The Dharma Bum Blogs - November 1, 2005

I used to keep a journal. Meditate three hours a day. Climb on my days off.

I'm the same guy. Just older and more in debt.

On a mountain run the other day Will said something like "the more things we have the less time we have to enjoy our lives" or something like that. He's right. We work so damn hard just to have things, more things, better things, newer things. Maybe we should just sell the house and buy a small cottage on a plot of land and simplify.

Between sucking air from the exertion of our once-a-week mountain runs we usually philosophize about life, careers, keeping up with mortgages, kids, cars, grocery bills, adventures, marriage. That's the beauty of a mountain run: get a killer workout, take in the beauty of the wilderness, clear the mind, get focused, enjoy a good sufferfest, push through barriers....a miniature day wrapped into an hour of physical exertion.

6:30 in the morning: as we make our way higher the thick snow from last night bends the small trees right over the trail. Down low there's not a trace of snow. But, above about 3,000 feet in elevation it's full-on winter. We follow the footprints of a coyote, winding and wandering upward, sometimes under low-hanging branches, so low we have to crouch to get through. Somewhere up near the top of the mountain the coyote tracks cut off the path, lost within the deafening silence of winter.

This is Day One of The Dharma Bum Blogs:

The internet is a wasteland, where people come together to share their lives in obscurity. I can waste countless hours on espn.com, everestnews.com, Google, whatever. But, having found the Blog, I see that maybe this is my chance to get a journal started again...where I can record my thoughts, get ready for that book I'll write some day.

At The Dharma Bum Blogs people of the same feather are welcome to gather, to find company in this insane world. My entries will run the gamut. I'll share my thoughts and experiences about climbing, sufferfests, suicide, trail running, raising kids, marriage, expeditions, spirituality, getting along in the world, not in that order. And, unless it's a really bad day, the overall feel is optimistic...

Thanks for visiting. Check in from time to time.

The Dharma Bum