hobolog

Near Santa Fe, NM

Ann notices that this may be our last full moon in Santa Fe and plans a moonlight ski, hoping we get better weather than the last time, which was very cold and dark. We start up too early, and climb in the dark once more, but at least under clear skies this time. I lose my way once, taking us on to slopes too steep to climb on frozen snow. But, by the time the moon rises, we’re nearly up.

My pictures don’t do the moonlight justice, but nice soft snow in the gentle light makes for a serene ride down. We don’t want it to end.

At the bottom we’re a little delirious. Another couple skis up to us while we try in vain to take a self portrait, and I don’t even notice that one of them is missing an arm. Well, not really, but I’ll realize my mistake later. Tonight we retreat happily to our home in the parking lot and climb in bed.

Near Santa Fe, NM

If we only get one run in on the skis and split board this year, we pick the right day to do it. Seven inches of fresh snow glisten under bluebird skies. Conditions are good enough to climb to Tesuque peak today. The snow is so nice that I get over-eager to hit some bumps near the bottom, and we lose each other and wander in circles for half an hour before meeting in the parking lot. Oh well, being stupid doesn’t make the turns any less fun

Near Santa Fe, NM

Not barefoot this time, but back in my Vibram Five Fingers with some rubber trimmed from the left heel, I set out for a run in the recent snow. The soft snow and (relatively) warm feet make this a new game – suddenly it feels like I can work my heart and lungs instead of my feet and legs. Exuberance sets in quickly, and as usual I probably go farther than I should. A few short sections on hard snow or pavement make it clear that the Five Fingers are still hurting my left heel, but it does feel like the trimming was helpful. Anyway, I may not get a chance to run in such soft, pillowy conditions again soon, so I make myself good and sore.

Near Albuquerque, NM

The commuter train between Santa Fe and Albuquerque was a new addition during our time here. It’s been a topic of much debate, praise, and mockery, opening new opportunities for commuters, blocking traffic, sitting mysteriously idle, stranding partyers, and generally attracting attention. We figure we should ride it before we leave town.

One of our curiosities is what route the train takes when departs from the I-25 corridor. We experience a route that snuggles up to the Gallisteo River, and sneaks through some reservation pueblos. The reservations don’t look unusual to me, but an announcement prohibits photography on those undefined stretches, and some fellow passengers tell us they were told “not to look”. I will miss some of New Mexico’s eccentricities. The GPS tracker reveals the details of the route:

When we arrive we’re hungry, and wandering around downtown Albuquerque we’re surprised to find nearly everything closed. We have to laugh when we end up at the Flying Star Cafe, which has a new location at the Railyard in Santa Fe! It doesn’t matter, this has a totally different feel, and we can walk to the Rio Grande afterward. We improvise a nice loop, our only failure being to find some espresso in time to make our return train.

Friends can peruse Ann’s photos.

Being someone who enjoys the occasional solo outing, even though I haven’t started canyoneering, gives this story an extra grip on me. (Aron amputated his lower arm after a boulder pinned his hand to the wall of a slot canyon in the Canyonlands of Utah). It’s a fascinating survival tale, which Aron tells candidly in fine detail and lucid prose. He manages to make his survival comprehensible, replacing the impression of a superhuman act with one of a strong, but attainable outdoor spirit.

The wake up call for me here is that Aron was usually better about leaving a trip itinerary with his roommates for every outing he did. As a couple, this is difficult for us, and will get harder when we travel. Who do we burden with the responsibility of a potential rescue? We ask our less outdoorish acquaintances to do this for us sometimes, but we’re not too comfortable with that, and it’s not always even an option. SPOT products target this market, but for some reason that system seems to me to add too much cost and complexity to something that should be simple. But maybe I need to give that up until I have a better system.

We’ve been living in our camper again since our Christmas trip really, but we’re staying in Santa Fe while Ann transitions out of the job that has allowed me to focus on my freelance software work for a year now. This is a first step towards a rapid expansion our migrations thus far:

Our bounty of maple syrup has arrived from Square Deal Farm! The closest I can come to describing it is that it tastes like sunlight made sweet and liquid, which I guess is a good description of what Maple trees do, but this is the first time that syrup has made that image palpable for me. We drink it in our coffee, a practice we tried with suspicion, but now has us addicted. In fact, I don’t think we’ll be using sugar for anything any time soon.

Near Santa Fe, NM

The weather is gorgeous for our first day of the year – sunny and well above freezing. We head up with Brooke to the Dorothy Stewart trail, which is high enough to be almost fully snow covered. Lately all I want to do is experiment with barefoot hiking, so I decide to see how my tender dogs like the snow.

I guess other people do this regularly, but it seems risky to me! I manage a couple of miles, and never lose color or movement in my toes, but they definitely go totally numb. I give them frequent hand warmings to encourage circulation, and finally use my better judgment and put on my shoes. It was a fun but slightly scary experiment! I think I’ll stick to mostly dry ground for now.

Happy new year to everyone and their feet, however shod they are!

Walking: I began the year struggling with knee and hip pain, wondering if I would ever hike again. After one failed regimen, a chiropractor gave me a therapy program that worked. I managed to hike across Wyoming with Ann and Pete, suffering far more intestinal pain than knee pain. Now I’m experimenting with running again, exactly what got me in trouble before, but with a whole new twist: bare feet.

Working: Thanks to Ann, I’ve spent the entire year developing my ability to make a living doing freelance work procured largely via my open source software. It seems to be working! This has inspired us to make exciting plans for 2010.

Eating: This was my first year as a vegan! The diet works for me and makes me feel great. I thought it would be terribly hard to give up half and half in my coffee, and cheese on everything, but I was surprised. The hard part is that I’ve yet again rejected mainstream values, further isolating me and adding one more difficulty for my already weak social skills to overcome. I hate casting myself as a morally superior being, yet I can’t picture giving up the diet for this reason. So mostly I try to be an Onobtrusive Vegan.

There was a nice helping of gravy on the year – some climbing, and really good visits with friends and family. The end of my sixth year of marriage, however, brought challenges that some of our married friends warned would come in otherwise unpredictable forms. It proved to be a time to question our marriage, answer those questions together, and come out to our great relief with a renewed appreciation of our partnership. Now I’m glad for the struggle because I feel closer than ever to Mrs. Cyberhobo.

Last but not least, there were numbers! Here are some of the things I kept track of by week:

Hours Tracked (by GPS, starting in June): 400.9

Outdoor Nights: 22|39

Miles on Foot: 1148.81

Elevation Gain on Foot (ft): 195116

Rock Climbing Elevation Gain (ft): 4250

Miles by Bike: 262.08

Bike Elevation Gain (ft): 5695

Books Read: 13

Movies Watched: 33

This is a long drive, 985 miles in some remote terrain, but it has never failed to show me something new.

We’ve left our stuff and our Subaru, so we can drive together with a mostly empty trailer. This helps us make a lot of miles, for us, well past the “NEXT SERVICES 109 MILES” sign on I-70. It’s dark, but we know this area is pretty, so we stop at a rest area and wake up to this:

The roads are snowpacked most of the rest of the way through Utah. When we finally reach New Mexico, this view is most welcome:

Hope everyone else’s travels were beautiful and safe!