Weekend of August 31-September 2
Last year, when I left Experience Camp, I found it a little tough to get back to “real life” – I had so many emotions, and I missed my girls! This year, probably because I was expecting a difficult transition and was prepared for it, I found it easier… though I still can’t wait for next year.
I arrived home Saturday night of Labor Day weekend, and after unpacking and sneaking in a quick shower, I headed to Louisville to meet up with my girlfriends Kelly and Heather. I didn’t find it any easier to explain camp to those who hadn’t been part of it, but I was still happy to catch up with my friends and assimilate back into “real life.”
The rest of my Labor Day weekend was pretty low-key – I went for a long hike on Sunday, summiting both South Boulder Peak and Bear Peak.
While sitting atop Bear Peak, I looked over at Green Mountain in the distance and contemplated tacking that on too, even going so far as to look up the route, but ultimately decided I was “too lazy” and I just wanted to head home. Funny how this monster hike that used to take me all day has now become my easy hike I do in the morning when I’m not feeling like a tough workout!
After getting home, I had a light lunch to tide me over, then showered and got ready for another girls’ outing. My friend Elizabeth had her first baby a few months ago, but I hadn’t gotten to meet little Gavin yet (he was a preemie and in the hospital for several weeks before getting to go home, and then life got crazy). My friend Kelly hadn’t met him either, so both of us made plans to meet Elizabeth, her husband Jay, and Gavin at Sweet Cow in Louisville!
The rest of my Sunday was pretty low-key, allowing me to rest up for my return to Orangetheory the next morning. Although camp definitely kept me moving, I was itching to get back to a really challenging workout – and Orangetheory didn’t disappoint! I met up with my friend Lauren to attend a class at the Louisville/Lafayette location, and then we headed to Moxie Bread Company in Louisville for breakfast afterward. Moxie is hands down the best bakery in the area, and it didn’t disappoint!
I spent a while Monday catching up on work from the time I was out; then Tuesday morning, after Orangetheory and some morning calls, I drove up to Minturn to work from there for the week. Even though I just bought my mountain house in November, interest rates have dropped so much that it made sense to refinance, and I had my closing on the refi late on Tuesday afternoon. After all the bonuses / incentives, I refinanced for a grand total of $94 in closing costs, and for only $250 more per month than I’m currently paying, my mortgage term is now 20 years instead of 30 years! That’s a huge savings, and I’m thrilled to be that much closer to owning the property outright.
Unfortunately, in my hurry to get up to the mountains on a break between calls, I left something important back at home – my clothes! I had packed a bag with hiking / lounge clothes, but had also ironed a few sundresses / cardigans and put them on a hanger… which I left hanging in my closet. Oops! I had a dinner date scheduled in Vail that night, so that meant a trip to Walmart to see what I could find to supplement my jeans, which were the only non-workout clothes I had with me. Pickings were slim, and I was bummed to have to spend money on clothes when I’m really trying to clean out my closet, but I found a gray cardigan that I ended up really loving, and it was only $15!
Wednesday was a rough day of work, compounded by the fact that I didn’t get a great night’s sleep Tuesday, and I was bummed to end the day without getting a hike in. By the time I got to a point with work where I could take a break, the afternoon storms had come in! I worried that Thursday would be the same way, but around 2pm, I finally was able to duck out… just as the clouds were rolling in. Could I make it?
While I had originally wanted to do something much longer (Booth Falls, Gore Lake), I hurried from my house on Main Street over to the trailhead right on the edge of Minturn, about a mile away. (Next time, I would totally run here.) From there, it was a steady climb up the “Minturn Mile” (which in the winter, allows me to ski from Vail back into town) until I reached Lionshead Rock – with sweeping views of the valley, as well as a peek right onto Main Street where I could see my own house. How cool!
After finishing my hike, I knocked out a bit more work, then headed home in the evening, so I’d be back for some 7am meetings in town Friday. It had been a nice little getaway (and especially nice to combine the mountain time with work!), but now I was back to “real life” once again. I can’t believe it’s fall already! I’m excited about the cooler weather hiking both in Boulder and up in Vail.