**UPDATED 1.15.2018**
I wrote this post as my first 5 years ago. As I was tracking out new terrain today on my shoes, I thought about this post. Its crazy how some things are completely different and some haven't changed a bit. Ken and I were out just a few days ago on our snowshoes and pretty similar to 5 years ago, it was impromptu and fun.
Fun is a relative term. If you have ever spent half a day with me, you've probably heard me say this; "Fun is relative". Some chose the more popular "fun" activities, like skiing, biking, reading(per my wife), or lounging in our local Hot Springs. But, again, fun is relative. There is plenty of "fun" for all.
The definition of fun:
fun
1.amusement: a time or feeling of enjoyment or amusement
2.something amusing: something that provides enjoyment or amusement
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| the best training partners, under 7 miles... |
This now brings me to the most recent "fun" I encountered with a friend, yesterday. Lets call my friend Ken, simply because well, that's his name. Ken and I have been friends almost as long as I have lived in this mountain town, 13 years. We have biked countless miles together, some seasons more miles than others, and we both share a love of cheap beer. Ken and I set out on an impromptu snowshoe outing on a secret stash of trails/ranch roads in North Glenwood. Nothing out of the norm for us. The day is perfect and so is the trail. But... that's not enough for me.Yes, I was having "fun", but there must be more "fun" out here somewhere? As I check our surroundings, I spot more "fun"! "How are you feeling back there?" I ask Ken. Ken says "good??" with a bit of hesitation. I think he's on to me. "How bout we bushwhack up to the top of that ridge?". Ken obliges, with more hesitation. I am now experiencing more "fun"! I hurry to find a good gap in the sage to navigate to the base, hang my snowshoes on a limb as a reference point for descending, and start my push up. It is muddy(understatement), and the snow slushy(and another...), and there is no clear path which shouldn't surprise anyone reading this, if you know me. Suddenly, I can feel the excitement, adrenalin rushes, and I surge and scramble upwards making my own trail in the direction of the summit. This is "FUN"! I look over at my two best training partners, Cori and Jessy, and their experiencing it as well! Running, diving, digging in the mud as two chocolate labs do best. "FUN" screams across the face of Jessy. It's addictively contagious, and I push even harder, managing to eek out a grin proving that this must be "fun"! I pause to check my surroundings, take in a quick view, search for a hole in the sage to find the next line up, and look back for Ken. He is below mumbling explicits at first, then they aren't mumbles. I spot him, and his body language says it all, not "fun". Seriously, how can this not be "fun"? I wait. He catches up. We talk. He has a half dozen reasons why this was a bad idea, and only one has any validity. He is not having "fun", and that is good enough. We agree that he will head back down, and I will push on for more "fun". I know, I know, not the best idea, but reason gets pushed aside for "fun". We part. I scramble up with a purpose, and eventually reach the rocky outcropping that I had viewed from below, 2,000+ vertical feet above our starting point.
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| view from the ridge of West Glenwood Springs |
Wow. Views. Silence. I rest and praise the dogs, snap a few pics, and head back trying to follow my original line. A little sketchy in spots, but otherwise fast and "fun", I bound down. I can't help but to anticipate my next visit to this rocky ridge line. It's only going to get warmer, and drier, and I might just be faster. Maybe I wont be, but one thing is for sure, it's gonna be "fun!"
Update: Ken made it home safely. I caught up to him about a mile from our start. He appeared to be having "fun".
