I remember sitting in front the the television last year, mouth agape, watching the Isle Of Man TT race last year.
In this time trial race, dauntless contestants with blood for ice and nerves of steel race along a 37 mile course, reaching speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. In the 108 years that this event has been held there have been a total of 237 deaths. Winding through towns, hamlets, and open road, the unforgiving course allows for no mistakes. Those who hesitate will quickly find themselves sliding on the pavement (or much, much worse).
Death-defying. Awe-inspiring. Audacious. These adjectives are trifles and do not do the Isle Of Man racers justice. Here’s hoping that you have a few minutes to watch this video for a sample of what the Isle Of Man TT is all about (please refresh your page if video doesn’t pop):
I climbed nearly every single day. My training ground of choice was Mt. Woodson in Poway, CA. Several times each year several friends and I would camp out in Joshua Tree for days at a time to climb. And I actually got pretty good at it. Not great, but good enough to lead 5.11 climbs on the sharp end of the rope, and even bagged a few 5.12 routes.
I did have a few accidents, but nothing major. Broke a finger, lost a finger nail, and twisted my knee pretty good peeling off a solo route while bouldering out at Red Rocks. Luckily I never got too crazy, unlike Alex Honnold here and his solo climb of Half Dome in Yosemite.
Even I got a bit nervous watching him tackle this.
I understand the need to excel, but at what point is enough enough?
It’s been a few years since I’ve climbed. I’m thinking that it might be time to break out my shoes and chalk bag and hit up Mt. Woodson or the Santee boulders. It’d be neat to introduce Tyler to climbing someday…
Several years ago I went skydiving. I attended a comprehensive all-day course and, at the end, was allowed to jump solo. Lemme tell ya, jumping out of that plane was one of the most intense things that I’ve ever done.
But there’s something about paragliding that I’ve always wanted to try. I’ve watched them launch out at Del Mar, and it doesn’t look all that different from flying stunt kites (which I did for many years).
After watching this video I find myself looking up prices for paragliding schools. I can vividly picture myself doing something like this:
Hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?
ProTip: Be sure to stick around through the five minute mark. Severe crosswinds ahead!
Hope everyone has a great extended weekend. Catch you back here on Tuesday!
Ever since reading Bill Bryson’s book A Walk In The Woods I’ve been dreaming of taking a few months off from work and hiking the Appalachian Trail. But with the work environment as it currently is, I don’t think it’d be very smart to quit my job. But a man still can dream, can’t he?
I managed to get home an hour early last night, and while dinner was cooking I thought I’d waste a few minutes and scan the web for interesting hiking info when I stumbled upon this fellow Condor who hiked the entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail:
Bonus points if you spotted the butterfly.
Hmm…living on the west coast, the Pacific Crest Trail is much closer to me (practically right outside my front door), and I might be able to hike it in weekly stages. Hmmm….
Great, I feel another obsession creeping up on me (I’m great at collecting these). Excuse me while I hunt down a few maps…
As a kid I remember cutting a circle out of a piece of plywood and rounding the edges to fashion a skimboard. I spent quite a bit of time at the beach running up and down the shoreline with that small bit of wood, enjoying every second of glide time.
If the technology was available back then you can bet that I’d be doing something just a bit more extreme:
“Mesmerizing” is how I’d best describe this clip. Rare is the video that I simply can not tear myself away from. This is one of clips that couldn’t help but watch several times in a row. Here’s hoping you give it a chance…
