Ghost Trails

Patrick bought me a copy of the book Ghost Trails for my birthday. It was a great read! The book combines a number of short camping / hiking tails with an extended race report from a woman my age who takes her mountain bike on about 350 miles of snowmobile track in the Alaskan backwoods in the Iditasport race. The book offers reflection on what motivates a person to do such a thing. It also chronicles the development of skills and drive over several years, giving a very extensive background to the race experience. When I was in high school, I had a picture of the Iditabike champion taped onto my closet door. After reading the descriptions of the extreme cold, I have to say that I have lost interest in ever doing this race. However, I imagine that I may think back to some of the stories next time I find myself on a long, long ride with time for the mind to wander. I really got a kick out of some of the "pre-athlete" stories in here, such as a trip which involved wading through freezing water wearing jeans in a slot canyon. Ah, to be young and stupid.