Cold Showers & Pig Tossing

I just got back from my zombie run. Shout out to the app "Zombies, Run!" which simulates a zombie wasteland story as you run. When it happens, I won't be caught unprepared.

I'm usually not much of a runner, or a workout-er in general. But every so often I get wake up calls that I'm not in as great shape as I usually assume. This usually involves me throwing up from exhaustion after doing something that a younger me wouldn't have given a second thought.

Fortunately I did not puke as I climbed up the sand dunes outside Provincetown this past weekend, but I was out of breath enough to realize I need to make a change. So I started pretending zombies were chasing me. Hopefully that will get me back in shape.

Provincetown? What were you doing in Provincetown?

I know, I'm getting there.

For five years in a row I have been visiting Cape Cod with my college friends every May once school was out. My family has a house out there that was built perfectly for a bunch of friends (or the extended family of a baby boomers family) to stay in. I think there are a total of twelve beds in this house. Perfect for a weekend getaway with a big group of friends.

Unfortunately this year was our smallest get together yet, with only five of us able to make it. Most of the others are off doing their own thing on the opposite coast. These are the kinds of things you have to deal with when you go to school with a bunch of film & TV students.

But you don't need a large group of friends to have fun.

The first night was a calm night, with only three of us, two more coming the next day. The highlight of the night was Pass the Pigs. A game involving two small plastic pigs that the player rolls like dice to gain points depending on the position that the pigs land in. Razorback is five points, snouter is ten, and the almighty leaning jowler is fifteen. Obviously I don't need to explain myself any further. We all know about the jowler.

The next morning was a slightly rude awakening as we realized that not only does the house not have heat, but it also has no hot water. These are the kinds of issues you have to face when you're among the first people out on the cape all year. After potentially the fastest shower of my life, we moved on to our plans for the day: Pirate's Cove Mini Golf.

Much like the Caribbean seas of yesteryear, where Blackbeard ruled from his wooden seat, competition was fierce. I did manage to get a hole-in-one on one course, but it wasn't enough to come out on top. We won't spend too much time talking about that. If anyone asks, I crushed it.

Face swapping with a pirate. We know who got the real victory here.

That night, after our two other friends arrived, we had dinner at fried food heaven, Kream & Kone (they use the ampersand, not just me), where after eating half my meal, I felt like I had eaten two full meals.

For dessert we made a fire in the backyard and roasted marshmallows before being rained inside for a horror movie showing. The 1986 classic "Killer Party" staring three sorority sisters who try to throw an April Fool's Day costume party in a haunted house. What could go wrong?

Everything. Everything could go wrong.

After skipping showers the next morning and a hearty breakfast at the Pancake Man. We made our way out to Provincetown. Stopping of course at the dunes.

This has to be one of my favorite hikes. Just off the side of the road on Route 6, there are a bunch of loose trails through the dunes that lead to the beach. It's maybe a two hour hike there and back, but there's nothing like it. The dunes roll like waves, towering over you at one moment, and giving way to nothing the next. The landscape is unlike any other. I've been to mountains, I've walked through forests, I've even seen the arches in Utah, and this might as well be a whole other planet.

Shoes are not required, in fact I recommend bare feet. Unless it's the middle of the summer and it's really hot. Then it might get tough. I've only ever been there in May. I love the idea of a barefoot hike though. How often do you get to do that?

It was hiking up some of these dunes that made me realize how out of shape I am. Sand is a lot harder to walk on than solid ground, especially if you're going uphill. Hopefully I can remedy this problem (at least somewhat) over the next few weeks so I can be prepared for anything. Even a zombie apocalypse. 

After a good long hike through the sand, we drove into Provincetown and walked down the pier and up the main street. We grabbed dinner, and I grabbed a jumbo size Pass the Pigs that I didn't know existed until then. Every story has to come full circle.

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Thanks for reading. I used this trip as a sort of practice for when I leave the country. So if you enjoyed reading this don't forget to subscribe with your email down below. Thanks again!

- Matt

Extra credit: a video I put together of some footage from the dunes. There will be more of these so feel free to check out my YouTube channel.