Other Than Me

“I am who I am, who I am, well who am I –
Requesting some enlightenment –
Could I have been anyone other than me?”
- Dave Matthews Band, “Dancing Nancies” (video after post)

What if I told you that this was your house:


Would that be someplace you’d be happy with? A place where you’d feel good about where life has taken you? Wait just a couple minutes before you answer - because the proposition is a bit more complicated than that.

So you live in a trailer; that’s not exactly fantastic news. The good part is you can park it wherever you like – even on a hilltop in the middle of a beautiful open space:



With some wonderful views of the valley below:


And spectacular morning sunrises:


Does that make the situation a little more appealing now?

And what if I told you that you could work from home, so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of a daily commute? There aren’t any corporate politics to frustrate you, and you generally get to make your own hours, as long as you’re available to your employees when they need you.

Yes, you have employees, and you’re the boss. Your role is actually quite important, as you’re responsible for the well-being of a few hundred direct reports:



Although they’re generally well-behaved, they tend to have some difficulty identifying with the larger goals of the organization, so they typically need a lot of guidance and supervision:



Fortunately, you’ve got a few middle managers who are very effective motivators, and can usually be relied upon to direct the front-line staff in working toward a common purpose:



You still have to stay on top of things, however – because every now and then, one of your middle managers might feel like slacking in the shade for a while:


And you're ultimately the person responsible for making sure that everything gets done.

Sometimes in the midst of an early morning run, I contemplate what life as a modern-day shepherd would be like, especially in the unique case of the guy who’s charged with overseeing the Fort Ord open space. I mean … yes, you’d live in a trailer, but the pace of life is blissfully slow. You’d get to spend day after day in one of the most scenic places imaginable, sleeping and waking with the sun, living a life of simplicity rather than battling the complexities and frustrations of the modern world. Sure, it’s hard to buy groceries or go out to the movies, but in my book there’s a lot to be said for the beauty of solitude.

(Besides, it’s not like you’d be totally isolated from society: you can shop on the Internet, watch TV online or movies from Netflix, and maintain a vast network of friends via social media. In fact, it’s a good bet this dude has his own Facebook page – and part of me wants to scan Twitter for names like @FortOrdTrailer or @MontereyShepherd to see what I find. On second thought, I probably won’t; it would be too discouraging to learn that he has more friends or followers than me.)

I’ve seen the shepherd several times in the midst of a my trail runs or bike rides, but never said anything more than “hi” or “good morning” as we’re both performing our selected tasks. The easy solution to my questions, of course, would be to just stop and pick his brain for a few minutes about job satisfaction and quality of life … but somehow I think if I actually found out, that would diminish my experience the next time I wander by.


Because half of the fun is in the wondering: whether I could live a life that’s so foreign to my own, whether I could be happy in a completely different set of circumstances, whether I could be anyone other than me. I suppose no one can ever know these things for sure, but they’re definitely interesting notions to think about when I’m making my early morning rounds.

*
I always waffle back and forth about whether I prefer DMB's music played with the full band, or in the more chilled-out acoustic settings he specializes in. More often than not, the decision is based on my mood - and today, you're getting acoustic. Either way, this one's a gem.

Dave Matthews, "Dancing Nancies" (click to play; the song gets started about 1 minute in):

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Zion Rim to Rim Run Report

“I can't believe that we would lie in our graves wondering if we had spent our living days well –
I can't believe that we would lie in our graves dreaming of things that we might have been.”
- Dave Matthews Band, “Lie in Our Graves” (video after post)


This really isn’t the kind of thing I normally do.

I mean … OK, yes – going on a long, crazy run somewhere and taking a bunch of pictures for a ridiculously lengthy report actually is something I’ve done with increasing frequency, but this particular case still managed to bend a lot of the rules. When it comes to traveling across three states, or leaving my family behind for a weekend just so I can have a childlike faraway adventure, that’s not something I typically (or for that matter, want to) make a habit of doing.

But this particular adventure was different. It was in Zion National Park, which I’ve heard about for years but never visited. All of the logistics, including transportation and course support, were arranged by Stacy at Wilderness Running Company, meaning I’d never have an easier opportunity to enjoy such an epic run; basically, all I had to do was get my butt to Southern Utah with a pair of running shoes, and he took care of everything else.

Finally – and this may be a symptom of my getting older – I’ve had this increasing notion recently that I shouldn’t let great opportunities like this pass me by. I don’t want to look back someday and wonder if I spent my living days appreciating the world around me, the blessings I’ve been given, or the people who shared the journey – and I don’t want to wistfully dream of things that might have been.

So that’s how I found myself in a rented van with five other people, driving in the dark to a remote trailhead on the western side of Zion National Park last Saturday morning. It’s also a good launching point for our photo report.

(And as usual, click to enlarge any of these pics - they're much better that way.)


The plan for four of us (two others were doing a shorter option) was to do a 32-mile “mini-traverse” of the park: climb to the West Rim, plunge down 3000’ to the valley floor, then drag ourselves up and over the East Rim to the park’s opposite boundary. It had the makings of a long day, which is why we started at first light. And when I mentioned all of the arrangements that Stacy made beforehand, I forgot to mention the killer sunrise he ordered for us. I thought that was a nice touch.


We set out from an area called Wildcat Canyon, which had a nice variety of rolling terrain …


… before starting a long steady climb toward the West Rim. The average elevation along this stretch was more than 7000’, which might have explained why I was getting a little bit short of breath …

… or maybe it was simply the breathtaking views we started seeing off to our right.



The geologic diversity of Zion is evident right off the bat: some landmarks are flattened, some are eroded into cones, others are jagged and irregular. Some are deep red, others are light brown or stark white. And whatever the variety, they’re all quite mesmerizing.


The landmarks also rise up quite steeply from the valley floor, as our occasional glimpses of the canyon below demonstrated clearly.


Our “Fab Four” group for the day consisted of me, Gretchen, Stacy, and Jamie. The girls are both outstanding ultrarunners, but thankfully this was a “no egos” run from the very first step, so they were happy to slow down to hang with the guys. In fact, calling our pace “casual” is something of an understatement; is there a term for “moving at a comfortable pace for everyone, taking walking breaks whenever the conversation gets really good, and stopping at every scenic spot for extended gawking and photo sessions”? If so … that’s the word to describe our group’s mentality on the run.


Continuing along the rim, we enjoyed some great views of Phantom Valley …


… before starting a very long descent down to Zion's floor.


This canyon is an almost acoustically perfect echo chamber; we probably spent more time than we needed to bouncing our “Woo-Hoo!”s off the rock walls on three sides of us, but it was a very cool effect. And, as I mentioned, it’s not like we were in a hurry or anything.


Much of the footing in Zion is significantly more challenging than what I’ve experienced in California; at various points we encountered sharply jagged lava rock, steeply sloped granite faces, or large, loosely packed rocks like the ones pictured here. It was a significant challenge with the minimalist footwear I wore (revealed shortly) – but aside from paying closer attention than usual to the irregularities underfoot, I didn’t have any shoe-related problems all day long …


… especially when the trail opened up to an exposed rock face that predictably turned into another goofing-around photo spot.


We still had a lot of downhill to cover, however, and it became harder and harder to keep our eyes on the trail …


… when we started getting glimpses of the Zion Valley floor in the distance below.


This is Angels Landing, a half-mile detour off the main trail, and one of the most ominous yet popular tourist destinations in Zion. You reach the top by climbing across the narrow spine of the rock …


… which, as this sign will inform you, has resulted in more than a few people falling to their deaths. The death sign didn’t seem to faze anybody, however, as this rock was literally crawling with hikers – by this point including Gretchen and me.


Your route up to the landing consists mainly of a length of chain set into the rock …


… and it’s up to you to make your way around the lollygaggers as you work your way up the narrow spine. The two-way traffic that shares a single chain along this stretch has the potential to get fairly congested …


… but the views at the top are definitely worth it, whether you’re sharing them with a good friend …


… or just contemplating the world while your feet dangle over the edge. Two other points are worth mentioning about this picture:

1) Those are my shoes, the VivoBarefoot Evo II, which I’ll be formally reviewing here in a few weeks. It’s a high compliment to say I had absolutely no hesitation in using them on what I knew would be a highly technical, extremely challenging, potentially dangerous outing like this – and a high endorsement to report that they performed wonderfully. Also …

2) Remember “Lie in Our Graves”, the DMB song that introduced this post? Another verse from it asks “Would you not like to be/ Sitting on top of the world with your legs hanging free?” So it’s not much of a surprise that it got stuck in my head for the rest of the run.


We still had many miles to cover, however, so we made our way back down the steep slope of Angel’s Landing …


… and Walter’s Wiggles, perhaps the most famous set of switchbacks in America …


… and all the way down the serpentine plunge that looked more like a water park slide than a trail sometimes. This was probably the most enjoyable part of the run, because we were cruising smoothly downhill …


… into beautiful Zion Canyon, where the fall colors were just starting to pop …


… and directly to an enormous lunch spread that Stacy and his wife had set up for us. Since the day was all about being mellow, we didn't treat this as a typical ultra aid station stop; we made full sandwiches, had chips and drinks and other snacks, and sat around for at least a half-hour talking about all the sights we had seen thus far. It was one of those moments you wish could last forever, but we knew it couldn’t …


… because we still had to climb back up and over this thing before our run was finished.


So eventually we shuffled away from the lunch table and headed about 1 mile up the road …


… and began the long trek up the East Rim trail, which started with a solid five miles of steep uphill.


The colors in this area of the park were brilliant, which was a nice distraction …


… from the fact that this trail was pretty much kicking all of our butts.


About halfway up the climb, you take your last look into Zion Canyon …


… before entering a seriously narrow section of trail carved by a very thin but extremely determined creek in the depths below.


Once we exited the canyon, I was glad Gretchen and Stacy were in front of me, because I had no idea where the trail went from here. Long stretches were essentially a random scramble across the sandstone …


… which served a s brief reprieve from the lung-burning steepness of the top portion of the climb.


The final uphill miles took their toll on me, and by the time I reached the 3-mile downhill stretch towards the East Rim trailhead, my legs were feeling fairly beat up. I ran these miles alongside Gretchen, who earlier in the day had explained how she intentionally slows down in the final miles of long runs like this, just to make the experience last a little bit longer. She was running slow to stretch out the moment; I was running slow because I didn’t have any choice. We made a good team that way.

I have to say that I understood what Gretchen meant, though …


… because once I saw the trailhead marking the end of the run, I had this brief flash of disappointment – Wait - it’s over? – followed by a sudden urge to remember as many details of the last 10 hours as I could.


So of course, I kept taking pictures – such as this one of the happy group at trail’s end …


… or this gaggle of like-minded shutterbugs gathered at a bridge on the main road out of the park. They weren’t ultrarunners – just photography geeks setting up to capture the sights around them …


… such as the Virgin River bending through the valley below …


… or the rock called The Watchman soaking up the last beams of the sunset high above. Darkness eventually settled on him, as it did on us, and we had to be on our way.

The Watchman would wake up to another day in Zion tomorrow; the rest of us had to be content with the one that we just finished. Fortunately, it was a day spent as well as I could have possibly hoped from every standpoint: beautiful autumn weather, an amazing run in an incredible park, and a wonderful experience with people who could appreciate it all just as much as I did.

Whether it all happens again remains to be seen, but I’m more than happy that I grabbed this opportunity, so I don’t have to wonder anymore what might have been.

*
Dave Matthews Band, "Lie in Our Graves", live in Chicago (click to play):



*See other photo tours under tab at top of page.

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Monkey Shake Coupon Code and Giveaway!

“Love me baby, love me baby –
Shake me like a monkey baby –
And forever I’m yours, yours, yours, yeah!”
- Dave Matthews Band, “Shake Me Like a Monkey” (video after post)


Even with the amount of new gear and products I’ve been fortunate enough to test over the past couple of years, sometimes it’s nice to keep going back to something that works for you.
That’s exactly what happened after I reviewed a product called Monkey Shakes last year: I continued to purchase them after my free sample supply ran out, and I’ve gradually made my way through two more full shipments over the course of several months. It’s a product I’ve come to love – and this week, it’s also a product I’m thrilled to give away.

Monkey shakes!

If you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about, feel free to read my initial review, and I’ll give you a quick recap here. Monkey Shakes are all-natural high-protein recovery mixes featuring chia seeds, vitamins and antioxidants (for the super long explanation, click here) that you blend with milk, frozen fruit, juice, peanut butter, or any other ingredients you choose (recipe suggestions are included). They are sold in two-serving packets, but can also be scooped into your normal smoothies in place of regular protein powder.

So, yes … it’s basically a super-fancy milkshake, but I was also drawn to the 10:10 Wellness company, who manufactures the shakes, and who have a mission and values that I feel good about supporting. They encourage people to lead active, athletic lifestyles through training partnerships, and they openly promote the spiritual component of general wellness and healthy living.

Also, each of my shipments came with a hand-scribbled thank you note, and one of those little curvy-armed monkeys from the old Barrel of Monkeys game. Clearly this is a company that’s easy for me to identify with.

Monkey love

(And apparently the feeling is mutual, as I’ve recently been beknighted as a 10:10 Wellness SpokesMonkey. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s meant as an honor.)

When I reviewed them last year, the company was working on something of a shoestring, a point that was most apparent in the product packaging. I kind of teased them about this, and they responded by raising their game and providing factory closed resealable bags for all orders. They also expanded the product line to include Chocolate Monkeys. My preference is still for the vanilla flavor, because it goes best with the fruit smoothies I most frequently blend – but if you like a good chocolate milkshake every now and then, you can add a lot of nutritional value to it with a little bit of monkey mix.

Vanilla and chocolate monkeys

Monkey shakes come in 2-serving bags, and are priced at $15 for three bags, or $68 for a 15-bag (30 serving) case, with chocolate monkeys a few bucks more expensive than the regular vanilla flavor. Since I’m now a spokesmonkey, I get to pass along some monkey love to my readers: if you purchase them from the 10:10 Wellness site, enter coupon code monkeydonald (cute, huh?) into the coupon box for a 10% discount. (Note - this is a different coupon code than was used for my initial review. Use this new one, monkeys.)

However, if you’re lucky – and a bit creative - you can try some Monkey Shakes for free. The company has generously offered to provide a six-pack of either chocolate or vanilla flavor shakes to FIVE lucky winners chosen from the comments section below. However, since this giveaway is so cool, I’m tinkering with the normal rules a bit: instead of just drawing commenters at random, I’m going to be subjective about who wins.

I’m assembling a selection panel - likely to include at least one of the elementary school-aged girls I live with - and we’re awarding extra points for creativity, so your task is to dazzle us. Anything related to monkeys will score extra points. Jokes, witty remarks, goofy haiku, or anything else that makes us laugh will score extremely high. Remember, this is monkey business we’re talking about, so feel free to go bananas.

Good luck, have fun, and I’ll announce winners on Friday night!

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Speaking of fun and creative: one of my favorite tracks from the latest DMB disc seems more than appropriate here.

Dave Matthews Band, “Shake Me Like a Monkey” (click to play - and scroll through about 90 seconds of intro):

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