Trail Magic

My five day hike on the Appalachian Trail proved to be quite the cultural experience. My friend Loreen and I began our hike late Sunday afternoon at Jo-Mary Road, a logging road that cuts through the middle of the 100 mile wilderness in Maine. With our backpacks loaded with all necessary supplies, we embarked on our adventure through the last 50 miles of the Appalachian Trail.


I was previously unaware that 'hiker culture' even existed. But I now know that the AT is a world of mystical sites, psychological battles, endurance tests, and, as a thru hiker described to me, 'a place that restores one's faith in the human race.' Hikers even have their own lingo. Thru hiker means a hiker that is in the process of hiking the entire 2200 mile trail. You can smell them coming for miles. Section hikers hike portions of the trail - like Loreen and I did. Flip-flopping is when a thru hiker starts the trail at one end, and for various reasons may stop part way through, and then resumes their hike at the opposite end to continue the point where they originally left off.

Thru hikers, and some section hikers, are given trail names. These can be self designated or given to you by friends on the trail. I met a Chippy, Vegas, Half Step, Bird Dog, LT, and many more I can't remember now. Loreen and I joked about names we would give ourselves and each other, and finally decided on Pits for me. Apparently I have really rank smelling armpits. I have to be honest - I'm a little proud. :)

There is this phenomemon on the AT that hikers refer to as 'trail magic.' This is the word they use to describe the really good things that happen to you on the hike. I heard many hikers tell stories of the kindness and generosity they received from one another and from the people in the towns along the trail. I found this to be one of the most fascinating parts of the trip. Not that magical things were happening, but that people really did go out of their way to help each other out. All of the hikers I talked to on the trail said that this is what made their 2200 miles meaningful. That of all of the relationships they have made in their lives, these were the ones they would keep. I guess what fascinates me is that the kindness they received and the relationships they formed occurred in the middle of an isolated wilderness, the last place you would expect to find human connection. Who knows? Maybe there is something to be said about magic on the Appalachian Trail after all.

P.S. I uploaded photos of the trip - see link to the right

A Day at the Cape

Yesterday, I had a surprisingly fabulous day. A friend from Smith who is also living in Boston invited me on a day trip to Cape Cod - or as locals call it, the Cape. The Cape is the peninsula that sticks off of the state of Massachusetts. See map:



We found a tour online that took us from about half-way up the peninsula all the way to the top. Along the way we saw some extroadinary sites. Here are some pictures I took:

This is a picture of Captain Penniman's house built in the 1800s. He was a very successful whaling captain - those are whale jaw bones I'm standing in.





We also visited a cemetery where five mayflower passengers were buried. The last known burial here was in the 1700s.




And then of course we visited several beaches along the tour. The first picture is of a beach that was voted one of the five most beautiful beaches. I'm not sure who voted this, but I agree that the beach was lovely!

Tara the temporary Bostonian

I found out this week that I get to stay!!! What a relief. I got a new placement at a day treatment center here in Boston. I'll be doing group therapy with adults with mental illness and addiction. Right up my alley! I went to the center today to meet my supervisor and the other clinical staff. Three members of the staff were previous interns at the center, which I think is a good sign. I was a little concerned about the commute, but I was pleased to find today that it is only 40 minutes, not an hour like the transit website predicted.

Now that I know where I'll be living for the next 10 months, I finally get to buy a bed, groceries, and a monthly transit pass! Oh, the small things in life...

Moving to Boston

So I still do not have a field placement. The school has contacted most of the supervising agencies in the Boston area, and none of them are able to take me. We are waiting on an answer from Massachusetts General Hospital right now. The supervisor is on vacation and will return on Monday. If this supervisor agrees to take on the responsibility of another student, then I will still have to interview for the position since it is a placement for a second year student, and I am only a first year student. If I get this placement it would be an amazing experience, as I would be challenged to do more than if I were in a first year placement, and this hospital is a nationally renowned training hosptial for Harvard (as was my placement I lost).

The dorms closed today and I had to move out regardless of my lack of placement. I had several people offer to let me stay with them temporarily, but I decided that since I have paid for August's rent at my new Boston apartment, I would just move in and hope for the best. I felt really good about my decision, maybe too good. I arrived at my new apartment last night and feel so at home here. My roommates left me a card in my room welcoming me to the apartment, along with hand drawn maps of the area. A friend and I walked around the area last night and got a bite to eat. There are several cute little shops and restaurants and coffee shops right around the corner from my apartment. And I'm in the city! I can breath again! I'm a little concerned that I am too happy living here, since I could very well have to pack up and move accross the country again next week. But here's to hoping!

SoCal Vacation

So my first five week term is ending this week. I can hardly believe I just finished my first term of grad school! We are given a week off of classes between terms and I recently found out that my friends purchased me a ticket to San Diego during the break. It will be so nice to be around familiar faces again. And I am so looking forward to beach barbeques, ocean bathing, and sunshine!!! I also can't wait to eat at all of my favorite restaurants again! I keep thinking about soy burritos, taco shops, Buddha burgers, persian rice, self serve yogart shops, vietnamese noodle soup, and the whole foods deli and olive bar. Can you tell I've eaten in a cafeteria for the past month?

Northampton, Massachusetts

Just a five minute walk away from campus I can find cute, artsy little shops, homemade ice cream, a variety of delicious restaurants, farmers markets, yoga studios, CVS, and health food stores. I love it here! Downtown Noho starts where campus ends, so I have unlimited access to the best this diverse little town has to offer. On the weekends you will see kids walking around with every color of hair you can imagine - magenta, green, orange....I even saw a baby with a blue mohawk being pushed in his stroller by his father who also has a mohawk. It is no use stereotyping anyone here because they are all sooo nice.

And not to mention that the area is just gorgeous. There are so many trees everywhere, when you drive away from campus there are these patches of forrest you drive through where it suddenly gets dark because of all of the trees blocking the sun. There are several rivers and ponds in the area to swim in and even a boathouse on campus where we can rent canoes and kayaks for free.

If you ever visit Massachusetts, make a point to stop by Northampton!

Road Trip Day #3

I've been meaning to blog about my road trip for the past few days. I'm on my way to Idaho to stay with my family for a few weeks before going to the east coast for grad school. The plan is to get a sample of the west coast before leaving this side of the country. I left San Diego on Wednesday, and headed for San Francisco to visit with my Uncle Jeff for a couple of days. My favorite place I visited while there was the Golden Gate park. The park was HUGE and so beautiful I couldn't stop taking pictures. Here is one picture, the others will be posted soon under Tara's Photo Gallery (link on the sidebar).




This morning, we woke up early and headed to Calistoga in Napa Valley for a spa day. It was a little spendy, but WELL worth it! We went to Calistoga Spa and Hot Springs for a mud bath + 1/2 hour massage. Yes, I said MUD BATH!! And to prove it, here is a picture of me and Mary bathing in mud (composed of peat moss, clay, mineral water, and something else I can't remember).



The mud was 104 degrees and we could only stay in for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, we rinsed off and bathed in mineral water with peppermint mineral salt for another 15 minutes. Then we went in a steamy sauna and after sweating out every last toxin our bodies could possibly maintain, we were wrapped up in blankets while we waited for our masseuses to come and give us massages. This was my very first spa experience I'm already an addict!

Sailing photos

Here are the photos I promised. We met our Skipper at 1:00pm on Sunday on the island of Coronado for our afternoon sail. He took us to the San Diego harbor, and on the way we passed under the Coronado bridge. You can see it behind me in one of these pictures.

Bon Voyage!

As a birthday/farewell gift from my friends, I am going on a sailboat ride this weekend. On Sunday afternoon we are going to pack a picnic lunch and enjoy an afternoon sailing around San Diego! I'll be sure to post photos afterwards!