GWNF: Three Ridges - A Very Strenuous 14.4 Mile Hike

Elevation Gain: 5,053 Feet 

The hiker leader summed up the hike as follows: "There was up to 6 inches of snow of much of this hike, making the trip demanding and slower going than usual. The ridge line was spectacular: we were treated to great panoramic views for two miles. Things got real cold coming down the north (shaded) face of Three Ridges. The hike on the MauHar Trail along Campbell Creek involved tricky footing: it was a real treat with the ice making some of the prettiest and most interesting scenery I have ever seen. We came back after 7.5 hours really tired!" 

The trails offered great views, but walked in snow was very tiring.

Theater plays in DC

I usually watch 1-2 plays a week, but only one music last Thursday: 1st lady of song: Ella Fitzgerald. I invited two friends to go with me and we ate at a Thai restaurant in old town Alexandria. I tried a new dish: green noodle for the drunk. We enjoyed Ella's most famous songs performed by Ms. Freda Payne and a live band on the stage.

"Ella Fitzgerald, her cousin and traveling companion Georgiana, and her manager and jazz impresario Norman Granz tell her story. From a homeless street dancer to winning amateur night at the Apollo Theatre at the age of 15, from headlining with Chick Webb and his Orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom to performing Live at the Cote D'Azur, from discovering she could "scat" to mastering a new art form called "bebop," the fascinating journey of this legendary artist." http://www.metrostage.org/ella%2c-first-lady-of-song.html#.UuP4dYUo7IU
 

 

One week ago, I invited another friend to see a wild physical comedy, the crafty Scapin, servant to the household of Geronte, who promises to help in affairs of his neighbor’s son, Octave, then to aid in those of his own charge, Leander (Geronte’s son). Both young men have fallen in love with unlikely, and penniless beauties (Hyacinth and Zerbinette), and both need money to help solve their dilemmas. http://www.constellationtheatre.org/scapin.html

Two weeks before, I watched two plays Twelfth Night  and Bang the Drum Slowly in the same week with two different friends. Twelfth Night has no dialogue yet the story became clear with the clear stage design and rich body language. I really like this play.  As to Bang the Drum Slowly, I felt very sorry that my friend barely watched it because he was just informed that his properties in Hagerstown, MD were under severe water damages from burst pipes.

"Set in the roaring 20s, Twelfth Night tells the tale of fraternal twins, Viola and Sebastian, separated in a strange new land. Having survived a shipwreck and believing her brother Sebastian has been lost, Viola falls hopelessly in love with Duke Orsino and disguises herself as a man to enter his services. Synetic’s take on the Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night will be a confluence of comedy and tragedy; a social commentary that brings laughter to sobering truth. Synetic co-founders Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili will direct and star in this production, respectively." http://www.synetictheater.org/event_pages/twelfth-night

"Fans of baseball fiction know that Mark Harris’s “Blue Sox” series is the best of the breed, with Bang the Drum Slowly the high point of that complex and realistic saga of star lefty pitcher Henry Wiggin. The moving and often funny story of how the terminal illness of one of Wiggin’s teammates affects a major league baseball team was first adapted into a live TV drama starring a very young Paul Newman in 1956; the film version was Robert DeNiro’s first major movie role. " http://www.americancentury.org/show_drum.php

Winter hikes

I took three long hikes since coming back from the Middle East, but I still do not feel quite back to my pre-middle east strength level. Three months sight-seeing made my legs lazy. Last week’s 19.9 mi training hike Austin/Furnace - Jones Run/Doyles River was half via snow, and my socks were wet half of the time. But I might see more snow than my friends on the ski slops within 3-hr drive from DC.  I brought 2 liters of water, but I did not finish it. I drink much less in winter.   

I checked my hiking log with the group and realized this was the third time I took the exact training hike: June 2011, April 2012, and January 2014.

Mindful Living

I have been listening to a few podcasts about happiness. It appears that one main source of happiness is being mindful and noticing your surroundings with new perspectives, as if you are traveling in a foreign country (which I do frequently).  I remember how big my street and house appeared to me each time I came back from a 3-month overseas trip.  To ignite my curiosity, all it takes is an open mind with new perspectives.

 

When I notice little things in life (not just when I travel, hike, bike, etc, but every minute I am awake), I see new things in my old life that I never notice before. The Toll Path along the C&O Canal has totally different colors this winter while I walked on it. The same trails on SNP look interesting again in my eyes.

"When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change," as quoted by Rev. Trish at

Celebration Center for Spiritual Living in Falls Church this Sunday morning. I am spiritual but not religious. I always seek inspiration and search for the callings of my life. I found the Center when reading a meditation meetup post online.

I found some negative reviews (pushing classes. etc.) about the organization before I attended the Sunday service, so I was cautious when attending. I liked the services and people there, and clarified my questions and concerns with Rev. Trish. Some local Centers do have questionable practices, but this one looks fine so far. I may go back again.

I was in Unity of Fairfax and All Souls Unitarian Church in DC, so I asked Rev. Trish how these two schools different form the Center. In short, Unity of Fairfax is based on one God of Christianity, while Unitarian and the Center identify with and draw inspiration from many different religious or philosophical traditions. However, I still do not understand her explanation on the difference between Unitarian and the Center.

I went back to the Center Sunday night to try Tibetan singing bowl meditation, and experienced the sound passed via my body while lying on a yoga mat.  Singing bowls are used worldwide for meditation, music, relaxation, and personal well-being. There were eight signing bowls set on seats on four tables for Rev. Trish to vibrate to rims of the singing bowls to produce sound. The sound guided my empty mind floating around the room without thought or falling into sleep. I saw singing bowls throughout Asia, especially Nepal, China and Japan, but 1st time experiencing this way.