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  Topic Name: A to the everlovin' K on: November 03, 2008, 08:12:46 PM
MikeC


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« on: November 03, 2008, 08:12:46 PM »

OK, so I've posted this elsewhere and this is nothing more than a cut-and-paste into BP.net.  But if you take the time to read through it it just might light a wee bit of a fire under you in preparation for something...

...bigger?  Maybe colder?  Epic-er?

Anyone else thinkin' about A-K '09 yet?

Like moths to a lamp, swallows to Capistrano, or post-race cankles, there's a certain predictability to autumn.  Daylight wanes, temps fall, precip rises, and invariably my thoughts turn north to Alaska.  Each February of the last 11 years I've made a pilgrimage to some part of that state to spend time, usually alone, enjoying the backcountry.  This year I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to spend that time, nor where, nor with whom.  Like so many circling moths I'm not even completely sure why I choose there.

No matter where you live the rest of the year, it is cold.


It starts at very expensive and only increases as you go.


There is often anxiety,




and tedium,


and monotony.


But on every trip there's at least one moment that I wouldn't trade for anything.

Sometimes it's a combination of scenery and light.


Other times it's an interaction with a human


or animal(s).


Occasionally it's indefinable, which is a groovy way of saying that it can't really be explained, can only be experienced.




Whatever it is, it always happens.  That collection of memories is more valuable than almost anything else in my life.  It is irreplaceable, and it has had a huge part in shaping the person that I am and the direction that my life has taken over the last decade.


On autumn days like today when I can see my breath while toodling with the dog around the block, there's no place my thoughts would rather roam.


Time to start getting ready.

MC
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  Topic Name: A to the everlovin' K Reply #1 on: November 03, 2008, 09:19:08 PM
Eric


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« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2008, 09:19:08 PM »

... homeboy...










« Last Edit: November 03, 2008, 09:45:53 PM by Eric » Logged

  Topic Name: A to the everlovin' K Reply #2 on: November 04, 2008, 08:48:21 AM
Twenty-niner


Location: Durango, CO
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« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2008, 08:48:21 AM »

Excuse my french but, Jesus Christ... moving, Mike.  That shot of the trees with the ice/snow on their branches is insane. 

You rock.  Wish I could talk my wife and kids into moving back to Alaska, but it ain't happening.  And we're too destitute to afford a visit anytime soon. 

With photos like yours though, I can live vicariously (if somewhat painfully) through your experiences. 

Greg
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  Topic Name: A to the everlovin' K Reply #3 on: January 07, 2009, 04:10:11 PM
brian t


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« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2009, 04:10:11 PM »

Hey Mike, so when can we expect pic's from your next adventure?
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Not all those who wander are lost! -JRR Tolkien

  Topic Name: A to the everlovin' K Reply #4 on: February 04, 2009, 06:11:05 AM
Twenty-niner


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« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2009, 06:11:05 AM »

Mike retired.  He's living off of Mike & Ike's in the Ohio backcountry.
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  Topic Name: A to the everlovin' K Reply #5 on: February 04, 2009, 08:20:59 AM
ScottM
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« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2009, 08:20:59 AM »

This says otherwise:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0kzgaZSDaE8VdCF5n0Ym1BukJYb0Yhdb1

Looks like 135 miles of snowy goodness to me, and probably a hundred pics assuming his camera didn't freeze.

Can't guarantee that no Mike and Ikes were harmed, though...
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Author of TopoFusion GPS software.  Co-founder of trackleaders.com - SPOT event tracking.
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