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SEMPER PARATUS!

If you are like me training for mountaineering will get mundane after a while.  This is especially the case when the next trip is 4-6+ months in the future.  It seems the further out the trek the worse off the motivation will be.  In order to be ready for a multi-day outing you need to train your mind and body for the arduous task.  The gym won’t cut it!  You need some real world challenges to keep you motivated.

For me personally I took up bicycling when my youngest brother sold me his Cannondale CAADX in the Summer of 2017 to train for a trip to Colorado.  That got old too until I picked up the app for my phone called STRAVA!

You can’t beat good old competition to motivate results!  Granted, segment runs are only part of the fun the real thrill comes from riding with friends and family.  Cycling provides a phenomenal low impact way to gain fitness and build lower body muscles, boost endurance, and train your mind to stick with it on those long rides.  I continue to be amazed at the results in my running and climbing without the aches and pains from jogging.

More than a few people have steered away from bicycling for fear of reckless motorists.  This is an understandable concern, but the risk can be mitigated in quiet county locations such as where I live.

I encourage everyone to at least give it a try!  Borrow a friend’s bike or check out your local bike shop for a loaner.  Blue Stone Bike and Run is one great place to start.

And while you’re at it check out some of my stats on STRAVA:

Segment Details via STRAVA

Summary: Over the summer my wife traveled to Colorado while I kept the kiddos for the week.  I took them up one of the longest and most rewarding hikes in the area: The Priest.  I logged their time via STRAVA.  They did great!  All but the youngest did it on their own.  This is where it starts with good memories with dad.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1784105559/embed/e807c4466ce1314196ee2ef59cd1c0d9f34f5714

After a busy week it is nice to spend a solid weekend with the family.  I sometimes forget how important the time spent is.

On Sunday we took a walk in the wonderful Winter Storm Gia as meteorologists have decided to call it.  25 degrees, plenty of snow coming down, wife, and four kids headed out to inspect the road and just enjoy our time together.

Before I knew it I had already pulled a solid lead ahead of the wifey to look back and hear her say “Why are you always walking in front of me?”  I know she’s right.  I should slow down and be with them.  So as I walk with her I’m analyzing why I just have to walk so briskly all the time.  My mind is always on the destination and feel pushed to get there.  The journey is completely lost with eyes locked on the distant destination.  Before I know it the children will be grown, the smiles and laughter and fun times all in the past, the meaningful memories and simple times gone.

So my message to all the passerbys is to enjoy the journey on the way to the destination.  It is more than worth it.

It doesn’t happen that often, but when local ice develops because of unusually cold temperatures the brothers jump on it!

We had been watching the forecasts and as soon as the kitchen faucet froze I knew it was time to go climbing.

Overnight lows all the way down to -3 made for a very brittle experience.  Thankfully the wind only came on now and then.  It would have been a terrible experience on a windy day at those temperatures!

Last month I celebrated 10 years of marriage with my woman.  Kelli and I were married on October 27th, 2007 in Harrisonburg and spent a wonderful honeymoon in Colorado for several weeks.  It seems the mountains are always at the heart of what we do together.

This year we had the family and climbed, hiked, and spend good time around the valley.

We even managed to get out on a date to Hidden Rocks then went downtown to Staunton for some amazing Pho at Snap Dragon on East Beverly.

I’m often called to the mountains, but its my wife I yearn to be with.  There are a few songs that make me think of her.  One in particular stands out:

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home (Official Video)

“Home is whenever I’m with you.”

At K2 in a Snowstorm

Have you ever been to a far off place or to the edge?  It seems that all I can think about when I am here are my loved ones– especially my wife of ten years this October 27, 2017.

The back story: Recently I traveled to Colorado and left my family behind to climb in the Rockies with two of my brothers.  I actually have four brothers.  Two are domestic and two are wild when it comes to the mountains.  We had a grand scheme to climb Capitol Peak and a whirlwind 27 hour window.

We took off from my Aunt’s house at 7 or 8 or so Thursday evening and finished the trip back at her house at 11 or so Friday evening with a two hour bivy in the middle.  Pretty rough!  Needless to say we were wiped out.  Check out the photos and story here.

At one point in the climb I became aware of the sheer drops on either side of the ridge that plummeted down unforgivingly a thousand feet or more.  The wind whipped at me and the snow came in waves off and on.  I am a mortal man and felt I had enough looking over the edge slick as it was.  I admitted defeat and sat there looking down the path I had come.  In my head all I could think about was my wife and the sheer beauty of her friendship.  The view is incredible and my body is warm beneath the layers.  I could sit here for a while.  Home calls.

Face Time before coming home.