ABOVE THE NOISE AND CONFUSION
FIVE OR SIX OF US WERE SUPPOSED TO MEET UP TODAY. Instead, it was just me and Smiles, and he had to be back early. The trail, which is quite rugged...
... was unusually deserted.
We climbed for well over an hour before seeing a single soul, at which point we parted ways.
I climbed on, up and through a near-empty campground...
... the next singletrack was a place known for cougar encounters.
It was too pristine,
too sacred a morning,
to be concerned about...
... what could go wrong miles from help?
The final mile and a half gains 1000', with pitches well above 20%.
I could hear a few propellor planes in the distance.
Other than that,
silence.
I laid my bike down,
grabbed a tasty crepé,
and sat on a metal bar meant to keep traffic on the gravel road.
No need to hurry,
It was difficult to leave.
I was glad nobody else made it,
the solitude was cleansing.
These days, it can be so difficult to rise above the noise and confusion and here I was...
... far above the illusions that tug us daily here and there.
And, I had a thought.
What if I tried something different this coming season.
Rather than block out Saturdays from some brutal group ride, or racy MTB PR-chasing throwdown...
... what if I dedicated more time for adventures?
I'd still get the hard efforts in the day before with structured workouts.
Gotta hit those highs.
But, rather than a couple of times in the offseason...
... most of my Saturdays would be filled with adventure.
Scoping out new single track on the MTB,
discovering new gravel routes...
... driving to the start of something new vs rolling from home for the same ol' ride.
Would I have more blissful moments like today, accompanied by the inherent risks of new territory and riding alone?
Can they be manufactured,
forced?
Would I lose fitness?
Would I lose the racer's edge?
Something to think about as I take some time off before ramping up for the new season.
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164.5 lbs
7 hrs
Pushups and Pullups
20 minutes recovery
20 minutes reading + Journaling
