Ryan left on Friday for his annual guys’ hiking trip. I didn’t mention his absence on the blog right away because I wasn’t sure about my plans this weekend and didn’t want to say he wasn’t in Ocala for safety reasons if I ended up there alone… even if I did have my ferocious beast with me.
Through picture texts and some spotty cell phone conversations (the reception on the Appalachian Trail is less than stellar), I’ve gathered that he’s having a fantastic time.
(For those of you who missed the whole Daddy 2012 thing, no, I’m not pregnant. It’s a reference about our ongoing campaign to be Sadie’s favorite.)
Ryan said it’s absolutely beautiful in North Carolina right now and I’m happy to hear that he’s having a lot of fun. Though there was a high of 69 degrees in the area where he was hiking yesterday, they hiked through a bit of snow at one point. Thank goodness for waterproof boots!
Breakfast
Last night I made the game-time decision to stay in Jacksonville through tomorrow and ate breakfast at my parents’ condo this morning.
My meal started to with two pieces of Ezekiel toast topped with Earth Balance and jelly.
I also made myself a rather unattractive chocolate cherry protein smoothie topped with Honey Bunches of Oats cereal.
Now it’s coffee time!
My sister had some vacation time built up that she had to use and took this week off from work in St. Pete, so she’s hanging out here, too!
Since her boyfriend, Ross, lives in Jacksonville Beach, we’re watching his adorable chocolate lab Kona while he’s at work.
Hoping to have a productive morning followed by a fun afternoon!
Question of the Morning
- Would you ever want to go on an overnight hiking trip? (Overnight hiking trip = The kind where you carry a backpack with all of your camping gear and food with you along the trail.)
I love hiking and I love camping, but I don’t like hiking in order to camp. Carrying a huge backpack on 10+ mile hikes doesn’t exactly intrigue me.
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Definitely, NO! I like hiking, but not camping! The main reason being restrooms. 🙂
I like the fun parts like campfires, smores, beautiful scenery….but then I want to go home or to a hotel to spend the night! 🙂
I’m seriously so impressed by your photo skill…To catch that yawn in the act is raw talent! Every time I try to get the “perfect” shot of my dog it’s like she knows I just waited the 1 minute for the iphone camera to come up and get ready…and then she moves. Mad props 😉
Such a fun time with your family!! Cute dogs. I wouldn’t be overly interested in camping overnight – I like to have a bathroom and shower and bed. But a daytime hike? I’m all in!
I’d love to try an overnight trip! I’ve only done a big day long hiking trip (9 hours – 13 miles up and down Pikes Peak in Colorado), but if I did I’d want to do it with a strong man! Haha I did my trip solo and that was fine, but my bag was heavy with the water I brought and I didn’t even bring enough, I can’t imagine doing something that intense with even more gear! Hence the strong man…
My family and I used to go to North Carolina and stay in a cabin every Fall growing up. We’d spend the week up there hiking different trails. I’ve hiked the Apalachian Trail too many times to count! North Carolina in the fall is absolutely breathtaking, I’m sure Ryan is loving all the leaves changing! You’ll have to join him on one of his hiking trips and have him carry your gear 😉
Only glamping for me!
Hahahah, GLAMPING! That is amazing 🙂 I lived in Calgary, Alberta (i.e.: Rocky Mountains) for 4 years and never heard this. So funny.
I’m more of a day hike kind of gal. The AT is GORGEOUS (I’ve hiked parts of it in Virginia), but I just couldn’t carry all my gear for that long!
Haha oh my gosh that picture of Sadie is too funny!!
Holy cow! That picture of you and Sadie is classic!!!
great pic! we are a camping family (2 boyscouts + 1 scoutmaster lifelong boyscout hubby) so camping is a once a month adventure for them. when i camp i love it all … if you have a great backpack and split carrying gear its not bad. its a great workout and enjoying smores afterwards is always fun. my sister’s boyfriend did the AT through a few states by himself for several months and they would coordinate drop offs at the post office for supplies. don’t think i’d be into that especially with the spiders he encountered along the way! hee! but i love a weekend outdoors!:)
I have never done an overnight hiking trip… just the sissy camping on golf courses with bonfires type of thing. I would be tempted if I went with a woods savvy group, and possibly if ferocious Sadie was there to scare off the bears! 😉
Exciting news your parents are in Jacksonville! I have family up there too. Enjoy your stay!
I’ve actually never been hiking or camping but I don’t think I’d enjoy carrying all that equipment for that long! I do want to try hiking at some point though!
I will try anything once…. doesn’t really appeal to me though. I like hiking (my california birth spirit coming out in me) but like I said… I would try it. Probably would complain though lol
I went on a hiking trip in Colorado the summer before my senior year of high school. We hike 37 miles in six days! It was so tough, but a great experience!
*hiked
So jealous!! I love impromptu visits home with my sister! have fun!
I’d have to agree with you on the overnight hiking thing… I enjoy camping and love hiking, but I’m not so much of a fan of hiking in order to camp. I leave that to my dad and brother – that’s their thing!
I’ve never done an overnight hiking trip. I’m such a worry wort so that would probably make me a bit nervous! Unless I was with some really experienced campers, I don’t think I could do it.
Love the pic of “ferocious” Sadie! 😉
No, I would never want to go on an overnight hiking trip… doesn’t exactly appeal to me. I’m not much of a camper either, I figure why stay & sleep in a tent outside when I can be comfy at home in my own bed? LOL Unless, we were far away from home & different circumstances, like traveling somewhere… then it might be fun. My husband LOVES camping & always wants to go, but me… eh, not so much. I keep telling him to go camping whenever his parent or sis & her husband go. lol
I don’t think I’d want to have to carry everything with me all day long, and then pick up the next morning and go. I was a Girl Scout when I was younger, and I used to reallllllly dislike the camping trips we would take because they were always so chaotic and I always ended up losing stuff! I prefer hiking for a couple of hours, walking back to the car, and driving home to my house. 🙂
It’s fun! I love hiking and goin into survival mode as I learned in Girl Guides and Pathfinders. There is nothing so refreshing than a wilderness hike in the fresh air that hints of the winter months to come. Throw in a canoe and some portaging and then it is heaven! You will have to blog about how Sadie and Kona get along! Kona looks like a field trial lab and they can be super hyper!
We live in the mountains of western NC, so we love to go on weekend backpacking trips. It’s an amazing experience to be out in nature for a few days with only the conveniences you can carry on you. I love how it lets me “get away” from things. It also helps that my husband has a lot of outdoor experience…makes me feel more safe while i’m out there!
I live when Kona makes blog appearances! As a momma of a 1 year old black lab, I am obviously obsessed with all dogs that even resemble Tebow in the least bit! (yes, my dog’s name is Tebow..)! I am not a big overnight hiking trip fan, but I love hiking day trips! Nothing like exploring the woods and getting some exercise at the same time!
i love labs! they’re such sweet dogs. 🙂
HA! I’m actually so inept at being out in nature overnight that when I left my teaching job, my fellow teachers actually gave me a big can of OFF! and a bug repellant candle. Love hiking, love nature, but I can’t make my bed there…
Aw, I’m glad your sister gets to come visit you… that will make it a really fun week for both of you 🙂
P.s- your dog is too cute, especially in the “ferocious” picture!
Julie, my pancakes keep lookng like scrambeled pancakes. How do you flip them so well. I know to wait for bubbles, but it’s not working! Any other commenters suggestions welcome as well!
So funny you should ask, Julie! My husband and I are avid backpackers, and we just got back from a 28 mile weekend trip last night 🙂
that sounds amazing! i would LOVE to doa long hiking trip… if someone else would carry my stuff. 🙂
I definitely want to do overnight camping trip. We were actually hoping to do the West Coast trail this summer (in Canada where we live:) but I got pregnant so kinda had to put that trip on hold. Its about a week long trek but I know several people that have done it and I have definitely added it to my bucket list.
Have fun with you sis and the pups:)
You are making me miss NC. We just left there in July and moved to AZ. Although the weather here right now is GORGEOUS.
The Kidless Kronicles
I’d go for an overnight hiking trip if my friends really wanted to, but I would never ever be the instigator of such madness.
Camping in the back country is the only way I’ll camp. Hiking into your camp site means less people, and beautiful scenery. Sleeping in a tent next to a ton of cars and a million people isn’t my idea of fun. However, give me a secluded camp site a couple hours away from the nearest parking lot and only one or two camping neighbors, and I’m happy.
I agree completely 😉
This post is just full of cute doggies! Makes me 🙂
Definitely no to the overnight camping trip. I am more of a city girl. Nothing wrong with a hike, but sleeping outside and no shower does not sound appealing.
Oh gosh.. I don’t think I’d last on a hiking/camping trip lol I am so not a “roughing it” kind of girl lol I have a hard time going upstate to my aunts cabin hahaha
Julie forgive me but, living in France, I’m lost! Your sis lives in St pete, you in occala, your parents in jackson (now) and your sister’s boyfriend in jackson too? So they have a sort of long distance relationship right? Geography and me = incompatible lol!
haha! you got it right! i know it’s confusing. 🙂 my parents just moved from st. pete to jacksonville. my sister lives in st. pete but her boyfriend lives in jacksonville beach and they’ve been doing the long distance thing for a little over a year now (they’re 4 hours apart).
haha thanks for clearing things up 🙂 you seem to be in the middle of everyone which probably must come in handy 😀
I actually went on a snowy hike yesterday with some friends. We got lost and ended up making out own “trail” – I was TERRIFIED. My biggest fear was that we wouldn’t find our way back and would have to spend the night in the wilderness. So NO, I would never camp overnight (by choice) 😉 But kudos to Ryan! That takes guts!
LOVE the backcountry camping/hiking. Slowly, since it’s pricey, we’ve been purchasing the ultra-light tent/bags/pads and it’s a lot easier hiking with 35-pound packs including food and propane, than the 50-pound packs with clunky gear. We take our dog with us if the hikes aren’t too rough and she loves it – we haul her sleep pad, too, and she is a roll-with-the-flow pooch … we try to STOP her from being a “roll-in-what’s-stinky” pooch, though! 🙂 This year it was Montana – next year Colorado. Aaahh… the Rockies!
Bonnie, where in Montana did you go? My husband and I hiked in Glacier this past summer. We go to Colorado quiet frequently and we’re planning on backpacking part of the Colorado Trail this coming summer.
We, too, hiked in Glacier and Waterton Lakes, this summer – I LOVE it up there, but am a bit paranoid about the grizzly bears. So hiking with me is probably a lot less fun than hiking with you is. I’m clapping around every corner, and actually think, when i see another hiker, “Oh, good – more for the bears to choose from.” 🙂 We saw black bear (close) and a grizzly (not too close), and I didn’t spray anyone with the bear spray, so that was good. I’ve not researched ANYTHING in Colorado so your Colorado Trail will start me out. Will pop to your blog now!
Great! You sound like my husband-he was all about clapping and yelling while we were there. Since he was so vocal it took the pressure off me! Let me know if you have any questions about Colorado. It’s like a second home for us so I’m familiar with a good deal of the state!
Overnight camping sounds great in theory but in reality? Not so much!
I love that first pic!! Hilarious.
Julie you are so vibrant and beautiful! I get so happy and inspired every time i visit your blog:) Have a wonderful day!
I’m so glad Ryan is having a great trip! I love that picture of you and Sadie, too cute! I’m more of an indoor person, nature and I are not the best of friends!
I do like camping but I dont think that kind of camping would float my boat. Looks like you’re having beautiful weather down there! Congratulations to your parents for fulfilling their dreams 🙂
I would say that I agree with you, hiking and enjoying the outdoors sounds great, but having to stay the night outside and carry a huge pack all day kind of takes the fun out of it!
Well, I’d be down if we drove to the camp site, set up camp and then hiked from the site? But I don’t really think I’d like hiking with the gear and then setting up camp. It’s bad enough hiking with a toddler on your back!
I LOVE hiking and camping! In 2010 my boyfriend and I went hiking in Sweden for 10 days and we camped all the time. And it rained all the time too. Last year we went to Patagonia for a month and it was glorious, but I have to say I kind of miss real food after a while…but a steak never tasted so good when we went back to civilization!
As much as I love the outdoors, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of a hiking trip. I love camping, but yeah… not where I have to carry all of my stuff.
As much as I love to hike, I’m not sure I could get down with doing it for 24 hours. Maybe though, I think I’ll add that one to my bucket list.
I’m an avid backpacker and I’ve been on the Appalachain Trail in the eastern seaboard, West Virginia Wilderness, and the Grand Canyon (incredible!). It is seriously tough and I have been lucky enough to have Wilderness First Responder training as well as not ever been hurt or had an accident. In general it’s really hard but the reward is almost overwhelming. To know you’re only relying on yourself and your group to get to your destination is amazing, and the true sense of community other backpackers have. I went to the grand canyon with friends from my school (in Baltimore) and we actually hiked with a group from Dartmouth on the last night and day out! It was seriously incredible to hike out of the canyon that day. Our extra large (and DIRTY) group all cheered each other on and sang “we are the champions!’ as we reached the entrance of the trailhead, which was at a viewpoint. There were lots of curious and appreciative tourists who took pictures for us! Then, the Darties were kind enough to drive us back to the campsite for our last night. It is unlike any other activity I have done.
I can so relate to the sense of community. It’s one thing that I noticed immediately when I became a backpacker, and definitely something that is a huge part of doing it.
oh yes!!! I totally would NOT mind having a trip like that~ I haven’t camped much in my life time, but all the times I have done it, I enjoyed it. (the only thing I don’t like is the dew that falls on my head as I’m sleeping, lol) Hiking in the snow sounds BAD in a good way. It sounds scary and challenging, but like a true adventure of a lifetime!
I think I would do it – I would just have to make sure I was with someone who knew what they were doing, because I certainly wouldn’t!
Love hiking, but I’m definitely like you. After hiking, I like to reward myself with a hot shower and MY comfy bed, not the cold hard ground. And the best camping trips are the lazy kind, lots of swimming and fishing! But kudos to your hubs, that sounds like a fun, but exhausting weekend!
LOVING your blog by the way! I’m a new follower, stumbled across it through Hungry Runner Girl. Great stuff 🙂