Durango MTBing

Work has been hectic and stressful for the past month. Lots of late nights and hours way beyond the normal 40 per week. I’m getting compensated with flex time, so that was the good thing. All the major deliverables are out of the way until the end of May. Then another wave in June. Regardless, the storm has cleared and today I took some much needed VACATION (in my backyard, which is pretty cool)!!

I was going to ride Animas, a trail that Matt recently introduced me to. However, Matt suggested that today, I skip that trail and do the Colorado Trail to Gudy’s Rest up to the intersection at Dry Fork, then take Dry Fork to Hoffeins Connection and back down the Colorado Trail. I took his advice, and am I ever glad I did! It was a windy day today, but I was sheltered during this ride.

I’ve been doing some mountain biking in the area…Horse Gulch, Test Track, Farmington’s Road Apple, Phil’s World…but something just seemed to be missing. Don’t get me wrong, these are great rides, but I kept coming back feeling slightly deprived. Today (and even yesterday on my partial ride in Animas), I found what had been lacking in my rides. I wasn’t getting the long, sustained climbs. I wanted singletrack that wasn’t totally sandy, loose, or covered in rocks everywhere. I wanted some trees overhead…some shade. I wanted to be blocked from the ever present wind. Today, I found my zen.

I did have one interloper on the trail, but he really didn’t bother me. We enjoyed the solitude together.

Matt wondered what took me so long on the ride today. It was my zen. When I’m alone on a ride on certain trails, there is a certain calmness and peace that I truly enjoy. Sometimes I just have to stop and look around, listen to my surroundings, and enjoy the silence.

Sometimes I’ll ride really hard until I can’t push it anymore. Some meditate, but for me, it’s more about being alone, and enjoying something that provides relaxation. For me, zen is doing rides like today, or chilling with Matt.

Now I remember why I like to ride by myself sometimes.

30.71 miles, 3399 feet of elevation climbing…ahhhh….