12 in 12…we did it!

The 3 Peaks team in front of Ben Nevis…adventure 1!  (With a 1 week pregnant Lucy little did she know…see our September adventure to see how she changed.)

"It's not an adventure until something goes wrong" — Yvon Chouinard

As we began our challenges we called them "adventures", though, I must agree with Yvon Chouinard the King of adventurers…its not really an adventure until something goes wrong, so please bare with me as we run down our 12 adventures/challenges of the year. (and get a behind the scenes look at the good, the bad, and the less than glamorous side)

Adventure #1: The 3 Peaks Challenge

I must admit this was perhaps my favorite adventure.  Whats not to love, combining friends, travel, and an ultimate challenge, the 3 highest peaks in the UK, with 500 miles of driving in between and completing it in under 24 hours…in January!  This was an ADVENTURE!  Beginning on with Burns night in Scotland, taking off with a successful and clear summit of Ben Nevis, before heading through the floods and snow fields to get towards Scaffel Pyke where we were nearly blown off by the wind, and finishing with a successful, calm, Snowden summit in under 24 hours.  Between floods, wrong GPS directions, and howling winds in the middle of the night, we thought we wouldn't make it…much to our surprise…we finished with under 30 minutes to spare!  

#2:  The Panama City 1/2 IronMan

I would certainly qualify this as a challenge, certainly for me a mental as well as physical challenge.  I am so scared of racing that its gets in the way of my training…but when i'm out there I love it…weird, right?  So thought a 1/2 IronMan is physically challenging this was certainly more of a mental barrier…getting out there, jumping into the Panama Canal and I was off…biking over the canal and running around the canal…despite the heat (which I thrive in though most suffer) I couldn't think of a better first 1/2 IronMan!

#3 Barcelona Marathon

Yes, nerves got the best of me once again…which led to a bit of a party the night before as Walids sweet attempt to calm my nerves…the early alarm was not welcome at any rate, followed by the fear that I had a marathon to run!  Note to anyone reading this: if you keep a blog of your adventures/challenges its a GREAT incentive not to back out!  Had it not been for the blog I may have not made this marathon.  Yet we made it to the starting line just in time and I ran my best marathon ever!  For a while it looked as though I may break 4 hours (my ultimate goal) but with my not ideal training schedule (due to nerves and love of cava) I ended happily with a 4:19.  

The Broken Toe…led to a bit of a back up in adventures…

#4 Conquering the Rio Mondego
A beautiful Kayak down 20 km of Portugals Mondego River…with stops for snacks, local cuisine, and a watersnake sighting plus a dip in the river, we ended happily but tired.  This is a highly achievable challenge if you find yourselves in Portugal as it is downriver.  (Behind the scenes…makes 20km seem like nothing but makes you look and feel like a champ!  Because you are!)

#5 Climbing the highest mountain in Spain in the Sierra Nevada…nothing crazy to report, a standard climb in a beautiful place!  Highly recommended…dress WARMLY!

#6 The Bromptons hit Barcelona…

taking the two highest peaks in the city of Barcelona in one day…by our foldable bikes…one peak with our faithful friend Pepi in the basket.  This was a challenge 1) due to the July heat and 2) because of the foldable bikes weight and limited gears.  We had a blast and it was incredible to see Barcelona from the 2 highest points. 

#7 Puigmal (the name says it all)

Our next adventure took us to France to attempt a summit of Puigmal-a mountain that intimidated me not only because of its name, but I've had failed summit attempts in the past due to fatigue, weather, etc. This proved to be a success boasting gorgeous views and we have repeated this hike several times.  

#8 Coma Pedrosa: 


Heading up the highest mountain in Andorra was a challenge as we hit higher altitude yet it was a beautiful day.  Chased down by a thunderstorm at the end added an element of adventure but we ended the day happy and tired. 








#9 Marathon du Medoc


We once again were joined by our first adventure group Angus and Lucy…this time Lucy 8 month pregnant.  Lucy was a cheerleader this time but by all means part of the challenge.  Angus, Walid and I ran the Marathon du Medoc, a fancy dress marathon which had a science fiction theme this year…we ran as Avatar.  As Lucy and Pepinot cheered on from the sidelines Walid, Angus, and I tasted our Bordeaux through the full marathon!  

#10 The Carlit Summit

A gorgeous day boasting gorgeous views we summited without problem the highest mountain in the Languedoc-Rousillon region of France…Pepi included.  3 adventurers, all succeeded!  This is a great climb…if you're ever in this region I would highly suggest taking a jab at it, or if you're a less comfortable climber going up with a guide.  It is super straight forward and easy but it does get you up to altitude if you haven't experienced that before.  (The same goes for Como Pedrosa in Andorra)

#11 The Bagan Temple Marathon

Perhaps the most anticipated adventure for me…and yes, I would say this was an adventure…between heat stroke, colonitis, and a successful marathon finish for both Walid and me we were very happy.  Myanmar is a beautiful country and we were so happy to be there!!  We enjoyed everything from the capital Yangon, to the temples of Bagan, to our few days of r&r on the Mergui archipelago. 







#12 Circumnavigation of Lac du Bouilloses 

Our final adventure ended just before Christmas!  My sister and I took of (with Pepi) bright and early one morning to head back into the Languedoc Rousillon region of France.  After a 5km snowshoe trek in we circumnavigated 12km around the lake, in summer used as a hydro-electric dam, before trekking another 5km back down.  Crossing frozen rivers, water falls, and heading through pine forests we classify this as a challenge in which we rightfully earned our vin chaud.  


Taking on the challenge of 1 adventure a month is a lot.  As I said before keeping the blog is great as it keeps you motivated…you can easily cancel on yourself but when you see that people are following you one feels a responsibility to follow through.  

The point was to raise money and awareness for Women for Women International which it did.  It was amazing to see that every place I went and shared what I was doing, people in that country checked in on the blog.  In the end I had people checking in from all over the world…so if nothing else the message was spread…but that wasn't all.  Through the generosity of LDV Hospitality and Eric Stewart of Viridian energy I raised thousands of dollars, not including the donations of family members, and the additional sponsorships made by friends and other family members.  

I hope that if you are reading this you can see that it doesn't have to be 12 adventures, but the act of getting out of your element and sharing it with others can make a difference for a charity of your choice.  

Stay tuned to the Facebook page and blog as I continue to challenge myself throughout the years for other charities.  Womens charities in general are close to our heart as is the Alzheimers Association of America, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, and general fundraising for breast cancer and the Ovarian Cancer Research fund. 

A final thank you to Paulette Fox, our good friend and founder of LifeIce.  As you may have seen if you followed she kept us nourished and replenished with LifeIce after every adventure.  If you haven't visited the website yet, please take the time to visit www.lifeice.com  This is a true story of a daughters love becoming her mothers legacy.  

Finally, if you have a iPhone or Android and you walk, run, or bike please download the app Charity Miles!  It is an incredible app that logs money for charity for every step you put in…every mile matters and even the smallest of walks can make a difference. 

Thank you for following as we made our adventures and I appreciate each and every one of your support…notes, messages, even blog views. 

XOXO
Colleen