Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Betty Adventure
On February 11, 2006, Betty E. and Betty D. went to the XC Ski Touring Center on the Wrightville Rd. in Ashland, Maine for the annual Sam Ouellett memorial ski marathon. Last fall, we decided it would be fun to ski 40km. We were wrong. Noooooooo, we did have a good time, but as the only skiers on "fish scales" we were hit with the reality that we are really, really, really slow. But, we weren't there for a freakin' bib or an "official time." We were there for the joy of being in the outdoors. We skied a 8km loop, went into the warming hut for refreshment and conversation, and then headed back out for the next lap. Yes...we did this 5 times. When we finished our last lap, we came out of the woods to find the parking lot empty, the food gone and our feet sore. Yet, our spirits remained high despite the few "F" bombs we left in the woods. The trails and scenery were great (although we were the only ones going slow enough to notice). But, by the 5th lap, we began mumbling about some of the signs.The "HALFWAY THERE" sign, for example.Halfway where, you might ask? To hell...that's where.
Needless to say, we where happy to see our husbands and have dinner (followed by large amounts of beer). Will we do it again? Likely (even if it is just to aggravate those people who kept asking, "Why are you doing this?" once they saw we were on our own clock).
Why We Live Here
We've included several photos that show off the beauty of Aroostook County. The singletrack is at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle. You'll also see Spaulding Lake, shots from Deboulle Mountain, and many of the flowers and trees that let us know spring and summer have arrived.
Friday, February 10, 2006
A Little Betty Ditty
Once upon a time Betty D. & Betty A. went backpacking in Baxter State Park. Since their trip was short (a 3 day weekend, 22 miles), they didn't want to carry a tent. Here they are riggin' up a tarp to sleep under. Much later that night, Betty D. was conscious of the fact that Betty A. was snuggling up to her. In true Betty fashion, she ignored her and went back to sleep. The next morning though...
"Did you feel me get closer to you last night?"
"Yup. Is there something you want to tell me?"
"No. Something ran across my ankles."
"Are you serious?"
"Yup."
"Was it heavy enough to hurt?"
"No. It was probably a rabbit or squirrel."
The moral of the story is this: take a tent.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Betty Photos & Who We Are (Again)
We haven't figured out how to change the order of our postings yet, so we are including our welcome/introduction message again...
Welcome to Wilderness Betty! Wilderness Betty isn't a single woman, but rather an idea - a moniker we've used to describe all women determined and passionate about the outdoors. We'll share with you our adventures, our favorite places to play and those places we hope to never see again. We'll share our favorite trail recipes and adventure books, swag we're diggin', swag we're getting rid of, and interesting tidbits learned along the way. Since we're all multi-taskers, we may even post knitting projects we've finished on the trail. You will find relevant postings and hopefully links to our favorite sites, such as WOMBATS and Leave No Trace. To protect the identity of the weak and clumsy, we will sign our postings with the first letter of our names. For example, the fool on her knees in the red fleece in the picture to the left is Betty D. Betty D. was joined by Betty A. on this adventure (picture on the right). Some of us are Chatty Cathy's, others are workhorses who prefer silence...but we are all too busy sucking wind to be anything other than real...and because so, you will at times see the husbands and sons who are bold enough to brave a large group of sweaty and unshowered women. We rock climb, hike, backpack, kayak, snow shoe, ski, and mountain bike. We'll take you with us as we explore Aroostook County, Maine and New England. Sweaty girls rock...rock on.
There is always room for another Betty in the world, so we've included pictures of two "Betty in Training" candidates. One of the other photos is from August 2005 when Jacquie Phelan (one of the founders of NORBA, the founder of WOMBATS & a 3 time national mountain bike champion) visited Northern Maine for a ladies-only mountain bike skills clinic. This picture shows 14 brave women practicing track stands. The other photo is Betty D. and Betty M. on their annual ride from Presque Isle to the Blue Moose restaurant. This ride is anywhere from 35-40 miles and is on old rail beds and ATV trails. Even though it's a flat ride, it's a long ride...we're ready for a large, tasty meal (and a ride home) once we arrive at our destination. This ride takes us through several towns and this was our first stop for snacks and a stretch.
Photos from the Betty files.
Here are photos from the Betty files. Some of these date back as far as 10 years (which explains the permed hair...I've since learned my lesson).
You'll see Betty C. kayaking on Squa Pan Lake, Betty D. (with the unfortunate perm) at the top of Haystack Mountain, and again with wardens as they weigh and tag bear.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Capable Betty
Websites to check out:
www.wombats.org
www.womensonly.com
www.dirtdivas.net/
girlbike.com
Dandelion Magazine
Her Sports
www.lnt.org/main.html
www.gravitesse.com
www.mtbchick.com/links.html
www.state.me.us/ifw/education/bow/index.htm
www.wombats.org
www.womensonly.com
www.dirtdivas.net/
girlbike.com
Dandelion Magazine
Her Sports
www.lnt.org/main.html
www.gravitesse.com
www.mtbchick.com/links.html
www.state.me.us/ifw/education/bow/index.htm
Welcome!
Welcome to Wilderness Betty! Wilderness Betty isn't a single woman, but rather an idea - a moniker we've used to describe all women determined and passionate about the outdoors. We'll share with you our adventures, our favorite places to play and those places we hope to never see again. We'll share our favorite trail recipes and adventure books, swag we're diggin', swag we're getting rid of, and interesting tidbits learned along the way. Since we're all multi-taskers, we may even post knitting projects we've finished on the trail. You will find relevant postings and hopefully links to our favorite sites, such as WOMBATS and Leave No Trace.
To protect the identity of the weak and clumsy, we will sign our postings with the first letter of our names. For example, the fool on her knees in the red fleece in the picture to the left is Betty D. Betty D. was joined by Betty A. on this adventure (picture on the right). Some of us are Chatty Cathy's, others are workhorses who prefer silence...but we are all too busy sucking wind to be anything other than real...and because so, you will at times see the husbands and sons who are bold enough to brave a large group of sweaty and unshowered women. We rock climb, hike, backpack, kayak, snow shoe, ski, and mountain bike. We'll take you with us as we explore Aroostook County, Maine and New England.
Sweaty girls rock...rock on.
February 3, 2006
Place: Aroostook State Park, Quaggy Jo Mountain, North Peak Trail.
Who: Betty D. and Betty A.
Northern Maine's winter has been unusally freaky. We have just barely enough snow to play in, but we couldn't stay inside another day. Only Betty D and Betty A were free to play as all other Betties were busy with "real life." I've always wanted to climb the North Peak of Aroostook State Park (1.25 miles) and ski down the Look Out Trail to the Quaggy Jo Mountain Trail (4 miles). We borrowed what we thought were back-country skis (which actually turned out to be regular xc skis) and strapped them on our packs. We snowshoed up the North Peak to meet the clouds and wind, and tried to take a timed photo (didn't dare leave the camera unanchored in the wind though). Betty A. phoned her Mother in case she broke her leg on the ski down (just kidding...we're pretty good at assessing risk), then we swapped out the snowshoes for the skis and hoped that when we fell, the crampons on the snowshoes wouldn't dig too far into our scalps. We did make it down, 1hr. and 45 minutes later - with one tumble each, and no bloody scalps. We were, however, very sweaty and ready for a cafe mocha.
