After the aftermath

 Today makes one week past the start of the overnight solstice hike for Steve and me. I've reflected on the event some more and some of that has been with more time on my hooves, but yes, I've also ridden my bike some, here, there, but honestly not too much further over there.

After last week's hike, and more significantly the sleep deprivation, I felt surprisingly fine. Another surprise, while I was awake, baring a couple meager naps, for 37 hours, over the three day period which included the solstice in the middle, I managed to average seven and a half hours of sleep per night. I've heard that there's no make-up for lost sleep, but maybe I tricked my body into perceiving events as just two oddly spaced days.

Saturday, I felt pretty fine. No, I didn't reconsider, hop on a mountain bike, and ride to join Brendan's race in Connecticut, but I genuinely didn't feel knackered, unlike I expected. I even rode a bike a little, but then, that is how I recover. The next morning, Sunday, the Eve of (fill in the blank as you see fit), I was back on the bike and riding to Mount Toby to join friends for a very casual and socially paced run. Not a arduous test, but again, I felt fine and even opted to join the longer two hour option.

It was a nice, if damp, day to be out, and a successful test of a new rust-free aluminum aluminum fork on what is steadily becoming my foul weather bike of one gear. Foul conditions impact a simple drivetrain less, and my pathological sensitivity doesn't so much abhor a dry chain when it's twist free due to front chainring and rear cog in perfect alignment. I'm even having second thoughts about my dream of a three speed hub, even though I'd love to use my friend Steve's wonderful line about one gear for uphill, one for downhill, and one for [c]hill!

And I've kept on walking, yesterday roving the woods for three to four hours from my house. The simplicity of one gear is great in the rain, but boots seem to handle soggy conditions even better, plus, I genuinely appreciate the purity of motion on foot, possibly enhanced by the experience of being taught to walk again last year.

Riding through the woods is great, but walking is the better for noticing. 

I spotted these yesterday, late December, in appropriate hunter safety orange!

I also noticed these, pretty deep in the woods from any trailhead. I'm not certain on my feelings to their addition to the sylvan wildness, but I left them for now, making a mental note to return in January to check on their removal.

So 2023 was the year of the walking solstices. They were good, but I expect I will return in 2024 to a pair of full dark to full dark rides. Maybe alternate riding and hiking years, that could appeal, but I have nearly half a year to contemplate for my next bad idea. Will I hike all night again? I don't know, but I'm pleased that I'm glad I did, free of regrets, so, YOU NEVER KNOW!