Tuesday, June 17, 2014

On Trail

Coming out of my third week on trail, I can conclude that time is a weird warp in this wilderness gig. It is quite similar to my bike trip, but now the timeless existence of living moment to moment, of confusing the days and memories that are all going faster than one could handle is mashed into an attempt to make it s regulated lifestyle. With that I remember with joy one of the Six Truths of Life as coined by Liz Coates, Allison Wickham and Lisbeth Rasmussen, which is: There is No such thing as time, there is only the Eternal Moment of Now. Duh. 

Over the course of my first three trail weeks, I have been successfully made fun of for being a walking mess with the worst pack system Utah has ever seen with a backpack too small, a daypack too big and a food bag dragging my arm to the ground. Today I shout a big hallelujah for the two new packs I bought today with the help of my Guide Buddy Chynna that should remedy my pack annoyance. Most importantly, one of them is hot pink. 

Other notable moments so far-
-a student accused me of stalking him. My response: Well, yes. I am your guide who is paid to literally make sure you never leave my sight. 
-a student half succeeded with licking my arm for the fun of it. This same student also managed to spray her toothpaste spit all over me in effort to demonstrate her improved skills. 
-I used lines from the snail movie Turbo to motivate a student to mountain bike after FIVE hours of refusing to cooperate
-I carved a tiny mini wooden spoon-WHAT
-A 2-3 hour planned activity turned into a 20 hour day that included strenuous exertion and going ten hours before eating a meal. Talk about stamina building 

Otherwise, my focus has been to take the opportunities as they come and find some calm in the chaos that has ensued upon my life. 

Last but not least of this year long post, about two weeks ago my bicycle was stolen on a Sunday night before I went on trail the next morning. My Immediate reaction: Shock. Heart break. Loss. Confusion. Independence gone. Freedom of riding taken away. 

After sitting with it a bit, I appreciate my bike for all that it taught me, the freedom it provided for me and the sheer amount of sweat, emotion and empowerment that I poured into my bike. I have skills I would not otherwise have. I say farewell and thank you to my surly disk trucker with hot pink handlebar tape knowing that the partnership and experiences will always stay with me. Thank you to my family who acknowledged and know how much my bike and the loss of it mean to me. 

A photo taken whole touring Park City with my adopted SLC mom named Liz and her daughter. Met them at a yard sale one fine Saturday morning. 

Xavier Rudd concert. The man has the lungs of a superhuman. Powerful presence. 

A bowl being carved in the works by one of my amazing co-guides on trail at skills camp. 
New packs. (Note the importance of hot pink)
P.s. dyed my hair with kool aid. 



1 comment:

  1. So Awesome! Keep posting. Your ability to choose to learn from life is always an inspiration to me.

    ReplyDelete