National Championships-part 2

Today was the first day of practice and I am so glad to get it out of the way! I’m not gonna lie I woke up today pretty nervous but very ready. I slept in again ‘til 10:30 then got some breakfast and headed up to the mountain to course walk again then start practice. I am so happy to be right at the bottom of the resort because I can simply come back to the house in about one minute. Yay for not having to drive anywhere!

Practice was from 1:15 until 6 and the course remained pretty busy all day with the top pros showing up in the afternoon. The course ran better then I thought I would, not a terribly long track but a good mix of flowy and tech. The top section remained really greasy all day and ended up just feeling like organized/unorganized sliding. There was no rain today and it’s supposed to clear up for the weekend so I’m hoping the woods dries out more come Sunday. That or just torrential downpour and ride the river (Thx Fraser)!

From the upper woods you cross the road and head into the fairly flat rock garden. When I walked the course it seemed like the best line was the far left but after trying quite a few of them out I think the middle line is the fastest. It’s hard to decide whether you want to slow down a bit to get to the better line or just blast through the rough stuff and keep your speed but take the longer line. Tomorrow I’ll just have to turn on the speed and see what lines really work. The only ouchy of the day was going too inside at the top and smashing my little broken finger on the pvc posts holding the tape, drew some blood and everything! Nothing ice and tape can’t fix. The bottom section is really fun, just lean those side knobbies in and hope they hold! Heck yes HighRoller2!

I was happy to see some familiar faces today, PNW represent! Plus my mommy arrived today so now I have a complete support crew that is making this race so stress free and fun. Thanks mom and dad (most amazing parents ever)! Btws there are little baby kittens that are living downstairs on the porch! After screaming last night when I thought they were weasels I was so happy to find out they are adorable little black and white kitties!

Looking forward to another day on the course tomorrow, time to start gaining some speed! Maybe I'll go to bed before 1am tonight too!

National Championships-part 1

The good thing about jetlag is that you have plenty of time to do things like write a new blog. The bad thing is that when your alarm goes off at 9am you still feel like death. The trip so far has been great. The preflight five hours in SeaTac got a little old but I managed to buy a new book, headphones, dinner and drinks, chocolate cake, trashy magazines, and plenty of snacks. We watched the whole Giants game and toured the entire airport, good times. The flight was awesome thanks to the Dramamine induced coma. I managed to buy a $7 blanket on the flight and I don’t even remember giving her my debt card. Next thing I knew I was retrieving my bike (in perfect condition!) and getting the rental car. The drive from Charlotte to Beech Mountain wasn’t bad except that it was 3am our time when we arrived and the 3 hour drive felt like death. There was a little confusion with out hotel location so we ended up moving into a little condo that is right below the pits so it was a much better choice. After arriving to our new home away from home I promptly went to bed for the next four hours. This was the beginning of the end of my transition to the new time zone.

The last couple of days we’ve been exploring Beech and Banner Elk (the town right at the bottom of the mountain). It’s a very sleepy little town being that it is the in between season. There are a lot of houses, condos and hotels here; apparently it’s a very popular spot in the winter. It’s almost always misty here in the mornings/raining. It tends to clear off in the afternoon but the clouds always stick around in the valley. Today was a huge success, we found espresso AND wifi!!! It is down in Banner Elk and apparently a college hangout for the little university that is there. There is wifi up at Beech but it’s at the chamber of commerce and they don’t have espresso. That doesn’t mean I didn’t sit in their parking lot for 30 minutes this evening but whatever.

We also hiked up the course today, which was the greatest success of them all (aside from putting my bike back together and successfully making derailleur adjustments!!!!). The whole course is taped really wide, which is a cool change from most of the courses at home. There are so many line choices it ridiculous. I think most of tomorrow will be trying them out and seeing what really ends up being fastest. The course is really wet currently since its been raining for a couple of days now but its supposed to clear up Saturday and Sunday so I think it is going to change a lot.

The top is open grass with some drops and flat off camber corners then into the woods. The upper woods drops elevation pretty fast but its full of berms and off camber traverses. There are some rocks here and there but mostly lots of spider web little roots.

The line choice here is pretty much inside/high line or outside/low line. We’ll have to see just how much I can straighten these corners out. The lower woods section is the rock madness. It’s not as steep so the trick is going to be carrying momentum and sticking to my line. There are a couple of gaps that look fun but potentially not any faster so that could be interesting. The rocks are very grippy even with water streaming down them so that’s a nice bonus!

After all the rocks you go back to the La Bresse style open grass and drift your way down to the big step up then down to the jumps at the bottom. From there you pedal your butt off to the finish arena and what’s that? You’re in the hot seat?!?! Haha just kidding. I’ll wait until tomorrow when I actually ride the course to see how I feel about it. I think its gonna be pretty good though!

Alright, I’ll keep you updated on the developments.

Kthxbye!

Its about time

for an update! It has been a rather long time since I wrote last and a lot has changed since then so I figured I would catch everyone up to speed.

I have started classes now, for the last time in fall, and I am getting back into my rhythm thankfully. It is always rather difficult for me to get back into school mode after summer and freedom, especially after this summer. Its interesting to go through something as intense as NOLS and then go back to your normal life. I feel like I have changed and know so much more about myself now but its hard to find a way to utilize that when everyone sees you the same as you've always been. I think it will take quite some time for me to fully understand the effects of that experience but that's how its supposed to be, I can only learn so much at one time.

My classes are quite interesting this quarter which is exciting. As it is my last year I really have no options in my classes but the good news is that they are all pretty small so I feel like I am learning a lot. I have Environmental Education, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Issues in Political Economies, and the Theory of Knowledge. Its a good mix this quarter which is nice plus none of them are before 10am, extra bonus. Along with this I am looking for an internship to gain a little more knowledge about what I could actually be doing after I graduate, employment wise. I don't like to think about that whole graduation thing too much right now cause my heart starts to race and I get a little panicky but I figure adding to the resume can't hurt.

On a different note I moved into my new house on the 1st of October which was actually pretty smooth as far as moving goes. Its a great location, very close to campus, and I have a great roomie. I had not slept in my bed since June and I almost forgot how much I love it. I am so excited to go to bed these days.

Little Lavida is doing well, although that clever horse did manage to scrape her leg up pretty good last week so she has been getting lots of TLC and cookies to aid in her recovery. As it starts to get colder she gets fuzzier and fuzzier looking more and more like a little pony. I will post some picture of her from this summer soon, she was a very good show pony this year. I have been mountain biking a fair amount lately which has been nice since Galbraith is in the best shape of the year currently. With all the activity this summer the trails are compact and since it hasn't rained too much they are not muddy yet. Although the rain is supposed to settle in this week so i guess the end is near. The only bad news about my riding is that I have managed to hit a tree two out of the last three times I've been riding. The first left my knee pretty bloody and my shoulder and hand out of whack but it was healing pretty well until yesterday when I did it all over again. Coming down the Mullet, one of my favorite trails, with just a little too much speed and the next thing I know I am flying through the air headed for a rather large maple tree. I hit with the same shoulder and banged the same knee, the only thing that was spared round two was my hand. It was quite the deja vu. Currently I am icing the knee with frozen butter cause its the only thing in our freezer. The next investment is leg guards and possibly a full face helmet.

Well that's all I can think of that is of any interest currently. I promise it won't be so long until the next post. Adios

ps here are some pictures from the end of the summer, enjoy!

The cutest goats you've ever seen in Door Co., WI.


Beautiful sunsets at the Bluff.

Willie sulking because he couldn't come to Bend, OR on the bike trip. It was too hot for him in the high desert but he cried nonetheless.

Dad and me on the trail in Bend right before Whoops, the best downhill trail of the trip. The perfect way to end the summer.

I'm BACK!

Well I guess I was back awhile ago but since my return from the wilderness of Alaska I have been quite busy and neglectful of my blog, my sincere apologies blog.

Where did I leave off? Oh yes ALASKA! I don't even know how to begin to describe the experience I went through. It was the most challenging/rewarding/fun/scary/miserable/successful/eye opening/and beautiful thing I have ever done all at the same time. I know it sounds like these are contradictory but trust me you can have fun while being miserable and feel successful all while being scared for your life.

I will give you the overview of our travels. I flew into Anchorage on the 20th, stayed there for one night and then the next morning I hiked all my stuff down to the train station to meet the NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) bus and all my new best friends. From there we drove to Palmer, about an hour and a half northeast to the branch headquarters. That whole day was a whirlwind of activities from packing our rations for the whole month to deciding what we wanted our community while on the course to look like. I was a little nervous to meet all my course mates (eleven others) and my instructors (three lovely ladies) but it turns out that we were all in the same boat and eager to get to know each other. It was quite rare for NOLS but on my course we had eight girls and four boys (normally the courses are heavily male dominated) and all three of our instructors were females (even rarer then the majority of students). I was pleasantly surprised because I was thinking I would be one of a handful of girls which would had made for a different experience, not worse, just different.

We started kayaking in the Prince William Sound and our route took us from Whitter in the farthest west town to Valdez in the farthest east town. As a whole we paddled 109 miles. It was supposed to take us two weeks but because of terrible weather we were only able to move seven times which meant that our travel days were pretty epic. We saw tons of wildlife from whales to sea otters, so many birds and even bears! From Valdez we met the bus again and drove to the Chugach Range, northeast of the sound, and began our backpacking portion. On our first day we hiked out of the tree line and from then on we were in the tundra. The vastness of that place is staggering and we were only in a small section of it. As a total we hiked 43 miles but gained 11,400 feel of elevation, it was quite the workout. I have a hard time calling it backpacking because it really doesn't resemble anything that I've done in the lower 48. Some days it was rock climbing, bush-wacking, swamp walking or mountain climbing. I'd call it extreme backpacking to say the least.

Oh did I mention it rained all thirty days? Yep it was very wet. It took some getting used to and I'm not going lie, there was some crying but overall I learned more about myself then I ever thought possible. I came away with extensive knowledge about group dynamic, technical kayaking and backpacking skills as well as fourteen friends that I feel blessed to know. If you want to see some pictures of this adventure there are on my Facebook page, the link is http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107745&id=504663286&l=3aac7daf93 .

Since that adventure I have been to Wisconsin to visit family, Bend, OR to do some epic mt biking and I start classes (for the last time) Wednesday. Oh and I move next weekend, just a little busy. I promise I will update you shortly as well as post some pictures from WI and OR.

For now that all folks!

Into the Wild

Well the time has come, tomorrow at 7am I leave the wonderful Pacific Northwest for Alaska. My pack is ready to go with everything that I will need for a month in the wilderness plus some M&M's. I have tons of batteries and two memory cards for my camera so this adventure will be well documented. I have so many emotions running through my mind right now I feel a bit overwhelmed. I think that I am mostly excited but I am also nervous to meet my group mates and instructors (I hope everyone likes me!). I have been so curious about the details of our course that I am just so excited to find everything out. I don't know if I'm backpacking first or kayaking but I really can't decide which one I'd rather start with so the surprise will be good. I've been watching the weather and it looks like it should be in the 50's and 60's during the day and raining and 40's at night, good thing I have so much rain gear and my super cozy sleeping bag. The exciting thing that I found out is that I can get mail! We will receive mail when our resupplies are dropped off every ten days so if anyone wants to send me a letter here is the address:

Emily Dumas-Smith (AOEX-07/21/2009)
NOLS Alaska
PO Box 981
Palmer AK, 99645

Thanks to my beautiful friends for making the delicious brownies with raspberries for my last night in town (the picture at the top). I love you all and will miss you dearly.

Well I think its time for me to get the last nights sleep in a bed and inside for awhile so adios lovelies, I will see you on the other side of this adventure!

Remain calm...

Well today was a day of big decisions, some I knew we coming and some took me a bit by surprise. I started my day by purchasing my tickets for Alaska, which I am very excited about. It is making the trip even more real as I leave in less then a month. I would like to say that I am fully prepared but I don't know if anyone can truly be prepared for something they have never experienced. While I have spent a majority of my life in the outdoors never for an entire month, never without people I already knew and certainly not in a place I have never been. I am excited more then I am nervous but the nerves are still there. I know that this is one of those 'once in a lifetime' experiences and the skills I learn will be incredible valuable to me but the 'what if's' are still there. For now I am just waiting for my new sleeping bag to get here so that I can give it some test runs before I pack it. I am a terribly cold sleeper outside and since Willie won't be there to keep me warm I'm going to need some synthetic goodness.

Next I headed up to the barn (which is in Richmond BC) to go see my pony finally. I think she sulked for a good ten minutes just to make sure I felt bad for being gone for so long but with the use of some yummy apple treats she came around. I have a lot of decisions to make in this area of my world and they are not easy. I have been struggling to ride as much as I used to, especially during the school year, and it is becoming more and more apparent the effects it has on my riding. I have missed all of my spring competitions and with AK next month I can't seem to get into any rhythm of training. Its frustrating to me to not be progressing at the rate that I used to but I also have school to worry about and with one year left it really needs to be my priority. I know that there is a balance of friends, school, family, riding and play time but I just can't seem to find it. So many places of my life need more of my attention but I just don't have anymore to give. I can't imagine factoring a full time job into this balance but somehow I will have to make room for it all hopefully without giving too much up.

While I pondered the predicament of my horse and life I thought that I would start mowing the lawn with the brand spankin' new mower we got my dad for fathers day. All was going well and I was just about done with the front lawn when BAM and then the awful sound of breaking glass. Yep that's right, I shattered my car window. I looked up to see the drivers side backseat window breaking into a million little pieces and falling all over the driveway and inside my car. I'm trying to remain calm and not think that the universe is trying to tell me because if I was to guess it would be something like 'Emily say in your bed, bad things happen when you leave your room'. As my dad noted it would be worse if it hit my door because that would be more expensive to fix then the window which is true but I'm still pretty irritated. I wasn't even pointing the cut grass shooter outer towards the car it was in the complete other direction!

So now I am going to make some spaghetti, that I have been wanting for a good week, watch the new Deadliest Catch on at nine and not think about all my troubles until tomorrow. Tonight is for relaxing and enjoying the family.

Better luck to all of you out there mowing lawns. Maybe just move the cars a little farther away.

Summer is here!

Well I am officially done with classes for this year and I am oh so excited. It was a little rocky to get here but well worth the struggle. There was the moving, studying, car accident, and then FREEDOM. I am currently lounging on the couch watching Deadliest Catch (the most amazing show ever) and already missing my brother. The whole little unit (Miranda, Joey, Chewy, and Shenanigans) rolled out this morning quite early so I got up to see them off. I am very sad to see them go but hopefully I will make it down to CA to see them before the summer ends.

You might be thinking at this point that I have been watching a lot of Deadliest Catch over my break so far but that simply is not true (except Tuesdays at nine). I have been mt. biking more then anything else with the arrival of my new and amazing bike. My dad had the last two weeks off so we were logging some serious miles. He went back to work Monday so Willie and I have been all on our own. We only got slightly lost yesterday and found five dear, which Willie chased like a wild African dog yipping all the way.

Before I forget I must tell all of you that the duckies are pretty much full grown now thus they don't fit in their old pool so I had to upgrade. Julia and I made a trip to Lynden in search of a kitty pool and we were successful. It took them two day to finally get in but once they did they were very happy about it. I'll have to take some pictures so you can see them in all their glory.

Well my show is now over so I must get dressed and head into town to pick up the Civic (AKA spaceship) with its new shiny bumper. I will try very hard to keep the updates coming until then adios amigos!