Month: September 2012

Point Six is an old friend of mine.  Tonight as I spun up the last segment I was thinking about the friends that I have climbed it with.  The last time I was up here Jill and I were riding together. But I am not going to blog about specific friends and their specific qualities.  That would only land me in complete trouble.

Tonight it was Mo and I taking on the 4,000 foot climb. I can equate each item I like about this mountain with each of my friends. As for my current climbing companion I have been sworn to secrecy. She has however, decided to stand in as bike model, mountain Sherpa (hint:: she carries all the crap), and creative consultant.

It’s the colors that struck me the most tonight. Like my most colorful friends who without could render my life completely bland. It is the colorful friends that spice up life.

I spent only moments on top of the monolith tonight but managed to snap off a couple images. The smoke in the valley was thick but couldn’t hide the beautiful bowls in the rattlesnake.  Some of my friends are like that. It seems that through all diversity they are always maintaining their best side.

And then there are the ones who I consistently give shit to for being late. When in fact they make it “OK” to take off on journeys “later in the day”. So I will just come out and say that it is I who is always running “un motivated”.  But this is why I see the most beautiful things.

So many times I have descended this mountain late. Like the time a friend turned to me and explained that it was fabulous to “feel alive” just moments after announcing her fingers were frozen. Which could have been adverted if my damn soup I carried through the snow late that night would have been warm.  But now the sunset was warming my heart as I rocketed back down the mountain.

Speaking of descending. This mountain is a consistent grade.  So much that you can expect your ass to feel like it is going to fall off on the climb.  But point the knobbies down and it is a hour long speed fest.

I can remember some descents I have had that were not so much fun. Like that time when a friend and I descended in pouring rain.  I thought for sure I was going to die from hypothermia. This mountain can be a cold bastard.  Tonight is was a warm friend.

Yea, the one thing I really miss about Missoula is the Point Six Climb.

We were done hiking and my friend wanted to show me something interesting on top of Mount Tam.

“This would be a cool place for a cross race”, I announced. “I mean, look at all the obsticles, pavement, and there is a cool run up over there”, I pointed to a dirt mound. It could of been a bunker back in the day. The place had been leveled.  At one time this part of the dual peaks was the higest part of Mt Tamalpais. But it got shaved off to build a military installation.  Now it was abandon. “We could call it MicroTrash Cross”.

I turned and looked across the bay. I was taken away by the golden dry grass in the foreground and the blue backdrop of San Francisco.  I wondered to myself what my partner was doing, probably shuttling old cycling farts around down below.  I sure missed her.

But that was a week or so ago and now I am headed out the office door to go see her.  It is Missoula or bust.

I was plucked from the San Fran streets. I was found eating butter somewhere on Scott Street. Soon I was in Marin having a awesome coffee with awesome people discussing what to do next.  It was determined that e would climb Mount Tamalpais in a car and then do a small loop near the summit.

I was feeling uneasy all of a sudden and quickly noticed the feeling as car sickness.  I mentioned how we had to pull over the day before to let my partner “almost puke”.  The roads in main County are brutally windy.  Super awesome on a road bike but windy in a car. It was announced that the road we were going up was even more “turney”.  Oh no!

Yea … I almost puked but managed to hold on until we were finally parked.  We proceeded to go an a awesome hike including multiple forests and terrain types. Sure … I was missing my partner in crime but good friends always come to the rescue with fun things to do.  And the hike that day was fun. Sometimes you feel like puking and sometimes you have fun. Thanks Leah and Cameron…o/o

Tonight I went for a ride to only have it end a little sooner then I thought (got a king of the hill). What did I do?  So I kept going.  Then an adventure happened. Today’s photos are from last Sunday. My partner and I arrived at a place called Sports Base in San Fran.  I knew instantly I should leave. And just like that I was solo in San Fran.  What happened next?  An adventure happened.

I was walking aimlessly along the beach.  It was just like in the movies.  I was sad, lonely, and I was walking thee beach with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. I chuckled to myself how corny my surroundings were. I looked around for something interesting and spotted a crowd and some interesting Greek like buildings.

I didn’t feel like a crowd and slipped into a more … um …. un-crowded area and pulled out my camera.

I was transformed to Greece and I had been taken there by a time machine.  I was the only one around and I had the place to myself.  This was fun … and it kept my mind off of my burning heart.

My adventure in Greece ended when I stumbled upon a security guard. The entire place had been rented for a wedding.  Like a wedding between some country royalty or something.  And the scruff of my neck was joined by a strong hand and thee next thing I knew I was onto adventure number two.  My friends were on there was to rescue me and take me hiking but the morning was really quite exciting … what I needed.

I spent the day pouting.  To quill the pain I did 2 ice sessions and then a core workout.  I just got back from a bike pouting ride out to the Bridgers and back.  No I really am tired and don’t give a hoot.  Pouting works.

Last week today I was on my own batching it in San Francisco. Thankfully my friends Leah and Cameron came to the rescue and took me hiking near Mt Tam.  More in tomorrows blog but I couldn’t help but remember the last sunset I saw before my partner in crime got eaten alive by the society obligation to ay rent monster.  I hate jobs.

September 22, 2012 – The Day I Felt Fallen

Today feels different, like a leaf that’s drifted away from its tree, lying on the ground, waiting for the next gust of wind. It’s September 22, 2012, and I’m engulfed in a feeling I can best describe as “fallen.”

The plan was grand – a journey from Jill’s place to Oakland, then a flight to Missoula, cycling to my car, driving to Bozeman, and finally, a bike packing adventure into the wilderness. It was supposed to be an epic adventure, a story to tell with a wide grin. But here I am, back home, my ambition seemingly evaporated.

I can’t help but liken myself to a fallen leaf, detached and at the mercy of the wind’s whims. There’s a poignant beauty in it, though. Just like the leaf, I know I’m on the brink of a new adventure, waiting for the winds of change to sweep me off again. Yet, in this moment, I’m static, grounded, “fallen.”

But isn’t there a lesson in every fall? Perhaps it’s about acknowledging the need to rest, to recharge before the next big leap. Or maybe it’s about finding contentment in stillness, in the quiet moments that life unexpectedly hands us.

As I sit here, feeling like a fallen leaf, I remember something important. The most beautiful journeys often start with a fall, a pause. They begin when we’re seemingly at our lowest, grounded, with nowhere to go but up. This isn’t just a fall; it’s a preparation for a rise.

So here’s to the fallen leaves and the adventures they foretell. The wind will come, as it always does. And when it does, I’ll be ready to ride it to my next adventure. Until then, I’ll embrace the beauty of the fall.

Resources to Enhance Your Day:

1. Embrace the Pause: Finding Contentment in Stillness – A guide on how to find peace and contentment in life’s quieter moments.
2. Adventures Await: Inspirational Cycling Routes – Ready for your next cycling adventure? Explore some of the most breathtaking routes.
3. The Beauty of Autumn: Understanding the Fall of Leaves – Delve into the science behind why leaves fall and how it relates to life’s cycles.
4. Meditative Reflections: Guided Meditations for Self-Discovery – Enhance your self-reflection journey with guided meditations.
5. Journey of a Lifetime: Travel Planning Resources – Begin planning your next epic journey with these comprehensive travel guides.

I feel like a bad friend. I go visiting and end up pouting most of the time.  Why pout?  I miss someone…pure and simple. I know, childish, highschoolish, or just plain weak. When asked what my goals were for my vacation I came up with nothing.  So what does a good friend do?  Suggest a ride and get me outdoors.

 

This friend knows that eventually one would start bike-pouting and go on a body destroy mission. You see when you go hard enough, long enough, you will eventually not really care much and the world become a more palatable place. And what makes a really good friend. One that goes out on these rides even though she just came back from a whirlwind Europe adventure rendering her fatigued.  And then to top it all off continuously produces the biggest smile even on top of the big climbs.

 

But bike-pouting usually is all about unfocused riding.  So my friend points out and guides me to the most beautiful places.  Sometimes the beauty can be healing but to share it with a good friend really makes it even more enriched.

 

Good friends also may know what you are about.  Me, I am a sucker for photos. I get in certain places and can spend hours trying to get the perfect render of what I believe symbolizes a place.  One such place was a cool beach overlook.

 

Good friends will wait patiently as you try and capture each element of a special place. Like the sun shining of crashing waves. The world can be so beautiful if you can just get distracted from what ails you at a specific time for a moment. When you slow down, stop, and start looking, there are all kinds of cool stuff.

 

What is bike-pouting the reader is undoubtedly asking right now. The reader usually being me but sometimes others stop in to read my blog.  Anyway, back to my paragraph, bike-pouting. It is a simple phrase my friend coined for times when I get focused on riding until I feel I am over “something” and then return home. Sometimes after surviving blizzards or death marches to the top of ridges in the middle of the night.  That is what good friends do as well…coin little phrases that defines you.  I am a bike-pouter.

 

Maybe I am just a sucker from dramatics.  Maybe I just strive for attention.  In any case a stop at a beautiful location is just what I needed today. The rest of the ride would be cake.

 

Speaking of cake…a good friend always has underlying motives. The reason you are friends is that you enjoy some of the same things. When a underlying motive to, let say to stop at the coolest iconic rest stop, comes to fruition then it can be the coolest surprise. Like a cool bike stop shop that takes cash on a honor  system for cool goodies.  How can I pout when there is so much coolness on a ride?

 

But then a good friend knows when to release the hounds.   It usually goes like, “This is a long climb … boy, I just am not feeling it, why don’t you just go ahead and climb at your own pace”.

 

An I was off to bike-pout.  It was a awesome climb. Thanks Jill.

I had a big blog post about my experience watching my first San Fran cross race. I am not about to re-create it after 3 attempts at posting to only have something go wrong in the blog-o-sphere. Here is the short story, to be expanded, on yesterday. Attempted San Frondo II, Missed two major checkpoints, Trouble Coffee, and this ice cream joint. Knocked myself out on a tree branch and mangled my ear. And watched men in dresses shred it up and a fully undisclosed area. Pretty cool day indeed.

I have this idea for a hike around San Fran. First I will hike to the top of Buena Vista and make plans from there. I don’t know exactly what i am about to do only that i need to do something. The story will evolve … and in ti?me I will post it here … right

Got up early today to say goodbye to my partner in crime for two weeks. Kind of wondering around now and dont know what to do. I missed my morning yak coffee due to the stresses of renting a vehicle and driving it directly through the heart of San Fran.  And I havent eaten all day as well. Kind of an abrupt end to the vacation. Sure miss her. I’ll be wondering around for a couple days for sure  …o/o

There will be time later to blog on individual adventures so I just want to post a quickie photo from where we went hiking today with our friend leah. I think maybe it is called Mount Tam-pa-licious … or something like that. A trail new to me. Expect more on this later … as always…o/o

I am at the airport waiting for our flight. My girlfriend has gone off to find water. You know there are no liquids allowed at the super secret gate entrance. Then once inside you scramble to get a container filled. All a part of walking the plank here at MSO. Tonights itinerary is to travel a pretty long way and spend the night in a motel.

Sitting here eating like a buffalo. Big wooly pigs right … or maybe that is a bear. In any case my girlfriend and I are busily preparing for our trip to California. She will be working and I will be sponging off of friends. getting fat … like this buffalo.

I am shaking violently and feel extremely sick. I can no longer walk or even follow Paul. I long left my hate-chant berating him for taking me on this drizzly death hike. To his STUPID last of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. What a dumb endeavor.  Is my need to have a friend to go hiking and biking so high that I would risk my life to endure his finishing campaign to the last peak. And this one so remote that we had to camp half way.  There was no way we were getting out of here tonight.  And I had no food.  It seems to me these Adirondack hiking people love to starve themselves to death.  Last nights meal left me more hungary then before I ate it.  Now I was going to die.

Paul stopped built a fire and I huddled around it.  But it was not until we put the heated rocks in my coat that I started feeling better.  I held onto two hot rocks as we hiked back to our lean-to and jumped into bed with more heated rocks.  I fell fast asleep.

Now almost 20 years later I am shaking so violently I cant read my thermometer. I strain to hold still just long enough to read the display. 97.2 a long way off of 95, the temperature at wich a human will need help to come back from. I am safe but shivering as though I have electricity running through my body.  I have been submerged in ice water for 40 minutes now which is a record for me.  Normally in 50-60 degree water it takes only 10-15 minutes for the first symptoms of hypothermia to start. But I know it can take up to 2 hours before I actually die.  If the water were less then 50, say 40ish, I would be in trouble in 5 minutes. In any case anything over 20 minutes in this type of environment was impossible for me about two months ago but now I have started to beat it.

I want to become cold adapted.  That way I can overcome one more of my many life failures.  Anyone want to go walk in the rain in 40 degree temperatures with me now?