Happy Saturday...

Marathon training in Provence

Can you find little Pepi who joined my training run?  Less than two weeks before we head to Bordeaux!

For those of you in London...

If in London on the 16th of September. I might try to attend if you would like to join me!

Happy Friday Indeed

Do you remember Wafa?  A woman I blogged about from Iraq did my July adventure in honor of?  Her dream to have her candles sold around the world is one step closer to coming true.  A few just arrived to my house in Spain sent fed ex from the offices of Women for Women International in Iraq.

Within a few weeks they will be available for you as well!  Stay tuned...

"Don't forget me, I will never forget you"

Returning from our latest adventure in the pyrenees, I checked my mail in Barcelona to find an envelope which always make me happy.  A Woman for Woman International envelope which contains a letter from Anastasia, a woman who I previously sponsored in Rwanda. 

After the program, with the skills learned, Anastasia was able to start gardening and selling in her local market.  For the first time in her life she is able to rent her own home for her family. 

This letter was similar to the many others I've received over the months, effusive thanks for the support during the program to allow her this freedom.  

Many months go by where I am focused on WFWI, the adventures, etc. and Anastasia creeps to the back of my mind.  Tears came to my eyes in the final line of her letter.  "Don't forget me.  I will never 

forget you."  

Click here to Sponsor a Woman today.

Coma Pedrosa Report

Happy Thursday.

For every adventure there is the alarm clock, waking you up, reminding you that it is time to you.  The wonderful thing about a public blog, is there is a feeling once you have announced what you are doing, there is no turning back.

We were packed and in the car, making our way to Andorra by 6:30.  Pepi snoozed in the footwell while we chatted.  Upon arriving we stopped a few villages away to have a coffee and a sandwich, our fuel to send us onwards and upwards.

After breakfast we noticed the perfectly blue sky had a few more clouds.  We discussed that we would go as far and we can, but didn't want safety to be an issue as I have a terribly difficult time descending, especially on this climb, where the summit ridge is a bit of a rock scramble.

We decided we would go as fast as we could to see if we could get up there before the weather shifted.

 On our way we enjoyed the beautiful mountain scenery.  Pepi loved frolicking in the streams for a little  refreshing cool down.

A few hours in and we had arrived to llac negre, or black lake which sits at the base of the mountain.  Snow sightings in mid August!  Last year when Walid was up here he swam in the lake.  

Around here is when I got a little nervous, with 45 minutes to go we were beginning to get rained on.  Getting up wouldn't be a problem, however I worried about the slippery rocks on the way down. 

After a quick chat with a friendly local we decided it was a passing drizzle, and the real rain would come later.  Onwards we went scrambling towards the top of Andorra. 

We arrived to the top in just under 3 hours, a new record for us both and were met with astounding views of the french and spanish pyrenees.  

A view of black lake from above.  

We enjoyed the views, and being at altitude for a few minutes, while a few hikers shared a bit of dog food with Pepi, before heading back down. 

On our descent we noticed threatening clouds moving in and scurried a little faster to get to the car.  

As you can see by the time we arrived to our base town of Massana the afternoon storms were beginning to settle.  We enjoyed our coffee and half a bikini, the amazing spanish grilled ham and cheese, before heading over to France to enjoy a serious dinner!  

For those of you following in Spain if you would ever like to join us on a climb, please be in touch!  

Thank you again for all of your support and following my blog!  

Next adventure...coming September, the Marathon du Medoc in Bordeaux.  We will be running with a friend, wine tasting along the way, nibbling on oysters before the finish line, and did I mention costume there this year is science fiction?  Any guess what a team of 3 runners could put together for a science fiction get up?  

Another member on our fundraising team!

I am so excited to announce that we have a new member on our fundraising team!  My sister Lisa has set a goal to raise $360.00, enough to send one woman through the WFWI program, while training for the Rhinebeck 1/2 marathon this October.

After a successful completion of our 8th adventure, I would also like to announce that advertising space on the blog has dropped yet again as we enter our final quarter!  Through a donation through my kintera fundraising team, you can donate $200.00 and your message will be displayed on the blog for the duration of the year.  Once you have made your donation please send a private message through the adventure Facebook page with your logo, message, etc. and I will be sure to post it to the site as soon as possible.

Are you interested in joining our fundraising efforts on kintera?  To date with my two team mates we have raised $10,695.00.

Stay tuned...later today or tomorrow our Coma Pedrosa climb report will post along with a few photos from our day!

Thank you!    

Successful adventure #8!

Seems that we made it to the car just in time!  Successful summit of Coma Pedrosa in Andorra. More to come!  

Andorra bound

Up bright and early making our way to Andorra. Wish us good luck and good weather!  Bad weather predicted for later in the day so were hoping to get up and down as quickly as possible!  

The view that awaits us on our climb to the top of Andorra....

Adventure Number 8...here we come!

We are heading to bed now to set off for an early start and summit attempt of Como Pedrosa, the highest peak of the Principality of Andorra.

Once in Andorra we will lose our cell phone coverage, especially as we ascend the mountain, however upon our return to Spain we will update.  Stay tuned!

Coma Pedrosa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coma Pedrosa (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈkomə pəˈðɾozə], locally: [ˈkoma peˈðɾoza]) (2,943 m or 9,656 ft) is the highest

mountain in the principality of Andorra.^[2] It is popular with mountain climbers, its ascent being technically
 straightforward,although strenuous. Several mountain lakes and
tarns are found on the slopes, notably Estanys de Baiau, which lies on the western slopes, across the Spanish border.

The nearest town is Arinsal, La Massana. Historically, the mountain provided ample security from invasions into 
Andorra.^[3]

Coma Pedrosa, shaped like a pyramid,^[4] is situated at the northwestern border with France and Spain.
It has in the past acted as a barrier between Andorra and France.
The mountainous terrain of Andorra, a landlocked country, contains 65 peaks that rise to an elevation of
 greater than 2,000m (6,562 ft), and of the 65 peaks,
Coma Pedrosa has the highest one at 2,943 m (9,656 ft).^[5]

A great friend taking on a great adventure this weekend...

This weekend our good friend Robyn is off to ride for two days, covering as many as 180 miles by bicycle with Pelatonia. 

Pelotonia is a grassroots bike tour with one goal: to end cancer. In 2012, Pelotonia was one of the largest cycling events in the country in terms of participation with 6,212 Riders coming from 42 states and 3 countries. Additionally, Pelotonia had 3,144 Virtual Riders and 2,103 registered Volunteers. Pelotonia 12 raised $16.9 million, bringing Pelotonia's 4-year total to $42.2 million for cancer research.

If you are interested to learn more follow the link below. 

Good luck Robyn!  

https://www.mypelotonia.org/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=59918

Back to Bcn

Heading back to Barcelona with a delightful stash of lifeice and getting excited for our next adventure!