Urban Hike, Ohio City, Cleveland, Ohio, July 2013

I'm not sure of the definition of the word "hike", or how it differs from "walk." And in the case of a so-called urban hike, the distinction is even less. That said, even though I'll never be a fan of cities, they are 'outdoors' and such a walk, especially with friends, can be fun.

Last month in Ohio I met my friends Aaron and Matty for one such hike. We traveled through the Ohio City section of Cleveland, across the Cuyahoga River from the downtown. Our first stop was the most impressive, the West Side Market. Like Philadelphia's Reading Terminal, the West Side Market uses an old rail station building. The building is impressive now and must have been very grand when it was used by the railroad. One end of the main building has an observation walkway, and I took advantage of it for photos.

Matty is still recovering from his car accident last October, and the hike was kept to a little more than a mile to not stress him. We stopped for a few minutes at a bike shop to drool over Brooks saddles and get out of the heat. I can't imagine ever riding a tall bike, and just looking at it made me dizzy.

As I was walking around I began to get a feeling of deja-vu. At first I thought it was because I saw hipsters riding on fixies and was reminded of Philly, but then as we returned to the West Side Market I realized I'd been here before. In 2007 I visited Cleveland and rented a bike from nearby Ohio City Bicycle Co-op, and rode on a Bike to Work day event. Our turn around point was the little park opposite the West Side Market. Back then I was still trying to change from an indoor person to an outdoor one. Standing across the street from the market, I reflected on how far I'd come. Then I came to Ohio to research in a library. Now I came to be outside.

The hike ended with a disgusting spectacle. My friends were tempted by an offering at the market, and tried head cheese. I was revolted by the mere idea of such a product, but my companions delighted in eating slices of it in front of me. Still, I was lucky. There were items even more disgusting they could have eaten.

Matty Rides! Cleveland, Ohio, July 2013

I've been nagging, as only I can nag, my friend Matty to get a bike. So has my friend Aaron. But Aaron is in Ohio and I'm in Eastern Pennsylvania, and we have little influence on a man in Michigan. So when we had the opportunity to meet in Ohio last month, in addition to walking around Cleveland and having lunch Aaron the mechanic met with my friend to get Matty set up on two wheels.

The result? Matty has a bike again for the first time in five years. And, unlike his old steed, it fits him! He'll fine tune his fit, as every cyclist does, but in the mean time he has a bike that's not hurting him every moment he's on it.

Cycling is never a weight loss pill, but its a tool in both losing weight and building fitness. But first of all its fun, and if Matty sticks with it the fun will follow. Matty, when you are ready we can ride some of those Michigan roads and trails together....

Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

I'm tagging this as a hike, although I'm not sure its a long enough walk to qualify as one. However, since sets of steps are involved, its work.

I visited Brandywine Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Ohio, twice during my trip. The first time was on arrival in the state. I met my friend Matty, down for the weekend from Michigan, and we headed out. Despite a road closure we eventually found our way to the new parking area and walked the short trail to the falls. Most of said trail was wooden steps, and we both found them a bit of a challenge. Matty had more of a struggle due to his weight and the fact the surgery to reconstruct his damaged leg was more recent, but we both got up and down OK.


The falls were spectacular, despite the summer water flow and a large log stuck at the base of the cascade. The best views were from the lower viewing platform, but the upper platform at the crest of the falls also provides good shots. Its possible to photograph from other locations on the walkway but I found there to be too much vegetation to get an effective image. Hiking is allowed in the gorge near the falls, and when Matty and I visited we saw a photographer parked near the far side of the base of the cascade.

I returned a week later during a day doing short hikes in the national park, but the photos were not an improvement on the evening shots I'd taken before. So I spent some time walking the new stretch of the Bike and Hike Trail. In 2011 when I rode the trail it switched to a horrible on-road section and I passed the falls without even knowing they were there. Now cyclists can take the Bike and Hike down the hill, over a trail bridge above a highway, and into the parking lot for the falls. Or they can continue past the parking lot, down a corkscrew turn and the trail brings you to the entrance to the upper platform for the falls. The trail continues on a closed road located just above the crest of the falls. When I visited, the trail was closed for resurfacing above the falls, so a rider has to get off the trail at Brandywine Road, as in 2011. Still, this is a big improvement for the Bike and Hike Trail, and probably helps bring more people to the falls.

"Why?"

As readers saw yesterday, my friend Matty finished his first 5K since his nearly fatal auto accident last year. In a post on his personal blog he wrote about his experience during and after the event, and he gave me permission to quote him at length.

"I finished the race (walk) even though volunteers had abandoned their posts, the water station had no water, & the race clock had been put away. So many times I wanted to give up. So many times I wanted to just turn around and go back to my car. So many times I kept asking myself, “Why?”

"I asked that question even as my sweaty, tired body hit the bed. And the answer to the question beyond the pain, beyond the fatigue that follows me today is that I could. Simple as that. Last night was a celebration of sorts, a celebration of life, a celebration of function. Of having a semi-functioning leg that 8 months prior could have ended up being amputated. No telling what the future will hold for my leg, for the time being I am thankful that it is still there painful as it may be…"

Matty's question, "Why", is one that crops into my mind now and again. And I've written about that one-word question too.  In 2007 I rode a century, 100 miles in a day, ten months after learning to ride a bike. Although my knees weren't as bad as they were to become, I was still a structural wreck, and had to fight through very hard to get to the point I knew I could start a century, let alone finish it.

In 2007 I wrote, "I don't want to quit. I know why I am riding. I am riding because my limitations are entirely of my own making. I am riding because I couldn't before. I am riding because I am no longer 400 pounds and unable to move. I ride because I've wanted to ride a bicycle for a long, long time. I ride because people tell me I can't, tell me I shouldn't. I ride because I am not a fat man on a bike, I am a real cyclist. And I've been one for a long time now. This ride only confirms it."

Your Why will be different from mine, or from Matty's, or from your neighbors. Motivations are personal. And I used the plural because you aren't limited to a single reason. However, from comparing my 2007 post to Matty's, it seems for some of us we do things simply because we can, and we know Can is worth celebrating. Also, pushing your limits gives you a tremendous endorphin rush. This explains how we both managed to push through the pain we experienced in the event - and why we both felt it keenly afterward.

In my case, there's another reason. Life is full of people who tell you "don't" and "can't." I like to prove them wrong. Not out of spite, but because "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" and being so made I find it hard to justify playing safe or sitting on the sidelines. I spent the first half of my life sedentary. I have time to make up. And as Matty mentioned in his post, who knows how long until the body is no longer able to keep up with what I demand of it?

So that's my Why. Have you thought about yours?

Matty Returns!

In a previous posting, I wrote about my friend Matty, a man who lost two hundred some pounds, lost his focus on weight loss, and almost lost his life in an auto accident. At the end of that posting, I said I was going to run a 5K with Matty in Michigan. Well, it seems the man got a little practice in yesterday. It took him nearly an hour and a half, but he completed the Zeeland Zoom 5K Run/Walk last evening.

Society tells super-obese people they are victims and they can't change themselves. Matty is changing. After his accident the doctors told him he may never walk again. He's walking.  And for a brief period of time Matty thought he'd never return to the active life he led.

But he's returned....