Tri Time

The big event this week was Rachel's triathlon. Not one to stay content with prior successes, Rachel has, in recent years, decided that simply riding her bike hundreds of miles each week wasn't enough. She needed more of a challenge. Something hard, you know. Because riding up hills is too easy.

So she started swimming. The lap pool became a familiar friend, and she developed a stroke that could churn through the miles with efficiency. 

And then, remarkably, she started running. I say this is remarkable because in our first year of marriage I talked her into doing a 5k with me. At the end she looked at me defiantly and said "There. I did it. And now I can proudly check off that box and never do it again!" Imagine my surprise then, when I hear her now saying things like "I think I'll just do an easy 5 miles today instead of my planned workout."

Anyway, all the training came to a head last weekend when she finished her olympic length triatholon. That is a one mile swim, a 25 mile ride, and a 6.2 mile run. You would have to ask her for specifics, but the race itself definitely had its ups and downs. Some technical difficulties during the ride affected her time. She was able to make some of that back in the end by running two of the fastest miles she has ever done in her life. And while she hit her target for the swim, she came in a little short of her overall goal. When I talk to her, she is proud to have finished, but a little bummed at the same time because she knows she could have done better.

What I can say is that I think Rachel is a superhero. We went and cheered her on, and it actually made me a little emotional to see her pushing herself and to see the pride the kids all have for her. It was a great day, and she ran a great race. As a side note, three of our kids have decided they want to do a kids triathlon next year! Way to be a good example, Rach!

Also, she is already planning her training schedule for next year. 

We went up the night before and stayed in this little cabin at Priest Lake. It was a quick trip, but I think we all had a good time.

Besides the triathlon, this week seemed full of little things. Things that, on their own, would be fairly commonplace. Putting them all together though, made the week seem very full and busy. Summer is coming to a close and we are making the most of it.

We took the boy scouts rock climbing. And even though most of them are in high school, Jackson was totally the star of the show.

Photo from a scavenger hunt we participated in of downtown Coeur d'Alene. Our family formed a team, and came in first place!

We commissioned these two paintings a little while back and were able to pick them up this week. I love them! Shout out to Bevie LaBrie for her artistic brilliance. 

Hanging out with another family at a local climbing spot. Lots of exploring and climbing, followed by good food and an outdoor movie. 

Have a good week!

What a weekend! Between this and last weekend I feel like I have visited some of the most magical places lately. Places that make you feel small, you know?

Originally, we had big plans as a family to explore a trail along the St. Joe river on a three day backpacking trip. Unfortunately, the forecast called for rain, going so far as to issue a "flash flood warning." Backpacking in the rain with kids sounded miserable, so on Friday afternoon we reevaluated our options. It basically came down to one question- where can we go that isn't on fire and doesn't have rain? The answer? The coast! And so, just a few hours later we had the kids and the trailer ready to go and we were off on an adventure.

I have to interject for a brief moment here, because I have been known in the past to sort of pooh-pooh the entire idea of beach vacations. This trip though, opened my eyes to a whole new way of looking at things. I had been doing it all wrong! Before, I had seen the beach mostly as a playground with toys that I didn't care to play with. Sand. Waves. Um...more sand? I dunno. That was about it. And people. Lots and lots of people fighting for their tiny little spot in the sand and waves. And lots of other people trying to sell you stuff. In short, the beach has always held the same spot in my mind as amusement parks and video arcades. I just don't care for the atmosphere. 

Ugh. In what way is this a vacation? It looks stressful.

Imagine my surprise then, when we pulled up to the beach, and saw this:

It was breathtaking! Remember last week when I described the overwhelming feeling of going above tree-line in the Cascades? Well, all those same emotions came back- pure reverence and awe for the natural world. This time though, instead of sparkling, the flavor was deep and moody and brooding. Heavy, but in a really good way. It was powerful.

The landscape of the Oregon coast is something special. Dramatic shorelines colored in with unmatched biodiversity, and then accented with light streaming through the omnipresent clouds. The combination is something that is transformative. The experience was enough to wrench the ocean out of that pigeonhole of my mind reserved for commercialized distraction, and to place it gently- respectfully- into the same category as mountains, art, and music. This wasn't a playground- it was a church.

As you can see in the pictures, our weekend was amazing. Lots of good times. I love us :)

Have a good week!

This post is going to be mostly about me (Logan)! As the author of this blog, I get to be self-indulgent like that every once in a while.

So, this last weekend I had a birthday and I couldn't have asked for a better mix of activities. For starters, I got off work a little early on Friday and met a friend who was waiting for me in the driveway of my home. Five minutes later we were on the freeway, music playing on the radio and expectations high. We were climbers after all, and we were headed to the mountains. Things were bound be be good.

An alpine start the next day saw us on the approach for our chosen route on Asgard Sentinel. In the early light we worked our way up through the forest and rushing streams to the point where we broke above tree-line and entered the wonderworld that is the Central Cascades. This is the kind of place that doesn't seem like it should exist in real life. The kind of place that makes you believe in magic. The kind of place that makes you want to pull back the curtain that is surely in front of your eyes and see what kind of special effects are being used. But there are none. That is the trick. This place really is that amazing and that beautiful. It is no wonder the name of our climb is "Acid Baby," because the whole time you are up there it feels like you must be on some sort of trip. The air is too clear, the mountains, too perfect, the feelings, too light, and the climbing- well, the climbing is just incredible in the fullest sense of the word. What a day.

As for the climb itself, we moved easily and efficiently up the rock. Every single pitch was unique and the movement, engaging. The positions were unreal, as might be expected, and the runouts were just spicy enough to be exciting without ever crossing over into the realm of scary. Eric was a fantastic partner to have, and the safe-but-chill vibe of the day was exactly what I was hoping for. In all, it was a marvelous way to turn 39 years old.

The morning after the climb was relaxed and we arrived home just in time for the birthday party. Now, I know that if you are reading this and I told you that I just had a birthday, you might expect that this party was for me. But you would be wrong. If you really knew our family though, then it would make perfect sense to you that this party was actually for Lindsey, who turned seven on July 3rd. That's just how we roll.

The party was good. Fun was had. Pizza was consumed. So was candy. And cake. And sweet drinks- those were consumed also. I am a dentist, so I consider this my contribution to our profession. Also, presents were given. Piñatas were smashed. Friendships, strengthened. Games, played. Memories, created. Sort of. Come to think of it, I don't know many people who actually remember anything about their seventh birthday party. But Lindsey will read this one day and trust that we aren't just making it up and then think that maybe she actually does have a memory of it after all. Also, we took all her friends and flew them to Disneyland. Really.

That evening, Rach and I went out to Arbor Crest, a beautiful vineyard, wine cellar, and garden property set in a dramatic position overlooking the Spokane Valley. It was a beautiful evening with one of our favorite local bands providing the entertainment. The sunset paired well with the Epicurean cuisine, and as we lounged on the patio it was difficult to imagine a better way to spend a weekend.

As for the rest of our kids, they are great. All of them attended a youth camp last week- the older four for the entire week, and Lindsey for a few days. Evelyn was old enough to be in a group that canoed across the lake for a camping trip, but the rest stayed in cabins. They all said they had fun, but we have no photos since we weren't there.

Other than that, things are pretty much normal, which, around here in summertime, means good things. Beach days, hikes, bike rides, and other outdoor activities are perfect. North Idaho, when not covered in a dense cloud of smoke, is amazing.

Have a good week!

Well, our kids are all off at camp right now, which means that Rachel and I got a free weekend to do whatever we wanted. I was pushing for a long hike in the Cascades, but Rachel wanted to climb instead. The only reason I put this here is so that the record shows that even though I love climbing, I am not unidimensional in my interests. I have at least two dimensions. Even so, I was happy to let Rach win on this and we went climbing.

It was actually a fabulous weekend. The first day we just took it easy and stayed the night in a hotel in Wenatchee. The second day we did a lot of climbing at Index and Leavenworth, twisting all sorts of body parts into cracks until we became numb to the pain. I think a person needs to have borderline masochistic tendencies to enjoy crack climbing and honestly, I'm not a hundred percent sure that I do, but it was nice being with Rach and out in the mountains anyway. We finished off the weekend with a nice night out to celebrate.

Now that we are back at home, Rachel is busy getting things done on her to-do list. Friday was the last day her office location was open, so most of her work now is on-location until we get our home office built. Things are definitely in the works for that, as well as a bunch of other things. The summer seems to be quickly coming to a close and we are doing our best to make the most of it. 

Have a good week!

Summer time is a time for a lot of things: Lakes, backpacking trips, climbing, hikes, outdoor barbecues, and concerts in the park. For us though, summer is also a lot about getting together with family that we don't get to see often enough. That was the focus for this week, as we drove down to Utah for yet another reunion. It was good to see aunts, uncles, and cousins that I haven't reconnected with in years. Our kids had fun seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Good times all around.

Here's my mom and dad telling about early generations of Hazards.

We did get a little bit of time to climb. Here's Jack trying his hardest lead yet.

Have a good week!