life, STILL FULL OF
Magic
Y
“You ready?” I gleefully ask my partner Eric, as I close the heavy truck bed of his Ford F-150. Oneby-one, I clip each shoe into the pedals, cruise my Stumpjumper across the dirt lot and start an abrupt 300-foot climb toward the bizarre rock formations that tower above us. From our doorstep in Crested Butte, we can drive 30 minutes south through the wide U-shaped valley, surrounded by Gunnison National Forest, along Gunnison River’s cottonwood trees bedecked by remarkable American bald eagles. On the south side of Gunnison, our drive ends at Hartman Rocks Recreation Area: this high-desert, sage-speckled mecca for mountain biking. It feels unbelievably luxurious to shred sweeping singletrack here, minutes after a thunderstorm and when the earth is muddy most everywhere else. These trails, on the other hand, are perpetually dry. I’m eager for my mind to be lost in this unearthly terrain — to indulge in play. And for my attention to be held in continuous single-pointed meditation, as I steer through technical elements. Eric and I have bickered on-and-off, all morning. We’re acting irritable—and the root cause isn’t actually us. It’s an undercurrent of loss and uncertainty that we are learning how to process, even amid the warm advent of summer. I set our miscommunications aside and adopt a light tone as we kick-off our ride. A month ago, Governor Jared Polis lifted the statewide stay-at-home order that was in place to slow the spread of novel coronavirus: COVID-19, which causes a wide range of flu-like symptoms from fever to fatigue. The illness is exacerbated by respiratory inflammation, which is worsened at higher altitudes; for others, it leads to death. In a patchwork approach, each county now has individualized restrictions, based on local needs. Gunnison County’s first public health order, issued March 13, barred non-resident visitors. And if we venture beyond county boundaries for more than 24 hours, we need to self-quarantine upon return. All travel should resume normalcy by August, if COVID-19 doesn’t resurge.
How time in the outdoors provides
balance during a pandemic
The trailhead parking lot is a hard place to withhold from high fives and hugs! We love running into our friends here, even when we need to stay a bike’s length (or more) apart.
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