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Nicole Kovacs

@trailspicedesigns

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Handmade jewelry inspired by untamed landscapes for lovers of adventure and wild places

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Welp. I went back to Mountain Lakes 100 for some revenge after DNFing at mile 55 in 2024 with a foot injury. Unfortunately, it was not my day yet again, & I dropped at mile 67 because of achilles pain. I fortunately recognized the path I was heading down after my last experience & pulled the plug before doing major damage to my achilles.
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I did run 67 miles, which is the furthest I’ve ever run! I also PR’d the 50K & 50 mile. So I’m proud of that.
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Race day was beautiful - amazing weather, fall colors & perfect trail conditions. Unfortunately, I was in a horrible headspace from the very beginning & battled it the entire race. As race day got closer, I realized I was going to start my period either that day or the next. Not usually a big deal, but the day before I’m usually exhausted, don’t sleep well, & tend to be in a pretty poor mental state. And of course, all of that landed directly on race day. I also had a ton of pre-race anxiety & was nauseous for the first 10mi, when my stomach should’ve been feeling great.
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From there, I just couldn’t pull myself out of the mental hole. My “why” for being there is simple: I just love it. I love spending long days exploring places on foot. But I completely lost that. I was out there doing something I love, but I wasn’t enjoying any of it. So why not just quit? The heat & a migraine weren’t helping either.
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At mile 40, I tried really hard to quit. I left Jason instructions not to let me quit unless it was a medical emergency, so he did his job & got me back out on the trail. Caffeine, music, poles & suddenly I felt alive again.
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Then my Achilles started talking.
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The discomfort didn’t change my gait, so I kept running. Then came the pulses of pain, & I slowed to a run/power hike. A few hours later, I was walking. Then at mile 63, I got my period. So fun. I probably could have made it to mile 71 very slowly & painfully, but I knew I’d probably drop there anyway, & I didn’t want to turn a short-term injury into months away from something I love. So at mile 67, I called it.
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40mi Nicole would tell you there’s no fucking way I’m doing that again. But now? Duh! I love doing things again that I said I’d never do again 💃

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fin, noggin, dudeee
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#fishlikeagirl #catchandrealease #laketrout #montanalife #laketroutfishing

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MT king is the name of the game💯
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#fishlikeagirl #montanaking #wallhanger #salmonrun #montanalife

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alpine riser on a dry🍟
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#backcountry #alpinetrout #backpacking #montanalife #catchandrealease

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can’t wait to be back👀⏳
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#fishlikeagirl #catchandrealease #brooketrout #montanalife #getoutside

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Red slash & red nails💃
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#fishlikeagirl #westslopebestslope #westslopecutthroat #manilovebeingawoman #catchandrealease

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In 2019 I set out on my first Yukon River Quest race, I had only canoed a handful of times ever in my life but had experience in the realm of endurance and sufferfests. I remember being out there saying to myself “what on earth was I thinking?! I’m sure as hell never doing this again!” And yet… here I am. This past weekend I finished my 5th YRQ, though only the 3rd time making it all the way to Dawson because the last two years were stopped short by wildfires, making it only as far as Carmacks. We started Wednesday at 9am and finished Friday just before 11pm, for a total race time of 51hrs and 44min of paddling – finishing 2nd place mixed voyager!

Each time I’ve been in the boat it’s been a completely different experience, and I’m beyond grateful to share so many miles, laughs, tears, and farts with some truly amazing human beings. In 2019 we had low water but a fun group of badass ladies – some new friends and some old. 2022 was the complete opposite! I joined an all men’s boat last minute and we had extremely high flood level conditions, which led us to break the Skagway record by a long shot and came in a whole 11hrs faster than my first race. In 2024 we had a mixed boat of friends who were new to the race, sandwiched between Sam and my previous experience. They wanted their first time to Dawson to be by canoe – unfortunately after paddling through active wildfires we were stopped in Carmacks due to more up north around Dawson. So we rallied a second time in 2025, but the wildfires were back at it and we were stopped short in Carmacks a second time.

(I have a lot to say for once, so continued in comments!)

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Unexpected & pleasantly surprised when this one hit the net💰
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#fishlikeagirl #arcticgrayling #catchandrealease #catchoftheday #montanamoment

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saving this day in the memory book forever✨
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#fishlikeagirl #montanalife #westslopebestslope #catchandrealease #exploremore

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Friday plans? We’ve got you covered. ✨

Join us June 12 from 4–7 PM as we welcome Nicole Kovacs of @trailspicedesigns to Ampersand!

Nicole will be in the shop with a collection of her handcrafted jewelry, including pieces from her newest collection, and will be taking orders for custom designs. Stop by to meet the artist, browse her work, and find a piece that’s uniquely yours.

See you Friday! 🎉💫

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long way from home for this one🧡
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#brooktrout #creekfishing #montanalife #exploremore #catchandrelease

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Spring is springing🌱
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#montanaspring #morelmushrooms #morelhunting #fieldtotable #foraging

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