Acadia and MMD

I had a wonderful vacation in Acadia National Park this past week, and managed to get back home with plenty of time for the midnight start of MMD tonight!

Kevin and I camped at Seawall and had a great time hiking, mountain bike riding, running, and sampling the local beer and food. The weather was exceptional and we really had a lot of fun. I managed to get a few good runs in and was happy to find my legs felt great and my energy level was high. We biked and I ran on the carriage trails. This was a lot of fun. Those carriage trails are one hill after another! Our hike up the Southwest Ridge Trail was very fun, too. Kevin doesn't run, according to him, but he hikes very fast and I swear I saw a lot of running steps mixed in with the hiking. I love traveling fast on the trails!

I enjoyed lobster stew and pop overs at the Jordan Pond House and lots of great grilling back at Seawall. Lounging around on the rocks near the ocean or sitting by the campfire with a Bar Harbor Real Ale were also very relaxing after our days of activity. I hadn't been to the ocean in quite a while and this trip was just what I needed. I'm the daughter of a fisherman, I should get back to the ocean more often! Just the smell of the salt air was enough to make me smile for hours.

Tonight I will begin the 2009 edition of MMD in the White Mountains. MMD stands for More and More Difficult, and it is. This is a "fun run", not a race. The group of participants is small and by "invitation" only, making it a "non-event" (for those of you who are familiar with the White Mountain National Forest regulations). It's just a group of fun-loving trail runners/fast packers out torturing and exhausting themselves for hours on end. What fun!

I have a 50% finish rate there. Last year, a hardy group of men and women set off and only a very few found their way over the entire course. Hail, rain and cold were part of the problem, the steep slippery slope of Huntington ravine and the bush whack up Wildcat and another bush whack over a no-longer-exsisting trail added to the challenge. This year's forecast looks great and the course looks a little more friendly. Every year is different and we aren't informed much in advance about what the current year's edition will be like. The organizer, Jonathon, likes to keep us on our toes.

The midnight start is a bit of a challenge for me. I think my plan is to do a little reading until I fall asleep this afternoon (reading works better than any sleeping pill if I do it in a reclined position). Then I'll have a big meal before driving over to the campsite to say hi. I might follow that with another nap in the car and then be ready for our midnight start.

I'll write about how it all goes when I get back Sunday. I should also be able to post some fascinating photos of new bumps, bruises, and scrapes.