the best worst idea ever.

Life's been lacking in the adventure department these days. For the time being, traveling is not in the cards, nor are long forest rides and hikes. I finally managed to fill my adventure tank just a bit with a little winter camping this past week.

Leroy was in town this week and that meant
a) good times with the SC party crew
b) winter camping / backpacking.

We filled out packs and set out in the dark on the coldest night this week - to camp in the forest. Given a still gimpy ankle, we didn't hike in far - hiking up north meadows to the bear meadows trail and into the woods to find a perfect spot under some hemlocks.

Sure, it may seem like a truly bad idea to sleep outside in the snow under the stars and hemlocks without a tent or high tech bag in 15 degree weather. But really, there isn't a better "bad" idea! I have missed the forest and immediately felt at home once i hit the trail.

a sweet fire, snacks, whiskey, a bunch of warm layers and a few sleeping bags, plus good peoples & conversation; good friends, good times.

baby steps

Sometimes the best way to forget one injury is with another. In my case, i traded in bruised ribs for a broken ankle, both of which are healing quickly. I can now walk up stairs - and down slowly. And for the first time in weeks, I road my geared bike outside. No single speed commuter action just yet, but soon I think. I can ride inside on the rollers and I am back to pullups and abs and stretching.

Granted I'm missing out on some sweet snowy forest hikes and xc skiing... BUT maybe this is OK. After working my ass off for the past three weeks, my 3rd round proposal revisions are done and submitted. And now - it's time for girls weekend!! Jess is coming back to hang for a few days and we're kicking the weekend off with an indoor trainer session with DC.

It's all about taking baby steps - patiently healing, making the best of circumstances even if less than opportune and moving forward.
Life is good. Real good.

Broken - pii

Well doc says I broke my ankle. it's my first fracture so I think it's deserving of a cake. If you're reading this feel free to indulge me. I'll think about what I want and post accordingly.

it's a hairline splinter type deal where the bone has tiny breaks at the joint from impact... there's blood and swelling and lots of other goodness... like pain when i forget and put weight on it. bottom line is... i'm kinda gimpy. and grumpy - although i'm trying my best to fight the grump and laugh at the gimp. Is that PC to say? I mean after all this means I have lots of time to work on my proposal with little distraction. it needs to be reorganized. The good news is I have a brand new set of tupperware with color coded, matching lids so i'm thinking that will help. right?

Today i went to work as remote login and being house bound for two days was a bit isolating. I put flat pedals on my rockhopper since it has lots of gears and padding via knobby fat tires and road all the way in climbing alan street with my right leg. Call me a one-legged beast. Ok... on second thought please don't. that's a totally weird thing to say.

Stop it.
thanks.

It only took twice as long to get to work with the added satisfaction of doing something outside - that was alright. I made my way into campus as I wanted to talk to my advisor / boss about my proposal since he'd read it and had asked to meet; this worked out well since he decided not to come in today.

So i hung out with Val in the lab, and fielded all of the questions, comments and concern I was hoping to avoid like "oooh, looks like that hurts", "what did you do", and my favorite " you need a wheelchair to walk around". And then came the stories of other broken bones and accidents. Totally awesome. After a day of fun and games, i got on my bike and road / rolled home.

But the good of today: Gdogg hooked me up tonight though with a fork mount for my rollers. This is pretty awesome as getting out tomorrow may be a challenge if it snows. Thanks GDOGG!!

Plus this. I can't stop laughing every time I read it. (read the right hand side below the letter from the apartment manager). They are very small ducks.

it's just been that kinda week, but hopefully, i'll heal fast. it can only get better... right?

broken... or not.

seems like a lot of stuff is breaking these days and well, since my pup isn't giving me much sympathy, i figured i'd get it all out via blog. first it was the fridge in my kitchen. then... my ribs (bruised)... then.. the leaky sink... and then the garbage disposal. Then... the light goes out in the kitchen just after i sprained my ankle and can hardly walk.. and now - now nemo, my favorite cichlid has kicked it. RIP. yes, it's been that kind of week...

last night, i fell - traversing on the wall. the crash pad was just far enough away from the wall to allow my foot to plant firmly on the hard gym floor. uncomfortable to say the least.

i iced it down and elevated it only to wake up to a foot that is less than accepting of the weight of my body. this presents a problem since i enjoy the freedom that mobility offers. i hobbled my way downstairs and called the doctor (i'm not a fan of the doctor but a huge fan of walking). my appointment was with a general doctor type at the new, geisinger facility which is not unlike a shopping mall and everyone knows how much i dislike shopping. I jerked my way to the office in the subi as depressing the clutch sent pain up my leg.

upon getting to the office, i realized i had to get IN and all the way to the check in desk which was on the other side of the building. I was cruisin down the hall at a speed that allowed atleast 5 senior citizens to pass me. one had a walker.

this is where the real fun begins. i hobbled into see the doctor and he looked at it, asked why my toes were red (it was cold out, i reminded him of that fact), asked me about a bone on my foot (which was fine and as it always had been) and suggested i needed an xray without even checking for mobility. better yet is the fact that the xray facility was downstairs on the other side of the mall. he asked if i was with anyone who could help me get there?

ha!
i said no and he looked at me and suggested i use the elevator.
right.
off i went - all the way back down the medical super highway, to the enormous elevator to get an xray being passed by a few more hobbling senior citizens. post-xray, the tech, who was actually pretty cool, insisted i use a wheelchair to get back up stairs. i fought it but before i knew it, i was cruising down the hall on 10" rims. oh yea high roller! badass.

back up in the doctors office he contemplated my xrays seeing just a small fuzzy area that may or may not suggest a fracture... then he referred me to an orthopedic doctor. once again not checking the actual foot. no painkillers, no wrapping of the foot, no nothing... just a possible broken foot... or not. i'm convinced of the not part.

so off i went down the hall, rolling on 10" rims, which i had to drop off at the door and then hobble my way to my car.. and jerk my way home.

so alas, i sit here on my couch... next to my tank with the dead fish and the kitchen with multiple broken appliances and faint light, with a discomfort in my healing bruised rib and a swollen foot.

i guess it could be much worse... it's just that kind of week.

fillin in...

i've been suffering from writers block the past few months. I begin to write, rethink, reorganize and can't quite seem to get thoughts organized in a way that's worthy of hitting "publish". I was going to write about the turkey apocalypse and black friday, but really why bother? i'm not one for turkey and hate shopping. It would be an all out bitch session really.

the past few months have been filled with life's ups and downs. for instance, on a sad note, two people i knew died in october. both before their time. it was a sad and difficult month to say the least coupled with family chaos. I was happy to start over in November.

I've been working hard - and playing even harder. On the work front, I dove into my dissertation proposal full force managing to push out a full draft of my proposal - 26 pages and 3 objectives worth. Killer. I hope I'm finally on the right path -- we'll see what the committee (just about formed) has to say. And on the play front, i've taken up a new sport -- rock climbing. Really, there's no better way to conquer your fear of heights than to go out and climb a rock. Admittedly I'm equally bad at rock climbing as I am mountain biking but I have a hell of a time trying - especially the part where your suspended 50 or more feet above the ground placing your life in the hands of your belayer. the rush of fear is surprisingly cool. plus i have a pretty awesome climbing partner who kicks my ass putting me on hard routes. good times.

Climbing has exposed me to a group of awesome new, non-judgemental people. The sport challenges in a seemingly non-competitive way. On the rock, it's just you, and it. And with a partner, you build trust as really your safety is in their hands conversely theirs is in yours. it's badass. and perhaps worthy of another blog in and of itself. not so badass is the fact that my knees are bruised to hell and in the midst of it all i managed to somehow bruise my ribs which apparently take weeks to heal. For the past week and a half it's hurt to run, do pull-ups, walk, breath, lay on my side, laugh, sneeze... you get the idea. it got so painful i started popping ibuprofen like popcorn - ok not really. i've taken atleast 4 doses though and given the fact that i hate taking medicine you can imagine why i'm not psyched about that. I figured this remedy was better than exposing the world to a generally grumpy person given the discomfort. I'm convinced it's on the mend now.

after a much needed hiatus from the summers mad miles, i'm also back on the bike - in a painfully slow way. only 1-2 times a week for now but i've started running during the week with my little girl given it's dark by the time i get home from work these days. I used to hate running but it is growing on me. Chaya and I are slowly building miles and getting into shape.

in a nutshell that about sums up the past few weeks. perhaps this post will deflate the writers block a bit... i guess if nothing else, it provides good fill in on happenings past. to be continued...

trailwork pii - Carnage on North Meadows

It's near impossible to ride in the forest without clearing your way these days. Tonight, we witnessed the bloody, (pardon my nonfrench) mess that is / was North Meadows. I'll have to say, the three of us did a stellar clean up job. It was gnarly in parts.

The power of teamwork. So sweet.

The guys had to split a ways down and i was left to tackle the base. I lost some steam without the team but did manage to clear a largely ridable path.

Above: You would be surprised how much one person can move. Large tree tops can often be rolled off the path.
Below: Not perfect, but ridable.

Some are appreciative of our forests and demonstrate that by helping cleanup.
Some just walk on by and say "good luck".
Nice.

carnage in the woods

Deciduous and coniferous trees have very strategic structural adaptations to deal with harsh winter conditions. Deciduous trees lose their leaves for a reason - to alleviate weight bearing mass on their woody frames. in other words - leave drop so they can handle snow. This weekend, we were witness to trees when winter preceeds fall. Sheer and utter devastation.

Bear meadows at the intersection with kettle. The forest service has been working hard to clear the roads.

Kettle trail - my little trail helper. We passed another working on trails on his own. props to the local cycling community - we love our trails and forest.

Chaya doesn't have to worry about spokes or a derailleur. she just bunny hops it all.
Right: Some stop to smell the flowers, others the leaves...


up tuxedo...really there is a trail here. we found it.

in some instances entire trees were on the ground.
We moved as much as we could.

it was lovely none the less. so much snow.



Ironically, this "devastation" is a very natural process. we only find it unnatural because it impedes OUR use of the forest. In a truly natural system, woody debris would accumulate incrementally burning off in phases. However we have effectively eliminated fire from our forests on the east - case in point take note - most of the down trees are red maples. this topic however is an entirely different post. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Natural or not, my heart was a bit sore seeing the forest so torn up.

fragile

It's been a hard few weeks.
But harder yet is this story of a woman, battling cancer. She died Thursday, on the scene, after being hit by a truck; her husband was taking her to the hospital for treatment. To some it's just another headline in the news. To others, it's all too real.

I'm not sure how to process this information. What do I say to her husband when I see him next? Do I send a card? That hardly seems to be a meaningful gesture.
Is there anything, anything in the world that I could do to make things better? What about their family? Her sister?

my heart is sore contemplating this tragic story of fighting losing the one who means most to you in the world in one way to a consuming disease; but then watching them disappear suddenly and abrasively - the unexpected.

life is - fragile. live it while it's here.

national parks

My friend Ben told me about this documentary series. You can watch online through October 9 or catch it on PBS on TV. The series explores the parks beginning with early historical political roots touching on issues of conservation, preservation and a hint of philosophy (Muir). It's well worth watching! Thanks Ben!

Check it out here.

I miss the west in a big way...

conservation education - neotropical migrant pen pals

G sent me this article yesterday. It's short - and touches on the importance of conservation education in a creative way, interesting. Read here.

Avian conservation issues are global. Neotropical migrants like this warbler, raptors (like broad wings) and other species migrate beyond the borders of the United States (north and south). Conservation efforts in the US may be frivolous without equal measures taken in breeding and wintering grounds outside of the country. Cool stuff.

gettin' our migrate on???

yes folks, it's that time. unfortunately for us, big birds are leavin' town. I'm not talking about the yellow big bird either. It's hawk migration season. And this week is peak migration for Broad Winged Hawks.

Just in case you wondered, central PA is prime migration territory. Raptors follow thermal air belts that peak beginning in late august /early September through October and then slowly die / begin to cool. Specifically, in the Ridge and Valley, currents bounce off or ridge tops and sink into lowlands, creating ideal conditions for soaring (given a unique body mass : wing span ratio raptors soar in liu of flapping their wings). Believe it or not, our little rural region is one of the best for eagle sightings! And now is wave 1/2 of bald eagle migration with phase two later in the fall when Goldens begin to travel. Temperature and wind affects how many birds one may see on any given day.

Broad wings migrate early given their extended trip down to south america. The often travel in large "packs" known as kettles. Today we saw kettles of 8-12 birds at a time however they have been known to travel by the 100's!

My buddy the red tail.He's a buteo (short tail, fat body and thick wings). Take note of the dark belly band, the dark edge on the top front edge of the wing and the short broad tail and thick wingspan.

Rattlesnake next to the hawk platform - with 5 babies (one on the right).

Acipiter - Coopers Hawk. Not the long body - long tail with rounded feathers, crooked wings and round head. Classic cooper form. UPDATE: i think this may be a kestrel??? pointy wings and no streaks... hmmmm.

A broad-wing kettle!

Left: osprey - click on the pict. note the long wing span and dihedral form. Right: red-tail. note the windows in the wings, the dark bar at the front edge and the belly band!

Left: broad wing. Right: what has a white head and tail??? (hint: BALD EAGLE)

Turkey vultures...

not a hawk...

tree hugger

Today I hugged a tree.
This act of tree hugging, on some days, might be a metaphor for some greater save-the-baby-whales type effort; however today, it was a literal and much less meaningful event.

I, I mean Reynolds, nicked said tree with the handlebars. I then reached out to save face. One scar is enough, I don't need two. The tree just wasn't havin' it; it sent a branch into my arm and laid me down on some rocks. hard.

oooooh. that was low.

The trail: lewistown contingent, a twisty, rooty, rocky, off-camber and generally slippery mother trail; it's my nemesis. one day we'll see eye to eye. today was not that day.

I had to sit for a moment to regain composure. It left me with a few lovely knots on my quad and back side (u know what i mean) which are currently swelling into perfect golf-ball shaped form. It also left a perfectly positioned set of slits on my arm right where sleeves and arm warmers hit; a pleasant reminder of said fall for the rest of the ride.

Truth be told the fall was worth it and hardly bad. Namely because I continued on and cleared some stuff that previously was too gnarly in my mind's eye to attempt. (thanks to encouragement by dave and kendra!). (image right: me contemplating the same ledge that i managed to atleast get up on - on two wheels today. so sweet!)

rad. it was a sweet ride.

It's not so bad, being a tree hugger and all. As long as one can accept that trees are not always our friends; I still like them though. It's just that sometimes they take you down. Then you get back up and keep pedaling, dammit; muscle it out and grind through. It's the only way to get over and through life's rocks.

ridge

The ridge trail is one of the most fun, accessible and beautiful trails in the forest. For me, it's particularly good for practicing technical riding given numerous rocks and log piles. Today, for the first time, I cleared most of the piles, and some of the rocks; strangely enough with confidence! So sweet. I took my time and tried again and again until I got it right. Some things were cleared lacking grace - others, smooth. I road until my mind and body were spent... so awesome.

The burn area is a favorite spot. There are numerous birds including nesting blue birds and Red-headed woodpeckers.

The weather today was perfect.

This little combo throws me off because the two piles are so close and slightly off camber (IE you can't just roll through you need momentum AND a bit of direction).

i got it finally after a few tries. rad.

I used to always look at this pile and think it was way too tall for me to clear. It's actually really smooth - in both directions. Double rad.

My reward for rocking the logs today was bombing down camp trail, splashing through the rocky stream at the base. It was sweet. I earned it. Reynolds is now officially my favorite bike. The challenge of the trails makes me want more. And more. and more...