The first full week of the 2025 Ignorance is Bliss Tour is in the books, and I have to say it went pretty darn not bad.
I got out Friday morning at the ass crack of dawn, which isn’t actually all that ass-cracky, given the sun doesn’t fully rise until after 8 AM, but still, I was out, and it was pretty early.
Being Friday, I pulled into the lot and was, of course, greeted by the site of the Chatty Cathy Mobiles (two way too pricey, way too big SUVs). For those who don’t know, the Chatty’s diss me every single Friday as I pass them and say hi. So, being that I have the mind of an 8th grader, today, I had it in my head that I would give them an over-the-top greeting as if we were old friends. “HHHHHEY GOOD MORNIN’, HOW ARE YOU DOIN’??” With an obnoxious wave included.
A little over a mile in, I had my chance!
I could see through the trees that are paths were about to nearly merge. As I got closer, I actually found myself rehearsing in my head, “HHIIIIIIII!” er, I mean, ahem, “HHHEYYYYYY!!!…”
As we converged, I realized our paces might be slightly off. SHIT! Then, as they crossed in front of me about 25 feet ahead, Cathy on The Right turned, looked at me, and said, “Hello!” To which I replied, “Hey there.”
My plan to be a passive-aggressive dick to two total strangers was thwarted by Cathy on The Right; GAHDAMN YOU, CATHY ON THE RIGHT!!
I’m joking, of course. I always regret being a dick and truly believe it creates bad Karma and, ultimately, a bare-bottom spanking by the Universe. And NOT the good kind of Sexy Time Sunday bare-bottom spanking that so many of us enjoy.
So, no, I do not wish Cathy on The Right to be damned. Thanks for saying hi, I hope Bryce, Kaden, Braden, Aiden, and Mason are all doing well.
With that anti-climactic morning trail drama out of my way, I lumbered on towards the Covered Bridge Trail with my Karma mostly intact but hanging on by a thread.
Then, as I lumbered along, I made an adjustment to my pack, and my z50 slipped out of its clip on my pack and fell directly onto the frozen ground.
The flash popped up, the tilty screen tilted, and the lens would not extend for zooming, nor would it back button focus.
SHIT!! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY “GOOD KARMA???”
I clipped the camera back on my pack, and I continued on with the knowledge that I buy used gear and hike with a “cheap” zoom and camera for a reason. And that I have other cameras and other lenses. Not to mention, there are WAY worse things in the world to worry about, and if I need a new lens, I’m a grown-ass adult, and I can track one down for about $250.
Still, I felt lost and weird without a functioning camera. The rest of the hike had the same feeling as if I flatted while riding, used my last tube, and was still 30 miles from home. Doable, but not fun.
Thankfully, the rest of the lumber was without incident, and I saw nothing to photograph anyway.
I finished the hike with 5.63 miles in my feetz and 30.27 miles completed in five days. It’s not a bad way to complete the first full week of 2025.
Once I got home and could get some readers on my face, I tried other lenses with the z50, and they all worked and focused fine. Then I finally got the 50-250’s barrel unstuck, and it started working again as well. Time will tell if it’s 100%, but I’m pretty optimistic.
I also took a second to reflect back on the morning. Happy that I wasn’t a dick to the Cathy’s, happy to have got my 30+ miles in this week, happy that the z50 and my go-to lens are still working, and happy that despite the Karmic scare, the Universe still helped a brother out.
Late.