I threw my drybags, PFD, and assorted other paddling and camping gear in my car just as a hint of light was beginning to illuminate the sky that Saturday morning. Soon, I was on Rt. 80, cruising east. I was bound for the Delaware River, where I was meeting up with a group of canoeists …
Wet, muddy, happy.
Trading a warm bed on a lazy Sunday morning for the promise of legs burning with exertion in wet 45-degree weather, I stand, slightly chilly, in the parking lot as the rain comes down and he gathers the last of the gear. Riding to the lake, in slightly-nervous anticipation, raindrops pattering on the windshield that …
A return to the love of mountain biking.
As a preteen to young teenager (about ages 11-14), I went through an intense mountain biking phase. I biked nearly every day, having fun pushing myself to get better and better. I got into racing for a while, which resulted in several medals that are still hanging somewhere in my old room at my parents …
To the woods.
It's about that time of the semester when there are more and more afternoons that I just can't stare at a computer screen any longer. I can't spend another minute in a room without windows, cooped up in a world of papers and projects and deadlines. Some days, the pull of the fresh air is …
Running with the boys.
On a Thursday evening in mid-March that was a lot colder than it should be for the time of year, I found myself stumbling up a trail that bore a slight resemblance to an ice skating rink after a group of serious runners. Runners who were talking about the 15-mile run they did a few …
Climbing on rocks and sliding on ice.
It was one of those typical March days---cold enough to let you know that winter isn't quite ready to let go, yet with a hint of spring in the air. One of those days when you have no idea what to wear because there is a good chance you could end up either freezing or …
The Runner’s High.
This afternoon, I ran 7 miles, a new personal best. I began running regularly about three and a half months ago, as a way to keep up the physical fitness that I had gained working in the field in Alaska all summer. Before this fall, I was never a runner. I have been in good …
helena kotala 