ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

The sun was out today and that made all the difference.  Sure, the cool, crisp February air still has a grip on central Pennsylvania, but yeah...the sun makes all the difference in the world.  I have a trainer...but I rarely use in.  I'd rather ride 5 miles outside in the cold, windy, overcast January and February weather than ride 30 on a trainer.  I've written on numerous occasions about my desire and need to be outside to soak in Vitamin N and reap the benefit of outside exercise...but it is during the months of January and February that those things become even more important.  The crux of the matter is that those two months are the hardest time of the year to experience those things that help keep me balanced. Just being out in the sun on an unmarked trail at Rocky Ridge County Park. -- February 1, 2020 I believe in seasonal depression.  It's real and it can be a struggle for a lot of people...including me.  The amount of time spent ind...

Life is one step in front of the other.  For those of us who mountain bike life can be described as the the continuous cranking of the pedals.  No matter if you choose to take a hike or to ride a bike...it's that sense of beauty, exhilaration, fun, and inspiration that propels us forward down the trail.  But...what about that trail that passes beneath our feet and disappears under our rolling tires?  I can't believe that I'm the only person who has ever paused to wonder who originally blazed it?  Who maintains it?  What historic figures may have traveled on it?  And...if the trail could talk...what would it say?... what stories could it tell?... and what advice would it give? Possibly something as simple as this: WALK INTO BEAUTY STAY ON YOUR PATH FIND INSPIRATION AROUND EVERY TURN TREAD LIGHTLY PACK LIFE WITH GOOD MEMORIES EVERY DAY HAS IT'S UPS AND DOWNS WATCH YOUR STEP! Enjoy! ADVICE FROM A TRAIL -- YOUR TRUE NATURE WALK I...

Backtracking is something that use to bother me...especially when mountain biking.  I'm not sure if it was a sense of failure..."Crap...we went the wrong way...we need to head back"...or if I just simply liked looking at my Garmin and Strava maps and seeing a big loop tracing my route.  Backtracking, however, can be helpful.  By teaching me where NOT to ride, that sense of "failure" that I mentioned earlier can also serve as a learning tool...or, in some cases, it can even introduce a whole new path that can be taken on future rides and hikes.  As of recently, backtracking has become increasingly part of my rides.  Riding the same trail in opposite directions changes everything about it...the view is different, the ups and downs are reversed, and the twists and turns flow differently...completely altering the usual dynamic of the trail. Taking a break during an incredibly peaceful solo ride at Rocky Ridge County Park . -- December 23, 2019 As 2019 sl...