I am The Monkey

I can see my future. I can see that my body will some day not be able to keep up with my mind. I can see that one day I will head out on a ride, a run, or a ski, and just keep going, not wanting to turn that homing device on to return, so I will just keep taking the other turn and finding out what's around that other corner. Then, one day I will not be able to make it home because my body simply will not be able to make it back.

I had that feeling today on a run. I just starting running in a place that I had never been before. But it seemed logical enough - I'd do an out-and-back. One can't get lost on an out and back, can they? I started noticing the flaws in that logic once I saw how many fire-roads starting breaking off the main road that looked exactly like the one I was on. I didn't bring my friend Spot, or a GPS and I didn't have the option anyways. But the good thing was, after jumping off the pave' and then onto the dirt, the spring snow started up pretty soon and I was running on mostly frozen snow. I thought, 'I should be able to return by following my own tracks.' Similar to running on sand but this being more slippery (duh) I just kept running, following the way of The Monkey. At every turn I'd take the one not going even vaguely closer to home. "Just to the next one," I'd say to myself each time.

I'm not a runner. That fact is lost on everything but my body (i.e., my mind). I have bike and ski fitness, so I don't get tired, but my body gets extremely beat up from running. Nonetheless, I keep running even when I probably should not be running. (Logic to me is not necessarily logical to you...you should know that by now.)

After an hour or more, i really have no idea, I saw some tracks from either a really fat and clawless coyote or a young lion - the tracks were more round than narrow and were way out there so it definitely wasn't a loose dog. I followed the route of these tracks for about a mile before they left the trail not to return. At the next turn I decided I should probably turn around because although I wanted to keep going, to get a look at the lake, but my internal logic-clock started ringing (it happens occasionally). I had no water or food and the nearest town was at least 10 miles away.

The thing about snow and sun is that snow melts and tracking yourself is pretty difficult when you can't see your tracks anymore. As I got closer to home, the tracks got more infrequent and less noticeable. Each trail off the one I was on looked exactly the same. Being in an area with huge trees doesn't help navigation - views and high points were not available to help. So I just followed The Monkey, my internal GPS, that something inside that led me the several miles back home to the couch and full pint glass of beer, and the thoughts of when I won't be able to be so lucky to do that any longer.