Familiarity breeds....complacency?

I've written before that I'm incredibly lucky to be able to live in Aviemore as the selection and number of trails surrounding it is immense and varied. As is often the case, it takes an outsider to remind me of my good fortune and a few days ago I was showing some friends around some of the trails which resulted in some appreciative comments, e.g. "do you guys ever go home?" and a couple of wee videos edited together by Kenny Wilson.



Day 1 was the Burma Road from Aviemore, followed by a selection of other tracks to get us to Carrbridge in time for lunch and a quick spin back through the woods at Boat of Garten for ice cream at the Kilted Fudge Company in Dalfaber.

Making a bit of a splash

At the top of the Goat Track

Time to go down

Day 2 was a selection of little singletrack sections linked by the big track round Loch Morlich and Loch an Eilean before running down the top of "Cake or Death" for, err, cake at Inshriach. 

  

It's important to look up sometimes!  

  

Ross styling it before cake

Both days had a great mix of trails, banter and food - even the weather was behaving. 



I also managed a spectacularly stupid fall on one of the very easiest of easy tracks in Rothiemurchus. The cuts, grazes and gravel rash would be bad enough but I also landed very heavily on my shoulder which has resulted in quite a bit of pain. With a two-day bikepacking trip coming up, I'm keen not to push things too far so a bit of an enforced absence from mountain biking is in order.

Running with the deer

Despite my history of foot problems, I've dabbled with running on and off since Mim took it up in training for her Everest trip. I learnt to ignore the immediate discomfort of sore calves and work through it until the running felt easier. I slowly got a little faster and able to run a little further.... then gave it up almost completely. 

As Mim has now started a series of 10k and half-marathon events, I've re-started in order to give her some company and encouragement. I've even bought various running shoes in order to see what works best for me. 

The latest footwear - Hoka One One Challenger ATR2

As a result of the A9 dualling programme I got sight of a map showing a path linking two other areas I knew and today went off to explore it, thinking that a bike would likely be a hinderance. The path exists only as a figment of someones imagination,even though a short section has some rudimentary waymakers in the shape of little sticks with a daub of yellow paint on . Even round these sticks, no trace of a path exists. 

Following made tracks, deer tracks and often no tracks, I got back with soggy, muddy feet and scratched legs after scrambling through heather and birch forest in search of this elusive track, but.... I also got a wonderful feeling of freedom. No chasing fastest times, no planned route, just wandering through ancient woodland with deer around, with the birds singing and taking the opportunity to pause as I went, get the sun on my face and the fresh air. I even discovered a local bouldering crag that I never knew existed. It would appear that, even at age 58, an old dog really can learn new tricks.

Afternoon sun on the Northern Corries