June '24

Musings

June was an incredibly rewarding month. We both passed our NREMT exams, which was surprisingly one of the hardest test we have ever taken. The exam is a computer based, adaptive test, which means it starts with the hardest questions, and the worse you do the easier it gets. Because of that, it always feels like you are failing. Thankfully, we both finished after about 70 questions, which meant we did pretty good (the maximum number of questions is 120). As such, we are now certified EMTs, and while we hope to never need our skills, are glad to have them.

We also had the luxury of relatively limited travel, deciding to stay a little longer in North Conway, then just make a few other stops exploring New England, including Acadia, ME and Kingdom Trails, VT. New England offers a lot of variety with relatively short drives, so it was relaxing to be able to amble up the coast of Maine, eating and drinking an entire months budget in lobster rolls and craft beer.

Finishing our intensive EMT course also gave us time to pick back up some of our other endeavors, including getting our hands dirty on a rainy trail day to repair a washed out trail and jump back into other education activities. Chloe enjoyed the WEMT course so much she decided to continue on the medical track by enrolling in Biology 101 through UC San Diego, and Ben caught up on his MITx Nuclear Engineering course.

Trip Report

Not much to report for the first week of June due to frantic studying, but we celebrated passing our WEMT by attempting Thin Air, a 4 pitch route in North Conway. We have not had many epics, but this came close. Halfway up the pitch 3, about 250 ft off the deck, it began torrentially downpouring with a smattering of hail. Ben managed to finished the lead on slick granite, Chloe followed, and together we safely rappelled back down. 

While we loved Conway, we had lots more of New England to explore. Next up, we headed over to Portland, ME, getting some traditional coastal lighthouse and lobster roll experience. We also hit some of our most anticipated breweries, including Maine Beer Company and Allagash. While they may not beat Colorado, these pioneers in craft beer did not disappoint.

From there, we headed north to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. We don't usually pick favorites, but Acadia is certainly up there! Stunning cliff lines climbing, long-storied traditions of life on the coast, more lobster rolls, blueberry everything, a seal filled boat cruise, and some great gravel biking...Acadia did not disappoint!

The nice thing about New England is it's all relatively compact, so it wasn't too bad to cross over New Hampshire for a week near Kingdom Trails, VT. This was some of the best flow trail riding we've ever done, and the surrounding area was a good case study in how outdoor recreation can revitalize an area. There were bikers everywhere, with the local economy flourishing with bike themed stores, restaurants, and bars. We of course made the pilgrimage to Stowe to check out the birthplace of Hazy IPAs, The Alchemist. While others have refined and arguably improved the style, it was an experience to enjoy the OG.

Ben ended the month heading back to Iowa for the annual 4th of July celebrations, while Chloe hung out with Woodford in the Hudson Valley through a fierce upstate New York heatwave.