Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Bird Ridge In The Spring!
I started the climb up Bird Ridge at noon on Sunday. Visibility was poor, it was snowing and the temp was below freezing...I couldn't have chosen a better day. I had micro spikes and gators on my feet. The ice below the snow made it very tough to climb and the snow its self was to my hips at times. The small group I started with had gained 30 min of trail on me by the time I had made it to 2,700 feet. I came to an area in the trail where I was literally hanging on to a rock frozen in movement thinking I was either going to fall to the earth below or wait till a helicopter lifted me off. But I stood up and kept going, falling and regrouping with every other step. I had sweated out my under layer and my legs were completely fatigued. But the farther I climbed, the more internal strength I gained. It was the most exhilarating thing I have ever done. I was alone and at peace with myself and nature in survival mode. I had no one to rely on but myself. Every stress and worry in this world simply did not exist. When I made it to the bottom 4 hours later, I was physically spent but mentally recharged. Being close to death by one simple wrong step or move, made everything else in my life seem so unimportant. I didn't climb that mountain to prove I could to others, I did it to prove it to myself.
And that makes me smile :)
Posing for the camera!
Headed down!
Buried in the snow!
At the bottom of the trail, the sign is holding me up!
Warming up by the fire!
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
A Delight in an Apple
~APPLE PIE BAKED IN APPLE~
5-6 Granny Smith apples (make sure they can stand on their own)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
pie crust (homemade or pre-made)
1) Preheat oven to 375F.
2) Cut off the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully, as to not puncture the peel.
If you’re a skilled interior apple excavator, salvage as much as you can so you can use it for Step 2. I, on the other hand, am not skilled so I just had to throw my interior apples away and chop up additional apples for filling.
3) Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking.
Mix sliced apples with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If you prefer more or less cinnamon make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar.
Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.
4) Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips. You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture/sweetness to the pie.
Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.
5) Place apples in an 8×8 pan. Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan.
Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft.
Makes 4 baked apple pies (in the apple).
5-6 Granny Smith apples (make sure they can stand on their own)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
pie crust (homemade or pre-made)
1) Preheat oven to 375F.
2) Cut off the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully, as to not puncture the peel.
If you’re a skilled interior apple excavator, salvage as much as you can so you can use it for Step 2. I, on the other hand, am not skilled so I just had to throw my interior apples away and chop up additional apples for filling.
3) Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking.
Mix sliced apples with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If you prefer more or less cinnamon make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar.
Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.
4) Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips. You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture/sweetness to the pie.
Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.
5) Place apples in an 8×8 pan. Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan.
Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft.
Makes 4 baked apple pies (in the apple).
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