Hi all:
I’m starting today’s column with a question: What does your perfect adventure day look like? And what snacks would you pack?
I ask because I’m in a bit of a hiking snack rut and very much want to hear what fuels you on your days outside. And I love hearing about other peoples’ adventures and if you post in the comments, everyone can enjoy your answers.
On Thursday, I had an LAC-forward kind of day. It reminded me how important this community was in its heyday. Many of us crave community and sometimes it’s tricky finding people who align with our active interests and supportive mindset. But when we find it, it fills us up in great ways.
At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, I met up with folks from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust for a guided walk of the Mill Brook Preserve to view and learn more about the alewives who were making their annual spawning run from the sea to freshwater. When I stepped up to the registration table, a woman said to me, “Gillian? I’m from the LAC.” I recognized Joan and we chatted for the mile plus walk with newsy updates from our lives. She shared how important the LAC was to her when she first joined and we talked about the joy of finding women to adventure with and how supportive a community like that can be — especially, as we take risks and push ourselves in new directions.
Later that afternoon, two friends, Kate and Ann, and I biked around Cumberland as the sun lowered in the sky and lit up the fields with some take-your-breath-away beauty. Those two women are two of my most important adventure partners and were with me in the LAC from the get-go (Kate was a co-leader for years). We ended our ride at a little Cumberland jewel, Dara Bistro, and as the host sat us, I recognized another LAC member, Susan, who was dining with a friend. We chatted for a bit and just as our dinners were served, in walked Laura Shen, another LAC Guide and amazing adventurer. Laura is very pregnant and is having her second baby next month. So although not adventuring quite as much as typical, she is completing her Pan Mass Challenge mileage in 10 minute chunks on her Peloton!
As Kate says, my cup was full with all these connections and the knowledge that during those wonderful years of active adventuring, real community blossomed.
One reason I started the LAC in 2015 was because I wanted to grow my community of adventuring women. It takes work to begin community and to sustain it. I hope you have your communities of women who support you through growth and change with kindness and cheerleading. We all deserve that.
Yesterday’s hike was a double summit trail, Middle & Peaked, and it was about a 5.5 mile hike with great views. We finished with a detour to Diana’s Baths where we dipped our feet in the cold water and rested on the smooth rocks warmed by sun. I also lost my LAC water bottle there — it slipped from my hand, rolled down the rock and into a turbulent pool of whitewater. Dang.
Happy adventuring,
Gillian
Another wonderful post, Gillian. Starting the LAC was a stroke of genius and a wonderful group to be part of for me in those early days. You are an inspiring role model for so many!