Sunday Rollerbloody Sunday!

We donned rollerblades and blitzed passed our fair share of families on bikes. The fun came when the first person we passed would, with more than a hint of surprise call out, "Bikers! Oh, not bikers -- rollerbladers! Fast rollerbladers!" in a warning to the family members on bikes ahead!













Needless to say, we rollerbladed our hearts out for two hours straight along the canal! Now for some brie and crackers and some relax time! Here's the view of the day: dust from dad's blades!

I also played the Bedouin Soundclash songs and Mason Jennings songs that dad's been missing out on!

Before I leave the country in three (3) days, leave a comment! Tell me what bands I've been missing out on!

"Thanks in advance to advance" says your landescaper, n8

Saturday Cycle

Saturday hits its stride as we hop into gear! We prepare by pumping up our tires, filling up our water bottles, and closing our eyes and meditating on our personal images of success. Well, two out of three ain't bad!

Here are our stats for the day:
20.93 miles; 1 hour, 25 minutes; average speed of 14.74 mph; max. of 31.32 mph; italian food at 1 ppm (plate per minute).

What should we have for dinner tomorrow night?

"Tomorrow is sure to be active and fun like guessing the future" forecasts your landescaper, n8

The Early Word Gets the Burn

This past week, which isn't quite over but was supposed to be filled with errands like flu shots at the hospital, to shopping for a bag at EMS, and to other preparations for travel, has been something else for The Big Trip's Nathan Conroy.

The times you have with those whose company you enjoy needn't be spent on diamonds, skydiving, or the bigger and the better. Conroy was on site for dirty tasks and simple pleasures with his father and his friend, saying about the experiences: "I have raked the lawn, played billiards innumerable times, gone for a walk, and watched movies. And I have had the honor of taking these ordinary activities to the moon. That's what a good conversation can do."

Conroy's friend, Matt Dennis came all the way from Augusta, Maine via buses to visit in Rochester, New York. The hauls to and fro were 13- and 17-hour rides, respectively. While no visit to Lake Ontario took place, Dennis learned how to slackline for two nonstop hours at Cobb's Hill Park.

When asked about where you were during a historical moment of monumental importance, be it of tragedy or accomplishment, the circumstances you were in have a beastly tendency to set up a replica in your memory bank. The guards must be off duty or very lazy and unambitious.

So it is and was and will be that Conroy enjoyed watching the events of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado with his father and his friend on the couch in his brother's room. There were two pizza boxes, three plates, two glasses and a handful of napkins on the table between the couch and television set. Father, Michael sat on the green chair and focused intently on Joe Biden, et al. Dennis also sat on the couch, with a shirt over his head, occasionally making faces.

Dennis was dropped off at the bus station at four a.m. after two days of fun. Nathan Conroy returned home to see his father off to work at five a.m.

Conroy still has the words from the speeches from the Clintons, Kucinich, Gore, Biden, and the Obamas running circles in his head. Please comment with your thoughts on these speeches or other things on your mind! Thanks again to Matt Dennis and dad for good times!

It's reassuring to know that "Words that are tethered talk together" says your landescaper, n8

Calling all Readers

I ask my readers, "How can I make The Big Trip blog more useful for you?"

Here are some areas you might like to comment on:

1. Topics - Are there specific topics or general topics you'd like covered as I travel and partake in different activities?

2. Types of Posts - Respond to reader questions; tips (e.g. for travel, climbing, cities, food); gear reviews.

3. Design - Readability, pictures, layout.

4. Blog Features - What would make your reading experience better?

5. Other Ideas and Feedback - All's welcome!

Please respond honestly and constructively by commenting on this post or by e-mailing me at Nathan.Conroy@gmail.com and I will try to respond to each comment.

"Thanks in advance!" says your landescaper, n8

Canada in a Day

This is me and dad before we hopped in barrels atop Niagara Falls in Canada. Below is a closer look of the falls. Dad is grinning with anticipation. We arrived in Canada, waving passports and thinking that we would roam around and enjoy the sites to see. Dad's smile in these pictures tells you that we didn't just roam around. Nope! We went to experience The Fury, which turned out to be a 4-D educational movie-like experience. We learned about the formation of the falls. Or should I say the ongoing evolution of the falls? Our tickets to The Fury gave us priority passes to the journey underneath the falls. This is where you get your picture taken and walk through tunnels and out onto patios where you are sprayed by the mists of the falling, crashing water, which nearly engulfs the entire horseshoe amphitheatre that is Niagara Falls. The mist makes it hard to see the attraction as a whole. It also makes it hard to take pictures at the base of the fall, especially if your camera is not waterproof. Me and Dad took pictures anyway. Here's dad with the ship, the lady of the mist behind him. This was taken before we found soaked treasure.

After taking pictures a third of the way down the falls and taking the elevator back up to civilization - or touristnation, we snap a few pictures and return to the car, ready to eat dinner and watch some movies.
Me and dad hit the grocery store. Then we enter the grocery store and buy some groceries before leaving. The groceries are mostly for our dinner of sweet-potato-treated burritos and lime-treated Coronas. We enjoy these over a Michel Gondry film and a film with Nicolas Cage in it. Submit guesses by commenting on this post! The winner will receive a secret magical prize.

This was most of our day today! Although dad's day was significantly longer...I slept in, I think in part due to the flu shots I received.

Stay tuned for one more weekend banana-free-bananza! ...

"A strawberranza?" asks your landescaper, n8

Fly Flu Flown

Today I got shot. Multiple times. But I asked for it. I had it coming to me anyways.

What with all of this traveling, I am heading into malaria and yellow fever zones. As such, I am expected to get typhoid, at least in small doses. I have a weekly prescription that gives me symptoms of altitude sickness, which is wonderful because I will be in the Andes. But the alternative prescription was daily, so I opted for vivid dreams and potential altitude sickness symptoms.

Now I nearly have everything I need to leave this country for seven others. Except two more weeks and fun times with dad here in Rochester and then I will be on my way. More to come on those goings on! Thus far, dad and I have enjoyed the night-time festivities of eating, watching olympics, catching up and looking forward to the future!

"And that's just the beginning!" says your landescaper, n8

Taller?

Say goodbye to Strongman Sean! This bugger chased me up trails in Rumney and up the routes, too! My legs are exhausted, so I rest my foot on the gas pedal and rest my mind knowing that I have an awesome big younger brother! (Who will visit me in Patagonia, right Sean?!) Note: stay tuned for the 900-meter route Sean puts up in Chile! Hopefully this note will be valid within one year! To be concise, I'm going to miss Sean and wish him well with studies and college life!

We hug and say farewell for now, already remembering the weeklong brother-extravaganza in Rumney, NH, the Mason Jennings songs, and how good it felt to shower after that!

What can you follow Rumney with? Boston and NYC! So to the city I go, to meet up with my long lost Alisa Gragert and her New York City pals (See: Patrick Robbins)! The nights hands hold a potluck dinner with cuisine by food-artists Pat Kozu and Alisa Gragert and the conversation-athletes of Eric, Suzanne, Julie(a), Patrick, Liz and Ariella. Then the night uses its feet and kicks off an after-party that spans Union Square and a rooftop birthday infiltration on 19th Street.
Photo by Alisa Gragert

Alisa and Patrick wait for a subway in the city that only slows down when you blink.

The rooftop party concludes and I realize that it's 4:30 in the morning, not 9 at night as I thought. Alisa and Patrick and I say goodbye to Ariella and Whitney and head to the subway, where Patrick splits with the contents of his bag where they belong (in his bag).

"Goodnight, NYC," says I.

Bittersweet-like

Sean and I wake up at 7. It's sharp. 7, that is. We pack up the tent quick-like. Sean runs into Wal-Mart's bathroom to charge the kamera battery stealth-like. We hit the short road to Rumney. Sean makes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the car careful-like. We eat them hungry-like and pull into the second parking lot for climbing. We snatch our gear angry-like and with only the rope bag (not the huge pack) this time, we practically run the mile uphill! Legs burning acid-like, we rope up and climb the super-fun 5.10 we both know and like buddy-like.


I lead and leave the last sweet picture pan' of the trip for Sean. See him at the top? Sean cleans the anchors and rappels down. We're moving all efficient-like and run the mile downhill back to the car. Mixed playlist carries us back to Boston. We dodge the police traps, rabbit-like.
Back in Boston, who knows what'll happen. Erica "wildpebblesloth" Griffith has strep throat. Her mom has a birthday: Happy birthday! So it looks like no friends in Boston. Tomorrow morning, I will leave Boston early for NYC. I wish it was actually shaped like a big apple. Or there were gigantic apples that weren't apples but structures that you could climb to the stem of and oversee the entire city. I think the judicial board of NYC's building and operations should find the construction of such an apple a priority for the sake of the city's integrity, no?

Anyhow, there will be much going on in my one day in NYC and surely a lot tonight in Boston! Of course, this time is bittersweet-like. But I like it!

"Keep your internet dialing this blog!" says your landescaper, n8

Kamera Kure

After seven days, the kamera finally shows low battery. Our pictures our numbered today. I take a panorama of the tent, Sean still in it, in the Wal-Mart forest. Then I take another panorama from the other side of the streamlake featuring Sean waking up!
I took one climbing picture. Sean is lead-climbing. The foliage isn't Fall foliage, but it's pretty and kthe rock here is dry. We climbed the entire cliff here. This is the cliff that features Jolt (already climbed it the day before) and Dolt, the 5.9+ beside it. Another great climbing day.
After making a hay day of this cliff, Sean and I head back in to town and the village store, where we get pizza, popcorn and fruit punch. It's a really good deal. Sean and I play guinnea pigs for the experiment called, 'Thin or Dough Crust?' We get an entire dollar off of the price of our pizza if we try the new thin crust. It's better. We sit on the porch of the village store with the assumed owner and other locals who we've talked to a bunch this week. It's somehow only about 4:30pm, which leaves us a good three hours to climb more, as tired as we are!

So the two of us explore and end up testing some trad gear on some highball cracks in the bouldering area. Not so much fun this is. So we move on to sneak in an unknown climb before sunset and assured darkness in the forest without fireflies.

We both reach the anchors happy, tired, and ready for bed. It's an early wake-up before driving back to Boston.

"Kome on, Kamera" says your landescaper, n8

Full Sunny Day

Today starts off with a bang. We plan to hike to the summit cliffs. That's right! Climbing isn't good enough unless you're at the very very tippy top! So a-hiking we shall go! It's clear skies as we get ready and pack our lunch with us this time; there's no chance that we'll want to hike all the way back to the car for lunch today! We hike around lots of cliffs getting higher and going left up the hills. We stop at good routes to climb them on our way up! Here is Sean on a fun climb. First, we both climb it, and then Sean "cleans" the anchors. For those not versed in climbtalk, "to clean the anchors" or "to clean the route" means to safely remove your gear from the rock. Upon doing so, Sean knows how to rappel to the ground, safe again! Ready to hike along more and crusade on!






We use fixed ropes to help us hike up really steep terrain and avoid crushing vegetation as we near the summit. We find a good route that involves the least amount of spiders and water and start climbing! I lead this not-too-hard route and then Sean lowers me back to the ground. Now I belay him so that he can climb up and with his wise wide wise wisdom dome, belay me from the top of the route. This time I climb the route with the huge packonmyback. The packonmyback has our lunch! We meet at the top and anchor in for some good pictures, good views, good memories!
I do believe that's the most memorable lunchspot I've been to for aaaahhhhuhhhwhile! But wait! The climbing's not over for the day! On the way back, we stop along climbs that we stared and oogled at on the way up to the summit and crusade them. One of them is apparently a really fun 5.10b called Jolt. Sean and I both put on our conquering shoes and give this undercling-ridden climb a run in the sun! We hike down after the climb and notice that we're not alone on this cliff having a good time. There's a mother-son pair climbing nearby this gorgeously exposed 30-meter route. It looks as though we'll be back to this cliff: all of the climbs look quite fun. They give us some tips for some of the gems they found during their full day at this one cliff, so we thank them and hike along for another really fun pumpfest further down. Unfortunately, our brother-only-time takes a break as two kids wander up and sit down just as I'm tying in to the rope to climb. I'd rather not have spectators for this last hard climb that I've never climbed before and know nothing about except what I see. Sure enough, my arms get tired halfway up. One of the kids asks if the flake I'm grabbing is good. Oh sure, it's good. Doesn't mean it's easy, but it's solid. Finally I reach the anchors to hear that this climb is a 5.11b. Dang! I was enjoying ignorance! Oh well! I'm pumped-tired and happy! Sean and I head back to the car and hit up the Rumney Village Store, which we prefer over any other restaurant or store in Rumney. We get a pizza and drinks as you can see! PB&J's just weren't going to cut it after such a long day!

HAPPINESS!
We eat and then drive and listen to Mason Jennings, especially the following songs: Butterfly, California Pt. 2, and Keeping it Real.

"Right on!" says your landescaper, n8

Take and Found

Sean took some water from the nice people at the Rumney Village Store. This was a good way to take the day by surprise. Has it really taken us 5 days to find good free water?

Then we took off...And I took pictures of Sean doing lots of moves on Satan on a Halfshell, a really fun and always dry boulder problem in the Black Jack boulder area in Rumney. Switch turns!
Sean took a panorama of me on this same route. It was difficult to take it to the top!
We found some routes that were dry and climbed them while clouds moved over us. The clouds found us at the top and they started raining on us. We found a dance that Sean does when we get rained off of routes.
We found a bench by the river with lots of mushrooms on it.
We found a house with buried treasures. This house only has good finds in it after rain.

"That concludes today's Take and Found!" says your landescaper, n8

Water Walker

Day 4. It's raining almost nonstop in Rumney...so Sean and I hike all over with our waterproof jackets and waterproof pants. I test out my Goretex in a waterfall and laugh.
What else can you do when you want to be climbing but it's raining really hard? Well, I suppose we can climb the dry stuff; and we do! Below is a panorama of two climbs that we did. I'm rappelling off of the second.


And then, just to see how difficult a 5.14d is, I try hopping on The Fly. It's ridiculously hard. On my first attempt, I could only hold each position; I could not make a move off of the holds! YIKES! Not for me.

Sean and I try our hands later that night at some night-climbing. However, we must have picked the absolute worst of days to try this, given that it rained all day. So, we bailed and hit the car and the damp tent! Goodnight!
"PB&J's saved the day!" says your landescaper, n8

RRRPPP

Today was RRRPPP. Can you remember that? It'll be explained as the post goes along. The day started off nice. Thank you, day! Sean gets his first lead-climb on a sport route on the Crow's Nest Cliff. We also climb a bunch of other routes on that cliff, nearly climbing them all!But then Relentless Rumney Rain (RRR) strikes. We look at our guidebook. Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham, NH is only two hours away and houses a ton of boulders. Even though there are flash-flood warnings for Rumney and near-equal forecasts for everywhere in the northeast, we have had enough wetness and hit the road. Pawtuckaway starts out very confusing. That is to say, the labels within the park are close to none and the roads all look alike: dirty, bumpy, you-had-better-swerve-that-car-ey. Plus, when we get to Pawtuckaway, excited as we are to see boulders and tons of them, it is drizzling. As we look out on gorgeous Round Pond, that fact is in the back of our minds. Check out the view from atop a smaller boulder:
Here's a panorama of another part of the pond:
and, to top it off, here's a nice panorama of Sean atop a boulder on the right, with the pond and its islands and muckiness and boulders spread out before him:
Exhausted after climbing, driving, and hiking in Pawtuckaway, we decide the following: wet boulders in the forest will not dry even if it is sunny the next day. Thus, our time in Pawtuckaway would be better spent in Rumney. This means that we should go back because even in rainy Rumney we can find something dry, even if it is not the exact climb we would wish upon a star for. And trust me, we wished.

First, though, the two brothers hit the local pizza shop, immediately adjacent to the police station. We do not have to worry about being robbed here. We order a pizza. It tastes good. And, they give us a remote control. And, the remote controls gives us the power to change the channel and volume on a large screen television. And, we are the only ones there. Our pizza comes out and we watch Die Hard as we eat!

So today, Sunday Day 3, was RRRPPP: Relentless Rumney Rain, & Pawtuckaway Panoramas'n'Pizzas.

"buRRRPPP" Says your landescaper, n8!

Feast of Beast in the Wild East

Ding ding! Round 2. Tag team is back again. We pummel breakfast and are surprised that our rock climbing week-long trip has been met with a lot of wet rock (it rained last night). The second day of a climbing trip was not supposed to go this way! Oh well!


Sean and I hike. A lot. With heavy packs. We gain a lot of elevation over wet, rocky trails and make it to, "Hey, what cliff is this? Do you know what this route goes at for a grade?" we ask. If there are people, that is. If not, we eyeball it. Today starts out with sport climbing at Crow's Nest Cliff, up high in the Rumney hills. Sean and I dispatch what we think are 9's and 10's. At least for the most part they're dry!
Sport climbing only holds our attention for so long! Sean and I crave something shorter and wilder. Sean finds his beast: Zig Zag Crack! A nice line up a flat-faced boulder in the Jack Black Boulders. Here're two panoramas of Sean with his beast: before and during battle.
I tried the line myself and fell off of the top, which I thought a better choice than climbing over the top since it seemed a little slippery up there. What happened was this: I landed on the side of my foot and rolled my ankle a little. It's been slightly swollen since then! Luckily, Sean showed me up and did no such thing! I, on the other hand, have been tromping away on boulders and ropes since then, paying no heed to the throbbing ankle, which actually doesn't seem to mind as long as I don't twist it in an awkward way!

For more updates on our trip, you will have to check back later!

"Feast of beast!" says your landescaper, n8

The Broski

The Broski, Sean, Manaka, 007. They're all the same. That's my brother. And we're on an expedition to Rumney, New Hampshire. I am done waiting in Boston's subways and I'm done eating delicious food from the Tufts area. It's time to get dirty and climb hard and hang with my brother who is huge... I don't know how we'll both fit in the tent!


We arrive in Rumney. We head to some bouldering down a road that is not Buffalo Road – where most of the climbing in Rumney is – but a road that I know begins with the letter Q - oh yeah, Quincy! - and is opposite Buffalo Rd. We park by a huge boulder. This area is called The Pound. I’m still not sure why.

After bouldering at the pound, we head to Rumney’s Village Store where we buy the bouldering guidebook for the northeast U.S. They did not have the Rumney sport climbing guidebook that we wanted, so we have sworn ourselves to gauging difficulties by others’ statements and our estimations from the ground!

We get directions and decide that after driving and a short bouldering session, we really only have time for more bouldering before darkness strikes. So we head to the Jack Black boulders. We get there and inspect the area for where we want to start. After looking at nearly all of the boulders and getting a feel for the area with the aid of the guidebook, the rain calls an end to our session that really has yet to begin! Crimeney!

We run for it! With a huge crash pad (think mattress size folded in two) strapped to my back, Sean and I head for the car, which means we hike down the path and down the road back to the parking area that is about a half mile from the trail. There are plenty of places to park on the side of the road near the trails up to cliffs, but there are no parking signs all over the place. Why, Rumney? Please. Please.

Rain continues. We head to Wal-Mart for our free camping. We set up tent in the rain after finding the one place flat enough and large enough in the woods that isn’t a raging stream at this point. It’s very unsettling to know that our tent-bed is less than a foot lower in elevation than a gathering waterbed.

We stay in the tent waiting for the rain to stop. Since it does not stop, we fall asleep waiting.Or at least one of us does! That was day 1/2. Day 1, in our book! We got climbing in and we made it to the destination! Stay tuned for lots more updates for weather reports and climbing activity in Rumney, NH!

"Your turn, sun!" says your Landescaper, N8

Tuesday August 5

TAKING the Red Line T/Subway to and from MIT and Tufts is definitely on the Top 10 Wise Things I Did Today list for the following reasons:

1) It didn't hurt my feet as much as walking that distance.
2) I didn't get frustratingly lost. Note: Sometimes getting lost is fun.
3) I got to think hard.

"Hardly thinking or thinking hardly?" asks Landescaper, N8

End of Maine, end of ME

One day in Maine I stopped by Mechanic Falls where there's supposed to be a little bit of bouldering known to someone as Land of Overhangs. As I research directions, the destination is admittedly poorly labeled. The town sign nearby doesn't even read Mechanic Falls. Oops.
To get to the climbing here are logging paths to cross. The trail to get there is the trail you make.
I drop my pad down and hop on some seeping rock. Grades are washed away. That was a short trip on August 1st.

Since then I have said goodbye to camp.

And arrived back in Boston at my brother's house in Tufts University land. I tried to meet up with wily Erica Griffith somewhere in MIT land, but she was caged up in lab. So I waited with time by slacklining and climbing brick walls and walking some more. If you are interested in how much I walked (enough to blister and give myself leg-aches) then you can look up directions from Tufts to MIT and multiply that by three (I got lost a bunch when return-walking past midnight. Otherwise you'd multiply by two).

Unfortunately, I had to leave without seeing Erica since she was exhausted and still had an hour and a half to work. I did, however, make a new friend who I'm meeting for a meal in some short change today. It's nice when people's curiosity get the better of them. That happened a bunch while at MIT since I was carrying a grande total of 130 feet of webbing around my neck (for slacklining). Everyone thinks, "What is that for?" but not everyone's minds are well-connected to their mouths.

Derivation of blog entry title: "End of Maine, end of ME." Maine is behind me now, at least for awhile. And the end of me occurred when I walked and ran the distance between Tufts and MIT. Exhausted, feet hurting. It was not a happy time. I ran half the way home at 1:30 in the morning because I figured even though it hurt more than walking, I would cut the duration of pain by a large factor.

"Time is fast-forwarding as I speak," says Landescaper, N8