February is so far away, I don't even really remember what all life has thrown at me since then.
Where have I hiked, how have we raced, how many miles have I flown...? I really need to do better with this. Soon, my mind will begin to see these images blurry, as they fade supplanted by new, more extreme moments of beauty.
Yes, OneRepublic, this indeed is the good life!
Paddling season started and it's been a rocky year. There are always hopes for what each new season will bring, preferable better than the last, building blocks, but when that falls short....it's really hard to keep your love for the game, especially when competition is in your soul. I compete paddling, then I head to the hills to regain normalcy.
I have been home twice, seen the little boy, played in the rain, walked barefoot in fields that go as far as the eye can see, hugged my family, had sunburn, grew tomatoes....
BRADAN!!!!
Me, Cailin, Caroline! Love my sisters!
AVILA, 3rd place Open Bradley
Evening over the Yadkin Rover Bottom, NC
What is left in store for us? Wow, what a summer to come! This month is nothing put paddling, with weekday evening hikes to get fresh air (I need to post some Sierra Club hikes to get my COL status updated!). August finds us in 9-Man racing season, with three long races, and no weekends off to disappear into the hills. Labor Day weekend, we attempt 9 Peaks, from San Bernardino to San Gorgonio. That next weekend is the US Outrigger Championships from Newport Beach CA to Avalon CA. The NEXT weekend, we are up at Cottonwood Lakes, doing a New Army Pass to Mount Langley Saturday and Sunday, with Monday being our D-DAY, Whitney one-day summit!!!!! The first weekend in October, we have a 4 day Yosemite trek from Tuolumne Meadows to Half Dome and Yosemite Valley.
After all this, another Whitney overnighter in the snow, then time to look homeward to NC...for good.
Yes, this indeed is the Good Life.
