There I was—no s%^t! One day I’m blogging about trail running and beer drinking and the next thing it’s three years later! That’s how it goes sometimes. So here I am, trying to claw my way back in this, because even though I haven’t blogged in a long time, I haven’t stopped running, biking, beer drinking or wine tasting. It’s just that life happens, so there you go.
What have I been doing all this time you ask? Well…let me fill you in. Last I wrote, I was at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania attending the Army War College for a year. While I had some great runs & rides when I first got there, winter and a deluge of papers took all my time and energy. I got an article published on the website Small Wars Journal, and I even was a guest on a podcast about the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. (yes, Russia did invade Ukraine). What sidelined me, however, from running was an issue with my reconstructed knee as a piece of fiber used to tie it together following my broken kneecap in 2015 started to make its way to the surface of my kneecap causing a scab, and eventually bleeding. Thus, in the late summer of 2022 after returning to Norfolk, I had knee surgery to remove the suture. It was months before I was back to my old running self. In the meantime, I started a position on the Joint Staff J-7, Joint Warfighting Development which I did for two years. In the fall of 2023 I started a PhD program at Old Dominion University in Norfolk because, well, I’m a glutton for punishment. It’ll take a few years, but it keeps me busy and off the streets. Then in May of 2024 I took on a new assignment: Command of 2nd Brigade, 91st Training Division, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. On my first trip out that May I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to hit up two nearby trails along with a brewery. I was in heaven—it brought back many memories of my youth, not to mention the best of what Paths & Pilsners was about. I knew I needed to start writing again…
Months passed, I moved yet again to Mandeville, Louisiana, where my family had moved in July of 2023. I traveled a lot for the Army Reserves and when I wasn’t traveling, I was studying or writing papers on international relations theory. I would come up with ideas for my adventures, but often opted instead for short posts on Instagram or Facebook. Then last weekend I found myself back in Colorado. The weather was amazing: highs in the 60s, bright beautiful sunshine, and very little wind. The trails called and I answered.
About 15 minutes northwest of the Denver Federal Center sits South Table Mountain, which is really more of a plateau then a no kidding mountain. I’d done my homework, looking on AllTrails to find a 4 mile loop I could hit. To my delight, there was. So doing a quick recon at lunch one day, I found a trailhead on the south side of the mountain, and taking off from work in the late afternoon, made my way there. The first part of the trail was mostly through a residential area—if you weren’t paying attention you might not realize that it led up the hill, but eventually, this trail meandered to the base of the mountain and I found myself looking at a pretty steep vertical. Now keep in mind—I live in Louisiana now. THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS HILLS HERE! Yeah, it’s flat and swampy here. Not to mention, I was running at over 5,000’ of elevation (compared to nearly below sea level in Louisiana). I took my time ascending the mountain, one step at a time, walking when I felt my body being a bit overexerted. Eventually, I made my way to the top—and it was amazing! The “table top” was exactly that: flat, open, and sunbaked. I navigated around, eventually opting for a side trail that took me along one side of the mountain resulting in another steep incline back up—but I’m in Colorado, right? It’s hilly! It was incredible! I took pictures—I sucked in the views. Finally, I circled back to where I started atop the hill and seemingly skipped back down the mountain for just over four glorious sun-filled miles.
After my first run, I naturally needed to hydrate. Fortunately, this being Colorado (and Golden, Colorado at that!) I didn’t have to go very far. Less than a mile down the road was Coda Brewing—just your not-so-average Colorado brewery tucked away off of the main drag. Now I grew up in Colorado—well, went to college and experienced the craft beer revolution there in the 1990s, living off of such great beers as Fat Tire, Breckinridge Avalanche, and Left Hand—so my memories and standards for Colorado beers are pretty high. Coda had it all and then some. Feeling a need for something strong and flavorful, I opted for their Papa Joy Candy Stout with coconut, chocolate, and almonds all weaved in. I’m not normally one for crossing the streams—that is mixing candy with my beer, but maybe it was the altitude and my brain, because at that moment, it looked really good! And when it hit my lips, well, I was in heaven (or maybe I was just suffering from oxygen depletion). Whatever the case, I enjoyed that beer before switching to their Town Hall Helles, a delightful light, crisp, German-style helles that was easily drinkable. Meeting a friend there for beers, we caught up about the old days (that is the 1990s) and all the great beers we’ve experienced since then. It made the moment special, and that’s when I knew it was time to blog again.
So that’s where I’ve been. It’s been a long, winding road, but a good one. Hopefully, in the coming weeks and months, I can fill in some of the many stories I have from the last three years. There have been many good trails, good beers, and good rides too. If that weren’t enough, less than 48 hours after this story, I found myself on lush green hills in California, exploring more trails once again.
Paths, Pilsners, Pedals, and Pinots 