IT'S SO EASY TO JUDGE...

Nate and John on top of Wolcott Pass

One thing I've learned in this lifetime is that it is incredibly easy to judge others. You see one thing, hear another, your brain processes information that you do not agree with and you make judgements based on what you believe is the correct thing for you and your best interest. Then it gets down and dirty and you see the true sole of a person, and you realize that judging people's character based on what your selfless personal interests are is just a useless pile of crap.

I've had an interesting friendship with the Picklos, Nate and Tara of Yeti's Grind in Eagle, Colorado. Many of us here in our area just thought they were very well off as a young couple in the Vail Valley and had everything going there way, and they kind of did. I had a brief professional relationship with them that unfortnately did not work out, but no biggie, it has not affected our personal relationship. I like these guys and try to support their business as much as I can. Then the stock market and the housing market takes the huge dump and basically takes most of what they had materially from them. But this is nothing really, Months ago, Nate was diagnosed with a Melanoma, and all though I do not know the details of the diagnosis, I know it was serious. After a couple of surgeries, and now super intensive chemo treatments which are a WEEK long, Nate appears to be gaining the upper hand on his battle. I stopped in Yeti's Saturday eve to listen to the band Hardscrabble play for a bit and Nate was working. I mentioned I was going to do my first big ride of the season the next day, yesterday. The ride would be the Burns loop, it's an 80 mile loop with a couple of climbs that get your attention, the first being Wolcott Pass. Nate said he wanted to go, along with his buddy John, an old Texas mate who now lives in the valley. I was up for it if he was. So we met at the coffee shop yesterday at 11 am to ride. Pardon my english, but it was FUCKING awesome riding with Nate and John yesterday, and watching Nate struggle to the top of Wolcott pass, a place he has and will thrive again, with a ski cap replacing his helmet because his head was too cold being bald from chemo. Nate was determined to make Wolcott pass, and he did, and that was enough, he turned and rode back home...40 miles total. Incredible. His next chemo treatment is soon, but he got to ride.

I thought all day about his effort, when cars passed us I chuckled to myself thinking these people have no idea what is going on right here right now as we all rode Wolcott pass. Here's a guy in between cancer treatments laying it all out there to make the pass, damn it was a good ride, and if you let moments like these slip by you during your lifetime without being tremendously inspired I pity you.

Anyway, Nate's a warrior, he's got some freekin character alot of people never could appreciate unless they were there watching the struggle and the conquest. THANKS NATE.

As for John, well, let's just say he went out a little too hard, and leave it at that.

Elgee and John posing for one

Colorado High Country road riding in March