On My Opinion…

Dear Ms. Maestra,

I had a very bad afternoon because Brittney started to talk about me so I talked back about her and at the end of the day she started to kick and hit me for no reason.

But, on the other hand, I had a very good morning.  I helped Silent Bob and Maria Margarita understand the four different mathematical properties on your wall by the desk.  So I had a good day and I will say sorry to Brittney.

Love,

Bartholomew

(Drawing) Eye missed U #1 TEACHER

P.S. On my opinion all the rest of the class was great.

Your Kids Were SOOOO Noisy!

I subbed for a good long while before I got this job.  I enjoyed it, especially in retrospect: I didn’t have to plan, I didn’t have to grade, I didn’t have to do testing.  At the end of the day, I just got to leave.  However, the downside was that I didn’t have my own classroom and I missed the relationships that a classroom teacher has with her students.

I DID learn though, what helps a sub.  My favorite teachers were the ones who left complete plans AND seating charts.  They made my life so much easier.  I remember one time I went into the class and the only plan I had from the teacher was, “Have the kids write a rap.”  REALLY?  For the WHOLE day?  Where’s the objective?  Where’s the procedure?  THAT day was NOT easy.  But it helped me learn what NOT to do when I have a sub.

When I’m out, I try to leave really detailed plans.  Sometimes I wonder if I do overkill.  This time I left nine pages.  Too much?  (GRIN.)  The sub left me a note that said, “Thank you for the thourough plans.  It made the day go smoothly.”  I gave him the choice of actually teaching something during Writer’s Workshop or just having the children write.  He chose to teach.  He did a good job too.  The kids soaked up what he taught them.  That’s good.  I hope he comes back.  (Or school has something of a tough reputation and it’s difficult for us to get subs…)

One of my colleagues came up to me after I got back and said “Your students were making so much ruckus I had to stick my head in the classroom and ask the sub if he was ok.”  I said, Wow and left it at that.  Later, as I was leaving for the day, she asked, “So, did you get after your students for being so loud yesterday?”  I said, Nope.  She looked at me askance.  I shrugged and said, Hey, the day is over and done.  *I* can control my class, if the sub can’t, that’s HIS problem, not mine.  I wasn’t here, so oh well.  We move on.  As my oma would say, “Und zo it goes…”

Sometimes You’re the Bug…(Pink Eye)

So.  My boss sent me home from work today.  Apparently there are strict state regulations regarding pink eye and faculty.  That is, if you HAVE pink eye, you CAN’T teach.  Who knew?

I didn’t even KNOW I had pink eye until the nurse saw me and had a conniption.  (Two of my students were out with it today…)  I was shocked when I looked in the mirror.  In my defense, who has TIME to look in the mirror during the day?

I can’t go back tomorrow either.  Bleah.  The subs in our building ARE pretty good, but still…

The good news is that I can create another math lab at home…

Brad Paisley OMG

HOW is it possible that I didn’t know about him before today???  I heard one of his songs on the radio and was completely swept off my feet.  (The song, FYI, is “Welcome to the Future.”  I’ll post the lyrics at the end of this post.)  I LOVE this singer/songwriter!  When I downloaded his album onto my iPod, I realized that I had his version of “Never Leave Harlan” (which I also love).  This man rocks.  Not only is he an amazing guitar player with a honey baritone, his lyrics…OMG.  He’s funny, he’s sweet and he’s sharp.  (Check out a song called, “The Pants.”)  This is a person I wish I could meet.

When I was ten years old,

I remember thinkin’ how cool it would be,

When we were goin’ on an eight hour drive,

If I could just watch TV.

And I’d have given anything

To have my own Pac Man game at home

I used to have to get a ride down to the arcade;

Now I’ve got it on my phone.

Hey!

Glory glory hallelujah.

Welcome to the future.

My grandpa was in World War II,

He fought against the Japanese.

He wrote a hundred letters to my grandma;

Mailed ‘em from his base in the Philippines.

I wish they could see this now,

World they say has changed you know.

Cause I was on a video chat this morning

With a company in Tokyo.

Hey!

Every day is a revolution.

Welcome to the future.

Hey …

Look around it’s all so clear

Hey …

Wherever we were going well…we’re here.

Hey …

So many things I never thought I’d see…

Happening right in front of me.

I had a friend in school,

Running-back on the football team,

They burned a cross in his front yard

For asking out the homecoming queen.

I thought about him today,

Everybody who’s seen what he’s seen,

From a woman on a bus

To a man with a dream.

Hey!

Wake up Martin Luther!

Welcome to the future!

Current Reads: December 2009

The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President by Taylor Branch. (Biography.)  One of the best things about having a Kindle (and one of the most dangerous) is the ability to download a book instantly. I heard a book review on our local public radio station with the author of this book and it sounded fascinating. I got the book and started reading it. I love history. However, I’m so used to reading fiction (characters, setting, conflict, plot elements, resolution) that reading historical non-fiction can be difficult. Where is the problem? WHEN is something going to happen? I’ve just begin this book, but I’m hopeful that Branch can tell a good (true) story. He starts off in brave fashion, jumping right into the whole gays in the military “don’t ask/don’t tell” idiocy.

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. (Young Adult Fantasy.) A few weeks ago, I chaperoned at a youth conference for high schoolers. I always enjoy this, as I get to talk to many different and interesting people. While we were decorating cookies, some of the youth began talking books. The author Terry Pratchett came up. I asked, Terry Pratchett, who’s she? Well. Didn’t *I* get an earful! YOU HAVE TO READ HIM! So, I started reading this book. I LOVE Susan, the “nanny.” She has a very no-nonsense attitude to raising children and her use of a fireplace poker to kill those monsters under the bed is both terrifying and genius! Basically, children stop believing in the Hogfather (sort of like a Santa) and so Death (Susan’s grandfather) takes over the Hogfather’s duties. It’s fantasy. I usually don’t like fantasy, but I enjoyed this book, mostly because of Susan and the way Pratchett writes dialogue.

That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo. (Realistic Fiction.) Russo is one of my favorite authors. I LOVE his books Mohawk, Nobody’s Fool, Empire Falls and Straight Man. I tried and tried and tried to read Bridge of Sighs, but I just didn’t like it. Still, a person can’t give up on a favorite author so easily. I started this one yesterday and so far, it’s enjoyable. I haven’t had any laugh-out-loud moments (like in Straight Man), but it IS much better than Sighs.  Update:  Um…hello?  Mr. Russo?  WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU???  You used to be FUNNY.  Good grief.  This book is snarky, no wait, more than that.  It’s downright mean.  It’s painful to read.  The main character has two academics for parents and they are two of the most odious “parents” I’ve met in a while.  I feel VERY sorry for Griffen, but jeez!  What is going on in Russo’s life?  This isn’t funny at ALL.

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. (Biography/Non-fiction.) Ok, ok, so I read this book AFTER I saw the movie. I liked the movie and I didn’t. I am still ambivalent about “white-people-rescuing-black-people” plots. But this particular story is true, so what can I say? I liked the book better than the movie (although I’m amazed at how true to the book the movie was). The story is about Michael Oher, who plays left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. He was an out-of-luck, homeless black teen, adopted by a wealthy white family. He grows up to become one of the best left tackles we’ve ever seen. The book is also about football, a game we watch all the time, but that I still think is violent and uncivilized (I prefer baseball). After reading this book, I finally begin to understand what the West Coast offense is, though.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. (Young Adult Realistic Fiction.) I’ve lived in New York far too long not to have read this book. It’s about a young boy who runs away from home in New York City to live in the wilderness of the Catskill Mountains. Along the way, he makes several animal friends and learns to survive in the wilderness. It’s a good read, especially for those of us who grew up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder and Swiss Family Robinson and who currently idolize Bear Grylls and Les Stroud. I’ve always wondered how long I could survive in the wilderness (not long, I’m betting) and I love books like this. I still like Hatchet better, though.

True Stories of the Second World War by Paul Dowswell. (Youth Non-fiction.) I think I have mentioned before that I have a fascination with the Holocaust. I also have a fascination with all things related to WWII. In Social Studies right now, we are only up to 1830 (Trail of Tears), but we will be to WWII soon enough. This is an interesting little book with stories about things I’ve never heard of before: British secret agent Violette Szabo, Stalin’s “Falcons” (female pilots) and other, better-known stories: Enigma, The Manhattan Project. I think this will be a good resource for our projects that we will do in class during this unit.

La enseñanza de la lectura y la escritura en español y en ingles by Freeman and Freeman. The requisite “must-read-for-work” book. It’s a good volume for Reading about ideas and strategies for teaching children in two languages. It’s not something I’m always yearning to read, but it IS helpful to me! (I would only recommend it to other dual-language teachers.)

Oh, and there was one book I TRIED to read but couldn’t because it was so silly and (worse) boring: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance – Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.  I started it because 1. I love Jane Austen and 2. my book “soulmate” gave it to me to read.  I gave it my best shot, really, I did, but after 100 pages, I gave myself permission to stop.  I love stories/mash-ups told from another character’s point of view/in a different way (Ahab’s Wife and Wicked are two of my favorite examples) but this was just dumb AND (did I mention?) BORING.  I sheepishly gave the book back and said, Sorry, I couldn’t get through it.  “Oh!  Neither could I!” she replied perkily.  WHAT?  “Nope, I thought it was boring and stupid, but you seemed excited about it, so I gave it to you.”  Sheesh.  Now she tells me!!!  🙂

Update on Current Reads: The Lacuna

Ambivalent about this book. 

The ending surprised me!  Yeah!  (One of the things I kind of like about the Kindle is that it’s too much work to try and read the end, so I don’t do that like I do with physical books…I know, I know, I’m bad…but I’m also a control freak and like to know how things are going to turn out before I waste time reading a book…I know, I know…I’m trying to change.)

I liked the ending.  A lot.  However, I don’t think reading the book was worth it to get to the ending.  (Btw, I looked it up on Amazon, it’s 528 pages long.)  I didn’t hate this book.  That’s too strong a word.  Mostly, I just didn’t care about the characters or the story as I was reading it.   There were parts of it that were interesting and that I liked because of my personal history with the DF and the Yucatan, but even in those the writing felt forced.  Throughout the book I kept thinking, “Ok, she’s building background here…”  After 50% of the book, I began thinking, “Um, ok, background built, WHEN is something going to HAPPEN???”  After 80% I was just mad.  But by then, I figured I’d already come this far, might as well keep going to see how it ends.  Something DID happen, but if it’s going to happen after 95% of the book, WHY NOT JUST READ THAT PART? 

Ironic, huh?  If I’d read the ending, I WOULD have read this book.  And probably still not liked it.

If any of the above, appeals to you, go for it.  Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother.  I won’t recommend this book to friends.

Current Reads: November 2009

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  A few weeks ago, our Girl Scout troop met in the library.  While the girls were looking for something, I found a magazine about recommending books.  Of course, now I’ve forgotten the title (that’s the first to go, according to Billy Collins), but one of the books that a librarian said was a must-read was this one.  An acquaintance had recommended it before, but I picked it up and couldn’t get into it in the first few pages, so I wrote it off.  Well.  The librarian said, “This is a book about Hilter’s Germany and it’s narrated by, of all characters, Death.”  Um…WHY did this not grab me???  (I was obsessed with two things in the fifth grade: Greek Mythology and the Holocaust—they still hold huge sway over me.)  I started reading this book and COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.  It is young adult fiction and is WONDERFUL.  I read it on my Kindle, but then ordered a copy of it for my library.  My oldest daughter is reading it now and I’ve suggested it as this month’s book for our teacher’s reading group.  I am still thinking of the characters and missing them.  I love Liesel (the book thief), the girl who arrives at her foster family’s home after the death of her brother.  Her foster mother, Rosa, has a PhD in swearing and is rough on the outside, but proves to be a devoted and loving mother for Liesel.  Her foster father, Hans is a special, kind person, with silver eyes and a penchant for playing the accordian.  I love this man.  Liesel’s best friend, Rudy, is dying for a kiss.  Together, the two of them develop a friendship that involves many adventures; many of them include petit larceny.  Death is a gentle narrator and I came to be sympathetic (!) to him as well.  Liesel’s family eventually hides a Jew as well.  I’m not going to give any more details because you just have to read this jewel of a book for yourself.  It’s truly worth it.

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak.  I enjoyed The Book Thief so much I chose this book because Zusak wrote it.  He has a way of bringing his characters to life that I love.  I haven’t gotten very far in the book, but I am enjoying the fact that it’s completely different, but well-developed.  It’s set in Australia and so far I’ve read the first scene, were Ed (a young cabbie) stops a bank robbery.  The conversations that take place during the robbery are hysterically funny.  I know this book is a mystery (NOT my favorite genre), so I’m trusting Zusak to help me out with this one.

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell.  I love Malcolm Gladwell.  He’s so smart and so intersting and his books make me sit back and go, “Huh.  I hadn’t ever thought about it like that before.”  I still tell my students, “To get good at something, you have to put in TEN THOUSAND hours.”  (That’s from Outliers.)  My rocket science husband scoffs at Gladwell (he HATES pop psychology stuff), but I say, as long as you don’t believe EVERYTHING he says, what’s wrong with a provocative book?  My favorite thing about Gladwell is how he comes up with his goofy ideas—stuff no one else thinks about—well, *I* think about it, but I don’t write it down.  It might not matter to the rest of the world, but it matters to me, and I’m so glad Mr. Gladwell is out there, thinking about it and writing it down.  He fills in a good backstory and that’s what makes most of what he says so interesting.  This is a fun read, if you don’t take it too seriously.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver.  Ok.  So, this is the book that is REALLY getting under my skin this month.  I hated it for about the first 60% (I don’t know how many pages that is, cuz I’m reading it on my Kindle).  I mean, I was completely annoyed by most of what I was reading.  And yet…there was something about this book that kept me going and now, with only 20% to go, I’m so curious to see how it ends.  She’d better not let me down!  Part of the reason more than the first half of the book seems so tedious is that she had to spend a LONG time building up the back-story.  It’s about a boy (Harrison Shepherd) who is a witness to revolutionaries, communists and artists (including Kahlo, Rivera and Trotsky).  He later becomes one of Trotsky’s secretaries and is there when Trotsky is assassinated.  I guess this book piques my curiosity because she writes about all the places where I lived/visited when I lived in Mexico.  I visited all those houses, spent lots of time in the Yucatán, the DF, etc.  I’m enjoying visiting again, even if it’s vicariously.  (In fact, I want to take my kids to see all these things now.)  But I keep waiting for something to HAPPEN.  I’ll let you know how it turns out next month.  For now, all I can say is, it’s no Poisonwood Bible.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.  I read this one because it’s one of the books that keeps Harrison Shepherd afloat while he’s in Mexico.  (Also because I have a big hole where all the “classics I SHOULD have read” reside.)  I just remembered a third obsession of mine in elementary school: Grimmes’ Fairy Tales.  Who can resist this tale of betrayal, obsession, revenge and forgiveness?  I love that the main character (Dantes) is able to come back from jail (where he has spent time for being wrongly accused) and uses disguises to exact his revenge on those who wronged him.  It’s sort of infantile, but it appealed to my sense of “THAT’S NOT FAIR.”

Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo.  I’m re-reading this one because of La Lacuna AND a story on NPR.  I remember trying to fight my way through this book as a college student in Mexico.  I think the class was on “Revolutionary Literature” or something like that.  All I know is I was new to the country, new to the school and barely spoke any Spanish.  This book about did me in (it goes back and forth between present and past, the narrators switch back and forth from real people to dead people to omniscient…).  I never did make it all the way through.  However, I love, love, LOVE magic realism, so, I’m trying it again.  So far, so good. I’m also going to look into El llano en llamas next month.

La Tregua by Mario Benedetti.  Another book that appeals to my sense of “OMG, I couldn’t get through this in college, let’s try again.”  This story is set in Uruguay in the late 1950s.  A widower (Martín Santomé) is keeping a diary about his last few months in the office before his retirement.  A young woman, 24-year-old Laura Avellaneda comes to the office and he is her boss.  He falls in love with her and they begin a romance.  I’m just at the beginning of the romance.  I can’t remember how this one ends (because, let’s face it, I COULDN’T UNDERSTAND SPANISH the first time I read it).  I’ll let you know.  I am very much enjoying it this time around.  It’s true what all the reading teachers say; you have to be able to comprehend 95% of the words to make sense of the text.  It’s a good reminder for me, as a teacher of ELL students.  I’m also laughing as I read this book because of all the words I circled the first time around.  When did I learn all those words?  I don’t remember.

Billy Hooten: Owl Boy by Tom Sniegoski.  Not liking this book so much.  It’s got a great premise: nerdy boy who adores comic books realizes he is the hero in a parallel comic-book universe.  I think reluctant readers MIGHT like this one, but so far, *I* have not been hooked (after The Lightning Thief, I have VERY high standards for magic-realism adventure stories).  We’re reading this one in our after school book club (a club for gifted students).  I wanted to read it because it looked interesting, even though my group won’t be reading it.  I’m sort of glad I don’t have to lead this one.  If I cant’ get excited about it, it’s hard to sell it to my students.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr.  This is the book my after-school reading group will be doing.  I love this book, even though it’s a tough one.  Basically, if you haven’t read the story, it’s about a little girl who gets sick with leukemia after the US drops the A-bomb not too far from her village.  She must spend a long time in the hospital and hears a legend about the person who can fold 1,000 paper cranes will be granted a wish.  The themes are worthy (war is cruel/horrible, bravery, loyalty) and it’s a good way to introduce Japanese history to students (which I will be doing).  Not to mention, we get to fold paper cranes (you KNEW there would be origami involved) and talk about peace.  I’m also thinking after we read this, I might show the kids the movie “Totoro.”  Totally unrelated, but I like the drawings of the Japanese countryside…

Current Reads: October 2009

How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely.  This is one of the funniest books I’ve read in a while.  Basically, the main character, a man who “dreams big” (not) and makes his living by rewriting other people’s garbage into essays that will get them into college, has been jilted.  His ex-girlfriend falls in love with someone else and invites him to the wedding.  He decides he must humiliate her and the best way to do that is to become a best-selling novelist.  Trouble is, he doesn’t have the time or the history to really write a novel, so he researches the NY Times best-seller list and, after careful analysis, says that in order for a novel to be a best-seller, it has to have a natural disaster, a secret club of some kind and a tragedy.  So, he sets out to write The Tornado Ashes Club.  I love the main character and his snarky earnestness.  He reminds me a little of Dr. Horrible.  I love watching the changes he goes though.  I laughed out loud a LOT.  There’s a LOT more to the book.  I highly recommend it!

Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster.  My friend Institutrice recommended Jen Lancaster to me.  I read Pretty in Plaid  and giggled my way through it.  This one, not so much.  It was still the same wonderful Jen, but the topic (dieting) didn’t do it for me.  I’m on the lookout for her other books though.  Love, love, LOVE this author, but didn’t love this book.

I’m a Stranger Here Myself  by Bill Bryson.  Bill Bryson is another author I love.  This is a compilation of his newspaper columns.  It’s REALLY funny.  There’s some good material here to use as mentor texts for my kids and their writing of personal narrative and personal essays.  His article on how many Sven Svensons and Johan Johansons in Sweden is hysterical.

When Everything Changed: The Amazing journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins.  I’m always thinking about the broad shoulders I stand on and I’m grateful for the women who came before me so I can do what I do and be who I am.  I like this book for the history and insight it offers, although it is a bit dry.  I must admit I’m more used to fiction and while reading this book, I kept waiting for the conflict to come up!  🙂

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.  I heard some story on NPR that talked about this book (and another that was written because of it).  I didn’t get the name of the book that was written because of it (which sounded more interesting), but I figured I’d read this one.  I haven’t gotten very far, it’s kind of tough going for me.  I’ll let you know next month if I make it through.

Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind by Phillip Done.  This one was left in our faculty room, so I snapped it up.  It’s another really sweet book about teaching by Done, the author of 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny.  (Thanks for the head’s up, about this author, Institutrice!)

Why the Adirondacks Look the Way They Do: A Natural History by Mike Storey.  Yeah, ok, so this one probably wouldn’t make it on the list of anyone outside of this area.  I liked it though, since we spend so much time climbing around in these mountains.  The book has more than just why the mountains look the way they do.  It also has information about the plants and animals.  There are LOTS of drawings and photos.  One of my fondest hopes would be to take my class for a hike in the ADK.  This book is going to provide a great deal of the information I’ll use for my lesson plans if that happens!

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt.  I’m re-reading this book for an after-school book club that several other teachers and I are starting at school as part of a gifted program.  I adore this book.  I love the characters so much.  And I love the way the author deals with the concepts of racism and injustice.  I can’t recommend this book highly enough.  I’m also excited that I get to share it with some of my students.

Cuando Tía Lola vino (de visita) a quedarse by Julia Alvarez.  I’m reading this book to prepare for our next read-aloud.  It’s a sweet story that is relevant to many of my kids (mom and dad are getting a divorce).  The family is Dominican (also relevant).  Tía Lola comes to stay with the family and help them get acclimated to their new life in Vermont.  She’s wonderfully friendly and has an extremely positive attitude, in spite of not speaking much English and living in an almost entirely English-only environment.  It’s a great look at trying to manage two cultures.  I’m excited about reading it to my kids.  It’s in Spanish, but I definitely think the vocabulary will be accessible to all my students.

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt.  I read this one in preparation for my unit on the Civil War.  I love this book and think it gives an excellent perspective on how the Civil War changed so many lives.  I also love how it’s told from Jethro’s point of view.  Sadly, I don’t think I’ll be able to use it for a whole class read aloud.  I might be able to use it with some of my higher readers though.

Your Report Cards Are Done

What are you gonna do now?

I’m gonna blog and blog and blog!  🙂

ADK Tabletop OR Our Last Climb of the Season OR WE ARE TWENTIER’S!!!

It was SUCH a good day yesterday.  I was a little worried about this climb.  It’s late in the season and it’s COLD up in them thar hills!  But I really REALLY wanted to get one more mountain in this year.  (We HAD been shooting for TEN, but after the tri-fecta of Donaldson, Emmons and Seward humbled us, we realized it wasn’t going to happen…still, nine peaks for the summer would be outstanding and we were LOVE OUTSTANDING.)

My running partner and I had planned to do a half-marathon yesterday.  However, (time for me to come clean) my training has been non-existent and I really wanted to save this weekend for a peak.  So, when she wrote to me and her sister-in-law to say we’d been shut out of registration for the race (it filled in mid-September), and I had not registered, I wasn’t too sad.  (Sorry, C!)  I wrote back an email and said, “Hey, wanna go hiking?” Sis-in-law (one of THE sweetest people I’ve EVER met) said, “Sure!  I’d love to go on a little hike!”  C fired back: “Ms. Whiz doesn’t do “little” hikes…She does brutally long, foot-blistering, toenail-killing hikes two hours north of here.  I’m not hiking with her.  She’s crazy.”  Hmmph.  (Now you know why she’s my kick-ass running bud.)  Needless-to-say, they did NOT join us.  (I can’t think why not–at ten miles, our hike came in 3.1 miles UNDER what we WOULD HAVE RUN.  But whatever.  Grin.)

So, the particulars of the hike:  Total miles: 10  Total Altitude: 4427′.  Difficulty ranking: 5 (on a scale from 1-7).

We left here at 6:30 and got onto the trailhead at 9:30.  (Sidebar: before we left, I made everyone grab a fleece, a pair of gloves and a warm hat.  My hubby didn’t think it necessary.  In fact, he did NOT take a fleece, but only a sweatshirt.  More about THAT later.  Grin, again.)  As we drove up, the skies were dark and threatening, not something we’ve ever encountered before.  As we got closer, the rain started falling.  Again, not something we’d ever encountered.  I wasn’t looking forward to spending nine hours in the rain.  (We were, however, prepared for it.)  Temps were in the 40’s and dropping as we got closer.  It was 35 degrees when we signed in.  BRRRRRR.  We put on ALL of our gear as we got out of the car.

We signed in right behind a group that was speaking in Spanish.  I was curious about where they were from, so I asked.  They were so shocked.  They didn’t even answer me, but one guy said, after giving me the once over, “How is it that you speak perfect Spanish?”  (I don’t care how old I get, I NEVER get tired of people being stunned by my Spanish.  It’s one thing I do really REALLY well.)  I told him and then he answered me.  They were from different parts of Spain, getting ready to go up Algonquin.  This time, *I* looked THEM over.  They were all decked out in fancy new duds.  They were worried because they’d heard it was a hard climb (it is) and steep (tru dat) and icey (yup).  They wondered if it was worth it.  I said it totally was, but that they should be careful.  I added that my youngest had done it when she was eight.  This seemed to motivate them.  🙂

We took off and found that the accounts of boot-sucking mud were true.  Bleah.  My oldest looked at me and said, “I dunno, Mom.  If it’s gonna be this way the WHOLE way…”  In my heart, I agreed with her, but I was hopeful.  Starting out at the Loj is like starting out on a highway.  There are SO many people and we can really churn up the mud.  Actually, I was surprised that there were as many folks as there were, this late in the season.  But again, that’s the Loj for you.  (And may I say, I STILL love this part of the hike SO MUCH.  It’s 2.3 miles of relative FLAT.  I LOVE being able to warm up before hitting the “Oh-my-god-it’s-sooooo-steep” part.)  Thankfully, the mud cleared up a bit.

We made it to Marcy Dam in a little over an hour.  We had a tiny break (Christmas photo op!) and then kept going.  We were looking for the turn off to Table Top.  People say it’s not marked, but it IS.  We made it there in about an hour.  My husband uttered words that I’ve NEVER heard him say, “Wow!  We’re making GREAT time!”  I was overjoyed.  Compared to the other bone-crushing hikes we’ve done this summer, this one was, yes, I’m gonna say it, EASY.  Ok, NOT easy, but compared to the others, it was a cake walk.  At least up to this point.  However, that was all about to change…

We made the turn up the mountain and OH. MY. GOD.  It got HARD in a heartbeat.  For one, we were hiking up a CREEK BED.  Remember that “boot-sucking mud” problem I mentioned earlier?  Yeah, well, scratch that.  We now had mud AND water.  LOTS of it.  Not to mention the trail went STRAIGHT up.  Oh, and did I mention that the wind started to pick up?  It was quickly getting VERY cold.  (It was 25 degrees at the top, by my count.)  So, we had mud, water, steep, wind.  What could make this concoction better?  How about some snow and ice?  Oh, yeah, baby!  My youngest daughter was beside herself, especially when she slipped and went RIGHT into a puddle.  You’ve heard “madder than a wet hen?”  Doesn’t BEGIN to cover it.  “WHY! ARE! WE! DOING! THIS?!?!?!?!” she sputtered.   A patch? I suggested.  (Didn’t help.)

At this point, my oldest daughter said, “I’m so GLAD Mommy made us bring these gloves.  Warm hands are happy hands.”  I said, why don’t you say that louder so your father can hear?  To which he replied, “I heard, I HEARD.”  🙂  I’m also glad we had lots of extra socks for the kids.  We switched socks at the top, so at least their feet could be dry again for a LITTLE bit. 

Oh!  And note to self: bringing athletic tape is ALWAYS a good idea.  We were able to solve a shoe malfunction with it this time.  Too bad we didn’t bring extra pants.  The littlest one and I had so much mud on ours by the end, I think they could’ve stood up by themselves!

It took us an HOUR to do the half mile to the top.  And then for what???  There was not really a view, sadly.  I love being on the mountain and I LOVE spending the time with my family (we came up with ALL kinds of plans for my youngest’s birthday party, not to mention the history lesson my husband gave to my youngest.  It covered something like, “Where did people come from and the beginning of everything…”  He covered the Big Bang, most of the basic chemical elements being formed, and Rome through the U.S. Civil War.  Ten miles is a LONG way–it didn’t feel long though.), but climbing up a mountain to see a bunch of trees is not what I signed up for.  Oh well.  Ya gotta do it to be a 46er.  So, now we’ve done it.

Total time to the top was 5 hours.  We only stayed long enough to change socks and shove sandwiches into our faces.  Then it was back down.  We made it back to the car in 4 hours.  Whoo-hoo!  Usually it takes us one hour longer than the miles we’re hiking, but this trip, we had one hour less!  Nice!

Oh, and thankfully, the rain never materialized.  It did SNOW on us a tiny bit, but that’s totally bearable.  You can see the flakes in the photo below.

It was a great outing and I’m so happy that we are now 20er’s!  It was a lovely way to end our season!

That’s all, folks!