Never enough Mountain Days

Fresh mountain air stimulates creativity …  my justification for getting up early and hitting the Hajar Mountains for some much needed vision and reflection. In the perfect world, I would love to do this one day per month but in reality it happens just a few priceless days a year. I tend to hit different valleys and discover new mountain roads so a sign like this one inevitably drew me in.

Roads like these always lead to interesting places. High up in these mountains is a peaceful valley where in the past I’ve done some trail running and adventure racing but that was long before this new road replaced the old off-road steep climb up the mountain’s edge.

Admittedly, signs like this are there for good reason and halfway up the crazy steep mountain road, I was starting to break out in a serious sweat thanks to steep drops on either side, an abundance of sharp bends and lot’s of loose rocks. My Landy Defender 110 certainly found it hard work.

On reaching the top, I dumped the car and continued on foot for a bit, finding a peaceful spot under a tree next to some old ruins. At last, time to chill … no digital distractions, no errands to run, no chores to do … just the mountains and me.  A little improvisation was called for as I sat down on my manfrotto tripod’s carry bag, the only padding I could find in the car to chill out on. Out came my notepad and the writing of three subject headings: Status, 2012 and 2013. Guess which one I completed first? Regardless, all time well spent leaving me with some clarity in what I hope 2013 will bring.

Following the brain dump, I needed a run to clear my head. Although not designed for trail running, I wore my new Nike Frees as I was keen to break them in. Reaching a crossroad, I’m sure the shoes would have preferred the more smooth path forking left, but my legs chose right, straight up a steep and loose trail, up into the hills. I loved it. The shoes were awesome … soft, flexible and with a nice wide toe box. Nike markets the Frees as ‘the shoe that gets as close to barefoot running as you can imagine’. I’ll certainly be trying them on my next track running session. And here I thought only Red Bull gives you wings …

The introduction of the new road has changed the character of the valley. Not all bad, as it has provided the infrastructure to rebuild some of the old ruins which are often family houses past on through the generations. One particular ‘mountain lodge’ had this authentically rural feel viagra pills with the most amazing views. I instantly fell in love with it. I’ve always dreamt of calling such a place my own.  I started a blog post a few months back about that exact dream and seeing this place inspired me to finish it.

As I ran past, I wondered how I could get in for a look and ultimately decided on the bold move of writing the landlord a letter of request and leaving it at the door. It’s a bit of a long shot I know, but you never know unless you ask. Like so many things in life, those who dare to ask never fail to beat those who simply dream.

All entrepreneurs ought to spend time away from their operation … and if you have a proper boss, you should certainly dream and scheme about your true passions and ask yourself how you’d most like your life to take shape.

Perhaps it’s just about the ideas or perhaps a detailed action plan on how to materialize those ideas. Even on days when your notepad remains blank, it still beats the office hands down so grab a date from your diary and just get out there!

Wk.

Related posts:

Mountain and Mindmaps

Nike Frees at Burj al Arab

1Dx review at Nike Run Dubai

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