C-Word

Commitment is a pretty big deal in the adult world. Katie and I are getting into the two week zone for our wedding. Simultaneously I am preparing for a 101 mile mtn bike ride that will have over 13,000 feet of vertical climbing. There are parallels to these two events. The wedding is the beginning of a new commitment to Katie and raising a family, and the bike ride is attempting to meet a goal I set for myself (that goal was to ride a hundred miles or a "century," and this will be decidedly harder than a road ride as it is all off-road and technical). Both represent stepping to the next level of commitment in life. There will be compromise and suffering, but the end result is to build and grow. Hard work is the corner stone for both events. Stepping up to the plate is the first challenge for both marriage and a challenging goal like riding 100 miles. Setting the proper. sustainable, pace and holding the course will make the challenges surmountable.

Using sports metaphors is one of my downfalls. I can go on and on refrencing athletic endeavors I have never even been a part of in order to try to explain myself. Maybe its the simplest common denominator when it comes to passing ideas. Whatever. Riding a bike has so many metaphors wrapped into its simple rubber-meets-road (or trail) front.

Climbing. To get to a goal, no matter if it is to be a good husband and father or the top of a mountain, one must work hard. With each revolution of the cranks or the planet, its the amount of work you put in that will determine the payoff in the end. I have been driving Katie crazy because I always have tons of little projects eating up my attention instead of putting more into helping prepare for the wedding. I see that pattern a lot with dudes, they ask for a hand in marriage, then just want to show up at the ceremony and have it done with. Fact is, there is a lot to get done and if I want my lady to love me the day we tie the knot, I have to put in the effort that shows her I aim to get to the top of that hill. Tonight we meet with Bill Doricott, the gentleman who will be marrying us, to scout out the Cement Creek Ranch spread. Katie and I have been down to the meadow, but now it is time to lay out the game plan and refine the process. Its like Lance Armstrong taking the time to ride the course of Le Tour before the event. The more familiar we become with the territory the better we will be prepared come the Big Day.

This bike ride, dubbed the Crested Butte Classic, will go from the Brick Oven Pizzeria deck in downtown Crested Butte, out to Strand Hill and Deer Creek, back to the deck, then 403/401 (aka 804) via Slate River Road and our version of L'alp Duez - and there is still a lot of snow up there - back to the deck, and finally a 27 mile crusher to the Dyke Trail before returning for the last time to the deck and eternal glory - or something like that. Climb after climb. On sunday I rode a 65 mile epic to see how I would feel. All things considered it went very well. I am prone to suffer back pain, but that faded after about 30 miles. Setting a sustainable pace and conserving energy for the climbs seemed to make the ride very enjoyable. In fact, after a particularly good charge on Deadman's Gulch and subsequent 30+ switchbacks, I had to reel myself in because I was giddy with excitement and using more energy than I should have on the downhill. Maintaining energy output for steady performance meant forcing myself to eat even when I was not hungry. A waterbottle filled with a recovery beverage was really helpful, I rationed it like it was a life saving elixer and that seemed to help as a carrot of sorts. As far as the metaphor goes, every detail holds deeper meaning and sitting in the saddle for hours on end gives me time to make the connections. Maybe on the surface it means nothing, but with every rotation of the wheels comes a connection to a better understanding of myself and what it takes to become more and better. If that means suffering, drooling, whimpering, and all the aches and pains that come with challenge, it also means elation, ecstacy, and pleasure on the flip side.

roundtrip

We drove into Crested Butte at about ten last night. Too tired to pay attention to much besides the white and yellow lines until we got out of the car and took a look at the sky. Infinity seems tangible when looking into the clear nights out here. The Milkyway is painted across the sky and accentuated by the darkness of space and light from glowing stars. Still, too tired to do much more than drop my jaw and stumble into the house and soon after, bed.

New England forests and coast, homes and stonewalls seem to be in my soul. Time spent with my family and friends in the place that shaped me through my early years always soothes an itch that lay deep within. The bugs, humidity, rain, and attitude are all part of it. Breathing deep breathes of wet, rich-air tastes like a glass of cool water to a parched mouth. I have been missing New England more and more and was grateful for some time to commune. Katie stayed in CB for the first week, so I had time to ride my bike around and daydream, trace the steps I plodded through childhood, and visit old friends. I got the chance to race through Haley Farm and Bluff Point as well. The requisite slashes of blood on my biceps from arching a turn through the densest of New England briar patches. Spider webs wrapped across my face and torso as I navigated the maze of trails criss-crossing the forests. Gross, yet comforting. Dark brown earth and verdant canopies bluring into a living screen of vision.

Friendships are so sweet. Matt and CC Curtiss just moved back to Mystic. Tim and Jen DeBell are established there. Fudge is still holding down GLP. Jimmy Hewitt, Maury Polk and their lovely daughter Josephine came back to visit and attend Alli and Ben's wedding. Being surrounded by friends and family sweetens the visit so much. Taking the time to sit and eat, laugh, share thoughts, and enjoy each others company, to carry these relationships forward, fills me. Sharing Ben and Alli's wedding in Western MA was amazing. Set on a farm on the side of a rolling valley, careful details attended to and more friends piled into the mix; Nathan and Jipala, Brooks Townsend, Shelly Lawrence, Andy and Danielle Helbig, and more. Ben and Alli, two of the best spirited people I know, looked so beautiful and happy. This is just gushing, I know, but being a part of all this sharing, loving, friendship stuff is what makes me tick.

Family: Katie and I are about to start our own. We will share our wedding ceremony with a heep of friends and family members from AK to New England. Speaking for both of us, we are really pretty giddy with excitement about the gathering/celebration. New families are being added and intertwined in my life. Andrew and MK Curtiss are expecting their first in late July and have had a lot of complications along the way. Right now MK is on mandated bed rest, but mom and baby are doing ok. I'm thinking good thoughts for them all. Nathan and Jipala are three months into their first pregnancy - the idea of these two having a baby makes me so happy. Jimmy and Maury asked me to be Josie's Godfather! I am blown away and honored. This is a profound shift in the lives of my friends, Katie and me. I am grateful to be a part of all this.

After two weeks on the road I am glad to be back in Crested Butte. Christian called me last night while I was sitting on the plane in Denver waiting to fly to Gunnison. He was inviting me on a ride to Doctor's Park - the infamous trail where I broke my collar bone and ended up with 15 stitches above my eye. I was all for going on the ride, but like life, there are always twists. None of the four bags Katie and I checked in at T.F. Green in Providence made it to Gunnison. No bags, no bike, no worries. Katie and I are going to plant some flowers for the wedding. It's a beautiful day and time to engage it.