So the other day, I was coming back from a ride and I had Pandora blasting away in my Jeep radio with…………The New Riders of the Purple Sage channel. Now the appreciation for the New Riders, the Flying Burrito Brothers and similar dirt bag hippie music groups from the 70s all started with Caflisch Hall at Allegheny College. I was an independent and living in Caflisch with all the hippies who chose not to be frat boys and I gained some serious appreciation for this music as it flowed freely down the halls and out the windows on sunny days- a rarity for Meadville, Pa. My wife would never appreciate this music so most of the time that I play it anymore, I am in my Jeep by myself. Janet always kids me and says I have a whole other life that she is not aware of- people she is not aware of, and many, many experiences that she is not aware of. A whole other added value life of Pat McCloskey. LOL!!! But those days at Allegheny seasoned my appreciation for music even to this day. How many people other than maybe ones my age would even know who the New Riders are or the Burrito Brothers for that matter. They might be familiar with the Byrds who infused some members into these groups and vice versa, but for the most part, when people ask me what I listen to in the car I say……………………The New Riders and they give me a strange look.
Bentley Hall- Allegheny College. Built in 1815Caflisch Hall- home of the burnouts.
One year we had Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen up at Allegheny. Another raucous hippie band whose forlorn sounding hit that year had lyrics that rang out” and I am down to seeds and stems again too.” I was even asked to help at the door with my friend who was a big Commander fan and after the show, we were invited to their trailer to drink Iron City with the band. Old Bob Rose and I obliged and had a great time sitting with the Commander and his guys recounting their adventures on the road. Needless to say, I listen to the Commander in my Jeep too. He recently passed but his music lives on blasting away in my Jeep.
The Commander
Listening to these songs today makes me daydream about the times hitchhiking back and forth to Allegheny College. One time I talked a guy’s ear off all the way home until he leaned over and asked me where I wanted to be dropped off. I found out he was deaf. I told him all my best stories for nothing. LOL!! Life in Caflisch is etched in my memory and whenever I play these old groups on Pandora, I am always reminded of some crazy times back in college. Most of those guys now are successful attorneys and brokers, but if you would have seen them then, shoulder length hair and listening to this music incessantly into the night, you would never think that they had much of a future. My old roommate even got some needed furniture from the post office in a beer infused clandestine operation that yielded “Early Post Office” decor for our dorm room. I think he celebrated with one of his Genesee Cream Ales that were stuffed into our refrigerator, and some late night music from the Burrito Brothers.
Life is speeding by these days and sometimes I think I have to apply the brakes pretty hard in order for it to be truly appreciated. But driving down the road, listening to the New Riders, gives me a little reverse gear. Janet would see another new side of me that she might not be aware of. Yet another nugget of the added value life of PJM. And we have been married 35 years. I repeat a lot of things, but she still doesn’t know the half of it. LOL!!! ” I know you rider going to miss me when I am gone……………………….” Thanks for reading.
Well, the old dudes are about to make a return to West Virginia late September to take in the UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Races at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. Lots of fun watching the pro men and women in cross country and downhill. Their skill is amazing and the atmosphere is electric with all the fans. But part of the fun is riding the uber challenging trails of West Virginia. I am currently plotting out our rides for the long weekend and the ride routes in Davis, West Virginia are etched in my mind. This would include the famous Moon Rocks as seen above. This interesting sandstone formation is very old and the pockmarked water spots make riding this section very challenging. This is an ancient rock formation that has surfaced over the years. Supposedly it is 480 million years old. Knowing that, it kind of commands your respect as you make your way onto it’s pockmarked surface. It is unlike any other area on the trail system in Davis but certainly a most interesting feature of the technical riding there.
The first time I ever saw the Moon Rocks was in the 24 Hours of Canaan years ago in Davis. I was warned about them as I slogged my way out of a portage in the river at the start of the race. I was totally soaked and the marshal said, “wait until you get to the Moon Rocks.” I was kind of taken back when I first came up on them and worked my way through them slowly but surely, so as not to crash on the sandstone/bedrock surface. Three laps later at about 3:00 AM, I came on them in the pitch dark of night. My lights illuminated the marshal who was standing there with a long coat looking like the grim reaper. It was kind of eerie making my way in and out of the rocks with no one else around at that particular time in the race. It is sometimes tough to make your way up and through the rocks, stay upright and exit without incident.
My posse back in the day at Davis, West Virginia
The race days are over for me but we still like riding down in West Virginia. We are staying at the Jerico in Marlinton where we used to stay years ago. We are utilizing their Lee Cabin which is a restored Civil War cabin. When we first went to the Jerico, the proprietor’s father asked us where we were from. We told him and he said, ” Yankee boys.” ” We have four of you buried on the hillside behind us from the war.” We laughed about that one, but I slept with one eye open. LOL!! The Lee Cabin is named after the famous Civil War general and the history of the Jerico will be on full display there. I will also drag out all of my old maps from the area and compare them with the Trail Forks app to come up with a good itinerary of rides before we get cleaned up to take in the races at Snowshoe. But the riding there is no joke and you have to be prepared for wet roots, slimy rocks, and generally difficult conditions. Just the way the West Virginians like it. We will have our doc with us to patch things up if anything goes sideways. That is if he doesn’t need patched up himself which is more likely the case.
We are also hoping for some dry weather. More often than not, we have experienced torrential rains when we headed to West Virginia. The Wild 100 days, the NORBA races at Snowshoe, the West Virginia Fat Tire Festival were often plagued with heavy rain which made the riding conditions even more challenging. Last year, the UCI race at Snowshoe had biblical rains and it was interesting to see the men and the women pros handle the really slick, muddy descents.
The finish line for the pros at Snowshoe after an incredibly muddy race.
Hopefully we will have a dry shot at the Moon Rocks in Davis on the way down. Perhaps a slice of whole wheat pizza at Sirianni’s or a burrito at Hellbenders then head south to Marlinton. It is always a great time in the Mountain State and we are all looking forward to a visit to the Moon. Thanks for reading.
Après in the CityAprès with the bride at Niagra on the Lake- Canada.
Recently I have been posting about the necessity to enjoy each day as we get older. Instead of always planning the next trip, adventure, or whatever, enjoy each day as it comes. You can’t get time back and it is important to grasp each moment of each day and enjoy it for what it is. Not that you can’t make plans or on the flip side, make everything spontaneous( I wish I could), but take the time to enjoy where you are and relish the good day at hand.
Après is a celebration of each day’s events. Usually accompanied by a beverage or two and involving all the folks with whom you did something with that day. These summer days, it is usually with my mountain biking group. We finish a ride, change clothes, grab our coolers and snacks, haul out the camp chair from our vehicles, and relax as the day winds down. The stories that come out are fun and relishing the day’s events with friends is truly the best part of the ride in my opinion.
Après is more famous in the ski setting as most people like to do the same thing after a great day of skiing. Sitting around a fire with a beverage or two and reliving the great conditions of the day, is a major part of the ski experience. The pictures below celebrate après and also our friend Tim Girone’s birthday up in Bend, Oregon this past winter. Janet asked me, ” we are going to sit around in the parking lot and drink beer and eat snacks in the cold?” She was the last one to leave. It was so much fun and an adaptation on the usual après ski venue.
Happy Birthday Tim- cold but fun.
I posted recently about one of my favorite après ski places- The Cottage up in Lake Placid. Another great venue for celebrating the day’s events.
Most often, one of the more humorous parts of après is how the day’s stories grow in size similar to the standard fishing stories. The size of the fish increases as the day wears on and the same with après. The stories get more spectacular the longer you sit in your chair. Like my dad always said,” The first liar never has a chance.” LOL! All part of the après scene.
Après is fun no matter what sport you participate in, and you should make it a part of your outing whenever you go riding a bike, playing golf, tennis, or whatever floats your boat. Celebrate the day and the friendships that you have made. They say if you go out of this world and can count your good friends on your right hand, you are fortunate. Kind of grim, but really drives home the point to take the time to enjoy each day on this planet, and enjoy the friends that make your days special. Après is like the icing on the cake to a great day. It is the signature of the outing, signed sealed and delivered. You always remember the great days of riding and skiing and equally, most of us remember the great après events that followed the days. They are etched in your mind forever when thinking about good friends. The memories, the pictures in your mind, will last a lifetime. Celebrate with après in whatever you do and most importantly savor each day as it comes. They go quickly. Thanks for reading.
Bob Kowalski – master provider of snacks for the post MTB rides.
Last week I told you all about Adventurefest and the great time we had at that event. Part of the deal was to get a group together to ride at the wonderful Allegrippis Trail System at Raystown Lake in Central Pennsylvania. Now many of you know about the lake and the trails that were created by the Army Corps of Engineers and the whole facility is a testament to their hard work and planning for many years. Raystown is the largest manmade lake in Pa. and the trail system is really well laid out and lots of fun to ride. They have lots of flow and the views of the lake from the trails are spectacular. But I will leave that there. Lots has been written about Raystown and I don’t need to reinvent the wheel. But what I do want to talk about is the group of us that ended up riding together that day.
Raystown Lake from the trail system
We split the group into four of us who were pretty strong riders and the other group who were more casual and went off on their own. I rode with John Casuccio, Mark Sauers, and Bob Horrell. I ride with John and Mark fairly frequently and it was nice to connect with Bob who I have ridden with before and also ski with him. As we rode along, we were treated to a good route by Mark “the Shark” Sauers who knew a new route for us to try. Pretty good pace and nice dry flowy trails. But again, that is not the story here.
The Four Amigos.
The story that I thought about on the ride was the fact that all of us are different ages. That is the cool thing about mountain bike riding and skiing for that matter. The love of the sport transcends age and if you can keep yourself in shape, you can continue to ride no matter who you ride with. Bob is on the left here and he is 43, I am 68, John is 61 and the Shark is 58. I chuckled to myself when I thought that I was 25 when Bob was born. But when we are on the trail, age is not a discussion point. We all are mountain bikers and skiers and snowboarders for that matter, and we all bond together on the trails and on the slopes. It was interesting to have a conversation with Bob who is younger and to get his perspective on things. I like the younger guy’s perspective and as the Health and Safety guy at Seven Springs, Bob has a lot to say about the state of skiing locally. He also has a great perspective on life. Again , nice to get a young guy’s perspective on things. But the thing that united all of us last weekend was the riding, the camping, and the Adventurefest. Nobody thinks of age when you are pounding up a hill. You all just get in the rhythm and ride. The experience unites all of us no matter the age. That is why it is so important as you age, to stay in shape. You can enjoy the experience with all kinds of people in all kinds of different age categories. As long as nothing catastrophic happens with your health, you can continue to enjoy your outdoor activities for a long time.
John the Bear whisperer. Dan and Steve Gurtner at Laurel Mountain. Dan is one of the fast young guys who is gracious enough to ride with all of us. Steve is his old man.
Now I don’t kid myself. I can’t ride with the fast, young guys anymore. I have to know my limitations. But the thing I have found as I age, is to enjoy the experience. I always tell my crowd that no one is going to the Olympics and there is no need to fly out of the parking lot. Just ease into the ride and enjoy your friends, the conversation, and the beauty of the trails and not focus on the back of some guy’s shorts in a heated pace. I am one of the oldest guys on most rides, but I love being in the fray. You can level the playing field if you have a good perspective on your time on the trails. Enjoy the ride, the scenery, and the company of people who are diverse in background and age. So no matter what your sport is, golf, tennis, running, road cycling, or whatever floats your boat, keep at it. Stay in the game. Thanks for reading.
“John- look who is coming your way to welcome you to Adventurefest 2023!” We chuckled at the inquisitive reptile who seemed to be quite interested in John Casuccio’s blue rubber boots. Due to unforseen circumstances, I missed Adventurefest last year but was determined to attend this year. We had a great group of guys setting up our tents and settling in for the weekend at the annual Christian men’s outdoor festivities at Agape Farm in Shirleysburg, Pa. 167 guys settled in for a weekend of camping, mini-bike riding, fishing, drone flying, Harley riding, and mountain bike riding at the Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake. Greg Nass is a pastor who organizes the weekend with a really responsive crew and his diligence makes the schedule and the weekend flow as smoothly as possible. We had great weather this year as well.
Greg Nass and the uber positive Mark” the Shark” Sauers
So what is Adventurefest actually and who are the Adventuremen? Tough to put your finger on because it is such a diverse group. But most of the guys are normal Joes who call themselves Christians, and generally have families, are happily married, and seem to like to congregate at Agape Farm every year for many reasons. Some are trying to get their lives back together after a background of alcohol abuse, drug abuse and some crime. Sure, it is great fun to camp and get away with a group of guys who have like- minded interests. All the activities are great and there is always something fun going on. But where the rubber meets the road is when the Assembly of God preachers take the stage after some great music by the Morgan Dolan Band. The theme of the weekend was the passage” enter through the narrow gate.” Most people take the wider road or path, but to take the narrow gate takes conviction and is not easy to do in life. Matthew 7-verses 13-14. Look it up for context.
Friday night……..
After camp set ups, the men all assembled for opening remarks by Greg Nass and Pastor Michael Ragozzino took the stage. Now most people would think that a pastor would be a quiet, pious type with a poignant message spoken in a demure way. Not Michael. He freely shared his background growing up on the North Side of Pittsburgh. 32 rehabs, prison time, heroin addiction at 16, armed robbery for a $500.00 a day habit which put him into several years of incarceration. Finally at the suggestion of his mother, he turned his life around and learned about the Christian faith. He became a pastor and now has a wonderful wife and family and serves in a church in Somerset, Pa. His passionate message to us was that it is never too late. Everyone has a mission no matter what their background is. We left the long building marveling at his faith, his passion and his willingness to be open about a very tough background.
Lights out at midnight.
Saturday…….
John suggested to me that we had another visitor to our camp early in the dark morning. He heard a large movement right outside his tent and a deep measured breath of a large animal which John in his silence thought was definitely a bear. For some reason the turtle, and now a bear, seemed to be sending John a message or was inquisitive about this guy from Moon Township. We laughed about it over our breakfast with our group of ruffians camped near the little lake on the property.
The affable John Casuccio- musing about his nocturnal visit from the bear. Bob and Gus manning the cooking stations. Fortunately, all the food was in the trucks each night. The Adventuremen Mountain Bikers at Raystown.
After breakfast and before the group headed to Raystown ( more on this ride next week), we listened to a message from Pastor Duane Goodling who gave an informative talk about the validity of the Bible. He gave us all a sheet with some interesting talking points. Things like- read the Bible. Know what is in the Bible to know what not is in the Bible. There are normative and prescriptive passages in the Bible which can explain some fundamental misunderstandings. Things that were written for the people of the time and things that were written that are timeless. We all were glued to that sheet and were really locked into the message from Pastor Duane which seemed to answer many questions and led to the conclusion that the inspired word of God is the truth. It is not subject to interpretation other than to understand the difference between the normative and prescriptive context.
After a great mountain bike ride at Raystown, we all headed to a delicious meal at Little New York in Huntington, Pa. ( Don’t miss that one if you get there.) Great Greek and Latin specialties. We then returned to the camp and ate a little more before we headed back up to the long building to hear what turned out to be an inspiring message by the Evangelist Tim Bennett. Look him up on Facebook or Google him. http://www.bennettministries.com He and his wife have an amazing evangelistic ministry based out of Mt. Morris, Pa. With great exuberance expected by an Assembly of God pastor and evangelist, Tim flew all over the room with relentless energy as he told us all to “raise the standard” in our lives. There are so many things going on today that are in total defiance to fundamental principles and the message to all of us as Christian men, husbands, fathers, and heads of households was to raise the standards and make a difference in the lives of all that we encounter. Don’t be judgmental. Be welcoming but speak the truth in love. Tim talked about financial troubles and said that if ” you go about your Father’s business, your Dad will always cover the bill.” “Your talent is a gift from God. What you do with it is your gift back to Him.” He was like a machine gun with all of these sayings and really lit up the room even though most of the men were tired from all the day’s activities. But Tim lit a fire under all of us and if you have never heard a Pentecostal message from an evangelist, put it on your list of ” to do”. You will not regret it and you will never forget it. Tim didn’t want us to leave from the weekend without considering what we would do to honor the Lord in everything we do from this day forward. He ignited the room and challenged the Adventuremen. People need hope these days and the timeless message of Christianity fits that bill. Providing hope and comfort in a world full of division, angst, and troubles. Tim challenged the group to put it out there and provide that message of hope. Don’t be afraid. You are giving people good news.
Pastor Dwayne Goodling.
A lot of people think that Christians are above it all, judgmental and condescending. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fact is we all acknowledge our sinfulness, limitations, and shortfalls and although we all may not have stories like Pastor Mike and his Northside days, we all have stories where we need redemption. We are all just normal Joes trying to get along in this life as husbands and fathers. All of you who know me, are aware that I am just a normal guy. I have a good sense of humor, I care about people, and I am interested in bettering my life and also hoping to make a difference in this world among my family and my treasured friends. Adventurefest and the Adventuremen do that for me. If you are interested in the organization, please go to www. Adventuremen.org I am honored to be on their board of directors. Come to Adventurefest next year and maybe try one of our Dirt Church mountain bike rides. We get all kinds. Believers, non-believers, good riders, not so good riders, but we have a good time with great food afterwards with a good message from Greg and The Shark. Come on out! Thanks for reading.
Vertical is a term that skiers and mountain bike riders use when describing their day on the hill or trail. Vertical drop is generally described as the measurement from the top of the mountain to the base lodge. Particular ski trails are listed with a certain vertical drop, and you can track these statistics on a number of apps today including the popular Slopes app. It gives you information like how many runs you made and what total vertical drop was achieved in your day of skiing. My friend Mark Hutchinson and I used an app called Alpine Replay which was the forerunner to Slopes to track our runs at Northstar at Tahoe one day. I have posted before that we achieved 57,000 vertical feet that day and the next day at Mt. Rose in Nevada, we achieved 52,000 vertical feet. It was kind of fun to track our runs and see how many we made and what the total vertical or vertical drop we had achieved skiing. Plus we totally honked off a French guy who held the record up to that point. A couple of old geezers took him down. The app developer loved it. LOL!!
Summit of Mammoth Mountain, California. 11,000 Feet
Another fun statistic is to see how high the summits are at different ski areas and to see the total vertical drop based on those summit elevations. When you ride the Summit Chair at Whiteface as seen above, you will see markers on the chairlift towers that show your elevation and also how it compares to similar resorts in Vermont and New Hampshire. The summit at Whiteface is actually higher than a lot of New England ski areas. So, elevation vertical and vertical drop are used a lot when describing your day on the slopes at any ski area. How much vertical did you ski and what is the vertical of the summit? Cool statistics that are apres ski conversation pieces.
Climbing for some vertical while riding a mountain bike.
Similarly, mountain bikers rack up vertical while climbing up a trail. We all have devices that track different statistics like heart rate, distance, time on the ride and vertical. In this case, vertical means what is achieved when we climb on our mountain bike. My Garmin Fenix watch tracks these efforts, and I can log how many miles I have ridden, on what trails, what was the distance and other metrics that are interesting to see at the end of a ride. I can compare them to my friends’ metrics and see how we do in comparison to each other’s efforts. Gaining vertical on a mountain bike ride takes some effort and it is what usually gets you in shape when you have to climb a hill on a bike. This time of year, the effort is making us stronger with each ride. No pain – no gain. When we climb hills on a mountain bike, we sweat, breathe hard, and fatigue our legs to the point of exhaustion. So vertical in this case is all uphill effort with trackable results.
The rocky trails and ascents at Rothrock State Forest in Central Pa.
So, thinking about this the other day while looking at my Garmin statistics, led me to some conclusions which will show you a little bit about how my mind works. This winter, I always thought about the vertical on the summits where I skied. I thought about how many vertical feet I had skied and how it felt to achieve those metrics. Usually, I work hard at making clean turns and I learn something new every year. But the effort is assisted by gravity and even though sometimes I am breathing heavy at times due to altitude, or working the turns, the effort is not as difficult as when I am riding uphill on a mountain bike to achieve vertical feet in climbing. It occurred to me that the two different efforts are really like what goes on in life. Some days we flow downhill through the day, with little effort and appreciate the beauty of the world similar to a ski run on a sunny, groomed slope. Gravity is our friend as we make our way through the day with no encumbrances. But then there are the other days where it is tough. Like climbing a steep hill on your mountain bike in 90 degree weather. The sweat is pouring, you are breathing heavy, and your legs sometimes feel like lead. Those days, while achieving vertical feet of climbing, can be tough. But here is the good news. The effort most of the time yields great rewards. You get in better shape and the adversity turns you into a stronger rider and the no pain no gain axiom is found to be true.
The Rock Garden at Seven Springs Resort, Pa.
There are those days when you think that there is no way you are going to make it. Like riding that mountain bike, you think you cannot make one more pedal stroke ……..but you eventually do. You don’t give up and you get to the top. You look back at the ride or the day, and you realize that life can be tough sometimes. But when you summon up some effort, learn to accept the pain and the adversity, you can achieve many things – a lot more than vertical feet. There are downhill days and uphill days, but when we learn to appreciate both efforts of gaining ……………..vertical………….we can see how it makes us a stronger, better person. Right? Thanks for reading.
Even World Champion Nino Schurter in his white championship jersey suffers on climbs. He has tough days too.
The Minarets as seen from the top of Mammoth Mountain, California
When I say still at it, yes! Just came back from some amazing skiing in Mammoth Mountain, California. A real treat and was still at it for the winter of 2022-2023. A bonus trip came my way with my good friend Eric Durfee. But “still at it” also means that I am still skiing with my friend Eric for over 45 years.
Yours truly and Eric Photo courtesy of Eric DurfeeYours truly and Eric roughly 43 years ago at Tuckerman Ravine, New Hampshire
We have had great adventures skiing, and this week was another on our list. The skiing in Mammoth was incredible for May. Mid Winter conditions with so much snow that they believe they will ski until September. I took a 5:15 AM flight out of Pittsburgh last Monday and arrived in Reno at 9:20 AM and Eric picked me up at the airport and we drove the scenic RT.395 to Mammoth. We were in the chairlift by 1:40 after I changed in the parking lot. Boxer shorts flapping in the wind. The week gave us interesting weather as it was usually sunny in the morning and clouded up significantly in the afternoon which made the visibility late in a day a little challenging up top. But we made our way to the lower runs and did just fine.
Added bonus skiing with Bill Boucher at left( friend from Seven Springs, Pa) and Pat Feeney of San Francisco. Have not skied with Pat for 40 years. It was wonderful to see him. Both of these guys still ski well. Photo courtesy of Eric Durfee
The great thing about skiing with Eric is his enthusiasm for the sport. 121 days on the snow this year and would have had 14 more if he had not injured his thumb. But he is a student of the game of skiing, and has really worked hard on getting his turns to be more in line with modern technique instead of old school. I am old school too in that I ” A- Frame”, which basically means that I can have my weight on the downhill ski but the inside ski is rather docile. But we worked on a lower stance, a wider stance, and moving the inside knee actively into the turn like the racers do. Eric has it down pretty well and I am getting there. Nice to work on something new at 68 years of age. Generally speaking, Eric and I can ski anything, but working the new technique with the skis that work well with that kind of technique is really enjoyable. We had the wives with us in Oregon recently and that was a lot of fun skiing with Helen and Janet. But to have a bonus week with your friend of 45 years, ripping GS turns, and getting the added treat of some fresh snow was truly memorable.
Speaking of racers, the US Women’s Speed Team was there this week. We really got to see the edge angles and the inside knee move into the turns. Dave’s Run off the top of the Gondola. Our fresh tracks after a 9″ snowfall one night. Total accumulation at Mammoth summit this season is over 900 inches. A record. Photo courtesy of Eric DurfeeGroomers getting ready for a summer full of camps and park activity. Photo courtesy of Eric Durfee
But the really memorable thing about being “still at it” is that I can see Eric maybe a couple of times a year, but when we get together, it is as if I had never left. Isn’t that the way it always is with a good friend? We take up right where we left off and continue to tell our old stories and make new ones along the way. When you can drive for three hours each way, and stay for a week and not run out of any conversation, you know you have a great friend. We talk politics, skiing, and life in general and he always has some sage advice for me as well as a way to shed some light on topics in a different way than I hear most of the time. They say to have a friend is to be a friend and Eric definitely embodies that sentiment.
So yes- we are still at it. Skiing is a great sport and it gives us an excuse to get together and enjoy the mountains. We are getting older and we realize our limitations, but for the most part, we are in good shape and can still enjoy making turns and look forward to doing it for many years to come. I have made many friends through skiing, and am perhaps one of the only people around my neck of the woods that gets a little bummed out when winter is over. As I sharpened and waxed my skis for the last time this season, I was a little down. But I look forward to the next season and will enjoy the summer activities with the mountain bike crowd. But when those first flakes start to fall later this year, I will be ready for 2023-2024. Thanks Eric for always keeping me in the game. Thanks for reading.
Disclaimer!!!!!- This is a guest post by Jeff Chetlin. Although his friends are kind of shy about the flatttering comments that Jeff has made here, he asked that he could write this as a testament to his amazing comeback from a stroke. He has a lot of friends and he has very complimentary things to say about us. But the real story is his comeback. So………here is Jeff’s guest post.
Julie and Jeff Chetlin hiking at Laurel Mountain, Pa
I spent a week in Central Oregon with my good friend Pat and his wife Janet. It was a week that was very eye opening, and made me want to write a little story that I have been wanting to tell to a lot of people. Most of you may already know this, but for those of you who don’t, I have been a very active person throughout my 30s , 40s, and 50s. I was a swimmer and a baseball player in high school and in college played many years of golf. I got into mountain biking prior to suspension and clipless pedals in the early 90s and was instantly hooked. That led me to learn how to ride a dirt bike and I have spent many years loving that as well. I also want to tell you that skiing has been in my blood since I have been a child, and I love it still to this day.
Jeff -fat biking at Bend, Oregon trails. March 2023.
Where the story gets interesting is in June, 2021, I experienced a stroke in my cerebellum and after many months in the hospital and in rehab, I was released to my house. There my wife took care of me 24/7. During that time, I went from a weight of 185 pounds down to 130 pounds and for six months I was basically on the couch or in my bed and unable to eat. As you can imagine, this changed my life considerably. But not as much as what happened in March of 2022.
My dear friend, Pat McCloskey, came to my house every Friday around noon whether I wanted him or not. He would bring these giant sandwiches, chips and drinks, and sit with me at my kitchen table. In the beginning, I could not even eat them, but he still came. As the weeks and months passed, one day he said that he and Pete Hilton and Mark “the Shark” Sauers were coming to my house and were going to take me on a bike ride. I was very unsure of that but they showed up at my house on a cold March day. Pat put my mountain bike in the back of his Jeep and drove it down to a flat grassy area in Frick Park. He and Pete and Shark ran beside me as I attempted to pedal my bike even though I was riding in circles. It was truly the beginning of my recovery and I think we all had tears in our eyes.
They were the first angels that came to my side and propelled me towards healing. The next person I want to mention is Dr. Syed Hyder. I was at his medical office in Mars, Pa and after a check up he walked out to the car with me and said,” you are good and must start moving yourself into uncomfortable situations.”
After I began to improve by riding my mountain bike, my good friend Jesse Seager would come to my house every day not knowing what I could or could not do. He didn’t care. We would ride our mountain bikes around the cemetery because there were no cars and he would tell me many funny stories along the way and the healing continued.
Jeff and Jesse at D’s.
The next people that I want to mention are Tim Girone and his lovely wife Barb. I spent most of the winter out in Bend, Oregon. On the second day I arrived there, he and some other couples were taking a snowmobile ride up to a high mountain hut with food and drinks to watch the sunset. Tim thought that we should attend. My awesome wife Julie said we are in. But I was not sure I could do that because I was still dizzy and did not see too well. But I continued to push through and be persistent, and face my fears. Not five minutes into the ride, Julie and I crashed and I reinjured my broken shoulder. The accident did more than hurt me physically it hurt me mentally because I knew that Pat and Janet were coming out to ski with me in March. I was confined to walking and laying around for six to eight weeks while my shoulder healed. Tim, Barb, and my wife Julie belong to an amazing gym in Bend called Embark. The owner of the gym is Dorian Adam. In undying friendship, Tim kept telling Dorian that Jeff needs to move again. I had been laying around very sedentary. In a subtle way, he orchestrated getting me back to the gym where Dorian would work with me twice a week for a half hour. It was very difficult mentally. I had some stomach issues but Tim said that would eventually go away and it did.
Tim and Barb Girone- extraordinary friends.
I would be remiss if I did not mention my amazing wife Julie. She is a pusher. And I mean that in an amazing, positive way. She said,” you are going to the gym.” “I don’t care how much it costs.” One day she woke up and said,” I warmed up your ski boots and we are going skiing today.” I was very afraid and could not sleep the night before. She said,” Pat and Janet are coming and they expect you to be able to ski with them.” So we went up a few beginner runs, and on the second run she skied right up to me with giant tears in her eyes and was crying how happy she was to see me doing this. The next day we went back again with Barb Girone. I skied four blue square runs and had stomach issues again. But that was the last time it happened and I kept pursuing it. Then Pat and Janet showed up for a week and on their last ski day we were celebrating Tim’s birthday. We all skied together and had a party in the parking lot. On the fourth run of the day, the clouds came in and you could not see a thing. Pat, who used to teach blind skiers, said,” I got this, I am going to lead you down the mountain like the blind skiers.” We all had a good laugh at that. Tim eventually got me back to the car after a couple of visually challenged runs.
Tim’s Parking Lot Birthday Party
What happened next will remain in my memory for a long time. About 15-20 people showed up at Tim’s van. Tim had a fire and we all laughed and sat in the freezing cold. It was snowing and windy. I kept thinking that there is no way I can sit out like this but it was so much fun with everybody laughing, and shaking and freezing. At one point I looked over at Pat’s wife Janet who was freezing. I kept thinking that Janet would want to leave soon and that I would leave with her. But she never did leave and was one of the last ones to go.
Jeff and his posse for Tim’s birthday
I have been back in Pittsburgh for about a week now and every day my coach Jesse picks me up on our bikes and we head to Frick Park. He is upping my game every day and tells me we will begin doing some single track. He has become an amazing recovery tool and I realize that in some ways, I am helpful to him.
The reason I wanted to write this is there are lessons to be learned here. As in most of Pat’s Chronicles, there seems to be always an underlying lesson. And here it is…..from Pat, to Shark, Jesse, Syed, Barb and Tim, and mostly to my wonderful wife Julie, they have all taught me what life is really about. It is connections. It is people, it is movement, it is laughter. It doesn’t have to be skiing or riding a mountain bike. It could be just sitting around in the freezing cold parking lot after skiing or sitting on the edge of an Oregon beach laughing and enjoying the beauty. If you know me well enough, you know I enjoy my friends. They have been invaluable in my recovery which will go on for years to come. So what I have to say to all of you is in order to have good friends, you have to be a good friend. My lesson to all of you is without my friends, I would not be here at all. Friendship is a gift.
You know, one of the cool things about ski trips is that you can get together with a lot of your friends and have a great time in the mountains and afterwards at apres ski. I have been trying to get the four couples on this trip together for a long time. The Chetlins who are part time residents of Bend, the Durfees of Lake Tahoe, the Hutchinsons from Vermont, and the Girones- fomerly from Pittsburgh and now full time residents of Bend, Oregon. They all have their own different worlds of existence but they all collided finally last week at a really fun time in Bend and Mt. Bachelor. I have been trying to get the Chetlins, the Durfees and the Girones together because of their mutual love of camping with their truly amazing vehicles. Once they got to know each other, they got a good look at their respective camper vehicles and there was a lot of chatter in the parking lot at an impromptu tailgate to celebrate Tim Girone’s birthday.
The Girone’s fabulous tailgate and their amazing Mercedes camper van. The Durfee Sportmobile
The Hutchinsons and the Chetlins have their own camper vehicles but generally use them in the summer months and Janet and I are the only ones who do not partake. However it was cool to see all parties discussing camping and their vehicles in the parking lot last week.
The gang at the Girone tailgate.
Another two worlds that collided positively last week were the Hutchinsons and the McCloskeys. We have been trying to get Nancy Hutchinson and Janet together to ski and it finally happened. They had a great time skiing together and their friendship bonded through the week on the slopes and off.
Nancy and Mark Hutchinson at Mt. Bachelor
Mark and I have skied together for 25 years and Eric and Helen Durfee and I have skied consistently together for 45 years. Recently my wife Janet has joined this mix and it is nice to have all the couples together on the slopes and telling tales afterwards over a cold beer.
But the final world to collide with all of us was the Chetlin world. Jeff and Julie were really the glue behind last weeks collision as they made everyone feel welcome in their adopted hometown of Bend and also their favorite ski area- Mt. Bachelor, as well as in their beautiful home.
Janet and Julie – pals forever. Jeff the ringleader.
Jeff is nothing short of amazing. Part of the experience for all of us on this trip was to see Jeff make beautiful ski turns down the mountain. He also rode his fat bike and it was gratifying to see a guy who almost two years ago suffered a debilitating stroke and made an amazing comeback with the help of all of his friends and his wonderful wife Julie. On trips like this, memories are made and to see all these people come together and ski, talk about van camping, discuss food and wine from the Willamette Valley, enjoy all that Bend has to offer was spectacular. And to see Jeff back in his element with his friends and making classic turns down the mountain with excellent balance was a dream come true.
Now the finale to this story, is the fact that I love to do this. Part of my mission in life is to get like minded people together to experience each other as friends. Some people joke that I don’t really have to do this, because they like to do their own thing, and I understand that. But it is important to me to try to get people of similar interests together. Friendships are forged through memories and to create some new ones with new people getting together is something special. Mt Bachelor is an amazing mountain and the weather can be ruthless but the skiing is top notch and we all enjoyed our days on this beautiful mountain/volcano. It served as the backdrop to a really fun week with really fun people. Many of whom had met for the first time. Hats off to the Hutchinsons for getting the wheels in motion. One last thing……………Bend people are cool. So nice, considerate, and just plain friendly. Why wouldn’t they be? They all live and play in a great part of the country and they enjoy all that it has to offer year round. If you haven’t been to Bend, check it out. And take some friends along. Thanks for reading.
The majestic Mt. BachelorThe ultimate fun seekers- the Girones. Left to right- Julie, Helen, Janet, yours truly, Eric, and Richard the Bend locaL
Back in April of 2015, I posted about what it takes to be world class. That post was about world class athletes and what it takes to get to the top.. Recently, I watched a couple of documentaries on Netflix about the PGA and the upstart LIV Golf Tour. Also watched a documentary about the ATP Tennis Tour. Both documentaries gave an intimate look what it takes to be successful. Definitely worth the watch. The intensity of these athletes was very visible and the sacrifices that are made to get to that level are astounding. They don’t take the elevator to the top- they take the stairs, as they like to say.
Like many of us, I have seen world class athletes in action. I have seen several World Cup ski races as well as golf tournaments, tennis tournaments, baseball and football, and the one thing that is consistent with all of those athletes and all of those sports is drive, determination, dedication, and passion. If you don’t have those, you are not successful.
World Class is a term that is not limited to athletics though. Recently, Pete and Sandi Hilton, and Janet and I were invited by Chris and Annette Wu to be their guests at the Pittsburgh Symphony presentation of works of Beethoven and Wagner at Heinz Hall. Chris is one of the principal violinists for the orchestra and is currently on sabbatical until May. It was interesting to sit next to Chris in what was a rare chance for him to see his orchestra perform without him. Chris has been with the symphony for 35 years and has performed all over the world. He is on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon among other achievements and is truly what I would call a world class musician. To hear him play is mesmerizing as he performs regularly at our church and at other local venues. He sent us a musical Christmas card that was particularly moving as you watched him play with intensity, passion, dedication and determination- all of the above mentioned qualities of being world class.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performing at Heinz Hall.
But being world class sometimes involves some of the darker segments of personality as seen with volatile athletes. You don’t see that in the symphony world. It seems that their passion, determination and drive is bottled into their practice and performances on the stage. It was interesting to hear Chris give me some insight to the world of the symphony orchestra. I asked, for instance, how many practices does it take to prepare for a concert? He said usually about four and I was amazed. He said,” Pat- you have to understand that we all come to the performance like a football team. We all know the plays, we just have to practice them together a little bit before the performance.” Imagine what is swirling around in Chris Wu’s brain if he knows all the plays to all of the performances of the PSO? That is amazingly world class in my mind. Chris is truly worldly as well in that with all of his experience and worldwide travels, who he interacts with, and his general sphere of influence, he has amazing practical knowledge. We all went to dinner at the Yuzu Kitchen in downtown Pittsburgh and Chris did all of the ordering. He knows the restaurant, he knows the food, and we were perfectly happy to have him “orchestrate” the pre-concert dinner. Great restaurant and happy to have a guy who knew how to get around.
But what is truly outstanding to me is that there is another part of being world class. That is being a world class person. Chris dedicates a lot of his time and resources to charitable causes and also his church, as well as other churches in the area. He is not selfish with his talent and cheerfully spends time with lots of causes and people. His wife Annette says that he has sacrificed a lot with performances with the symphony on weekends and with his touring schedule. But he is always considerate of his family and will think about that for his future plans. He loves performing but also loves his wife and family and has to achieve a balance after 35 years of playing with the PSO. He will figure that out, but in the meantime, we will all enjoy him performing wherever it is.
Character is another piece of the puzzle of being world class. Watching those documentaries shows you who has character and who does not. Some people say you have to be tough and step on a lot of toes to get to the top. You smash racquets, throw clubs, and passionately make your way through life thinking of only getting to the top. There are no thrown violins or cellos in the symphony world, but there is passion for sure. It all depends on the person as to how that passion plays out. Chris and Annette are strong Christians along with their kids and it shows that passion, determination and drive can be blended with values to make a truly world class person. Google Chris and hear some of his performances and see him live if you can. You will be as amazed as I always am. You may not have the talent that Chris has, or Mikaela Shiffrin has, or Raphael Nadal has, but you can certainly be a world class person with values. Thanks for reading.
