On September 19th, 2022, I started what I jokingly called the 2022 Not Dead Yet Comeback Special. That was the day I climbed out of The Bed of Torment, laced up some hiking shoes, grabbed my camera, walked right past my garage of bikes, and into the woods to lumber on my own two feetz.
The Comeback Special was my warm-up tour for things to come, with 88 hikes from September 19th to December 31st, covering 365.46 miles with an average distance per hike of 4.15 miles.
The Comeback Special gave way to the 2023 Soil The Woods Tour and noticeable improvements in mind and body. I completed 260 hikes during The Soil The Woods Tour, covering a total distance of 1,294.76 woodsy miles and an average distance of 4.98 miles per hike.
With those sorts of numbers I was feeling more and more like my old self for the first time in years. No, not the one who hated himself and wouldn’t get out of the fart-smelling Bed of Torment unless he had to, but the one who loves pushing himself physically and creatively in the woods, whether it’s on two wheels or two feet. I was back! Older, fatter, and slower, but I was back!
As I continue to progress, I’ve learned a ton. I learned how to properly stretch, how to foam roll sore muscles, what shoes worked, what shoes didn’t, what clothing was awesome, and what clothing was shit. I also learned when to push harder and when I should rest.
2024 would bring another year of lumbering, this time known as The 2024 Lumber Through Hell Tour. The name was brought forth by the impending election and the gut feeling that there was no way the world was going to escape another 4 years of The Fascist Fuck Face, In Which I No Longer Speak Of or the morons that blindly follow him.
Sadly, I was right, but the year would get much worse and much more real when my dad passed away on December 19th, followed by Jake (The Dog) less than 24 hours later. To quote Big Chris in the movie Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, “It’s been emotional.”
Dad, May 1982. This was just before life would go pear-shaped with mom’s MS and dad’s factory shutting down. I was almost 11.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, I dealt with various knee and foot issues that required me to take time off from lumbering and went through 2 months of some of the worst mind-racing anxiety I’ve had in a long time. Additionally, there were the life changes brought forth by Wifey’s bariatric surgery to help her shed weight quickly and help her with a worsening pre-existing heart condition and her throat that was becoming dangerously damaged by life-long GERD. Can I get another shout-out for Big Chris?
***
Despite all that, I got through it with the help of Wifey, B, family, friends, the O.G. Mindbender, Mindbender III (A New Hope), and the hours spent and miles covered lumbering in the woods.
In addition to my lumbering, I started to do more trail running. I really took to it and I can’t wait to keep going in 2025.
I also got over a HUGE mental hurdle with cycling and completed a handful of mountain and gravel rides for the first time in years.
Today, New Year’s Eve, I did a cold and peaceful 5-mile lumber and completed the 2024 Lumber Through Hell Tour.
In 2024, I completed 215 lumbers, covered 1,120.35 miles, and averaged 5.21 miles per hike. I was down roughly 175 miles from last year, but I chalk that up to knowing how to rest more, letting injuries heal, and focusing more on trail running in the late summer and fall.
I DON’T RUN!
There was a LOT of hell in 2024, but somehow, I came out the other side knowing what is most important to me, how to deal with setbacks, and anxious to do even more in 2025.
One of the things I’ve learned since November 5th is how to tune out the noise of life in modern America. The last time I looked at a non-sports/art/outdoors/photography/music news source was at 3:40 AM on November 6th. And I have to say, I have not been this happy in years, and I have NO plans to look at one anytime soon.
Another thing I learned the hard way in 2024 was to stop worrying about what I can’t control. I’m learning to put my focus on Wifey and B, family, friends, and The Cul De Sack Shack. This is my domain; these are the people close to me, and the rest is just noise and fear-mongering. I’m letting go and embracing ignorance.
We suffer more often in imagination than in reality. – Seneca1
That is why come January 1st, I’ll be embarking on The 2025 Ignorance is Bliss Tour #stayignernt.
I’m looking forward to the new year, putting 2024 behind me, and hopefully getting better at concentrating my love and attention on the people in my life that matter most.
Have a happy new year, get outside, and if you think it’ll help you, stay “ignernt” in 2025.
Later
The photos from today are some of my faves from 2024.