Red or White Wine?

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Have you ever found yourself so focused on one thing that you forget to pause and look around? This was the case for me as I was riding solo from Bryce Canyon to Zion National Park. You can imagine the natural competitiveness when you put 22 outdoor enthusiasts together and set them up with bikes for the day----not a race per se, just don't be the last one to camp.

Between orientation, logistics talks, route wraps, safety and bike demos, bike fittings, and meal preparation there is not much time to pause and reflect. But, when I do, I smile because I feel blessed to be stretching and growing, thinking on my feet, and walking the line between service and leadership and learning when each one is appropriate. Speaking of walking the line, many of us chose to face our fear of heights on a hike in Zion National Park. The trail to Angels Landing is a steep, 2.5 mile route to a rocky viewpoint 1500 feet above Zion Canyon and the the Virgin River. The last half mile of the path ascends along the ridge to the summit, and is marked only by rock cairns and chains which have been fixed for safety at several particularly steep places. I’m not sure I ever looked up long enough to take photos of the amazing-ness, but trust me, it was a highlight of training. A lowlight of the trip was losing track of my stuff---and for those of you who know me, you know that I could be a professional organizer and have fun organizing shoe closets. However, I was misplacing my things left and right…..I need to get on my A game and figure out some strategies for having a traveling desk and managing gear for 27 people.

I found out I will be leading bike trips in Wine Country and hiking and multisport trips in Yosemite! Have you ever been to Yosemite? I know my Dad spent some time there when he was my age---I like to think of him walking the Lewis Creek Trail, Mariposa Grove and sleeping under the stars. If you have ever visited Yosemite I would like to think of you this summer and tracing your steps. Tomorrow is out last day of training and testing and then I fly to Oakland on Wednesday and start my first trip on Thursday! I will let you know how it goes----please feel free to respond if you have any advice for becoming a wine connoisseur in a few days.

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