Paige Smyth: Delicate Flower or Hardcore Beast....You be the Judge

When I asked dear old Paige what I should write about, she immediately replied "I don't know, I've been sick for the past week." Perfect I thought, I'll write about that! So with that as the inspiration, here and now I would like to settle the age old debate: Is Paige a fragile butterfly (one who gets sick at the drop of a hat) or is she a hearty mountain goat (albeit one with an adorable face)?

Argument in favor of Paige's fragile status (fragile):

She gets sick (or at least thinks she does) more frequently than someone on immunosuppressants.

Argument against (Hardcore)

She generally manages to carry on with life while she's sick. During her last round of sickness, she played the role of a tough Vermonter and suffered through a grueling day's work at three different factories. Granted, her only work included sampling Ben and Jerry's ice cream at the Ben and Jerry's factory, sampling cheese at the Cabot Creamery, and sampling syrup at the maple syrup farm. (counter argument: is she really sick every time she thinks she is?).

Edge here goes to: Fragile...

It is not hard to be a factory worker in Vermont. In fact, it must be delicious!

Fragile:

During the east coast's most recent battering of storms, she did not go on a hike in New Hampshire with me.

Hardcore:

I did not go on a hike with me either.

Edge here goes to: Hardcore...

Since I am the barometer by which all earthly toughness is measured, if I didn't do something, clearly only a superhuman could have done it.

Fragile:

Paige made me watch the station Bravo while we were waiting out the rain at the Mount Madison Motel in New Hampshire.

Hardcore:

She worked out while she watched all the horrible programming.

Edge here goes to: Fragile...

While working out when you're sick might seem like a hardcore thing to do, it is neither a good idea nor recommended by the surgeon general. Penalty point assessed in favor of Fragile.

Fragile:

Paige napped in the car while I went on a ridge-line hike over three "mountains" at Acadia National Park.

Hardcore:

Paige hiked up the steepest trail in the park with me the next day

Edge here goes to: Hardcore....

Napping in order to recover and be more hardcore tomorrow always earns you hardcore points in my book--that's why I personally try to nap at least three times a day!

Fragile:

Paige couldn't eat all of her food at the "Angler" in Maine when we sampled their "Restaurant Week" menu.

Hardcore:

This meant I got to eat a significant portion of her lobster roll

Edge here goes to: Hardcore...

More lobster for me always makes you hardcore. Everyone, keep this in mind if you would like to be considered hardcore in my book

Fragile:

Paige would not sleep in a tent with me when it was 8 degrees outside in Bishop, California.

Hardcore:

Paige did camp with me when it was in the teens, twenties and thirties throughout California, the Florida, the Carolinas, and Maine.

Edge here goes to: Hardcore...

Paige has camped in the cold with me just about anywhere we didn't find a campsite completely under water. This included camping at Acadia National Park during the last night she was sick.

I haven't been counting, but I'm pretty sure I'm right and the total is overwhelmingly in favor of her being a fragile butterfly. Any effort to point out that the opposite is true will be met with a death stare from me and five minutes of shunning. Feel free to weigh in and tell me that you agree with my analysis. Dissenters need not comment.

***Oh, and in case you are curious, we're currently bunked down outside of Boston, MA with Josh and Cameron. We've spent the weekend being showered with generosity, hospitality, and beautiful weather (it certainly doesn't take a hardcore person to appreciate that!). Tomorrow we'll load up and spend the day meandering through Rhode Island and Connecticut before we set up camp outside of New Paltz, NY for a few days of climbing at the Shawangunks! All in all, things are going exceedingly well. As always, thanks for your continuing support and encouragement while we're on this trip.