Happy 2014, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. I spent time  in Kansas and Northern California for Christmas and  Mammoth for New Years. I usually snowboard in Mammoth, but with the less-than-ideal snow situation, I decided to explore other non-skiing and non-snowboarding activities and discovered lots of fun stuff that I wanted to share. Here are a few highlights:

While the rest of the country was experiencing the effects of a “Polar Vortex,” Mammoth was hot and sunny with patchy snow. We hiked across and around Lake Mary on Day 1. No snowshoes needed.

On Day 2, we found a secret–not so secret–hot spring to soak in.

We got tipped-off on Convict Lake by a friendly hot springs-going couple, so we hit that up on Day 3. And it was epic! We thought we’d be sitting on the dock and sharing a thermos of tea, but halfway around the lake we found a moderate hike that led up to some great views.

Speaking of sharing, we stayed in a cabin that I coined “the infirmary” since so many of our friends were under the weather. It’s almost impossible not to share germs when you’re eating, breathing, and living in a shared space. B caught a case of the sniffles, but I was able to magically fend it off. I think it had a lot to do with this magical reishi and turmeric concoction I’ve been brewing. It’s a mix of warm almond milk, turmeric, and reishi mushroom powder, sweetened with honey. A little earthy and spicy with tons of immune boosting, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial action. I’ve been having a mug first thing every morning.

Reishi and Turmeric Health Elixir

Ingredients

10 oz almond milk

1/2 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp Reishi powder

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 dash of cinnamon

honey or agave, to taste

Directions

1. Heat almond milk and coconut oil in a sauce pan until it just begins to simmer.

2. Add Reishi, turmeric, and cinnamon.

3. Pour into a mug and sweeten to taste.

serves 1