With a camp that’s gotten so big it had to be multiplied (Mountain Camp just ended last week…Mini Mountain Camp begins in 3 days!) there’s going to always be more to recap than a single blog post can fit. But thankfully there are lots of sources for photos, videos, and other recaps to make getting all the tales that much easier.
There have always been staples of Mountain Camp, from staple workouts (Kanc double poling, Mt Washington) to staple headaches (fitting everything in the vehicles), but each camp has some special attributes that make it memorable. This year, there are a few standout moments, days, and efforts that will be the focus of this post….
A big one is just the fitness and drive.
This crew was the most experienced and fit group that’s ever tackled Mountain Camp. It was also the group with the most energy and drive to push things just a bit beyond the past years…some would not be satisfied without starting at the bottom, the VERY bottom, of the Kancamagus for the classic workout. Some planned secret attempts to complete the Presidential Traverse and seek revenge over last year’s 8-hour extravaganza. After the Loon race, our bibs gave us a free ride down in the gondola and yet some were admitting guilt about not running back down after racing up the 6-mile hill.
That’s a big change from a team in which past Kanc rollerskis have been full of requests to start higher up, requests to opt-in to a shorter hike, or take every gas station stop as a mandatory ice cream re-fueling station. The work ethic has become something to embrace, not get roasted about.
If you didn’t already check out the recap of the Loon Mountain Race, you can find there HERE. Spoiler alert: the MNC girls won the women’s division!
I’m super proud of everyone in this group and the efforts put forth!
Top of the Kanc!
We also had epic weather, with sun and heat every day and cool nights for sleeping. Sunscreen was a hot commodity (especially after we left one of the spray bottles on a table at Loon) but nobody went home with any burns too severe. Instead we got awesome conditions for training and that extra boost that comes from plenty of vitamin D out there in the mountains.
…also, we found some SNOW still lingering in Tuckerman’s Ravine
This was the week where I think many of us asked more of our legs than ever before. To be sure, we planned certain sessions to allow for a bit of balance…doing the Kanc double pole/classic workout the day after Loon to hopefully ease up on the quads and hammies a bit. Every afternoon session was incredibly easy, from a pine-needle-laden mountain bike cruise around Echo Lake to one run that just ended up being from the guys house to the girls house and back. Oh, except that one ride where some of us tackled the infamous Red Tail Trail…this one requires a massive climb up a paved Lincoln Gap-esque road followed by a mile of technical trail. THEN you are rewarded with options to do either the Red Tail Trail or the brand-new Parking Lot Smoothie trail. A little Hershey’s chocolate partway through helped keep the spirits up for the grueling ascent and…yeah, it was worth the work:
Red Tail and Parking Lot Smoothie…two of the best trails in New England?
One new workout we tried was some L3 skating up the “other” side of the Kanc, from the town of Lincoln. This proved interesting, and not necessarily something we’d do again. The shoulder was nice and wide, but for some reason despite being the same road as a few days prior the traffic was much more prevalent and fast. Guess this side is more prone to tourism, with a few wide stretches allowing drivers to ramp up the speed. The two sides of Mountain Camp are endless trails and woodland training options, but sparse rollerski availability. In fact last year Sara and I drove around for about an hour and a half just exploring roads and attempting to find somewhere else to ski…without much work. I thought this might be a viable option but this might have been our one and only attempt. At the very least it made for some nice photos and a great session to challenge skate technique when tired.
If this doesn’t make you think US Ski Team I don’t know what would!
Not everything was perfect about camp, but nothing ever is. What we did have was a perfect chance to work on our strengths, our weaknesses, our team climate, our interactions, our hype, our preparation for the season, and our vibe. It’s all about putting the best of each of those pieces together during every part of every year. This team continues to shift, grow, and change BUT the components of what makes us a strong club will always have similar roots. Go Pugs!
Cumby’s Chill Zone…a different kind of “Parking Lot Smoothie” you could say
View a full album of Mountain Camp photos HERE.
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