Thanks!!!!

As I was hiking up to Henninger Flats yesterday, I had a great view of the San Gabriel valley and downtown L.A. I could see my office in downtown LA as I wound my way up the Mt. Wilson Toll Road.

As I continued to hike up, I started reflecting about how I got there . . . cause merely four years ago, I was always in that office and never had even heard of the very road I was walking. Sadly, at that point I had already lived in Pasadena for a handful of years and never knew or explored the various trails that were right behind me. I lived near the Rose Bowl, so I always would bike down there or run down there -- but had no idea about the mountains I looked at every day from my office and on my way home.

Then one day that changed as a result of complete randomness. My friend Tammy had heard about a bootcamp and we agreed to go together. MAA we called it, Mutually Assured Attendance. It was Eric who ran the bootcamp, and it was he who got us running around Sierra Madre and first exposed me to a handful of those trails.

But as important as reigniting my love for play outside (and yes, hiking, crawling and running around outside is play to me), Eric's bootcamp also introduced me to many people with the same love of being outside and a great deal of knowledge about the mountains right outside my windows. And today, I am fortunate to consider these people my good friends. (I could try to name them all - or you can just look back through this blog and the various pictures.)

So in the last few years since I met Eric and my friends -- I started running triathlons, biking long distances, running adventure races, orienteering, hiking lots of mountains, and a myriad of other events. And, of course, there is Crossfit. Many of my friends think I am crazy, but truth is, it is just fun and makes me happy.

As for this year's adventures, it will start with a snowshoeing event in Big Bear. It will also include: a Ragnar Relay (200+ mile relay with a 12 person team from Huntington Beach to Coronado), a few triathlons, a mountain bike race, an adventure race, the Camp Pendleton Mud Run (boots and uts team), kayaking, some back packing, and who knows what other adventures will come my way.

So as I continue to take new trails that I have yet to travel - I want to express my gratitude and thank all of those people who have shown me new things, encouraged me to participate in various events, and have taken the time to invite me along with them to see new places. Because I definitely like the view of the office from the mountain so much better than the view of the mountain from my office!

Thanks!