My Beautiful Path

"Wiffa" Trained

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:20:00 +0000

Yup, on April 20 & 21 of 2013, I was WFA and CPR (CCR) trained. It was a great class with an even better instructor. His name was Nathan D-something, and he's had years of experience as a paramedic in Boston, so his instruction was so relevant and practical, especially when comparing care for urban environments vs. the wilderness.

The class was only $140 and was done by SOLO. The best part was that it was at the AMC lodge in Boylston, about 20 minutes from my house.Made for an easy commute and not having to pay for overnight accommodations I have to say, they fed you a breakfast and a hot lunch and the food was amazing! Go Worcester AMC chapter for putting on a kick ass training.

I learned so much at the class, and I'm confident that I'll be much more of a help in an emergency situation in the wilderness than before I went to the class. I recommend it to anyone who does any sort of remote activity where you're more than an hour from a hospital.

-Spidersnail

Mt. Pierce Revisited...in Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 02:37:00 +0000

So on Saturday, 2/2, Scout and I hiked our first 4Ker in winter with the SE AMC group. Wooohoooo!

Mountain: Pierce
Elevation: 4,311 ft
Base temp: 4 degrees (F) at 9am
Summit temp: -5 to -10 (observatory guess for around noon)
Wind: hardly any, even at the top
Trail: Crawford Path to Webster Cliff to Mitzpah Cutoff to Crawford Path
Actual trip time: 6 hours (9am - 3pm)
Water consumed: 1 liter
Food consumed: 3 shotblocks, 1 starbucks apple-cinnamon bar, balogna sandwich, banana, one mouthful of reeses pieces, one mouthful of gorp
Clothing worn: base techwick 1, power dry insulating layer, light fleece, marmot neoshell, hat and neck gator to start. (Stretch pants with wind pants on bottom, as usual.) Removed the fleece about 20 mins into the hike. Was good until summit where I put on my puff over my marmot. Was warm enough, but my hands froze in mere minutes, even with gloves on.

Spidersnail smiling in the background!

I was able to get out of work early on Friday, so Scout and I headed up to NH around 4pm. At 6pm, we reached Ashland and stopped at the Common Man for dinner. I've been to this place in warmer seasons, but tonight, I have to say, the meal was simply amazing. Also, they had a spiced apple cider that was the sweetest nectar I've ever tasted. I had two glasses. For dinner I had the butternut ravioli app and a bowl of french onion soup. Delicious. Scout had the apple chicken which she was also quite pleased with.

After dinner, we headed to Twin Mountain. A few of my FB hiking friends had recommended the 'Profile Deluxe Motel' to stay at for the night, and we pulled in just around 8pm. Upon entering the office, we were greeted by a lovely woman who wished us well on our hike the next day. The room itself was just wonderful. Two queen beds, very clean, with a fridge and microwave - everything that we needed for a pre-hike room!

We had the chance to relax a little bit before settling in to sleep. I read a bit, but was eventually so tired from the long week I had previous that I just ended up snuggling in for sleep. Scout watched some episodes of her weird television shows on her ipad, and eventually hit the hay.

The next morning, Scout and I both woke up before the alarm, but well-rested. I heated up a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel I had purchased at dunkin donuts the previous evening. Scout heated up some oatmeal. Great breakfasts all around. Outside, it was 5 degrees. Ouch. We packed up and headed to the trailhead for our hike! Yay!

We were all geared up and ready to go by 9am. All of us put on our microspikes and they were worn throughout the hike. Didn't need anything else, but had ice been any worse on approach to summit from the north, we would've needed crampons. There was about 5 inches of base snow but it was all packed down really well. Gibbs Brook was mostly frozen and provided beautiful views on the way up. The Crawford Path was a predictable steady up all the way with only small water crossings that could be hopped over.

Wayne and Spidersnail on the trail

I started off strong and was fine for the first hour. After that, the pace started to wear on me and I found breathing the cold air very difficult (not sure if this was partially due to the cold I was still recovering from or just a lack of conditioning). I had to slow down a bit and created the necessity of the group to split into a 'fast' group and a 'leisurely' group. I had to take mini-breaks quite often just to get air into my lungs, but all and all, we weren't very far behind the 'fast' group once we reached the top.

We spent about 10 minutes max at the top, scoffing down lunch. I took my bulky gloves off and my fingers instantly froze. By the time we headed down, some of my toes were cold and my fingers actively ached. It wasn't until 15 minutes into hiking again that the feeling returned to my extremities. It still amazes me how fast my fingers and toes got cold...but luckily the rest of me was nice and warm.

The trip down was pretty good - the group went really fast, but I had no issues keeping up. It just wasn't the kind of pace that i personally enjoy. I really like to look around and appreciate nature while I'm hiking...and there wasn't a lot of time for that on the way down. We did get one lengthy stop at the junction to enjoy the grey jays for awhile, and that's always a pleasure. By the time we reached the parking lot, temps were at 19 degrees and it felt balmy compared to the summit temp.

On the way home, we stopped in Lincoln and ate a really good pizza place called Fresolone's. Fantastic food and it definitely hit the spot after the hike. Small dining area, but definitely good food and clean bathroom :). Scout and I enjoyed some really good discussion on the way home, evident by the fact that I made two wrong turns on the way home which sort of made the return trip a little long. Lesson learned: keep the GPS on even when you know where you're going.

In summary, it was a hard hike, but a great hike, and I'm glad I did it. I look forward to getting my lungs back in full working order and tackling some more winter summits. Have I mentioned how awesome it is to hike with no bugs???

Here are more pictures from the trip, thanks to Jim!

Spidersnail Out!

Weekend of Wa's

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:49:00 +0000

Mountains: Watatic & Wachusett

So, in the past 3 days, I've gone on two hikes. Yup, it's nice to feel healthy enough to get back outside, let me tell ya!

On Saturday, I went up Mt. Watatic with the Worcester AMC group. What a great day that was! Temps hung around the 30 degree mark most of the day and the views at the top were great. There was a bit of wind at the exposed summit, but nothing that dipping into the col didn't solve.

The hike was a 4.5 mile loop (10am - 2pm with 20 min lunch) up the Watatic main trail and then down the old ski slope down the backside of the mountain, to Bennett Road, and then back over to the main trail via a logging road. The group was great, super-friendly, and very supportive. I actually was STILL recovering from my cold and was having a hard time breathing on the way up, but the people in my hiking group (there were about 17 of us, so we split into two groups) were great and made the embarrassment of being last not so painful. I look forward to hiking with the Worcester AMC group again!!

Clothing: Techwick 2 long sleeve, EMS powerdry, Marmot Zion - was perfect the entire time!

Note to self - get a thermos and bring hot chili on your next winter hike!

Monday was MLK day and I had the day off, so Scout and I headed out to Wachusett for another training hike before our winter attempt of Pierce in two weeks. Temps hovered around 20 as we set out. State Reservation and bathrooms were still open, very cool!

We took the Mountain House trail up and were at the summit in about 45 minutes. I was still breathing a little too heavy and getting winded too often for my taste, but I'm still recovering from the cold, so oh well. Summit had great views and there was only an intermittent breeze. On the way down we went Mountain House, Link, Harrington, Jack Frost (this trail has a pretty technical up before heading down again, but it's very pretty!), High Meadow, Bicentennial, back to Mountain House. Started at about 10:53am and were back at the car by 1:50pm with about a 20 min stay at the top.

Clothing: Techwick 1 long sleeve, lightweight fleece, Denali Fleece - was WAY too warm on the way up and sweat too much. Switched the Denali out for the Marmot Zion at the summit and was fine for the rest of the hike!

Note to self: Get a tyvek envelope to sit on!

Spidersnail Out!

False start

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:45:00 +0000

So, as I wrote in my last blog post, my return to the blogosphere and to hiking, in general, has been just slightly more than a sputter. However, I do plan on tackling Mt. Watatic this upcoming Saturday. It's only a 2-3 hour hike and not very challenging (comparatively), but I have a lingering cough from the horrid cold that I had - so its best to start small.

I was hoping there would be snow on the trail left over from yesterday's mini-storm, but temps are forecast to be around 38 degrees on Saturday - balmy for winter hiking. At least its supposed to be sunny, so we should get some good views.

My hiking buddy on this trip, Scout, also came down with a cold (hopefully I didn't give it to her!), so hopefully she'll be good to go on Saturday too. If not, I'll probably still go, as its an AMC (worcester?) trip and there will be others to hang with.

Good news is that Watatic is so close to my house - only about 45 mins. Plus its in Ashburnham, which is where Fang and I's favorite B&B is, our home-away-from-home, The Maguire House!

More to come after the hike...

Spidersnail Out!

The return of Spidersnail!

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 01:43:00 +0000

So it's been over two years since I blogged on this site. But today, I've decided to rekindle my writing. You see, today I attempted my 2nd ever winter hike of Mt. Morgan and Percival, but unfortunately I had a serious head cold that prevent me from going much more than a mile. Even more embarrassing was the fact that it was an AMC trip and I held up about 20 folks, including Kat who was hiking with me.

(Here is a picture of the group as we're just setting out)

Kat was a good sport about the whole thing tho, and decided to descend with me when I had to call it quits. Regardless of the failed attempt, we had a great morning in the car to and from Holderness, NH.

I've learned my lesson tho. Never again will I attempt to hike in a non-healthy condition. Especially in winter. The two hike leaders that descended with us, though, were also great sports about it - reassuring me that this stuff happens sometimes.

Once I got home, I crawled into bed with tea in hand and decided to finish reading a book that Kat got me for Xmas. Cheryl Strayed's 'Wild' - which oddly enough is about Cheryl's experience hiking the PCT. It is this experience and this book that has re-inspired me to write on this blog.

Aptly named for its new purpose, My Beautiful Path blog will now recall tales of the rest of my journey to hike NH's 48 4000 foot peaks. And from there, who knows. I've personally gained so much information and inspiration from reading other hiking blogs, that I thought that I might add to the hiking blogosphere too!

At this point in time, I've hiked the following 4Kers:

Hale
Pierce
Liberty
Lincoln
Lafayette
Cannon

42 more peaks to go, and a lot more stories on how I get there to come. Wish me luck!

Spidersnail Out!

New York City at Christmastime...

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:11:00 +0000

Todd and I just spent a wonderful weekend in NYC. Originally we went for my Xmas gift, to see Donny and Marie perform a Christmas show at the Marquis Theater in Times Square. It was awesome, btw, and Donny actually shook my right hand. *wistful sigh*

We also got evening tickets for Rock of Ages at the Brooks Atkins Theater - yes, we'd seen it before, but we wanted to see it again, and with Dee Snider! It rocked!

For dinner, we went to Restaurant Row (46th between 8th and 9th) and ate at my old favoriate, Da Rosina! It was great...love that place - think I first went there back in 1993 or so.

We stayed at the Bryant Park hotel, btw, and it was amazing. We got a free upgrade of our room and we could see Bryant Park (which was set up like a mini-Rockefeller center with ice skating and vendors) from our window. Loved it there. Room was superb, too.

Sunday we had breakfast crepes in the Park and then did some shopping. Then, lunch at Virgil's BBQ before heading back to catch the bus.

It was such a great weekend (except maybe the lines to get into some of the stores and the crowds..), I can't wait to go back!

Acupuncture...

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:23:00 +0000

So acupuncture is my latest attempt to solve my exercise-sinus issue. Went to my general doc, he's basically stumped. He gave me some nasal spray steroid to try and recommended I go see an ENT guy, in case I have polyps...

But yesterday I had my first acupuncture session - it was...weird, but good. I did have some relief, but my left ear clogged again during yoga today. Very strange...but I need to go to 4-5 more sessions and then hopefully I'll have some relief.

Apparently my allergen of choice is Trees/Wood. Go figure...

1 Down, 47 to Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:48:00 +0000

So, this past Sunday I climbed my first 4000 footer of the 48 in New Hampshire. Mt. Hale, at 4054', is one of the easier/shorter climbs - but it was definitely a challenge.

You can read more about our trip and see some good pictures here:

http://www.2020visionquest.org/Blog/?p=446

Yes, I'm doing this quest with my blind friend, Randy Pierce, as part of his 2020 Vision Quest project. So far, it's been the experience of a lifetime :)

Massage...

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:00:00 +0000

So, I have to report that my hip is filling much, much better. It's not 100% but almost. Massage and icing have really helped it heal.

Also, though I'm not sure I've blogged about it yet, I've been having a sore jaw issue for the last 12 days (I love to chew fireballs *sigh*)and taking Advil just to be able to sleep/work. Well, after my massage yesterday, it feels SO much better.

Some folks heal well with chiropractic and other forms of medicine - my body really takes to massage. Specifically, my friend Jim's massage. :) I highly recommend him, folks!

So, I just need to get a handle on my migraine stuff that's going on - I think I'm going to go with acupuncture for that one - and I'll be good to go!

Speaking of going, I'm going hiking again on the 25th with Team 2020. Wheee!

Incredible Woes

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:34:00 +0000

So, both Friday and Saturday I went to the Verizon Wireless store to get a new HTC Incredible. The saga is long and drawn out, but I can't get one until AUGUST 6th. Almost a month away :( Very sad. But at least I have one on the way.

In other news, I have a pretty serious heat-allergy problem. Once again I ran yesterday morning at 9am, then by about 2pm a migraine set in, brought on by allergies. Same thing that's happened before after running, and what happened on Monadnock on that hot day. This time, though, I actually got sick to my stomach. That hasn't happened to me in about 10 years. I finally got over it around 9pm after clearly not eating any dinner. I did manage to get some popcorn down around 9:30...and I feel fine this morning.

I MUST remember to take claratin before I do ANY physical activity outside in the heat. MUST. UGH.

My Awesome 4th

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:31:00 +0000

Ok, going to Bar Harbor for the 4th of July MAY have been my BEST idea ever. Todd and I had such a good time. The weather was great (if a bit hot), the food was fantastic, the touristy stuff was fun, and we summitted Cadillac Mountain (1550')on the 10:45am on the 5th.

Here are some select pictures from the weekeend:

Here is my honey sucking up the heat and surging on relentlessly! YAY HONEY! Keep in mind that Todd has no proper pack and no real hiking boots. He's a trooper!

Man, it's hot. 80 degrees and humid with no breeze. Why the hell are we doing this again?

A backward pic of the trail we were ascending, the North Ridge trail was a great trail.

This is a picture of all the tourists at the "summit section" of Cadillac which actually isn't anywhere near the ACTUAL summit. Duhhh...

And finally, the Benchmark at the summit of Cadillac. Took me forever to find it :) Look, you can see my boot - proves that I was THERE, man.

Me, just about to help hoist the sail on our windjammer cruise on a 4-mast 151 foot schooner. I'm the one in blue looking at the camera like 'Wha???'

Our sunset on the schooner...

And awwww, the happy couple in love

Happy 4th!

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:24:00 +0000

I can't tell you how excited I am for this upcoming weekend. No, I am not going on the Mt. Washington inaugural climb with Randy and the 2020 Team, but I am going up to Bar Harbor to spend time with my honey and my family. While I do regard not being on the Mt. Washington hike, I don't actually feel I'm quite ready for it. I do have a score to settle with Wasington, but I want to get a little more comfortable with hiking long journeys before we meet again.

And, spending a lovely, relaxing and fun weekend in Bar Harbor with Todd sounds SO AMAZING right now. Our plan is to have lunch on Sat, then we do a trolley tour on the 4th of july in the AM, then a sunset cruise in the PM. Then fireworks. Then on Monday, if we're feeling up to it, traveling to Acadia to climb Cadillac Mountain via the North trail.

I can't wait for the weekend to start!

2020 Vision Quest in the NEWS!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:54:00 +0000

http://wbztv.com/local/blind.hiker.washington.2.1769438.html

Click on the video on the right hand side of the page to see the news spot that aired last night on the 11oclock news!!!

GO 2020!!!

www.2020visionquest.org

Today I ran my first road race!

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:20:00 +0000

I ran the Wayside Club 5K here in Marlborough today, with my best bud Karanina!

I completed the race in 84 degree heat, with a very respectable time of 43:54! Go me!

Here we are giving each other moral support before the race

And here we are showing off our numbers - notice how I came first :)

And if you look really close, I'm actually crossing the finish line with my arms raised up in victory - Todd tried to get a good pic :(

And here are Kara and I after just finishing the race, yay!

And so it begins...!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:43:00 +0000

http://www.pitchengine.com/free-release.php?id=71436

Cold and Rainy - No Match For Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:33:00 +0000

This weekend was an outdoor adventure weekend! Sadly, Mother Nature did NOT get the memo. But that's ok, it was great nonetheless!

Saturday was a great hike up Pack Monadnock with friends and my hubby! He did so great and seemed to have a good time too!

Sunday, kayaking with the ladies and introducing a new kayaker to the horrors, er I mean FUN of white water kayaking!

Today - I have shin splints. I haven't had shin splints in FOREVER. But I will persevere!

Loni Cat, Loni Cat, Oh Loni Loni Loni!

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:57:00 +0000

Yes, Loni is sick. AGAIN. Some kind of cold or something, brought on by the air conditioner, most likely. And she's scratching her face still, so the steroid shot doesn't seem to have helped much. :( :( :(

My poor kitty.

Wayside 5K Run4Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:29:00 +0000

So, I will be running this route with Karanina on 6/23!

lions sprint run course
Find more Runs in Marlborough, Massachusetts

Exciting stuff, right here in Marlborough. Sadly, it's on Spagbowl day at Todd's mom's church, but hopefully she can grab me some takehome!

Memorial and Loni update

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:06:00 +0000

So, poor Loni has allergies (and apparently Siamese blood in her - which makes a ton of sense in retrospect). Her wounds were self-inflicted, so don't have to worry about Jeffrey hurting her. She's just real itchy in the face. Vet gave her a steroid shot and hopefully that'll do that trick.

Fang was on call this weekend so we really couldn't go away for the weekend together. We did get to go see Prince of Persia on Friday night with some friends. It was okay. Not great, but entertaining :)

I managed to get some solid time on the water with Kiki, kayaking the tidal rapid in Cohasett. I highly recommend it, btw. Very nice spot to play, and the water wasn't even as cold as the Deerfield - go figure. We also almost got shot by some military folk doing a gun salute for a Memorial Day celebration. We were on the water, trying to watch the 'goings on', when all of a sudden, these four military guys turned to face us with the guns. I turned to Kiki and was like 'Let's get out of here!' So embarassing :)After yaking, we had lunch/dinner a wonderful outdoor spot just down the street from the rapid called 'Ye Olde Tavern' or something like that. I had a lobster roll and it was yummy. Our timing was perfect all day, with the rapid and whatnot and then with lunch. It started raining about 5 minutes AFTER we left the restaurant.

Sunday, I cooked all day. I made Polly's potato salad, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (I hate chocolate btw, so this was indeed a sacrafice!), blueberry-lemon cobbler and some garlic-lemon shrimp on the barbie! Had the in-laws, Kiki, and baby E over for dinner. It was great.

Monday was slow to start, I was pretty tired, but I cooked some pancakes and bacon for Fang. He worked in the attic with his Dad after breakfast. I cleaned the house and went to REI where I took advantage of their Mem Day sale and bought a new Day Pack (REI Venturi 30), a new watch (Black Ironman Timex), some wicking clothes for Fang and some Blokz for running (Cran-Razz YUM!). After shopping, Fang and I headed to his mom's for a colossal meal including Rib Eye, Lobster, King Crab Legs, Baked Potatoes and other yummy stuff that I forget now.

Tonight, I have left over lobster for a lobster roll. YUM!

Loni the Sick

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:32:00 +0000

So, back to the vet we go for poor, little Loni. She's got a couple of wounds from Jeffrey playing too rough with her. And one of them started turning into this 'growth' and it looks nasty nasty. And she started scratching it like crazy.

*sigh* Poor Loni

Crazy Busy Time

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:30:00 +0000

This weekend was kind of insane.

Friday night we had a bunch of dance-friends over for some wine. (Someone has to help us drink all that wine we bought at San Sebastian in St. Augustine).

Saturday was a ridiculously busy day for me. I had Valhalla in the AM, then the Medal Ball in the PM. Todd and I graduated to Silver dancers within Arthur Murray. Our medal dance was a Swing, which we got to do twice...since the first song they gave us kept skipping. Was lots of fun :)

Sunday, after I finally dragged myself out of bed, we went to the Phantom Gourmet Hot Dog Safari - a fundraiser for the Joey fund. I discovered my hot dog limit was 3 dogs, a cup of chicken pot pie and a slider. Man, was I stuffed. We did see Joe from Joe & Huggy (on 96.9) as well as Dan Andelman. He looks really good, like he's lost weight :) Oh, did I mention I had some cotton candy too? And then we had some DQ on the way home? Hehe, yea, it was a very food-centric day :)

Then the finale of LOST. Which...was good. I had a lot of problems with the show throughout. There were brilliant times, frustrating times, and confusing times. But I truly enjoyed the ending. I really did. I am, however, glad it's over :)

Finale of TBBT tonight! Can't wait!

In other news: Sadly, Fang is back down in VA until Wednesday. :(

Stop! Vaugner Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:07:00 +0000

Wow, it's been awhile, huh?

I've been super busy with work, dance, 2020VQ, and Valhalla. Yep, Valhalla!

Valhalla is the next LARP game that we're running for the next two years. This Saturday is the first event. I've learned way more about Viking/Norse mythology than I ever thought I would....I'll tell you that.

Anyway, also on Saturday, I have my Medal Ball, which is where I graduate from a Bronze dancer to a Silver dancer. So I have to leave Valhalla at 2pm, get to the Medal Ball for 5pm, dance the King and Queen dance with Toddski at 5:15 and then later, perform a Swing solo to graduate.

Talk about a busy Saturday. Sunday I'm gonna VEG out.

Poltics and Comics

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:44:00 +0000

The Post Party Summit given by American Majority this weekend was a lot of fun. I didn't learn a TON of stuff (I missed two seminars I wanted to take due to last minute scheduling changes that were NOT communicated to the entire group), but I did really enjoy meeting everyone involved in the Tea Party movement in the Boston area. Also, Michael Graham and S.E. Cupp were great speakers during dinner on Friday night. Also, our hotel room got upgraded to a Suite, so that was cool :)

Sunday was housecleaning and then Iron Man 2. The critics who consistently poo poo comic book movies are so out of touch with the main stream. IM2 was GREAT. I loved it. LOVED IT! Can't wait until 3!

Where will YOU be this weekend?

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:09:00 +0000

I have no idea, but I know where I'll be!

http://summit.americanmajority.org/

http://ppsboston.eventbrite.com/

My reasons for attending are twofold. One, Todd and I want to get more active in politics. Two, there's a lot of cross-over seminars that are useful for running a charity (2020 Vision Quest anyone?).

Should be a fun time.

Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Spidersnail) — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:27:00 +0000

So, not sure if allergies got the best of me or if I have a spring cold, but I'm just now coming out of a teeny tiny ailment that I've had for 3 days now. It went through the cycle, sore throat on Sun/Mon, Runny nose on Tues/Wed, Coughing/Chest congestion today. So I should be good as new by the weekend. Not too shabby :)