Mt Kessler: Another Reason To Shave Your Legs

Rode the mountain bike out to the trails on top of Mt. Kessler this morning to see how much damage was done after Ike blew through last weekend. The mistake I made was not bringing the bow saw to clear the small trees, there were a lot of limbs down. All of what I saw can be taken care of with a bow saw. This was a sloooow ride as I had to stop every so often to clear limbs and hike around the fallen trees. After one loop, I met up with a few friends who were also out to asses the damage. We talked for a bit and then fininshed up the trail. Ok, now to the "another reason for shaving" Close to the end we stopped to regroup and Chris noticed seed ticks on his shoe. We all checked ourselves and sure enough everyone was carrying a few extra passengers. If you haven't dealt with seed ticks, let me tell you they are a pain in the ass. They can't be pulled off with your fingers, you must have duct tape. This is where shaved legs definetly pay off. Especially after the ride, just rinse your legs off and start pressing the duct tape to your legs, the ticks come right off. There you go, another legit reason. So if someone asks why you shave, just reply "seed ticks"

Here's my new workout. All those trees need to be cleared from Mt. Kessler and I need a good trail run on Tuesday. So, I decided why not combine the two activities. I can break this up into two seven mile loops, I'll tackle one on Tue and the other on Thurs. Why haven't I thought of this before? Run the trail stopping and clearing the brush as quickly as possible, continue. I'm sure people do this all the time. I know what you might be thinking, isn't it dangerous to run with sharp objects? Probably so, however, all I will carry is a band saw which will be in my pack. The saw also has a thick guard covering the entire blade. I should be ok.

Speaking of packs, my Osprey Talon 22 is simply the best pack I have ever owned. For me, the fit is spot on. I have used this pack daily now for about a year, mostly commuting to work. However, I do use it for mountain biking and off road bricks. I love the fact that I can carry a bladder and running shoes and the pack never feels bulky. It has many compartments, making it great for adventure racing. The "Air Scape" feature is also nice on hot days, the pack has a semi-rigid webbing so it doesn't sit directly on your back allowing for air flow. It's light, stylish, what else can I say? If you need a new pack, check it out.