<p>Idad et al,
Your stories are very inspiring. </p>
<p>Oh, yeah. I definitely need the onsie. </p>
<p><a href=“Patagonia Capilene® 4 Expedition Weight One Piece Suit - YouTube”>Patagonia Capilene® 4 Expedition Weight One Piece Suit - YouTube;
<p>I’ll be sure and get one… right after I start jumping off cliffs on a snowboard. 
</p>
<p>The one problem. This ol’ dog may just be too old to learn the tricks of a “drop bottom”… </p>
<p>4 miles. Steak and salad for dinner.</p>
<p>Good morning! My avatar is just for you guys…it’s a view from the hill shortly after dawn, about midway down. That distant roof that looks like it will collapse under the snow is mine 
hi ho. </p>
<p>After a fundraiser fashion show last night where there was lots of alcohol but virtually no food I stopped by a friend’s and caught part of the Olympic opening, which was another fashion show in a way :)</p>
<p>It might have been the wine, but I recall thinking it would be a blast to hear Idad narrate the outfits
“And now here’s Sweden in powder blue power stretch fleece layered with a two-ounce Patagonia goretex shell…”</p>
<p>You should make us a video!</p>
<p>Lots of prep in store today getting ready for the gargantuan studio dual move at the end of the month. I’m hoping to get a hike in first, but if not, will settle for packing tai chi :)</p>
<p>kmcmom- Love the picture. It looks so pretty! That would be hilarious to have iDad narrate the outfits! Love that idea!</p>
<p>I had planned my 10 miler for this morning, but one thing I have learned over the years is to be flexible. I was, obviously, tired, since I slept past 7:30 this morning and woke up to actual SNOW!! We’ve had the bitter cold (for us) and the ice, but no pretty snow. It’s a dusting, but looks pretty. H and I are going to do his planned 5 miler and I’ll worry about tomorrow’s run tomorrow! It’s still lightly snowing, which is fun for us.</p>
<p>TRX last night with lots of simultaneous suspension of all limbs. Talk about TRX’s credo of “All core all the time”! Today is a 90 minute structured wattage ride indoors compliments of Kickr and Trainerroad.com. Tomorrow my favorite nationally ranked female Masters level bike racer/personal trainer/US Cycling certified coach and I are going to kick each others’ butts in my basement gym. In between all that, plowing through my ACE certification coursework. Couldn’t think of a better way to spend a cold winter weekend with the roads still too messy to safely ride outside. </p>
<p>Pretty picture kmcmom13! It was -4 this morning so 2 miles on the treadmill. Feeling pretty good. </p>
<p>3.6 miles track, treadmill, running elliptical combo at the gym. </p>
<p>5.5 on hills with light snow falling but none on the roads. </p>
<p>iDad- What weight is this one? <a href=“Marmot power stretch hoodie platinum sea glass + FREE SHIPPING | Zappos.com”>http://vip.zappos.com/marmot-power-stretch-hoodie-platinum-sea-glass</a></p>
<p>Is this the heavier stuff like my REI tights/top? I would like another top/hoodie of the heavier weight but I’m getting confused about what’s what. My REI stuff (from several years ago) doesn’t look or feel heavy (is pretty much like the Marmot stuff you got last year) but it is really warm and pretty wind-proof. </p>
<p>Nice pic, kmc! Thanks for sharing that visual. I have a similar hill to get back into my neighborhood - except mine is paved and I don’t have to shovel my way in. Otherwise I don’t think I’d ever go out. </p>
<p>Bromfield, I’m really jealous of your getaway. I think your husband needs to give the other spouses pointers on appropriate gifting. That would be a terrific gift and I’m glad you enjoyed it. </p>
<p>Cold and damp here today, but I made it to my morning class (don’t ask me why, but I decided to enroll in some courses in hopes of diversifying my skills/expanding my career options). Yesterday was a short 4.2 miles. Today was 8.31, but I did it, albeit slowly. Still struggling with a cold. Then I ate AND enjoyed a glass of chocolate milk and 2 small whole grain pancakes with real butter and real maple syrup. Yum-o. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes. That Marmot Power Stretch at Zappos should be exactly the same fabric as the REI or EMS stuff. With very rare exceptions, Power Stretch is Power Stretch. Assuming women’s fit is like men’s, the Marmot will probably be a cut a little trimmer, more athletic, than the EMS stuff. Not enough to go with a different size, just a little trimmer.</p>
<p>I survived my hike (as you can see from the avatar). More later. Gotta get a very hot shower and something to eat…</p>
<p>Thanks, iDad. Nice avatar! I ordered the Marmot- on sale at Zappos and I had an extra 20% discount!</p>
<p>YouTube of my hike today.</p>
<p>[Ol</a>’ (Formerly) Fat Guy on Ol’ (Formerly) Bridle Path](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>As usual, there’s a high rez option for full screen.</p>
<p>That is gorgeous. Such blue sky! </p>
<p>The sandman is calling my name. Gonna be an early night.</p>
<p>With near ideal conditions – fresh snow, blue skies, and a parking lot that I knew would be plowed – I picked a pretty challenging hike today. By far the most challenging winter hike I’ve done. This was 2 miles up a trail that I hiked last summer (to an AMC hut). I knew I couldn’t move fast enough or long enough to get to the hut, so I aimed for an awesome overlook with rocks to sit on, at the edge of a precipitous drop. Scenery to die for. 1600 feet of elevation gain in just under two miles, with some pretty steep ups.</p>
<p>I carried the snow shoes and hiked in microspikes. People appeared to be about 50/50 on that choice. Either would have been good. The footing was OK with the spikes, but like hiking on soft beach sand. Fully loaded with copious clothes, tons of water, a thermos of coffee, and the snow shoes, my pack weighed it at 25 pounds.</p>
<p>It was 18 degrees with a brisk wind at at the car starting out. Dropped to 11 degrees higher up, but the wind died down. 13 degrees back at the car with the sun dipping behind the mountains.</p>
<p>I nailed the clothes. Wore a light base layer long sleeve shirt and bottoms. My usual soft shell hiking pants. And, the new [Capilene</a> 4 hoody](<a href=“http://www.patagonia.com/tsimages/43666_107.fpx%3Fwid%3D1000%26hei%3D1000%26ftr%3D8%26effect%3Ddropshadow,0x000000,10,8,120,8%26cvt%3Djpeg]Capilene”>http://www.patagonia.com/tsimages/43666_107.fpx%3Fwid%3D1000%26hei%3D1000%26ftr%3D8%26effect%3Ddropshadow,0x000000,10,8,120,8%26cvt%3Djpeg). Starting out, I also wore a [url=<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube]Marmot</a> Fusion jacket<a href=“not%20a%20yellow%20one”>/url</a> that is like a winter running top – very breathable After about a mile to warm up and get to the steep climb, I took that off and went with just the Capilene 4 Hoody. No hat. Just the hoody over my head. Unbelievable, but with that much exertion, I was perfectly warm, but not sweating. This hoody worked exactly as I hoped. Stopped, the cold just cuts through, so I put the down hoody on while I was sitting drinking my thermos of coffee and munching on some salty cashews. Back to just the base layer for the rather brisk downhill leg. It’s crazy to think that a long sleeve tech T and a thin hoody is warm enough in the low teens, but you generate so much heat going up (1600 feet up is more than the Empire State Building).</p>
<p>Pretty slippery on the way down. There were places where people were butt-sliding in the snow down the steep bits. I managed to stay upright, but there was a lot of “boot skiing” – each step resulting in sliding a foot or so. I almost did a face plant on the way up. Caught a spike from my right foot in the shoe laces of my left boot! It was like throwing out an anchor. Dead stop. Had to stand on one leg, mid-stride, til I got untangled!</p>
<p>Slow going on the way up. Got back to the car at 4:40 with sunset at 5:07. Garmin says I burned 1325 calories. Max heart rate of 86% of my max. This is pretty much my comfortable limit for winter hiking. In many ways, it’s easier than summer, but the soft snow adds its own little physical challenge.</p>
<p>The scenery and the views were spectacular, as I knew they would be on a clear sunny winter day.</p>
<p>kmcmom:</p>
<p>Looks like you’ve done a fine job breaking trail on that hill! I waited 'til today when I could be sure that a bunch of whippersnappers would have trod down the fresh snow before I got there!</p>
<p>I don’t think that the mods would allow the language I would use to comment on those hideous Ralph Lauren Christmas sweaters.</p>
<p>I haven’t made it through the opening ceremonies yet. I tried while I was eating dinner tonight, but started feeling concussion symptoms from NBC beating me over the head with their gay rights plot line. I am surely not the only person who couldn’t care less if Brian Boitano is gay. </p>
<p>Lol. I think your commentary would be apt :)</p>
<p>What a beautiful hike! On one hand, I love my hill because its right there every day. On the other hand, I might trade it for access to real hills aka mountains My dear aunt has the best of both…she has one of those gorgeous chalets in BC with ready access to both. </p>
<p>As it turns out, I shouldn’t have mocked the snowy roof. Despite h’s best efforts, the roof of the brand new studio started to leak yesterday due to ice dams he’s been battling… So my packing tai chi was swapped with roof rake shenanigans that were plenty intense in terms of work. </p>
<p>We also had to clear out some giant hunks of ice that had gathered in a pile as tall as me and that would be in the way come moving day. I had to sledgehammer them to break them into sizes I could carry. The two of us spent about four hours with this nonsense, so gave up the notion of getting to the old studio until today.</p>
<p>We seriously debated getting the roof steamer over, but at $600 an hour and with no real break in the weather it seemed like it might be a pointless exercise for everyone, except of course the roof steamer whose making a killing these days 
We may have to yet if our efforts don’t net any difference.</p>
<p>Great hike report, iDad. kmcmom- Hope your roof is OK! I think your hill is a great resource for you! It looks gorgeous, too.</p>
<p>great hi</p>
<p>Friday – strength training
Saturday – 4.1 mile treadmill run</p>
<p>2" of snow here today.</p>
<p>Btw, just as some don’t enjoy seeing politics injected into TV programming, I don’t particularly like seeing random political rants injected in discussion groups where I feel they they probably make some other people feel unwelcome. </p>