UPDATE: Due to my schedule change, these locations/dates are being presented by a different couple – sorry for any inconvenience.  We will be attending the Westiminster program. 

Join us as we present photos and stories from our 29 day thru-hike of the Colorado Trail.   The 486-mile trail starts in Denver and ends in Durango, passing through some of the most spectacular scenery in Colorado.  In addition to photos and stories, we’ll discuss different ways you can get involved with the Colorado Trail and provide tips on packing light and planning food rations.  The Colorado Trail is right out our backdoor – whether you’re considering a weekend mountain biking trip, a month long hiking expedition, or volunteer trail work come see how you can take advantage of this amazing trail!  Book signing and sales to follow program. 

May 2 -REI, Lakewood… FREE!

Can’t make it on Monday? Check out the following dates and locations:

May 4 -REI, Englewood

Email us at: philandapryle@elevatedattitude.com to schedule a program at your venue.

Mark your calendar for these fee-free days in 2011… click here for more info!

• January 15-17
  (Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday weekend)
• April 16-24
  (National Park Week)
• June 21
  (First day of summer)
• September 24
  (Public Lands Day)
• November 11-13
  (Veterans Day weekend)

As many of you know, I accepted a position with Rocky Mountain National Park for this summer.  It has caused us to shift a few of our CO Trail programs to another couple who recently completed the trail.  The changes are noted below. 

You may want to register in advance in case the program fills up!  See below for registration links.

NOW BEING PRESENTED BY ANOTHER COUPLE — Wed, April 20 – REI, Denver… Register here: http://www.rei.com/event/18684/session/23001

Can’t make it on Wednesday? Bummer.  Check out the following dates and locations:

April 22 – REI, Boulder (Happy Earth Day!) Register: http://www.rei.com/event/19644/session/24235
April 27 – REI, Westminster, Register: http://www.rei.com/event/18038/session/22118
NOW BEING PRESENTED BY ANOTHER COUPLE –May 2 -REI, Lakewood, Register: http://www.rei.com/event/19650/session/24322
NOW BEING PRESENTED BY ANOTHER COUPLE –May 4 -REI, Englewood, Register: http://www.rei.com/event/19589/session/24196

Join us as we present photos and stories from our 29 day thru-hike of the Colorado Trail.   The 486-mile trail starts in Denver and ends in Durango, passing through some of the most spectacular scenery in Colorado.  In addition to photos and stories, we’ll discuss different ways you can get involved with the Colorado Trail and provide tips on packing light and planning food rations.  The Colorado Trail is right out our backdoor – whether you’re considering a weekend mountain biking trip, a month long hiking expedition, or volunteer trail work come see how you can take advantage of this amazing trail! 

You may want to register in advance in case the program fills up!  See below for registration links.

Wed, April 20 – REI, Denver… Register here: http://www.rei.com/event/18684/session/23001

Can’t make it on Wednesday? Bummer.  Check out the following dates and locations:

April 22 – REI, Boulder (Happy Earth Day!) Register: http://www.rei.com/event/19644/session/24235
April 27 – REI, Westminster, Register: http://www.rei.com/event/18038/session/22118
May 2 -REI, Lakewood, Register: http://www.rei.com/event/19650/session/24322
May 4 -REI, Englewood, Register: http://www.rei.com/event/19589/session/24196

Free!

Update: The sofa and twin are taken. We still have a queen bed mattress.

We also have a few hardwood slab doors, varying conditions.

Give a call if you want to check availability 610-413-2240.

For those of you who don’t want the backstory, here’s the short version: I suffered with migraine headaches since 2005. My headaches felt like a terrible hangover – photophobic and made me throw up. I rarely woke up with them, they usually came on throughout the day and by 4-7pm, I was down for the count. Recently, I started a detailed journal, documenting food, water, sleep, activities to see if I could pinpoint the cause. The result: flourescent lights cause my migraines.

How I determined it was the flourescent lights:
After graduating from college, I accepted a position at PRI in Warrendale, PA. I sat in a cube 5 days a week and started to get migraine headaches almost as frequently. After a few months of this, I went to the doctor and they said it must be stress or the computer screen.

Possibly. My desk job was good… for a desk job. But I wasn’t designing, researching, creating anything new or exiciting. I like designing and implementing things. So, maybe it was stress, or the computer screen.

I cut ties and moved to Colorado. This seemed to get rid of my headaches for awhile, confirming that without the stress of a job my headaches were gone. A few weeks in, I got a job at Trailridge Outfitters, a local gear store. Low stress, right? Not according to the ice climber inside my brain. He started up again a few weeks in but the regularity was not there like it was when I was in the cube.

In Oct 2005, I started my own business and quit Trailridge Outfitters. Again the headaches dropped and stayed pretty manageable for quite awhile.

In Jan, I started an EMT class at FRCC. The ice climber in my brain hated that. They said stress or computers. Too much stress, I guessed, since I do not sit in front of a computer during my classes. I was getting headaches almost every time I went to class (3x/week). I couldn’t function.

I went to the doctor again. She did all sorts of basic neurological tests and told me to see the eye doctor. Now, I have as good eye sight as anyone I know. I could stand in Estes Park and read a newspaper in Harrisburg, PA. Well, slight exaggeration, but I don’t feel like I have a problem nearsight or farsight. No blur, no squint, nada. And, again, sitting at the computers for hours on end usually does not lead to a headache.

Stress seems like a stupid reason to me to get headaches. I mean, I have to ask myself, “am I really under any more stress than anyone else?” No, probably not. So, why do I get the headaches and other people don’t. Maybe stress is a contributing factor, but I couldn’t let it go at that. So, I started a comprehensive food, water, activity, sleep journal to see what worked what didn’t.

The days I had class I got headaches, the other days I did not. I did not get any headaches in 29 days on the Colorado Trail or in 111 days on the Inside Passage, despite that being the most stressful time of my life. My mom was helping me brainstorm possibilities. She suggested flourescent lights. Come to think of it, I could narrow things down further… I realized I got headaches when we were not having a powerpoint day in class but not so much when we were watching a powerpoint. The lights were on when we were being lectured, the lights were off when we were using the projector for the slideshows. She was right!

I’ve been trying this out for the past week and it’s almost 100%. If I can get out of the flourescent lights for like 15 minutes every hour or so, I’m fine. If I’m stuck inside under flourescents for 3 hours in a row, I’m doomed.

Hope this helps someone else! I’ll update if I find anything new!

These little ladies are getting into summer mode. Yesterday we got 9 eggs, today we got 9 eggs (so far). I designed this fancy egg carton label and on the inside of the cartons we have a hen profile such as, “Meet Ambrosia” and “Brown Egg Layers”.