As I prep for the handful of hikes I’ve got upcoming today was my last opportunity for a test, a trial of miles if you will. Two Saturdays ago I hiked all of Perrot State Park, knocking out 15.5 miles and 2,800′ of elevation gain. Last Saturday I knocked out almost 21 miles and 2,400′ of elevation. This evening was something quite different, a focus on elevation and hitting 3,000′ in 10 miles in a repeated loop on The Quarry Trail.
Each workout was a trial of it’s own kind, pushing me to see how I could handle the distance and elevation I’ll need for our upcoming hikes. Each an opportunity to get outside and push myself, to get some time outside and in the woods, and an opportunity to test myself to make sure I’m prepped and ready.
Now begins the fun! In less than two weeks we’ll be hiking in Shenandoah NP and New River Gorge NP. Labor Day weekend will have Dominic and I knocking out a beast of a hike in Thunder Bay (20+ miles, 4,000′). A couple of weeks later my brother and I will have a very short and compact weekend trip to Colorado to summit a 14er, and then we’ll chase that up with a long weekend of hiking for my birthday in Thunder Bay for round two.
First, the trials of miles, the mile of trials to prepare for the hikes themselves. Then, the trials of miles, the miles of trials on the trails themselves. Double the fun!
This evening we went to The Odyssey as a family, such an excellent movie! One of may favorite old stories, seeing it come to life on the big screen was better than expected. Experiencing it with my family and seeing how much the boys appreciated it was even better.
Prior to the movie we had time as a family to finish up Becky’s Mother’s Day puzzle, grab some dinner, and then catch up with all the pictures the boys took on their recent Rockies adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the pics they snapped of their mountain hiking trip, so cool seeing all they did and experienced together.
Earlier in the day, while Becky and I were at work, the boys celebrated their “Brothers Day,” a day full of the two of them hanging out together and creating additional memories while they’re together. With Gavin heading off to school this was likely the last day they’ll have to the two of them until at least Thanksgiving. Super proud parent moment kicking back and hearing about how much fun they were having together, how much they enjoy spending time together, and the friendship they’ve built throughout their years.
While there is so much to write about today this is going to be a very short one as I’m still spending time with Gavin before I head off to bed. We had an entire evening of the five of us home for supper and spent time putting a puzzle together that the boys had given Becky a while back. As Dominic and Caitlyn have taken off, Becky has gone off to bed, and Gavin and I are about to go through some of the creative things he’s been working on.
So I have a decision to make… type a long and heartfelt blog about the day – OR – focus on my biggest goal of the year and be present with Gavin.
The boys are back from their epic summer road trip after successfully hiking to the summits of Long’s and Pike’s Peaks!
Ever since they came up with this idea when we were in Colorado last summer they’ve been talking about it, joking, planning, and prepping. From setting physical activity requirements for each other to practice runs of packing gear to waking up early to register for campsites they have been giddy about this adventure.
As the boys kept working on their plans I kept getting motivated by their dream:
It was part of why I set a goal of eight shared mini adventures for this year.
It was part of why I set a goal of growing myself into adventure ready physical capacity (with specific hiking / elevation / pack weight goals).
It was part of why I invited my brother to go on a road trip out to the mountains with me.
It was part of why Dominic and I have a hiking trip planned over Labor Day.
It was part of why Becky and I have a hiking trip planned over my birthday weekend.
It was part of why I’ve put in some long hiking mileage over each of the past couple of weekends.
Funny how their dream – the ideation, the planning, the prep, and the completion – all helped to motivate me to live more into my own best life. In their living of their dreams they inspired additional joy and happiness for others.
It seems like that how dreams are, they have this ability to magnify and multiply, especially when shared.
This quote from Fahrenheit 451 really got my brain turning today as I keep working on refining my other project:
Don’t ask for guarantees. And don’t look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, knowing you were headed for shore.“
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Appreciation:
While my work day wasn’t the most exciting day ever it was very satisfying to work on a specific project to help move the team forward in a meaningful way. It was a bit tedious, but it really helped me get a better feel for the challenges being faced and helped see potential ways to help us all become more efficient. Nothing glorious, not my normal jam, but very satisfing nonetheless!
Presence:
Outdoor yoga at Mount La Crosse this evening was splendid! Getting outdoors to take an hour to chill while stretching and exercising was exactly what the doctor ordered after a day of driving to and from Eau Claire for work. The shift from usually being in the studio to getting outside and having nothing but the ski hills way out in the horizon shifted the practice more significantly than I would have imagined. Such a perfect way to wrap up a day!
Last week I had the privilege of joining the teacher’s meeting at Root Down Yoga. As we dove into a conversation about being present a teacher commented on something as simple as a sunset. “How many more of those will we have the opportunity to see in our lives?”
When one pauses to think about it, how many sunsets do we have left? Why don’t we slow down to soak up one of life’s beautiful moments more often?
Back when I was a kid I think my grandpa really understood the finite nature of life more so than most. When we would hang out with my grandparents for more than a week each summer he’d always seem to pause to watch the sunset.
One in particular I remember so vividly – a little for the jaw dropping sunset, but so much more from watching my grandfather’s awe and reverence for the setting sun. As he looked to it wistfully and watched it slowly melt into the horizon his face shown with gratitude, awe, and something else that I can only look back with my life experience to call “acceptance.” It was like he was seeing a much deeper and more insightful version of the same natural phenomena.
This evening after yoga I saw that my timing was just about right to run home, pick up Becky, and take in the sunset. Snapping pics, pausing to savor the view of an exemplary edition of the setting sun over the Mississippi River Valley.
Seeing that it is something be in awe of, the sheer beauty of the natural world.
Taking in the fact that to everything there is a cycle, a progression.
Understanding the impermanence of all things, the beauty created specifically from that fact.
One of my “Top 3 Start Doing” goals was reading more deeply rather than going very wide.
Over the past handful of years my focus has been on reading a set number of books and I’ve tended to let my mind and tastes wander a bit as progressed through the year. Whenever something caught my fancy I’d pick it up and give it a shot. This let to reading many books I otherwise wouldn’t have read, but it wasn’t conducive to deeper understanding. Occasionally one would really strike a chord and I’d read it again. Much more rarely I would stumble into a book which would re-read at least once per year.
This year I decided to do something a little different. I curated a list of twenty-five books that I committed to reading three times each in 2026. These were amongst my all time favorites, but largely focused on the ones I felt would help me grow most this year, the books that would help me work on closing the gap between who I currently am and who I’d like to grow into. For sure, there are some fiction mixed in – fiction allows a chance to reality test ideas in a sandbox, an opportunity to play and explore, a different view of the world focused through a very specific lens or paradigm.
Three of the books I’ve already consumed (or in the process of reading) for the third time have gotten better every single time I’ve read them. Fight Club, No Country for Old Men, and Fahrenheit 451 have gotten better with every single re-reading of them
Some books get smaller and less significant once you know the ending. These three keep getting bigger and more meaningful.
I wouldn’t necessarily call any of them perfect books. In fact, each has a few little quirks in the writing that annoy me every single time I read it. Somehow, I think that makes me love them more. The imperfections give them character. They feel less polished, perhaps, but more alive.
Beneath the plots are questions that don’t get resolved when you reach the final page. They’re questions humans have wrestled with for most of our existence: joy, acceptance, learning, freedom, intentionality, meaning, legacy.
Maybe that’s why knowing how these stories end doesn’t diminish them. Once I stop wondering what happens next, I have more room to notice what they’re actually saying.
The “me” who is re-reading them is not the same “me” who read them each of the last times. Life has changed since the last reading. My perspectives and paradigms and priorities have likely shifted just enough to provide a slightly new lens to view them through. Maybe the last reading helped me make a subtle change and I’m now ready to make another. Maybe I didn’t learn the lesson last time, and now I see it a little more clearly, with a little more urgency.
Regardless of the reasons, each of these books holds a gravitational pull on me. I’m grateful for the way they’ve pulled me into their orbit, and for how they continue to push and pull at the way I see myself and the world.
At this point, they’ve almost created a Three Body Problem in my brain!
Had a wonderful day with Becky at Pike’s Peak State Park in Iowa today! The sunrise was spectacular, the hiking fantastic, and all the local critters were super friendly!
I’d set a goal of hiking every single trail in the park and it was mission accomplished after 20+ miles. The effort was worth every drip of sweat, no question. Such a beautiful area, especially when you’re awake while it’s dark and on the trial well before sunrise. Throughout the first twenty miles Becky and I saw only eight other people, so chill in the woods.
Time together, time in nature, time without stress, time doing physical activity, time soaking up all that the world has to offer, and time shared with Becky. Life is good!
Some locations seem to have a magnetic pull on our souls. Maybe our souls are in just a little better alignment as a result of the place. Regardless the reason, I’m ecstatic to be camping in Pike’s Peak in Iowa.
It’s not the biggest, boldest, or most popular area, but every time I’ve been here I’ve created wonderful memories. Once alone, several times with various combinations of my family. Each time we invariably find ourselves alone in the woods, cresting the bluff ridges overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. First Nations people’s mounds are found woven into the terrain adding a layer of human history atop the geological. The woods are old and hearty, large trees to be found everywhere. Wildlife awaits in the woods, so many birds, deer, squirrels, and signs and tracks of others.
Tomorrow my intent is to hike all the miles of trails in the park, starting pre-sunrise so we’re atop the ridge as the sun starts to poke out. No worries of time, only enjoyment and the sensation of being lost in nature.
Preparing by sleeping in the camper van makes it all the more awesome.
This is where my soul so easily finds solace, where presence is plentiful, and my heart erupts with joy.
Releasing a dream into nature to see it received well by wonderful people I respect greatly. Taking in the moment in which it grows from little dream seedling into something so much bigger.
Seeing the results of 20 years of work and learning grow into something bigger than ever expected.
Pausing with gratitude for all of the hard work behind while looking forward to the hard work ahead.
Living fully into purpose and brightening lives.
Releasing the dream So much joy, a soul so full More dreams coming soon
Thankful for Forty 