On exploration

Planning rides is one of my favorite things to do. I scroll through maps and piece together fragments of GPS tracks, adding a healthy dose of daydreaming.

Sometimes (often) I ask myself, what’s the point? I see these places on the map… the crest of the Magdalena mountains, the desolate arroyo country northeast of Socorro, the spaghetti of the Otero Canyon trail network. And I want to know them. I want the knowledge in my brain of how this road links up to that trail. I want to understand it all, bring the schematic representation to life.

But am I any better off with that knowledge? Knowing how rideable and (how damn fun) descending the Copper Trail doesn’t really benefit me, unless I’m going to sell people routing tips (I’m not).

It becomes clear that I actually don’t want the knowledge that I think I want. If someone could have uploaded everything I now know about the GET from Magdalena to Duke City (Lee’s oft used nick name for Albuquerque), I would lose interest in the endeavor pretty quickly. It’s the process and exploration that holds the interest. Or, is it?

Sitting at the computer, pooling resources from maps, emails and web sites, the focus is collecting information and unmasking the mystery. Well, I’m planning the trip and trying to determine what to carry and how long it might take to get from A to B. So I find myself wishing I knew what I’ll know after finishing the ride. It would sure make it easier to plan!

It’s odd that at times it feels like the goal is something that would ruin the fun completely.

Out on the bike, I feed on the new landscapes and the realization of what was once only conceptual. But why? Why not just ride the same trails, closer to home and known? I have more than enough evidence to argue that it doesn’t matter what trail I’m on, if I’m out on the bike it’s a good day. The Arizona Trail is close by and full of views/life/chunk/sand/swoopiness. Paula and I had a great trip on the AZT just two weeks ago, but it was made all the more interesting by ~3 miles of new AZT and the promise of exploring Hog Canyon.

Maybe it’s just the way I’m wired. I do get tired of things pretty quickly. My “suburban” MTB rides have dozens of variations for just that reason. Sometimes I can’t get that excited about heading out for roughly the same ride–until I think of some tiny deviation that I haven’t done for a long time. Yet, it’s almost unheard of for me to have a bad time, once I get out there, even if I end up doing the most basic of the routes.

One thing is certain – there’s not much that gets me more fired up about riding than exploring something new. So I guess I’ll keep doing it, even if I don’t quite understand it. I guess that’s kind of the point.