Idaho

I’m a big Josh Ritter fan. Huge. 13 live shows and counting. Vacations are routinely planned around his shows. Although, my friend Patty might have me beat. She moved to Idaho. Running IMTUF 100 a couple of years in a row didn't really have anything to do with Josh - he’s from Moscow, several hours north of Burgdorf Hot Springs. But I feel it’s important to get that out there. And hey, maybe some of his inspiration for songwriting was gained from the beautiful, rugged landscape we ran through. If nothing else, his passion on stage and his obvious gratitude for getting to do what he loves every day, it resonates with me on the trails. How incredibly lucky we are to be playing in these wild lands.

Idaho by Josh Ritter

All that love all those mistakes

What else can a poor man make?

So I gave up a life of crime

I gave it to a friend of mine

Something else was on my mind

The only ghost I'm haunted by

I hear her howling down below

Idaho oh Idaho

Wolves oh wolves oh can't you see?

Ain't no wolf can sing like me

And if it could then I suppose

He belongs in Idaho

Packs of dogs and cigarettes

For those who ain't done packing yet

My clothes are packed and I want to go

Idaho oh Idaho

Out at sea for seven years

I got your letter in Tangier

Thought that I'd been on a boat

Til that single word you wrote

That single word it landlocked me

Turned the masts to cedar trees

And the winds to gravel roads

Idaho oh Idaho

I started this blog post in September 2018 intending to write a race report from my second IMTUF 100 but while the race was as awesome as my first one a year earlier, and my third a year later, the report is still pending... but at least you can now check out JR's amazing work!