Saturday, August 30, 2008

What is the goal, exactly?

I will (this is my goal, if my daughter chooses to participate, it will make me VERY happy!) climb all of the 4000+ peaks in NH before I hit a very grand age threshold which will be arriving in about 7.5 years.

My daughter is interested and enthusiastic about participating in this activity and she will be 21 in 7 and a half years when we are hoping to finish.

Since there are 48 peaks (depending on your list - I'm sure I'll have much more to say about that later) that means hiking 6-7 peaks a summer season for the next 7 years.

I do hope to get one peak in this year before the official end of the NH non-winter season marked by Columbus Day. I do not intend to hike every weekend, nor will I stay out in the winter - unless I decide later that I want to ;-).

Will she do it?

I am not a fool. This isn't my first thirteen year old either. I realize that just becuase she said she wanted to do this last week doesn't mean she will want to do this now, or when I have travel plans arranged.

However, I am heading out to buy boots, just in case.

Why start blogging now?


After all of these years, why start blogging now?

I am inspired. Something wonderful has happened, and I feel the need to share it with the world. Why else?

What could be so wonderful?

Inspiration itself. This time I am grabbing hold and refusing to let go just because the dream seems untenable.

What is your dream, you recently graduated from MIT with 2 SM degrees, is it some fantastic start up?

Something like that, only more important and with a higher likelihood of affecting the future. But with less risk of financial reward.

What are you talking about? What is more important than entrepreneurialism?

Sorry for the entrepreneurial snipe, really! But you have to realize that I make this choice each and every day - my family is more important to me than anything, and I have a dream that could positively affect my family and will directly affect the quality of my life for better or worse. It is one of my usual crazy ideas (and there have been lots, ask anyone!), but this one is a bit less personal than most that I choose to pursue. Hence, the blog. I need your encouragement and assistance in attaining both the personal, and the family goal.

What are you talking about - seriously stop being so annoyingly coy!

OK, here's the deal. I am the mother of two great teenagers, a 15 year old boy, and a 13 year old girl. The girl, on a recent vacation hike in the White Mountains of NH mentioned that she would like to summit all of the 4000+ foot peaks up there (you guessed it, we're from MA).

This is an unprecedented opportunity for me! My girl is fabulous, generous, fascinating and talented, but despite her Junior Black Belt, she has not lived up to her inherent athletic ability to-date. Mom (me) is not terribly athletic either, but does have a bit of stamina left from 3 years of college rowing and a few triathlons so very long ago.

My son is heavily involved with a great Boy Scout Troop (Minuteman Council Troop 304!) that takes him all over for great camping and hiking trips, and he spent the early part of this month at Philmont hiking about 65 miles at high altitude. This is wonderful for him, but my daughter and I would like to do more ourselves.

So, I am jumping on my daughter's expressed interest. I am aware of how long a 13 year old's attention span is, but I am setting my own goals along side hers, and I hope that helping her to achieve this goal will teach her about setting big goals in life and attaining them, no matter the difficulties involved.

But, I also anticipate hiking until exhaustion and camping in the chilly mountain air for years to come. This is the most personal of goals, to spend those hours with my daughter - without Internet distractions for either us - over all of those weekends , a mother's selfish dream.