Wherein I list all weekends up this date, and what I did on them.
Numbers = Sundays.

January
7 Gorgeous XC skiing in Flag, planned KMC
14 First ever Granite Mountain circumnavigation (bike)
21 Aborted winter WRIAD with Plesko, Nice, Harris, pre-ran Red Hot course
28 Icy XC skiing in Flag, Quadruple Bypass

February
4 Clean 305 for first time, Granite Mtn cir on foot
11 SSAZ
18 Red Hot 50k

25 Hance-Tonto-Kaibab Grand Canyon backpack

March
4 Granite Mtn bike circ, M’s parents visit
11 Rim Ride pre-ride
18 AZ Spring Fling
25 Rim Ride Moab

April
1 First Elden ride of the year, Hance-Grandview in The Ditch
8 Corral Canyon (Zion) descent and forced bivy

15 Last NCLB exam, Whiskey 25 ride with Eric
22 First night ride, first trip across 264
29 KMC scouting trip

May
6 Barney Springs canyon abort, local riding
13 Grand Canyon night hike, KTR nervous prep

20 KTR
27 Sister Kate’s college graduation, intestinal suffering

June
3 First ride with the Reba
10 Sub 40 minutes on 62, Elden with Chad
17 KMC, start of a week in Utah
24 end of week’s vacation (Narrows, Thunder Mtn, camping, etc)
31 Elden ride, new shoes, thinking about a new bike

July
8 Bike futtzing, M and I hike Mt. Humphrey’s
15 Crested Butte Classic, and associated 5 day CO trip
22 The Leviathan enters my life, south Flag ride with Chad
29 Monkey gets fix-ated, Lev off to get the rear triangle realigned

August
5 BA-Tonto-Hermit ditch backpack, order Nathan pack
12 Pre-rode Old Fashioned Mtn Bike race course, broke wrist
19 Elk scouting trip
26 not much, apparently (rehabing wrist, blogging lots)

September
2 beginning of CA road trip (Yosemite)
9 end of CA road trip (Tahoe, White Mtn bristlecones)
16 best ride EVER in Moab, Elephant Butte
23 Double Boundary race, Chaco canyon
30 start of CO road trip (Monarch, baby!)

October
7 end of CO trip (Fruita, Moab, WRIAD)
14 Grand Canyon Double crossing, rest!
21 Elk hunting
28 Mtb in Flag and hang with ‘rents

November
4 PMC
11 Smoky Mtn Loop with Prof. Hairball18 PEE

25 Granite Mtn foot circ, thinkering and TV watching

December
2 Grand Canyon run, frosted ride with Eric and Dan
9 Kentucky Camp aborted epic, hanging out with Chad
16 Sedona Small Friggin Loop, a day of work and running
23 ……
30 ……

Yes. My cup runneth over this year. Many swirling thoughts enter my head. I drive a lot. Only 9 weekends all year when I did not drive at least one hour away on one day to go have fun. My lull, and the least happy time all year: late April and early May. The best time? September into early October, of course.

Am I running away from some things in my life? I cannot imagine that to be untrue. I also think I’m running towards many other things. M remarked that my 7 week binge in Sept-Oct is largely responsible for a bit of financial tightness we’ve had lately (that and a business startup, it’ll do it). I can honestly say that, irresponsible though it is, I do not care. I would give those weeks back for very, very little.

Ever since my Dad died I’ve put a premium on my time here, and this year-in-review exercise prompts me to give myself a huge pat on the back. Room for improvement, but I done good.

Besides all that, words fail. I’ve already looked back over the list several times in the last 10 minutes. That tells me enough. Friedrich Nietzsche uses the idea of the eternal recurance as a grounding for his peculiar morality, the idea being that one’s reaction to being forced to infinitely relive one’s life is a good guide for living. I’ve always found it to be so.

Finally, the Top 5 Rides/Runs of 2007
Guidelines being one distinct unit of human powered forward progress, literally and metaphysically.

1) Rim Ride Moab
Where everything came together, perfectly.

2) Best Moab ride EVER
Burro Pass et al from Fred’s house. The above, but with gears and as a group ride.

3) Grand Canyon Double Crossing
Not where I wanted to be physically, but a great and bold effort.

4) WRIAD October
Revisiting my favorite classic for a dose of humility and ego boosting. I intend to do one WRIAD and one Double Crossing a year until I die.

5) Smoky Mountain Loop
Unexplored physical and mental terrain, in spades. One of those trips that shoulda generated more mental anxiety than it did, rifles and rednecks aside. DH, I hope to be more up to your level next time.

Uhhh, Colorado Plateau, anyone? Where does my soul reside…..