Category: Adventure

DO HARD THINGS

There’s a “mountain” here. I call it Leaser Lake Mountain, since the lake is at the base of the dirt road that goes up and over. The Appalaciahan Trail runs along the top, too. It’s magical.

Last April I got back to running, but decided I’m gonna go for elevation instead of mileage. How many feet can I climb in a year? By the end of 2024 I had climbed 83,000′ of elevation. This year I’m already at 78,000′, getting comfortable with 5000′ per week lately.

Since it’s been so hot here in Northeast PA, I didn’t get much running in. Finally on Saturday there was a break, so I went up and down my Leaser Lake Mountain three times, something I’ve never done before. That’s 11.3 miles, and 2,605′ of climbing,

The fantasy was to do that again today, Sunday, so I could hit my 5,000′ goal, but that absolutely didn’t happen. I still hit 3,229′ which is still solid, and finally got back to another 30 mile week. Happy with both of those numbers.

TURNING 49

It was my 49th birthday, and I treated myself to some place fancy. That is, the 110 State Game Lands access road, on a chilly rainy evening here in PA.

There’s a gate at the entrance, then a gate near the “top,” which is about 1.5 miles, and about 500′ of climbing. This is one of the only hilly routes where I can run the whole thing, and by run I mean shuffle and slightly jog, but hey, I couldn’t do that a few months ago, so I’m stoked.

Also, I used to do just one lap. Up and down, and call it night. Last night I did it twice, so just over 1000′ of climbing, six miles total, and felt great.

This is the last year in my 40s I guess, might as well keep things moving.

KEEP CLIMBING, I GUESS

Just passed over 100 hours running in 2025, and almost 52,000′ of climbing.

Running about 30 miles a week the last five weeks, and over 5,000′ of elevation. Flirting with 6,000′ of climbing the last few weeks now, too.

I’m starting to double up some hills. Before I’d just go up and run back down, now I’m doing them twice in one session. Two ups. Two downs. Thighs of steel, baby.

Shuffling and jogging up some sections that I used to have to walk. Getting strong, fitting back into shirts and jackets I couldn’t wear earlier this year.

Damn, feels good to be hitting 49 tomorrow.

SURFACE AREA

There’s the saying to increase the surface area for luck, but I’m telling you… meeting new folks increases the surface area for COOL STUFF.

I just got off a Zoom call with some great folks and met Andrew White and I want him to take photos of me running up the hills I try to run up (just kidding, I’d look awful), and also discovered Andrew(?) Byrd who is running an analog recording competition – making and recording music with no computers!

I know, I know… the surface area thing… for networking, for finding jobs, yes, sure. Of course. But wow, there are just so many amazing people out there doing great work.

DOUBLE UPS

Doing more of the thing you want to do usually leads to more of what you want to do.

That doesn’t mean I should eat pizza and ice cream everday, of course, but the math adds up soon enough.

Months ago I got back to my running practice. Some days I just couldn’t grind through a three or four mile run.

Sure enough, I wasn’t eating enough to have the energy for those runs, so they always sucked.

Once you start eating to run, running gets easier.

And so now I’ve run 30 miles a week for the past few weeks, and usually hitting 5000′ of elevation along the way.

I’m not the fastest, but I’m probably the only ding dong who runs up and down this dirt road with no guard rail at least once a week.

And this past Sunday I did it twice, because hey, at 48 years old if you’re not challenging yourself, most likely no one else will, either.

THE PORCUPINE TALKS TO ITSELF

Got in a nice six mile run up to the Appalcian Trail. One new trail took my upwards, and I just off onto another which promised me a spring, but it was not well traveled, so I got off course a bit. Thankfully I recently purchased the All Trails app, which set me straight.

I came out to this firebreak, as you can see above. It was quiet and still. Nothing rustling in the underbrush because, well… there was no underbrush.

As I was descneding from the 1000-ish feet I climbed, there he was, a prickley porcupine on the side of the trail. I stopped, and slowly made my way around them. In my youth I heard they can shoot their quills, but nothing of the sort happened. He just went about his business.

Then my pal Kato commented on my Note “‘The porcupine talks to himself.’ Bill Staines PLACE IN THE CHOIR,” so I did a search and found this video:

That about sums it up. This is the second porcupine I’ve seen on my adventures around the Appaclian Trail in the last few years, and really the porcupine just talks to itself. It paid me zero mind. Didn’t scatter off. Wasn’t spooked. Just kept talking to itself and I made my way around him and continued on my run.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

This was written sometime in 2011, and I found it via The Wayback Machine:

I gave my two weeks notice on Friday. My last day as editor of Noisecreep for AOL Music will be Feb 11. I’ve worked with great people over the past 2+ years, and met some amazing artists, but it’s time to move on.

Living life on the road for six months has been a challenge, with all the logistics, managing money (and my mail), signing divorce papers, long bus rides — but it always works out. Maybe not exactly the way I planned it out (three hour delay yesterday en route to Atlanta), but it’s gone pretty smooth.

I just did the stuff I wanted to do on the side. I worked my day job and then I hung out with friends. I emailed a friend 50 miles away and on the weekend rode my bike there. Then I emailed another friend, and I rode 50 miles. My parents were just 30 miles away, so why not ride there next? On and on I’ve gone, asking friends for a couch to crash on and I’ve made it work. I just did it. Yes, it helped that I could work remotely, but I’ve been doing this “blog thing” for about a decade – I didn’t just “get lucky.” At the same time, I didn’t need to quit my job, or save up any money, or buy a new bike (oops!); week after week I just did this on the side.

Do what you love on the side, a few hours a week. See what happens. If it’s really a priority, and something that feels right in your bones, maybe you can keep doing it.

Can’t believe here I said “doing the blog thing for about a decade,” and here I am now in 2025, having down the blog thing for like 24 years now.

RUNNING IS MY CREATIVE PRACTICE

My Social Media Escape Club project takes a lot of energy, but it’s a good energy. It’s regenerative, to a degree. But I can let it take over, too. There’s just always something more to do, to write, another video to make, an interview to schedule.

My creative practice used to be making music, but these days it seems to be running. Yeah, I guess that’s not art, but for me it is. It brightens my day. Gives me energy. I’m inspired by other runners. I get a lot of great ideas out there on the trails.

Climbed over 5,600′ this week, my most ever. I turn 49 next month. Telling you… climbing these hills along the Appalachian Trail is my creative practice. I love it so much.

Put me on a flat surface to run 30 miles a week? Kill me.

But make it 5,000′ of climbing, and I’m in.

MYSTERIES OF THE TRAILS

You just never know what you’ll find out there in the woods. This is my second 1,400′ of climbing in one week. Over 4,000′ for the week, with the weekend to go, yet. The thing I found I love about running is climbing. Even when I’m slow, at least I’m moving up some pretty big hills.

Last year I climbed 83,000′ and so far this year I’m at 17,400′ – I’m behind pace if I wanna do better than 2024!