Monday, February 3, 2014

Follow the Urge



All week long I'd had plans to stay within 15 minutes of home, run a 20 mile loop starting from the Gomez Peak TH, out to the CDT, up and over Pinos Altos Mountain, and back to the car.  The night before however, I got a strange urge to head up to Signal Peak.  This is peculiar since I often curse the 30 minute drive and don't think that it's necessarily any better than closer trailheads.  2 hours before bedtime I threw together a 15 mile route to loop the summit of Signal Peak, and a new desire was borne.  New terrain often and justifiably trumps convenient access and longer miles.

 We'd gotten a handful of raindrops the previous morning in Silver City, but nothing that gave me reason to think that there would be much snow up high.  Temps were surely too high I'd assumed unless up in the Gigher Gila at 10,000 ft.  I was happily surprised by frigid low 20's temps, a dusting of snow, and unappealingly icy running conditions.




Plenty of fine detail in the Gila trees.  Up close inspection closer to home often lends itself to focusing on the Chihuahuan desert sea of tall grass, chollas, and squat junipers.  Where the divide starts to get a little higher, it's very refreshing to have pine and large junipers towering overhead under light snow.  Two worlds not far apart.

 The mileage along the CDT was incredible, smooth, and fast.  These past few months have seen my splits become longer and longer.  Where I used to have a drive to improve my speed run after run, week after week, I now find myself following the urge to stop more often.  The excuse is often to sip a gel that I once would have sipped while on the run.  Other times I want an excuse to pull out the camera.  Although guilt of laziness often creeps in, more often than not I accept my new form of running and enjoy being still.  May speed come and go.
Finally on top of Signal Peak, it was nice not getting harassed by wind while staring out beyond the Mimbres Valley.  Once again I gave into the urge, and sat down to enjoy the last of the huge views from the divide.  Soon the trail would get steep, slick in the snow on bald shoes, and the run would turn into a sprint to the car.  For now, I ate a chocolate bar, pondered living out in the Mimbres Valley, and was grateful that I'd changed my mind the night previous.