Sidelined

Yeah, I know. I haven't posted in a while, but I also haven't ridden in a while. A few weeks ago, I was doing yard work and was lifting garbage can full loads of crap I raked up from our yard that had been neglected for several years. They were heavy, and apparently I strained my back. I went for a ride in Pisgah the next day, and only made it up 477>Buckhorn Gap Tr>Clawhammer before I had to turn back. I got back to my car and I was bummed, so I hung out in the creek for a while.





The next couple of weeks, we did a lot of work on the house in preparation for a pseudo-in-law visit, so my back didn't really get a chance to heal. We got a lot of work done, though, and we're finally making the house our own. I also had some time to learn more about, and play around with, another passion of mine, hammock camping. I am bequeathing my Hennessy Expedition hammock to Heather, and getting a slightly larger one for myself later this month for my birthday. In preparation for the bequeathing, I have been trying to make the Hennessy as user-friendly as possible for her. I've been learning a lot of splicing techniques for rope, cord, and twine, and have made some pretty cool improvements for her. I'll do a post in a few weeks on it once everything is done. You'll just have to wait to learn all about whoopie slings and soft shackles.





On another note, I don't know what kind of spider this is, but these little bastards were everywhere last summer when I rode the Stonewall Falls trail in NE GA after taking the bar exam. I hit a web every 15 feet or so, and these guys were biting me. This one was in our front yard.



My back is feeling better, but I'm going to give it another week of rest. I had pains shooting down my right leg for a couple of weeks, and that has finally stopped. After another week, I think I'll feel OK about riding again.