Pumpkin Fest 2014

 Disclaimer:  As you may have heard, riots broke out in the surrounding neighborhoods of Pumpkin Fest. Yes, destruction, multiple arrests and minor injuries occurred. No, I was not involved or affected (I didn't even know they were happening).

This past weekend was Pumpkin Fest, a local tradition for over a decade.  Located in Keene, NH and established in 1991, it was originally called the "Harvest Festival"; showcasing baked goods, fall arts and crafts, and debuted a whopping 600 pumpkins.

The following year they more than doubled that amount with 1,628 and won the 1st Guinness Book of World Record for most jack-o-lanterns. Since then the festival has continued to grow. And boy do I mean grow!  Last year marked their 9th World Record topping out at massive 30,128 pumpkins!  Yup, that's right, 30,128 pumpkins!

This was my fist time attending Pumpkin Fest so I really didn't know what to expect.  But one thing I did know was you don't go empty handed.  Everyone is expected to bring a pumpkin, at least one. (Some even bring them by the truck load). So I spent the night before carving away and my friend Mandy and I donated 4 beautiful masterpieces.

We dropped our pumpkins off at one of the loading stations earlier in the day.  Excellent idea so we wouldn't have to carry our pumpkins from wherever we ended up parking. The problem is that we had no idea where their final resting place lay. The fate of our pumpkins was entirely in the hands of someone else... a stanger! I saw other people scoping out the perfect spot for their pumpkins.  Delicately positioning their pumpkins just so and making sure they were lit properly before bidding them farewell.  I began to feel neglectful and a little unsettled because  I had no clue what had become of our pumpkins. Where the heck are my pumpkins?  Are they even lit?  My obsessiveness reared it's determined head and it soon became my quest to find my intricately carved creations.

LOST:  Has anyone seen these pumpkins???

Despite what people kept telling me, I was surprised to see it was a full on festival.  The city center was completely shut down and inundated w/people and pumpkins.  There was a Haunted Church, a Ferris Wheel, carving stations, and even Pumpkin Bowling.  There was a food court, a craft court and all the downtown shops, restaurants and bars were open for business.

As the sky drew darker and the crowd got thicker, those pumpkins began to shine.  There was a shimmering orange glow as far as the eye could see.  It was truly spectacular.  Thousands upon thousands of jack-o-lanterns; all shapes, colors, and sizes.  Kiddie carvings, weird carvings, great carvings and some that made you stop dead in your tracks and go "WOW!".  I had no idea you could do so much with a pumpkin.  I'm definitely upping my game with my carvings next year.

We left just after the great pumpkin count, which, truth be told, was extremely disappointing.  Pumpkin Fest 2014 came in at a measly 21,912 jack-o-lanterns.  That's 8,216 less pumpkins than last year... 8,216 LESS!!!  What the hell happened???  Why did people not bring more pumpkins???  It's no wonder everyone started rioting (kidding of course).  But seriously, what a bummer.

...or maybe 21,000?

And even though the final count was significantly less than the year before, the entire experience was beyond impressive. Riots or no riots I'd do it again. In the end I never did find my pumpkins... so sad. But as I was strolling along the streets, admiring the creativity and detail of everyone else, I couldn't help but think that someone, at this very moment, is gazing upon my pumpkin and smiling.  

Happy Halloween!!    

Gulp and Gallop

The Gulp and Gallop is the kick-off to the annual Oktoberfest held at Mt. Snow, VT.  It’s literally what it sounds like… drink and run.  My dream 5k!  I had planned to run this event last year, but I was laid up with a torn hip-flexor (silly kickball tourney).  But this year, nothing was gonna hold me back.

 

 I had heard that the 1st fifty people registered would receive a free T-shirt.  Even better!  My girlfriends and I were up and attem at the crack of dawn, cuz there was no chance in hell we were going to miss out on a Gulp and Gallop shirt.  We were so overzealous and so early, that not only did we arrived before it opened, the workers hadn’t even showed up yet and there wasn’t a single car in the parking lot :(

The idea is you drink a beer and run a mile x 3.1   And I’m not talking a little dixiecup of beer, I’m talking legit 12oz’ers.  So there we were on a crisp fall morning, drinking our 1st beer (or maybe 2), taking in the foliage, and gearing up to go running around mountain. 

Now I’m not sure if it was because I was already tired from the night before, or if it was those shots of Fireball we took prior to our start, but I’d be doing you all a disservice if I didn’t warn you to “be careful what you wish for”.  Drinking after running is a great idea, as it should be.  But drinking while running is NOT FUN!  General consensus; it should be outlawed.

1.

1.  Drinking impairs your judgment:  We flew out the gate like Olympic contenders.  Sprinting up the mountain cheering and high-five’ing every passerby.

2.

2.  Drinking causes loss of coordination: Hello?? Running on rocky mountainous terrain with a solid buzz?? NOT SAFE!

3.

3. Drinking enhances acid reflex:  Belching while running is no fun.   Beer belches while running... WAY WORSE!

Needless to say I couldn’t finish.  Ultimately it was #3 that got the best of me.  My stomach became increasingly unsettled and I needed to stop before something drastic happened.  So disappointed.  I had such high hopes.

Lessons learned for next year?    Get a good night sleep the night before.  No need to show up 2 hours before start time. Pre-gaming is NOT allowed.  And maybe wait until the race is over to drink your free beer. But hey, at least we got the first 3 shirts out of the box… mission accomplished there :)

Rugged Maniac

Obstacle course racing (OCR) is a fairly new and emerging sport. Of course races like Mudder, Spartan and Warrier Dash have been around for years, but now they are finally coming out with OCR's for us laymen. Courses that aren't 10+ miles long, and obstacles that can only be concord by the fittest of the fit. 

Recently I, along with my friend Robyn, participated in the 4th annual Rugged Maniac.  A 5k and 28 obstacle fun run.  Just so we're clear, I run, but I don't like to run.  Running is my LEAST favorite form of exercise... I pretty much despise it. The running portion was a wooded uphill terrain... but when u insert 28 obstacles into 3.1 miles, the running isn't grueling at all.

The obstacles varied in technique and difficulty.  There was a lot of climbing, crawling and leaping. Climbing up and over cargo nets, inverted walls, and mounds of mud.  Crawling through dark tunnels, under barb wire, and pits of mud.  Leaping over deep trenches, from log to log, and rows of fire.  And then they threw in some fun ones just to keep it friendly.  There was the leap of faith where you jump into a pool of muddy water with spectators cheering you on and rating your technique.... the belly-floppers got the most praise. There was this colossal waterside where you pretty much went for it, hoping it would all end okay as you reach speeds greater than 35mph and end up in another muddy pool of water. 

There were 2 that I couldn't finish.  An inverted wall where my lack of wingspan got the best of me (these types of races are even extra challenging for us short people). And then the monkey bars... those dreaded monkey bars. I got 2 rings in and opted to let go and drop into, you guessed it, another pool of muddy water. (I know that upper body strength isn't my forte, but it also didn't help that this particular obstacle was placed 2nd to last). 

By the end my elbows and knees were pretty banged up, and my shoulders and quads were spent.  But I sprinted across that finish line with a giant smile on my face proud of what I had accomplished. 

I have already signed up for next years race with plans to have my p.i.c. Courtney join in the muddy mayhem.  If anyone else cares to join us you are more than welcome.  Can't wait :))