Writing about stuff from 2011 in 2012

I meant to compile a number travel photos and experiences from 2011 and post them in a blog. Clearly, now that it is early 2012 , I have been a bit delayed in this undertaking. For most of my life I have spent time in the mountains on skis or on a bike. 2011 was the year that I began to identify, on a profound level, with “riding mountains” rather than just the snow or trails. During the rainy spring/summer of 2011 I was obsessively mountain biking the Coastal Redwood Forests of Northern California. It was then on a series of rides that my perception changed. It started like this: I was riding on a long ascent in my favorite riding spot in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s a 30 mile trail network in a 2600 acre second growth Redwood forest that sits between 1000-2000ft above the Pacific Ocean. During this climb lengthy climb I made a mental connection between back country skiing in the winter and trail riding my mountain bike. The similar ritual with the two activities was that I would hike or ride up for some time and then descend. Because of where I like to ride and ski it is often I am descending through forests and positioning my body to make the best of my rate of descent on a given decline. Perhaps it was that I was spending more time hiking and then riding down mountains than I ever had before. Up until 2011 I mainly rode ski lifts to ascend mountains. In 2011, I started skinning and hiking more to ski the snow I wanted to access. I also bought a lighter bike the same year which afforded me longer climbs and more mileage on my rides. More time on the mountains meant a better connection. Here is an analogy: A surfer rides a wave and a skier/mtn biker rides a mountain. Sure it makes sense, but I hadn’t really thought about how central this experience is to my existence. I spend significant energy in my life riding mountains near and far. I hope by sharing the beauty and adventure that I can give insight to those who might ask why I do what I do. I also share to create a chronology of some of the beauty I’ve witnessed and the thoughts I have had along the way.