monadnock in Peterborough, New Hampshire.  To this day, it stands as the only race in history that we've done where we've sworn never again.  And six years later, we're holding true to our word.
Why never again?  Well most likely because the last two miles of the race were uphill, and the last mile itself was virtually a straight-up vertical climb.  Let's put it this way, we didn't see anyone - not just a few people, mind you - anyone, running up the last leg.  It was insane.
So naturally, we go back.  This time, though, for the annual October climb with Andrew - A climb, mind you - NOT A RUN!
Pack Monadnock: elevation 2,288 feet.
So yeah, you need a speed limit on an access road like this.
The signs were there, Andrew was ready to take the hard way up
And then he goes and strikes a pose like this.  God only knows what catalog he's prepping for.
Mountain Men, of course
Why climb? For views like this!
The son also rises
Tangled up in blue
Standing Tall
Seriously, we've got such a treasure trove of mountains, trails, and endless hikes throughout New England - you've GOT to get out there and take advantage of them
And then we broke through the tree coverage and discovered the aforementioned access road that we previously "ran" upon.  Mind you, Andrew was quite perturbed that there was a road that let folks access the mountaintop, but hey, we took the hard way.
Up top in the windy weather observation tower, we ran into victim rights advocate Laurie Myers of Chelmsford who snapped this windswept father-son pic
Andrew thinks he can see his house from there
Nearby, a stone shelter provided some interesting. meditative shots
And finally, as anyone who runs with me knows my mantra when it comes to hills, what goes up, must come down.  Which, truth be told, can sometimes be more taxing on the legs.
Regardless, it was another successful outing, and another notch in our mountaineering belts.
Onward and upward!

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