season of what

March in Pisgah is normally a time for joy as winter gives way to spring but this year things are different. Winter was mild and the world was riding the crest of a wave where there were few concerns and summer was just waiting in the wings to bring warmth and sunshine. Races and concerts started filling the calendar and too much fun started to be a real possibility but there was something below the surface and now all of that is suddenly unknown and our world has become much more somber.

Several years ago, an old friend contacted me about this blog and said I live a life of 'beauty and wonder'. I wanted to write her back and tell her how wrong she was. Tell her about all the pain and suffering out there in the world and how these mountains that I love so are my refuge where I run and hide from all that I seek to avoid. But I didn't write back because I knew she was right and that I am very lucky to have such a place to find shelter.

Last Saturday, as the news from far and wide seemed to consume our every action, I loaded up Akira and took her to Panthertown - one of the most unique and special places in the Southern Appalachians. As we ran through the woods my thoughts consumed me. I was trapped in my own head and couldn't get out. I put on a Grateful Dead show but that didn't work and as The Eleven rang through my headphones all I could think was "What now?". The show ended with screeching feedback which I let dissolve into silence. Alone with my thoughts, I shifted my focus back to beauty and wonder and as I marveled at the natural landscape I thought about how it had adapted and changed through the years and was still evolving.

At the end of the run Little Green was bathed in warm sunlight and everything was right. Akira was happy with yet another day of adventure and discovery and so was I.

Sunday afternoon I dusted off the bike to get out to train for PMBAR. It would appear to be sure to get canceled but  I don't give up that easy, so away I go.