The Photos app on my phone has been sending me notifications for “Year in Review” videos that it automatically creates based on some weird algorithm that compiles what it thinks would be my favorite photos of 2021. Not sure why my phone thinks a dark photo of the inside of my pocket is a highlight of 2021 … well, maybe my phone knows more about 2021 than I realize.
Anyway, I decided to pull out my own favorites from the past 12 months. In no particular order, here are the first 10. Part two coming in a day or two.
- Sunrise on the Ziegler Preserve
Hitting the trails at the same time as the first rays of morning light peek above the horizon is one of my favorite things to do, especially in the spring. This photo captures exactly why.
- Kayaking with friends at Lackawanna State Park
A group kayak trip on the Delaware River was cancelled because the water was too high, so a few of us made our own little kayak trip at Lackawanna State Park. Good times.
- 13,000 feet above sea level in the Indian Peaks Wilderness
My friend Ashley took me on a hike up Mt. Audubon to help me acclimate before running a 100K in a few days. This photo was taken just below the summit. I will never not be in awe of the views from mountain tops in the Rockies.
- Sunset at Glenmaura National Golf Club
Some photos don’t need an explanation. This is one.
- Storm clouds gather over the high plains in north central Colorado
Thunderstorms are just different in the mountains. Fortunately, a storm like this didn’t hit the next day when I was racing, despite being in the forecast.
- A little foxglove for my enemies
Nature can be equally beautiful and deadly. Foxglove is deadly if ingested.
- Trail races are my favorite
Action shot from the Healing Heroes 7K in August, a small local trail race. I managed to finish second, just a few seconds behind a young kid. It was actually kind of fun to compete and not just run to finish.
- Bernie’s Memorial 3-Mile Run in Wilkes-Barre
I do race on roads once in a while, too. Maybe you can see why.
- Ridgeline running in the Never Summer mountains
The Never Summer 100K promised an incredibly scenic course. This ridgeline was early on in the race when I was still feeling good, so I was able to appreciate it to its full extent.
- Cottonwood Pass outside Buena Vista, Colo.
The road to Cottonwood Pass is the highest paved road in the United States. I would have loved to explore some of the side trails from the parking lot, but I had just run 66 miles 36 hours earlier, so my legs weren’t interested in doing a whole lot.
Randy's Runs 