Well its not the official day 1, but it is MY day 1….I don’t know if it is crazy or stupid or whatever, but I was really inspired by an article I read last week on my way to work (on the bus of course). This guy, Justin, from Denver, rode his bike from Canada to Mexico on the Great Divide…that is over 2700 miles of backcountry travel with nothing but what you can carry on your back and your bike…The “Tour Divide” is the name of the ultra-cycling challenge.

So, where do I come into this? I’m not really a cyclist…in fact I haven’t ridden my bike in over 4 years and only then it was to go to and from work everyday. I had never really ridden on trails and those that I did ride, were probably way above and beyond my abilities, so I didn’t continue, because it was too hard, or scary or both.

But I’m also inspired by the idea of going through the wilds of the country with nothing but yourself….i’ve always been a proponent of the JOURNEY rather than the DESTINATION…I saw this movie 180° South, about these climbers who go to Patagonia to climb a route in the mid-70’s crossed with a modern-day climbing adventure following a similar course: Yvon Chouinard’s quote: “Conquerors of the Useless” has completely resonated with me in every way. Not just climbing, but in everything – life’s ultimate adventures for me have not been about glory or fame or fortune…or even recognition. It’s about personal satisfaction of doing something greater than me. Not just greater, but almost silly…and useless. Why try to climb to the top of 14er? Boredome. Maybe just to see what I’m made of? Why try to climb something that is above 5.12c? Because its there?

There is an ego in climbing, just like any other outdoor adventure sport…or just like anything in the world. You want to be the best at it, whatever it is, because you are human and it is in your blood. I don’t know that I’m the “best” at anything – I’m good at a lot of things, but not the best.

But I digress…the point is that, I have found another fun and potentially awesome adventure to strive for. I want to try the Tour Divide…go on this ultimate adventure before I die. So today was the first day of my “training”. I’m not going to go nutts right away and become hardcore overnight. I’m going to start slowly – try to work in riding a few days a week and build it into my day. I just want to become more comfortable on a bike and on off-road trails. I love the solitude of riding and was really excited by today’s ride. Living right outside of Boulder, CO, there are TONS of trails right here. I have a LONG WAY to go, but I’m stoked for the weeks to come. We shall see how long this lasts but now the seed has been planted, so now I know I will keep working towards the goal even if it takes another 10 years.