So I found this trail... OMG.
Living out of a car and tent for a summer has been... well, it’s a mixed bag.
There are times where the stress of finding campsites sucks, when rationing clothes to delay the necessity for doing laundry inspires questioning of where the fine line of crossing over into being a scrubby motherfucker lies, and when the weird eccentricities of managing a mess of food on the passenger side floor of a Civic seems like a blunt reality-check that the part of my brain responsible for organizational skills may have been unknowingly labotomized.
Yet, there are certain moments where it’s all so fucking worth it.
The quest to explore some of western Canada’s best biking trails has been absolutely fantastic, by any standards. Though when I finally come across the gems... Fuck. Yes.
All trails are not created equal.
And I’m fairly fucking picky as to what types I do and don’t like.
Though the best of the best... it’s sheer ecstasy.
First day in Revelstoke, I hit up Boulder Mountain. Based on the overview from the Trailforks app - an absolutely brilliant highly-detailed GPS-empowered map with nearly every single biking trail in the world - my expectations weren’t that high. And they were met. Long climb up. Quick ride down, not that spectacular, definitely not worth doing again.
But day two at the Macpherson network... oh fuck yeah.
First up: Flowdown.
A shorter ride up. Far longer ride down. And the trail... asbolute perfection.
This is the shit I live for, I swear.
It was so damn good, I did it twice. (With a bunch of other trails in between, for a total of four hard hours straight riding - all of which were magnificent, with a wonderful balance of climbs and recents.)
As I pulled into the parking lot at the end of the day, I cracked up laughing in joy, with the biggest smile on my face.
Pure fucking satisfaction.
(And I did the same trail yesterday again, twice also. Same result at end: sheer amusement at the stratospheric levels of pure bliss.)
In the midst of these travels, hunting for treasure, it is these finds which are the equivalent of striking gold.
After months or years of life’s trials and tribulations, it is such simple joys as these which tap back into a source to mainline a fresh supply of life to rejuvenate the soul in ways that nothing else can.
I’m in fucking love with life, once again.
I feel it’s safe to say: I’m finally over my separation.
It was the biggest, most powerful death I’ve ever been through. And the grief was hell. But upon experiencing these heights of utmost satisfaction, it’s clear the rebirth has been successful and things are on-track.
And the direction is definitely a different one than I would’ve expected.
The old me, driven by ambition, striving for worldly success with grand musical goals and aspirations of writing best-selling books to win praise from an international audience of millions, and retreat in a multi-million dollar mansion... that guy is gone. Maybe still alive somewhere on a different timeline. But not on this one.
There have been moments I’ve questioned whether I’ve been holding myself back, have cut myself short, been procrastinating on those long-held dreams and ambitions, etc. Feeling so disconnected from my old sense of self-identification with those 3D things and aspirations, I’ve wondered to what degree I may have allowed myself to be derailed from what I’d thought was “destiny.”
Yet, the more I’ve lived true to myself over these past months, the more I’ve experienced levels of Peace & Satisfaction I never before prioritized or even really imagined possible. Nothing grandiose and over-the-top, just the simplest of basic contentment, appreciation, and gratitude for all these blessings unfolding moment-to-moment.
And there’s no way I’d trade it for all those things I once thought I wanted.
Moral of the story?
I dunno.
Maybe it’s that the dreams to follow need not be all huge and world-changing to bring the state of joy that really makes life worth living.
Maybe it’s to serve as an example of what’s possible by abandoning the beaten path and utilizing crypto as a means of funding a sovereign lifestyle designed according to one’s passions.
Maybe no moral is necessary.
Maybe the point is to opt-out of the mind’s craving to “figure things out” and approach life from an intellectual perspective, instead recalibrating to live from the heart - whatever that looks like for each individual - and simply revel in the small pleasures that bring greater peace & satisfaction than some extravagant lifestyle in the spotlight ever could.
Blah, blah, blah.
T’is about time to make some moves, tune my bike, extend my stay here for another three nights, and hit up those trails again.
🥰
If you could see the smile with which I read this post? I'm happy, just like you! Maybe the old you is behind the door waiting for the moment to bring you the nostalgia of the past, but at this moment, today Monday, about to end this strange August, you are reborn. And you are not reborn from nothing! No. They had to prune you, as trees are pruned. Like some animals that look wounded, you have had to take shelter, seek solitude, to lick your wounds and heal. May the lamp continue to shine, my friend! I bet it will. Nice Monday, @rok-sivante
🙏💖🥂
Reading your post always lives me feeling better than i did. Its an absolute pure joy! I can almost feel and see the change in you ans it is mind blowing. I will always draw inspiration from your story and hopefully one day i get to find my own way. Thank you
🙏⭐️🙏
Wow, that looks like something I would likely kill myself trying to do. I would probably be the guy riding his brakes the whole way down holding up all of the people behind me. It does look fun. Even if I could handle the going down part, I probably wouldn't be able to master the going up :) I am glad that you are getting some clarity and focus on the future. That is very exciting!
This trail is pretty tame, just a blue. Fucking fantastic, though.
Some of the black and double-black shit gets pretty crazy steep, rocky, huge drops, etc. Not my preference.