I’ve made the difficult decision to cancel the Adventure24 this year. Why? To be honest, the passion and heart just isn’t there right now. Putting on an event like this, the passion and heart just have to be there.

When Cathi and I started Adventure24 scouting in 2004 she lived just down the street from me and we got together to look over maps and planned the areas we wanted to visit. Scouting a new area is an adventure itself. You’re exploring new land and seeing sights you’ve never seen before. Those scouting trips were exciting.

Times have changed since those early days. Cathi lives in Chattanooga and I’m married and living in a 70 year old house. Trips to scout for the race used to be time away from my empty condo which required very little attention. Now scouting trips are time away from my new wife and our home that needs way more attention that I ever expected. I’m also in the process of getting back into school to finish up my masters degree that I started a few years ago. Needless to say, the amount of free time I have has been drastically reduced and I need to prioritize.

What does the future hold for Checkpoint Adventures? Well, the UOG is just a few weeks away and it will be a great event. Patrick and I have been hard at work placing checkpoints in Prentice Cooper gearing up for what again will be an event to talk about. As for the Adventure24, it might return one day. If it does return, it will be in a new location because part of the enjoyment of race directing is seeing and experiencing new areas. There might even be some new events and new people in the coming years. If you are interested in helping plan an event but don’t know where to start, contact me and we’ll talk. We’re on the lookout for a few good men or women to keep you adventurous types busy.

As for me, I’ll be spending less time working on events and more time out on the trails myself. I dusted off my mountain bike last weekend on a nice 9 hour bike/push suffer-fest that reminded me of the first NGAR I raced in (the snow edition). My teammate and I called that NGAR “Nature Walk with our Bike” because we pushed our bikes as much as we rode them that day. Last weekend was the same way, I even ran out of water like I did at that NGAR (where my water frozen and I got dehydrated). I’m also going to go camping and sit around the fire and drink some beers with my friends. And for once, it won’t be a camping trip revolved around scouting the area. See you around, and hopefully at the starting line again.