Still ride?
- Thread starter z9resusz
- Start date
That's a great question and one that I bet many are wondering as well.
My riding has slacked off significantly in the past 10 years or so. There are two main reasons for that.
First is my family. 10 years ago I was married, but had no daughter. We were even dogless
Nora has always been awesome at letting me go out and play in the snow when ever I wanted to and still is. However, since the arrival of Gracie, I have been drawn to spending as much time as possible with her and Nora. These are days and experiences I will NEVER get back. Thus the desire to ride has backed off significantly.
Secondly, my age and health is causing a shift in the type of riding I do. Back when I was in my late 30's and early 40's, anything was a go. I loved to hit the nastiest terrain and challenge myself as far as I could. Getting stuck was not fun, but was not a big deal. My first open heart surgery in Oct 2009 really slammed me hard. Open heart surgeries are obviously not a walk in the park, but mine was an exceptionally hard surgery and one I almost did not recover from. As much as I wanted to return to my previous style of riding (and I tried, believe me!), my body just could not keep up with what my brain was asking it to do. I still love the backcountry, but pretty much stick to logging roads and such. Getting stuck is extremely wearing on me now and I prefer to avoid that as much as possible.
Most of the friends that I ride with still enjoy the more challenging riding and I opt out, as to not be a hindrance to that. I feel very guilty about having them help me get unstuck and then just sit there and watch as they get themselves dug out! I know that father time will catch up to them someday and they will be content to just cruise the logging roads and not do anything too technical.
With all that said, I still have a fire in my belly to ride. My hope is that in the future (3-5 years), Gracie will be strong enough to handle a full sized sled in the backcountry and we can start heading out together. We have talked about it and she is as excited, or more, than I am. So as long as her wishes do not change, then I will likely be back to riding several times a week, rather than a season! Nora will not feel left out and is perfectly content to stay home and relax by the fire with the pups! For now though, I am as happy as can be.
Thanks for the question!
-John
My riding has slacked off significantly in the past 10 years or so. There are two main reasons for that.
First is my family. 10 years ago I was married, but had no daughter. We were even dogless
Nora has always been awesome at letting me go out and play in the snow when ever I wanted to and still is. However, since the arrival of Gracie, I have been drawn to spending as much time as possible with her and Nora. These are days and experiences I will NEVER get back. Thus the desire to ride has backed off significantly.Secondly, my age and health is causing a shift in the type of riding I do. Back when I was in my late 30's and early 40's, anything was a go. I loved to hit the nastiest terrain and challenge myself as far as I could. Getting stuck was not fun, but was not a big deal. My first open heart surgery in Oct 2009 really slammed me hard. Open heart surgeries are obviously not a walk in the park, but mine was an exceptionally hard surgery and one I almost did not recover from. As much as I wanted to return to my previous style of riding (and I tried, believe me!), my body just could not keep up with what my brain was asking it to do. I still love the backcountry, but pretty much stick to logging roads and such. Getting stuck is extremely wearing on me now and I prefer to avoid that as much as possible.
Most of the friends that I ride with still enjoy the more challenging riding and I opt out, as to not be a hindrance to that. I feel very guilty about having them help me get unstuck and then just sit there and watch as they get themselves dug out! I know that father time will catch up to them someday and they will be content to just cruise the logging roads and not do anything too technical.
With all that said, I still have a fire in my belly to ride. My hope is that in the future (3-5 years), Gracie will be strong enough to handle a full sized sled in the backcountry and we can start heading out together. We have talked about it and she is as excited, or more, than I am. So as long as her wishes do not change, then I will likely be back to riding several times a week, rather than a season! Nora will not feel left out and is perfectly content to stay home and relax by the fire with the pups! For now though, I am as happy as can be.
Thanks for the question!
-John
John it's like the saying goes. "Every man has his limitations", medical issues are included! Nothing to be ashamed of, my limits are increasing as I age, nothing I can do about it, nor you. Just be your best as your family is your main concern. Being honest about it is always the best way, no matter the problem, or issue! I admire you being honest about it! Way to go, take care of your family, and yourself! I, am waiting for the granddaughter to be able to ride by herself, with me.
dfattack
Well-known member
John, your post took me back to the days when my kids were Gracie's age. Oh the memories. I didn't do ANY riding from when I started to work for my Dad until I had a place to store a sled. that was 15 years! Working hard getting my self established in business and your children can definitely take most if not all of your time. My kids are grown now so that isn't an issue any more, but I will say I definitely don't want to get stuck either! I"m enjoying the trails and that's good for me.