Wholistic Fitness

WF FACT:
did i ever tell you that i walked on my hands across FOUR STATES?!
i have done so a few times!…
at the Four Corners National Monument!
photo by Ananda as she said, “Oh geez, here we go again…”

Friends. This is Ananda’s first view of my old training grounds, Telluride. To heighten the impact of her first view of T-ride, we stayed overnight at mid-mountain, then rode our mountain bikes down the 18% ski road known as “Boomerang” a HELLUVA climb that we used to RACE UP when the Colorado Mountain Bike Racing Series would visit T-ride. This very bridge over the San Miguel River which flows exquisitely through town, was the sight of many a mountain bike crash (including myself) as over 100 racers would sprint to get the ‘hole shot’ over this bridge and set pace up Boomerang.
the scintillating “River Trail” bike path runs along the San Miguel and is the main cardio commute for all the outdoor athletes that make up most of the 1,700 lucky beings that live year round in this gem of the Rockies town.
Photo by “Jackie” from San Diego whom we met. she had never really been on a mountain bike and was attempting to
go down Boomerang in wet conditions…with a little spontaneous coaching and escort from myself, Jackie made it all the way down to this bridge without falling until…she proudly took her hand off her handlebars to wave at me in self-congratulation and promptly crashed right in front of Ananda and i. hate it when that happens.

The object of our Desire for Day One; the utterly magnificent Bridal Veil Falls located mid-way up the notoriously heinous “Black Bear Pass” of jeeping fame. So steep and dangerous is this Pass that the jeeps are only allowed to go dowhill (toward Telluride) on it, because there is no way two jeeps could pass each other. The ‘house’ perched on the very edge of the cliff at the top of the 375′ falls was a hydroelectric plant that harnessed the power of the falls in order to supply electricity for the various mining operations that forever scarred this beautiful cirque. yup, a family does live in this home during summers…what you do NOT want to hear from this home is the question, “Uh, honey…have you seen little Jimmy recently?”
ironically, one of the things in the yard of this home was a trampoline…is it just me, or is having your child play on a trampoline exactly the best idea when you live on the edge of several hundred foot precipice?

i have a long, lustful history with Bridal Veil…i ain’t gonna embellish any details however…let’s just say…uh…well, i know more about Bridal Veil in winter than i am willing to admit in this forum!

here i am “looking pro” on my bike, ‘Lord Gunther’, after the first mile or so of climbing up Black Bear Pass. Ananda and i were just huddling under some creekside bushes in the moments preceding this shot because the San Juan skies opened up and the rain at over 10,000′ is a bit, well, invigorating. That’s Bridal Veil in the background. This is my standard “go to” cycling pose…it’s meant to express a statement of, “What..you talkin’ to ME? What…you wanna piece of ME? Huh?…i can kick your fat ass up this climb so, bring it on!” whether or not that is true is beside the point. it’s just a guy thing, i reckon.

getting closer to the falls…nothing – and i mean NOTHING – is more Sacred to me than a Colorado alpine creek…if you appreciate the grounded wisdom of Wholistic Fitness…then, you should know that these high country creeks are the birthplace of my first sartori’s and gave energetic impetus to introducing to the world a Conscious, Balanced Approach to the necessity of Personal Fitness. growing up as i child, i would spend entire days yogi squatting near and splashing around these creeks without reason save to fall into an intuitive awe of Mother Earth…fortunately, i have never lost that Sacred Awe of our precious Mother Earth and Father Sky…i let nothing stand in the Way of my soul nurturing time within the embrace of my Mother and Father. Nothing.

COMING UP NEXT IN DL:
ANANDA ENTERS HER FIRST ALPINE WATERFALL VORTEX!!!

DL: The Exclusive Diary Of A Mountain Yogi targeting your inspiration to Rise Above the mediocre and the addiction to the thick of very thin things…DL will keep you grounded and moving Ever Onward, Ever Upward, and Endlessly Inward…
thanks for choosing to be a Warrior…a Wholistic Fitness Warrior!