Off-season reading

Make sure that you are all taking time to bone up on and hone in your skills in order to stay safe during the warmer months.

I personally prefer mushroom and other wild edibles books.

In my eyes, the next best thing to actually being outside and enjoying nature is kicking back and reading a good book. I am currently in the middle of the Nick Adams Stories by Hemingway; great stories that are largely based in northern Michigan.

What are you reading?

J

Winter Commute

Monday brought a few new inches of snow. Luckily for me, I had to go out and about on my bike. I am currently running some skinny tires but that did not stop me from having fun. In fact it lead to a couple of loose corners which I rather enjoy.

Work with what you have right?

J

EMS Ice Climbing guide.

Thank you EMS for this handy guide.

Hopefully someday I will get to try some ice climbing and this guide will be of some use. Until then.

J

Baiku 1

The sound of dirt roads

Farmer's fields line the roadway

Morning done just right

Well, there you have it baiku number 1. Baiku you say? What is that? Well, I'll tell you, it's a bike-themed haiku. 5-7-5. Hopefully I can come up with more as things roll on. Sometimes rolling around on two wheels can make you feel brilliant.

J

Progress

I have posted this little guy before, but today he is a bit more symbolic than before. Progress, no matter how slow, is progress. 

Keep moving my friends.

J

Is this really January in Michigan?

Bare fields all around.

This downtube should have ice caked on it, not sticky mud...

Why am I able to cruise down these backroads without spinning out and sliding all over the place...

Something was way wrong in these pictures. January in Michigan, come on Mitten, hit me with some snow.

J

Ending 2012

Twenty-twelve was pretty jam-packed, so much so that this blog was mildly neglected. I was constantly running and trying to get as much out of each day as possible.

I built up a new mountain bike and a new commuter/ dirt road warrior, started brewing beer, survived another year of law school and built a rockwall.

Unfortunately, I did not get very many hikes in. Aside from the trip to Kentucky I think that I got 9 or 10 real hikes in. With that in mind I was determined to finish 2012 strong. That meant a trip to Old Baldy. 

In the spring I am going to bring my tripod out here to get a crisp shot of the dunes leading up to Elberta because none of my shots turned out satisfactorily.

Even though the picture quality is not perfect, the subject matter is second to none.

Osprey Daylite: C's new quick pack. Hopefully she gets to use it more in 2013!

As for goals in the new year, mine is very simple: More Everything, and make the most of everything.

Today: workout, juice, mountain bike, read for school... nap?

-J