
Soiled File Foto.
As I type this, I am in the middle of a rain delay, which, given the forecast of ice, rain, snow, wind, and 33˚ all day, will surely lead to the rescheduling of today’s lumber.

Soiled File Foto.
As I type this, I am in the middle of a rain delay, which, given the forecast of ice, rain, snow, wind, and 33˚ all day, will surely lead to the rescheduling of today’s lumber.

As I folded clothes on Tuesday afternoon, I got a message from my friend Steve. He and I worked at the bike shop together a few years ago. He lives about 20 minutes south, and said he had an appointment in town on Wednesday mid-morning and wanted to know if he could tag along for a bit on my lumber before.
Steve is a great guy, and of course, my first reaction was 100% yes. But then I had to think for a minute.

As I readied myself for this morning’s lumber in the lot of the park, the Soobie belonging to the Two Aging Hippies and their geriatric dog pulled in.

The week has been less than stellar for a variety of reasons, including the fact that I only have a hair over 20 miles in my feetz thus far.
This is about all I feel like writing, so I’ll just post a few pics from the last few days, including a few from Friday’s 6.50-mile lumber that felt like I had been through multiple different seasons in two hours: snow, slush, ice, rain, fog, mud, and sunshine.

Well, the Weather Mongers were not wrong, and I woke up to snow and high winds this morning. There were only a few inches at the time, but it was still coming down, and after four days of snowless hiking, I was not in the mood.

As I pulled into the muddy parking lot today, I swore that I would not use microspikes for the day’s lumber. There is just no way! Screw it, I’m done!

Today was Day 5 of waking up not sick, but still with some sort of allergy or slight head cold. But since I feel good regardless of the drip, I did that thing where I go walking at pace in the woods with my camera looking for critters. So stupid.
I was intent on getting my 2026 fit and fat lifestyle back on track with a 30 in 5 Days week for only the second time since mid-January, and you know I went ahead and did it. Just barely, at 30.05 miles, but shit got done, and it felt great to be back on track, even if I wasn’t feeling 100%.
I was also intent on not taking any photos of squirrels, but since nothing else was cooperating, I went ahead and took one. And I’m glad I did, ’cause I dig the pic and can’t stop thinking that when a squirrel goes house (tree) hunting, they are looking for a tree with a good perch to eat breakfast on. Sort of like a patio breakfast spot for rodents. I digress.

I also got my first Turd photo (see intro) of the almost-spring, just as I was finishing up. I thought I saw one yesterday, but the trees were dark, and the sky was too grey to get a proper sighting or pic, so it didn’t count. THIS ONE counts. Sadly, whereas the dull grey sky ruined yesterday’s pic, today the bright 9 AM sun and blue sky made for too much harsh light and saturation. I did what I could to make it look a little less “meh,” but in the end, it’s just a good snapshot of a robin.
Not sure what my plan is for the weekend, but I know I need to do something in order to stop being not sick, but still with some sort of allergy or slight head cold. I hear that rest, beer, and endless footy watching are key, so I’ll see what I can do.

I’m also including a close-up photo I took of Lola T. Dog yawning, because I can.
Later.

Today was Day 4 of waking up not sick, but still with some sort of allergy or slight head cold. I’m kind of used to it now. So, into the woods I went.

As I woke up on Wednesday morning, I could hear light rain striking the windows. “Hmmmm… going to be a wet lumber this morning,” I thought as I climbed out of bed and fart-walked my way to the bathroom.
Soon—or two hours later— I was gearing up and ready to head out. Now the rain was absolutely lashing down, and the sky had nearly returned to complete darkness!
“SHIT!! Oh, fuck it, by the time I get to the trails, it’ll slow down or stop!!”

After a few days spent with my slack turned blissfully up to 11, I woke up Monday morning with not one ounce of desire to lumber on what were either going to be extremely slushy trails or extremely icy trails. Either way, I knew I didn’t have the brain power to deal, so I didn’t. Giving up is so easy, I really should get back into the routine.
Fast forward to Tuesday morning…