Its that time of year when many of us habitually reminisce and reflect. A recent stroll through my mind, my training log, my travel journals, and my photos made me keenly aware of the fact that I faced some tough challenges in 2014. I also reached an undeniable conclusion that I managed to do and see a lot. This country is dotted with countless impressionable sites and people. I consider myself blessed to have the wheels, energy, and curiosity required for endurance sports and adventure traveling.
It is also important to note that most of these adventures and races allowed me to interact with some incredible people. Those people supported, humored, taught, and inspired me more than I have or can express. Perhaps the best expression of kinship or friendship is time spent together, so I intend to continue to do more of that in the future.
If you know me at all then you know that I'm a data freak, a counter, and a number cruncher ( yep, you're rolling those eyes!). Here are some of the numbers from 2014:
17,330 miles on the ct200 (46.2 mpg!)
1324 cycling miles (lowest year of cycling, but I rode in 12 states)
754 miles of running (typical, but it took a 50 mile day to get there)
29 states visited (6 less than planned - see next entry)
1 deer collision
10 different National Parks visited (5 Smokies visits:)
25 breweries visited (9 new - to reach 152 total)
14 State Parks visited
2 new skin cancers (both
BCC)
5 National Monuments visited
12 Doc visits (Ugh - insurance cost increased and coverage decreased)
19 mountain summits (below ave)
8 races (lowest since the herniated discs in '99)
Because I carry and use cameras almost every day, I had to glean from a massive inventory before settling on a collection of my favorite sights and memories from 2014. They are in no particular order, except that I added the recent AT hike onto the end. Sorry in advance: Some of the images contain me . . .
Enjoy - Inquire - Explore -Echo!
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| Yellowstone Great Basin |
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| Hammerfest contrast |
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| Front row seat at a Cabin Concert |
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| Smiling because I had narrowly missed another fall on the LBL ice |
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| Another glorious morning run - two days before the nerve acted up again |
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| Asheville, NC is our brew capital |
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| Riding all out makes me happy! |
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| Crossing the canal to begin another run at LBL |
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| Running the Bluff Trail - Lookout Mtn, TN/GA |
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| We had just compared wounds earned on LBL ice |
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| Spreading the HR gospel |
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| Foreboding vision |
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| Start line of my favorite 10K . . . |
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| . . . and the finish line 4000 ft higher up |
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| MST - Mountain to Sea Trail, NC |
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| Sun-soaked fresh snow energized a 20-mile MST "hike" |
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| On the MST near Asheville, NC |
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| God smiled on me often - Looking east from the Bighorn Mtns, WY |
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| Running single track through Yellowstone . . . |
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| . . . brings you face to face with nature . . . |
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| . . . over and . . . |
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| . . . over . . . |
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| . . . and over again |
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| A grim aspect of Murphy's Law shows up . . . |
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| . . . repeatedly |
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| "Helicopter!" |
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| All trips involve planning, journaling, and sipping |
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| Approach to Angel's Landing - Zion NP, UT |
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| "Hiking" the Narrows in Zion |
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| All of those experiences for $80 |
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| Reward for finishing 60+ hrs of class in four days. |
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| Morning run around Cades Cove - Great Smoky Mtn NP |
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| Tranquility takes me back year after year |
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| The sprint began here - just after a bear cub tagged me |
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| The sounds surrounding a forest stream are therapeutic |
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| Running up Mt. LeConte, GSMNP . . . |
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| . . . timed to experience sunset from the cliffs |
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| Every sound was a bear; A hungry bear. |
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| Cycling Ridge Road Rocky Mountain NP, CO |
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| The Flatirons overlook Boulder, CO |
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| This guy kept following me through Wyoming |
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Mile 31 well before sunset
They would return at mile 67 at sunrise |
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| This badass just whipped a 100 miler |
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| And this wannabe is about to receive a whipping in a 50 miler |
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| Not the first time he was getting dressed after the gun went off |
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| See the table? He will turn my "trophy" into one! |
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| Du Nats, St. Paul, MN - Andy was the bus driver |
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| Cloud dance in Monument Valley, AZ |
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| Camping with Idiots at 11K ft in the San Juan Mtns, CO |
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| A wee jog 12K ft up on the Continental Divide - San Juan Mtns, CO |
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| Nearing the tunnel at mile 40 of the Tunnel Hill 50 - cold left hand! |
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| Colorful San Juan trail decor |
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See the orange shirt? I chased it or ran from it for hours
Yes, the award was a railroad spike |
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| Super Moon rising - from the back yard |
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| More San Juan medicine |
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| This part of Du Nats was a blast despite (or because of) that crosswind |
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| Relief came only when I heard my placing |
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| More running in Yellowstone |
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| Very tasty meal while waiting on Old Faithful |
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| Patience . . . |
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| . . . can yield great rewards! |
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Fog and sulfurous gas abound during a
sunrise(?) run in Yellowstone |
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| Ha! What I did to get this shot was, well, crazy! |
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| Spur of the moment hike on Antelope Island, UT |
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| Driving across Antelope Island |
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| Kolob Canyons - Zion NP |
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| Sunset in Kolob Canyons of Zion NP |
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| Sunrise stroll in Zion Canyon, UT |
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| Zion Canyon |
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| Zion Canyon from Angel's Landing |
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| North Fork Virgin River, Zion NP |
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| Hiking The Narrows, Zion NP |
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| Running into the sunset at Bryce Canyon National Park, UT |
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| Start of a 29-mile jog into the Grand Canyon on the Kaibob Trail |
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| Sunny day two at the Grand Canyon North Rim |
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| Lucked into star/planet gazing in Bryce and Grand Canyons!! |
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| Colorado River passing through Navaho land north of the Grand Canyon |
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| One of many rainbows that greeted me along the journey (WY) |
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| Just another bike ride |
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| Chose this route using Google Maps on my phone. SCORE! |
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| I needed another VFuel to avert that bonk after the Supai Tunnel |
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| Deep in the Grand Canyon |
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| Breathless and speechless just before exiting the Grand Canyon |
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| A view from the top of Colorado |
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| Storm building over the San Juan Mtns |
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| VFuel ready for a 50-mile run |
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| Three days before he crushed Hardrock - a class act |
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| Super Moon rises over Patoka Lake, IN during a beer cruise |
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| Well, those Rappites were seeking a utopia |
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| Watched four USI runners earn AA honors on a swampy Louisville course |
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| Ended the year with a 72-mile AT hike across the spine of the Smokies |
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| Rugged beauty |
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| Mountain laurel |
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| Its easy! Just follow the white blazes |
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| Thunderhead Mountain |
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| A place to sleep - with mice |
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| Gideon helping me count the nickels for future travels |
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| Hope to see you along the trail in 2015 |
Amazing pictures!
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