hiking Rocky Peak Ridge.

Sunday Paula and I hit the road at 4am to hike to Rocky Peak Ridge (RPR). Did you know that this peak is the Eastern most peak out of the 46? Hikers also start at the lowest point- 600 or so feet above sea level; meaning one has about 4000 feet in elevation gain. RPR is the 20th highest at 4420 feet and was my 31st peak to date!

• We saw: a porcupine, a deer (and did you know they squat to pee?! I guess I’ve never seen a deer pee before) and a toad the size of a boulder. Okay, not a boulder but a big rock- one that I was going to put my foot on for the next step… and when it hopped away, it nearly made me fall! I was terrified and yelled profanities.
• We hiked over: Blueberry Cobbles and Bald Peak to get to RPR, and then turned around to get back to the car. We didn’t hike on to Giant because we banked this peak last year. It was worth it because there were views almost the entire trip!
• I did my good deed for the day: I found a utility knife that I suspected belonged to a group of kids we saw hiking out. I was planning on calling them (from the register book) but we caught up to them within the last two miles of the trip. The kids seemed super thankful.
• I consumed: 20 EnergyBits, 2 peaches, one MOJO bar, one hummus and sriracha sandwich on Ezekiel toast,  a cranberry delight bar, fresh blueberries off of the trail! and 2 liters of water throughout the hike. I ate 12 homemade zucchini fritters/pakoras and swiss chard chips once I got home. Oh, and two mason jars of water.
• We discussed our final trip into the mountains (for the 46er title): it’s exciting to plan ahead for celebration! My goal is to complete my final 15 before November 1st, not because there’s a deadline but because this goal is weighing me down- the anticipation that is. I’m officially saving Sawteeth as my 46th peak- not only would it be a single peak day, but it’s the shortest trip left at 12 miles. Distance isn’t the problem for me: I’d like to celebrate with friends and family on the peak! I understand that many of those closest to me aren’t going to be able to physically come along, but I’d like to bring as many up as possible. I’m going to start reaching out to those of you who I’ve either hiked with before in the past, who I know hikes and has shared stories but not the trail, and those of you who I KNOW are physically capable of reaching the top and sharing the amazing views. If you want to possibly join us, meet us up at the top or want to celebrate once we make it back to the car, let me know. I’ll be posting more as it gets closer. The date will be determined by the weather.

Although there were continuous ups and downs, it was probably one of my favorites because of the views. Also because of the blueberry bushes that lined the trail; I could easily scoop them up and snack! The weather was perfect and reminded me of the cooler weather to come- my most favorite time of the year. It was a great 13 mile trip and I’m looking forward to the next two months!

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field goods.

In this week’s bag:

• salad mix
• basil
• fresh german white garlic
• red beets
• early haven peaches
• yellow carrots

The smell of peaches and basil filled our kitchen this morning! Everything is so fresh and green, our fridge is filling up!

I plan on roasting the beets and then adding them to a cold kale salad. A couple of Sunday’s ago at brunch, Chris over at Carmen’s Cafe made me the delicious salad pictured above that I’m going to try to recreate. Super simple: beets, raw kale, chickpeas, quinoa and an orange vinaigrette.  The kale was soft as though it had been massaged in the vinaigrette for a while, so this’ll be something that I make in the morning and enjoy later in the day. We have a lot of kale growing on our back porch and already throw some into our daily shakes.

With the oven already on, I may roast up the carrots as well. This short break in heat is wonderful for cooking in our tiny kitchen and Sunday’s weather is looking gloomy. I don’t want this basil to go to waste so we may whip up a pesto and pop it into the freezer; we already have a lot of garlic scapes pesto in our fridge to finish up first.

The peaches are so sweet and juicy, I was thinking about grilling them up. Have you ever grilled a peach? Maybe thrown into a big salad with walnuts? I think I’m onto something good!

Had to share a couple of photographs of my Flower Scout bouquet this week; I’m in love with the colors. Colie, the girl behind the bouquets, had a wedding this week and I was fortunate enough to benefit from this. That pink zinnia is my favorite, but that pop of orange from a simple marigold really just reminds me to stop and breath deeper.

Happy Friday and cheers to a healthy weekend filled with activity, tasty food and laughter!

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field goods and chia seed pudding.

In this week’s bag:

• salad mix
• pea greens
• cherries
• raspberries
• cabbage
• cucumbers
• yellow squash
• summer corn

Those cherries are so sweet! They were a nice little surprise to the bag, along with the cabbage; they weren’t in the original email sent out Sunday evening. I’m super excited to see the salad greens because we’ve pretty much used up all of the salad growing in our garden on the porch and I am craving salads during this super humid weather.

The yellow squash will be given to a co-worker of mine because yellow squash is the one vegetable I hate. It was the one vegetable/food item I was allowed to skip eating growing up; for my sister it was tuna noodle casserole. Oh, I can smell it now all fried up- oh, I can’t stand it. I’m happy that these veggies are all “hearty” or won’t spoil in a day or two. The beau and I have a busy weekend away from the apartment and won’t have time to gobble them up until Monday… when on Tuesday we leave for Philadelphia for a couple of days.

Now the raspberries, I do have plans for those little juicy fruit bites: chia seed pudding!

Sorry for the sloppy photograph- I carried this to work and then stuck it in the fridge to eat for my mid-morning snack.

This recipe is so simple and depending on how it’s served, is considered one or two servings of fruit. Tons of calcium, fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids. For a single serving, just mash up one banana, add 4 teaspoons of chia seeds, about half a cup of coconut milk (or your favorite) and a tiny splash of vanilla extract. Stir and set in the fridge for 1-2 hours. The seeds get gelatin-like and I swear, it tastes like pudding. Top with more fresh fruit and enjoy! I’ve been craving this after my runs in the morning because it’s nice and cold, and the beau enjoys it after dinner because it’s naturally sweet.

The weather is suppose to break and not be so humid- hope you all keep active this weekend. I’ve got a long run planned before leaving for Vermont and will surely pack a big green salad for the road. Stay healthy and happy! Here’s a video for some dancing- never stop moving!

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