yin / yang

this weather is killing our snow.

november showed me weekends on the sticks, a black friday in the cascade cement. december has shown me weekends on two wheels playing in the dirt. we live in strange times, indeed. tradition is taking a hit as well. the annual epic solstice run i love so dearly in north carolina was derailed by a freakish snow storm that shut down the smokies...cold mountain giving us a glimpse of how she got her name so many years ago.

heading to the woods yesterday. conversation with a local ski patroller was tinged with nervous pandering about the conditions of his mountain. the sound of his studded tires seemed strange on a 58 degree day, but considering we had lows in the single digits last week, not completely out of place. gearing up, i was over packed on clothing, and only wore single layers. fenders for the mud. thin wool instead of thick wool. fresh new carbon squishy for a fresh new rider. tempered cold steel on my part paying proper homage to crom. tubeless tracking on the peanut butter mud. long, moist dirt roads that snake up the side of mountains. sweating in the shade. enjoying the vitamin d pouring through the trees. loving the effort, almost like an indian fall. i know mother nature didn't set this day for me, but it's hard not to feel singled out and appreciative. gathering to banter at road crossings and intersections, the conversation keeps us out there longer. i don't think anyone is in any hurry to be done. trying to extend the day a little longer without cooling off too much. finally flying into descents catching grouse huddled in sunny spots, not bothering to flush as our tires go zipping by. a glimpse of the flow while on one of the longer sections where i easily found my lines and the balance of speed and terrain. finishing up feeling greedy that it couldn't go on longer, but knowing when enough is enough. saturation is not always the way, balance.

kind of like our weather. balance. there is a message in everything around us. are you listening?