Adventures

Arthritis Foundation California Coast Classic

California Coast Classic

Photo: Chris Hunter

Listening to the sound of waves crashing against the jagged cliffs below, I slowly climbed up the first of the Twin Sisters, or Twin B#*ches as they are so affectionately known by the ride veterans. As cars buzzed past along this gorgeous stretch of the Big Sur coastline, the words of Ernest Hemingway filled my head:

“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle."


Hiking The JMT: Punishment Was The Reward

Hiking the John Muir Trail

Putting one foot in front of the other with pain in each step, I finally arrived at a flat clearing near the creek. I let go of the trekking poles and watched them fall to the ground in opposite directions. I dropped my backpack to the ground. Next I pulled out my sleeping pad and laid flat on my back, prying my shoes off my aching feet. Staring at the sky, I felt sorry for myself and the pain this 18.8 mile day (with over a mile of elevation!) gain was causing me.

Hiking In The West Of Ireland

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

I sat atop the quartzite mound at the summit of Diamond Hill, a strong wind blasting my face and a fog as thick as pea soup blocking my view while slowly drenching me to the core. A magnificent vista of the Twelve Bens spreading out across the rugged Connemara landscape was supposed to have been my reward for running up the 7km trail from the Visitor Center, but even in this disorienting whiteout, I was blissfully happy.


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