Panorama shot of the sunrise that we enjoyed from
the top of Old Rag Mountain's first peak.

time to breathe 

the holidays required of us to "engage with the world"

we are blessed with a big family

blessed with togetherness 

but our minds and souls needed rest

we needed quiet

and that required of us to "be away from the world"

we sought fresh air, open spaces and closeness with the earth

we found these, and much more, among the Shenandoah mountains

everything gave us time to breathe - 

the foggy trails

the mist covered rocks

the glistening tree bark

the squishy mud beneath our feet

the sound of rain falling on our tent and the forest around us throughout the night

and then there was that magical sunrise

as it came up over the horizon

and we stood on top of Old Rag Mountain

I realized that everything that breathes, moves and is alive was focused on that light.

Happy breathing!

~Modern Akhmatova

PURE WINTER WONDER

Winter time is my partner's favorite season. If it was up to him, we'd be living in Alaska or Antarctica right about now. We probably will some day, at least for a bit of time, but for now we're in good 'ol Maryland, south of the Mason-Dixon Line, where it doesn't seriously snow until February, but the government and school systems shut down at the sight of snowflakes starting in December. Needless to say you won't find many people in these parts who are enthusiastic about cold weather.

But for my significant other (SO) and I, winter season brings so many simple joys. Since moving in together 2 years ago, we've made it a tradition to go out and tour the surrounding neighborhoods when Christmas lights and awesome decorations start popping up. We usually walk around or bike. I also get to enjoy these lights and sparkling snow on a daily basis during my walks. It's one of my favorite American traditions and I almost wish people kept their lights up year around (it's actually what we do in our own home).

And then there is the joy of winter biking! At the end of 2013, my SO and I began riding our bikes in winter weather. We bought our first set of winter tires and off we went to practice riding on snow and ice. It was hilarious at first because it felt and looked like we were learning to bike for the very first time. Soon enough though we were riding all over the place, so much so that I started riding 12 miles to work round-trip every day. We've moved since and now SO rides to work about 20 miles a day round-trip every day! We continue to bike around town to get groceries, go to the post office and the library. All in all, it's a great way to enjoy winter weather without harming the environment, use all that winter gear sitting in the closet, and stay fit!

Entrance to the Old Rag Mountain
parking area

SO at the top of Old Rag mountain
 looking across toward the
Shenandoah National Park.

Another winter activity that's become a tradition for us is a camping trip right around Christmas time. This year we decided to hike and camp on the Old Rag Mountain trail right outside of the Shenandoah National Park. We've been doing this for three years now and we absolutely love it! There are barely any people out on the trails during this time of year, so we have the mountain all to ourselves. It's also a way for us to get away from Christmas-mania and take comfort in nature together.

Homemade Nutella and fudge 

Serbian St. Sava celebration

Fire pit!    

Although we try to get away from the consumerism of the holiday season, we very much enjoy holiday festivities and the quality time we get to have with our loved ones. There is always lots and lots of good food around this time of year and our families like to make everything from scratch, so everything is always super delicious and we enjoy it in the comfort of home. We also travel to upstate NY every year to visit family friends for the New Year celebration. They have a large property and they love to have fun, so whenever we're up there my SO takes advantage of the opportunity to make huge bonfires that everyone gets to enjoy! And lastly, earlier this month I got to enjoy the Serbian Saint Sava celebration with my family. We dressed up, danced and ate a lot, which is typical for any Serbian event :).


So that's it for now! We're about to head to Alaska for a two-week vacation to enjoy -35 degree weather. Brrrrr. We'll see how I feel about the joys of winter season once we return! Until then...

Happy winter living!
Modern Akhmatova

Autumn Joys

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot (a.k.a. Mary Ann Evans)

Ah, the autumn breeze and warm colors have arrived. To celebrate the wonders and the comforts of the new season we decided to go bouldering this past weekend in the Coopers Rock State Forest near Morgantown, WV. Three other couples joined us on this spontaneous adventure. The park is three hours away from where we live, so we joined up with one of the couples to share the ride, reduce our carbon footprint, and enjoy each other's company (and their dog Milo :)).

During our drive there and back, I couldn't help but stare out the window, mesmerized by the scenery whizzing past us. We were surrounded by endless hills and fields of intermingled red, green, yellow, orange, and light brown canopies. What a beautiful sight accompanied with myriad moments of silent inspiration.

Coopers Rock offers a great concentration of high quality boulder problems within day trip range of Baltimore and the Washington D.C. area. Two of the couples we went with are veteran climbers. SO and I, along with the other couple we drove with, are less experienced climbers, but we could still hold our own and have loads of fun bouldering. That's the beauty of climbing, especially in the outdoors; it's a very chill sport with a gorgeous setting to boot.

The rock and the act of climbing are also good reminders to meditate and the benefits of clearing one's head. As humans, we assign meaning to the world around us and nature reminds us that our conception of meaning is often inadequate and unnecessary, especially if one desires to truly be present in nature. To climb well and "be one with the rock", an almost meditative state of mind is required. The  moment you start to think too much, your body tenses up and you're pretty much done climbing. To me, at its best, bouldering is like ballet on rock.

Me walking on the trail on our way
to the next bouldering project
(that's a crash pad on my back)

One of my favorite moments of the entire trip was making food over the two fires we had going (in large part thanks to my SO who loves anything and everything to do with fire :)), drinking wine, sharing stories and hanging out together under the starry sky. The next morning was just as sweet. SO and I were the last to wake up, and as I walked from our tent to the picnic tables, everyone else was already eating breakfast and chatting. I realized afterwards just how much I enjoy hanging out at a campsite, making food and spending quality time with others. To me, there is something instantly relaxing and quietly joyous about a campsite.

Shortly after breakfast, everyone packed up and we were off to the rocks for some more bouldering action. By the time 3pm arrived, we were all desperately sore, yet so grateful for having spent the weekend together surrounded by natural beauty and pushing ourselves and one another physically. My new outlook on being young is that we are blessed with strong bodies and should use them to fully experience the natural world as much as we can, while we can!

SO coming down
after a successful climb!

SO and I plan to return to the gorgeous autumn woods in two weeks again. This time it will be a 3-day camping trip in the Shenandoah National Park with his parents, who are also avid hikers, campers, and outdoor adventurers!

Happy trails!
~Modern Akhmatova