The Apple Orchard with Carson
1 year ago
As many of you know I really love having hobbies all ranging from playing tennis, backpacking, indoor climbing, mountain biking, and board games. I could throw music and movies into the mix, but I think I will hold off on those two subjects for now. So for no real reason I am going to open up and let you explore into my world of some of the things I enjoy doing in my spare time.
Board Games.
To many those words simply bring to the mind these assortments of titles- Scrabble, Monopoly, and maybe Risk. It might also trigger the thoughts of the party games like Cranium, Apples to Apples, and Pictionary. Well for myself it creates a whole different sequence of thoughts.
*Image from my personal collection
While those games hold their "classic" appeal, I have a whole different outlook on games. When I hear the two words, "board game", come into play I think of some of my favorites...Agricola, Traders of Carthage, Colosseum, and Thebes.
*Image from my personal collection
My board game collection now spans at over 150 games with over 30 expansions to several of them.
*Image from my personal collection
*Image from my personal collection
The hobby isn't just as simple as a growing collection of a wide range of games. They fall under several different themes like ancient, farming, horror, fantasy, western, or simply just an abstract. They also have so many different mechanics built into each one such as economic engines, resource management, press your luck, card drafting, auction, area-control, dice-rolling, or even dexterity. These are known as "designer games" and they are very rarely found in your everyday store. Typically I buy mot of these online as they are far less expensive than regular retail anyway. Often when I bring these "new" games to the table people are often puzzled or intrigued by what they see.
I personally find playing board games one of the most fun and socially engaging activities a person can do with their friends or family. Too often watching movies or playing sports often hinders good conversation time with others and to me that's a bit of a bummer. So if you are ever up for a game night, I'm always up for it!
Tennis.
There's no sport quite like tennis. It is a precision sport that requires quick bursts of speed with clever play to outsmart your opponent. Thanks to my friend Casey, he helped me pick up this sport as a hobby and eventually into a competitive activity. By no means am I a professional, but there is no doubt my passion is there for it. This is one of the few things I am willing to go do almost any chance I can.
Racket information can be found here - Rally Tennis
Shown above is the current racket a play with. It is a mid-size Yonex RQiS 1 Tour XL Lite. I purchased this model last year and have really enjoyed it up until this point. This is my second Yonex racket and I must say I am very pleased with their products. I don't foresee any reason as to a change anytime in the coming future.
Tennis also makes for an excellent spectator sport. Much like soccer it is internationally played allowing for some of the highest level of competition to take place. My personal favorites are Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt, Maria Kirilenko, and Daniela Hantuchova. Some for winning reasons, some for play style, while others for obvious reasons (see below).
Daniela Hantuchova pictured above
As a conclusion, tennis is a great all-around sport. It's easy to find just one other person to play with. It is fairly cheap to play with no cost to play at public courts. It's not overly physically difficult so you can play for years and years. I just think it's great fun that everyone should go do once in a while.
Backpacking.
Oh how I love thee. Nothing quite like hitting the trails in the great outdoors. Everything you have to survive is packed into a 4500cc pack to last you the next several days. There's nothing quite like it and until you try it yourself you just haven't experienced something special. I do want to clarify that there is a difference between hiking and backpacking and also camping and backpacking. Personally I am not a fan of the hiking or camping as they don't have near the same elements that backpacking has.
My current backpack: Kelty Pacific Crest 5000
Food, water, and shelter. It is the three most important things you need for survival. But when you go hiking typically all you do is hike up a trail for a few miles, then hike back down before the day is over. All you might take is a camera, water, and a rain jacket. When you go camping all you do is throw anything and everything you can fit in your vehicle that you might need/want. Then you simply drive to a camp site and unload it all. Backpacking on the other hand becomes almost like a science. Constantly discovering new equipment, better food, adequate clothing, and everything in between. Below is some of the gear I currently use -
Listed from top to bottom:
Snow Peak 3 piece Titanium cook set; Snow Peak Titanium double-walled mug;
Thermorest Neoair mattress; Kelty Falcon lumbar pack; MSR Pocket Rocket stove
As a hobby this one is much more of an investment than others. Luckily buying good quality gear can last for years and years so it can be worthwhile investment. Pictures don't do it justice but might as well end this section with them -
AT Trail (2005)
Blood Mountain Sunset (2009)
AT Trail, Rattlesnake (2009
AT Trail (2007)
AT Trail, Jarrard Gap (2009)
Well, that's just a very small taste of the world I've seen on numerous excursions. I'll be in the market for another pack soon, so if you care to tag along I'll be happy to guide you on an awesome journey.
Mountain Biking.
This is my newest acquired hobby and a really exhilarating one to say the least. I have known how to ride a bike for as long as I can remember but beyond that I never took biking to a serious level. Until last February rolled around I jumped on the bandwagon of biking. So without much hesitation I began researching what would be a good bike for me to get. I didn't want something totally on the low end of the spectrum, but also knew I wasn't going to purchase right at the high end either. So I found a nice medium and got this -
Trek 6000 (2009 Model)
Mountain biking is just really different than anything I have done. It has a different edge to it than most high energy activities. I guess it feels dangerous...and maybe it is. Unlike most sports where you grow in your skills and develop them and hone them in, mountain biking almost feels more like a "double dog dare". Although the more you bike the more experience you will gain and possibly skills. Yet I can't help but feel like at certain times is just how fast do you feel like taking that decent, or can I make it through that river without spilling over, or even how hard can I push myself without burning out.
Popcorn Creek Trail (2010)
Yonah State Park (2010)
Yonah State Park (2010)
If you enjoy being outside and want to take on some tough trails in a whole new light, I find mountain biking a perfect blend of a beautiful world along with a great workout.
Indoor Climbing.
I always really liked those climbing walls as a kid whether it be at some carnival or in a store like Galyan's. I guess with that spark of fun that always resided along with a few friends that already climbed, it was only a matter of time before I picked up the hobby.
Black Diamond Chaos Harness (My current harness)
To clarify the difference between outdoor climbing and indoor climbing I will explain it in what I understand to be the biggest differences. Outdoor climbing is on an actual rock face or actual rock boulders. There are no unnatural hand/foot holds on them. The only man-made devices you might find are anchors to attach quickdraws for a safer climbing experience. I would also believe that it is a higher risk sport than indoor climbing. Most outdoor climbing is either lead climbing or bouldering, repelling is something completely different altogether. There are three major types of climbing when it comes to the indoors. There is lead climbing, bouldering, and top-rope climbing. Indoor climbing has man made holds anchored to an artificial wall or boulders. It also has routes that are created by highly experienced climbers that are rated on their level of difficulty.
Adrenaline Climbing (Red Route, Top-Rope)
Adrenaline Climbing (Red Route, Bouldering)
Adrenaline Climbing (Blue Route, Bouldering)
One thing I have learned about climbing is it is really really hard. My skill level in top roping is maxed out at around 5.5 to 5.6 and the scale goes from 5.1 to 5.15, my bouldering skills are even lower maxing out around V3 to V4 and it's scale runs from VB (beginner) to V16. Despite not being really great at it, I really enjoy the challenge of the sport. It's like every time I go back, I want to push myself a little harder and see if I can get that V5 or 5.7/5.8 route. It's not too expensive and is a lot of fun to share with friends if you ever have the opportunity.
So that is all for now, hope you enjoyed learning about my hobbies in a little bit more detailed overview. I think sometime in the near future I will write about the progression of the music I have listened to from as early as where I first started to what I find most interesting today.
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