Stormy weather is the best for running
I get running cravings and I get them often. If I don’t run more than 2 days, my head slowly begins to boil and by the end of the third one, it usually explodes. It was about time I went on a proper run, and there was no better day for it than this day.
There was some crazy storm going through Bishop, and all the surrounding mountains sat gloomy in their dark clouds. As we head towards the Buttermilks, the wind was blowing directly against us, as if wanting to push as back from where we came from. Stuff like wind cannot stop me though.
It obviously cannot stop Bishop boulderers either ! As there were crowds of vans and people with crash-pads venturing in between the boulders … I guess you just have to pick climbing problems in the wind direction …
Armed with snow goggles and wind-breakers we started running into the storm up towards the mountains. We had to cover our airways every few minutes, as passing sand-clouds made it impossible to breath. We learned that running against the wind is faster than biking against the wind 😉 hence running is superior, but I will not get deeper into the topic at this point.
It was super fun ! I love fighting against the elements. I love feeling that I have the power and persistence to battle anything in my way. I may be running slow, but feeling that I keep on going as long as I need to, is a very powerful feeling. Odds cannot beat me ! The further into the mountains we ran, the colder it got, and now instead of clouds of sand, there were clouds of snow. The colder and windier I got, the more powerful I felt.
After a while, we decided to head back, and duuuude, what a ride back it was. The wind was so strong, I had to break while running not to face-plant. Looooved it ! (Not the face plant, but the flights. And I didn’t face plant 😀 )
Meditative Bishop
After a good run there is noting like Yoga, and we found a class called “yoga for climbers”.
The class was very peaceful. The teacher started by greeting all of us, and asking where we were from. There was a girl from Moab, Utah, a few Bishop climbers, somebody from Joshua tree and two climbers from the Cascades. I then realized that my friend and I represent Squamish and British Columbia. I love British Columbia, and love love love Squamish; this made me feel a sense of pride. The class was great, the way mountain yoga has to be – simple, sincere and powerful.
There were three elderly men sitting in the at a round table in the window, enveloped by yellow light. We visited that bakery twice, and the three men were all there in their seats sipping coffee from their small ceramic cups. Right beside them – a child with a snowman onesie, and tousled hair was playing with a jerky stand. There was a lot cozy light in the room, and lots of amazing spirit. Totally recommend this place.
Also, something that makes climbing dirt-bag like me super happy is that they have a stand with 50-80% off bread ;D
All and all Bishop was great. Super chill, super cool, filled with all those things your body and mind crave.
Mountain Hat 