The Kiss

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  “Ryabovitch pulled the bed-clothes over his head, curled himself up in bed, and tried to gather together the floating images in his mind and to combine them into one whole. But nothing came of it. He soon fell asleep, and his last thought was that someone had caressed him and made him happy—that something extraordinary, foolish, but joyful and delightful, had come into his life. The thought did not leave him even in his sleep. When he woke up the sensations of oil on his neck and the chill of peppermint about his lips had gone, but joy flooded his heart just as the day before.” The Kiss By Anton Chekhov (1860–1904)

Weekend on the Black Crest Trail

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Our Mud Run team did not make the run this last April, so our fearfulless leader took us on the trail of our lives. The experience was unmatched and is nearly indescribable. Pictures will be posted later.

No map captures what this trail delivers. It is "black-diamond" expert level that most people do in descending fashion. We climbed. And climbed. And climbed. And experienced everything a human being could possibly experience--it was a ride, inside and out.

We summited 9 peaks in two days: Celo Knob, Gibbs Mountain, Winter Star Mountain, down into Deep Gap, up Potato Hill, Cattail Peak, Balsam Cone, Big Tom, Mt. Craig, then finally ending at Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak on the Eastern Seaboard. Here's a snapshot of maps with elevation details. With calories burned. I am in deep recovery mode right now.

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