11 Years
Happy Father’s Day to all of you fathers out there. It can be a tough job at times. Its a true pleasure watching little humans grow up though. They certainly keep things interesting.
Today was a day off for me so its a good time to tell the story of @rock_runner. Since I moved out near the lake I have been exploring all sorts of trails. I had always heard of the water tower but didn’t know how to get there. I finally figured out it was at the top of this steep hill. It isn’t super long…maybe an eigth of mile or so but it is steep and slow going. It’s always rewarding at the top because there is a really beautiful view. There is also a massive pile of rocks. I always found it interesting and wondered what it was or where it came from. Was it covering something….no clue.
A few weeks ago on my long run at about mile 15 I was climbing that hill. There was a guy walking up ahead of me carrying two good size rocks. He was putting them in different positions as he climbed the hill…behind him, above his head, at his side, etc. As I ran past him I told him he was an animal. I stopped at the top to take a photo and eat a quick snack before heading down the other side to finish off my run home. I saw him as he came up to the top and he walked over to the pile, inspected it well then placed each small boulder on the top. Half jokingly I asked, “How long you been doing that?”. His response, “11 years”. I almost fell over.
We started to talk and I found out that he goes to the lake almost daily. He walks or runs along the shoreline and looks around for these small boulders. Once he finds two he carries them up this super steep hill to the top and places them between the survey markers…..and he’s been doing it for 11 YEARS!!!! How freaking cool is that?!?! I love stories like that.
He told me that he is a runner but struggled to find a way to keep his upper body in shape. That is originally why he started. Now that pile is massive. It is seriouly big, the pictures I have taken don’t do it justice. It is nearly as tall as me, incredibly wide and a triangle shape deep. It is impressive to say the very least. I was so grateful to meet him and look forward to many other run ins with him as I continue my journeys out at the lake.
P.S. The dude is a killer photographer. He does some really cool iphone photos on the lake. Please go give him a follow on Instagram, @rock_runner. The dude is the man!
