Getting my life back on track

The past few weeks have been crazy. Like a five year old, thats eaten a lot of candy during Christmas crazy. If Dave passing wasn't bad enough, the next week through a hurricane our way. That wasn't so bad, as the wind and rain was at night. But once I woke up we had no power. That wasn't so bad, it was daytime, and I spent the day outside getting bit by fireants, and occasionally picking up limbs from my yard. Then it started getting rough. While we had the generator hooked up to the fridge, at night we would hook it up for a movie to watch. My family had my adventure racing stuff to use, headlamps, lanterns, and stuff to make it through nights beter. But then a curfew was in effect so I sat inside doing nothing besides watching movies.
So we finally get power, a week ago, emails, forums, and learning how to type again, it was all coming back to me. Then I was reminded about Dave. His memorial was Saturday. It was great. It had his bike, packs, shoes, clothes, and even the helmet he was wearing when he fell. That was tough.
I showed a little early, and saw tons of folks from the biking community, and adventure race community. The doctors and family I didn't know, but could tell he impacted there life pretty well. I sat next to Presley, and she was entertained by a picture book of Dave. She would point out pictures saying "theres you, and Dave!" That was hard.
Then evenone talked and spoke about Dave, Shaun and Patti hit it on the head, and Tommy and Dr Katz spoke of times I've never knew Dave experienced. I'm glad I met Dave, hung out with Dave, learned from Dave, and was able to do everything with Dave. I know a lot of people weren't that lucky.
This past week was full of getting back to work schedule, while picking up a 5 o'clock spin class to boot. I even got to do yetticross after not riding for a week and a half. The course was awesome, and I was glad I was bored to tears in the hurricane aftereffects to go for a run here or there. There was effectivly 3 spots where you had to get off and run. Which is where I attacked to get my gap.
I need to get to work now, and should post again sooner than last time.

RIP DB

I suck at putting pictures, but you get the idea. Dave was so excited about being able to hunt Elk.
Dave and I summited San Luis the Friday before he fell. You can see the view from the camera, but climbing 14ers in person really makes it sweeter. Note how the clouds build up(we had to run down to get away from light snow/hail....and luckily no thunderstorms.

Those who've hiked with Dave see this view a lot. Not even a mountain could slow him down.

Dave and I take a break in a river while riding Hermosa Creek...a trail I've never rode before after all my time in Durango. It was amazing how peaceful it could be while out there in the middle of nowhere. He ripped it on the single speed on the way home.

Dave a week before the fall, climbing the exact mountain he fell on. You have to go up this road, a monstrosity that a 4X4 has trouble with. Dave apparently rode his bike half way and hiked the rest that fateful day.

So I messed the picture up, but you could see Daves lighter side, and like always thinking of others. He thought Aubrey and Presley would love to see him and Bugs together.
I think this is Culebra. The 1st 14er we climbed on the trip. I kinda forced Dave into these pictures sometimes, and I'm glad I did now.

Now I will explain exactly what happened. From what we gathered and were told. First I'll show you the mountain he fell off of.

<< Where the blue line is where the trail is. Where is comes out of the trees, that is where he was at 1pm and decided to climb. If you go straight up from where the blue comes out of the trees, you can see a little notch in the mountain. this is is where he fell, 200ft down to the scree where he was found.

Now that you have a picture of WHERE he fell, and what the mountain looks like, this is what we've peiced together(This is more than likely what happened, given everything we know about Dave, his GPS, what people have said, and what we concluded)

Dave started climbing early that Wednesday morning, around 5:30. He took his Spot tracker, and it automatically updates every 10min, unless the signal gets obstructed(trees, clothes, rocks can cause this). He rode his bike, or hiked his bike up the trail, as there was a bike missing from the RV, that I was riding earlier that week. He apparently locked it somewhere, as I know he bought a lock and used it when we climbed San Luis on Friday. He hiked up 2 mountains, Ellingwood, and Blanca and at 1pm he was where I showed you the blue arrow comes out of the trees. He must've decided the weather was good and had enough time to climb. He was going, at a rapid pace apparently, and got to where it says "summit" by 3pm. He was wearing his climbing helmet, as he said he was worried about rocks falling from climbers above him. This mountain apparently is a 'sketchy' one, with loose rocks, steep ascents/descents, and they even have some ropes to help you in some places.

We read on 14ers.com that a couple was climbing and saw Dave....HAMMERING, and they said a storm blew in around 3:30 that day.

Dave was not hurt, he was not distressed pushing his Spot button for help, he for some reason(probably the storms fault) either couldn't see, got blown around, slipped, or something of the like, with the fact that Dave was probably hurrying off the mountain. He fell, and was instantly killed from his sternum breaking and puncturing his heart. He was found Friday morning, and had several injuries, from a broken ankle, nose, cheek, jaw, teeth. It is frightening to tell you what his helmet looked like. To see the abuse that his clothes took, his helmet now looking like a golfball, I just cannot fathom what went through Daves mind those last moments. It often keeps me up at night playing what happened over and over in my head. I follow it up with thinking of good thoughts, which is easy to do when you think of Dave.

It was a sad day indeed when we heard the news, I feel very sorry for Cheryl, and his family. I know just being a friend of Daves is hard to handle.

I plan to help finish Daves list of 14ers for him, 16 more. And I will add one more for sure, Little Bear. RIP Dave.

I took so many pictures, my camera is dead. I was up in Colorado/New Mexico climbing 14,000 foot mountains. I went with Dave, Joe, and Ric. I ended up getting about half the time climbing on Foot and the other half on the bike. By weeks end my legs could feel it.
The worst part was coming home....I was a little 'sick' with sinus/allergies when I went up there. Then while there, I felt beter. Until I hit Durango. My left ear was stopped up and I could feel my throat hurting. It all got beter as we left and went to higher elevation. Then I went to Denver, a lower elevation(6000ft) and flew out, to Houston. My ear popped during takeoff...then while landing I was in very bad pain, as it was like it wanted to pop but wouldn't. I was basically deaf in that ear the rest of the night. Then when I went to bed it cleared up. I woke up 2 hours later, with my right ear, the opposite one, hurting bad. Ear aches suck.
I ended up going to the hospital and got it checked out. Got some meds and took the rest of the long weekend coupped up inside.
So I missed some crucial time training, but I did however fix up the singlespeed for the next MTB race. I lightened it up from the previous weight.
Bar-40g saved
Stem-10g saved
Cranks-140g saved
Shock-1.7lbs gained-pending this shock works, it's .2lbs lighter than my previous shock, with beter mojo.