“Singletrack Mind: Finding Wisdom & the Poetry of Life on Two Wheels” is a series of essays punctuated by short, pithy poems on mountain biking in nature. Author and meditator Albert Flynn DeSilver, who served as the county’s inaugural poet laureate, has explored the network of trails from Point Reyes to Mount Tamalpais during his 30 years living in West Marin. “To follow a feral trail is to become primal,” he said. “To become animal once again.” Mr. Flynn DeSilver was elected by the Marin Arts Council as the Marin County’s first poet laureate when the role was launched in 2008 in collaboration with the Marin Cultural Association. After publishing several books of poems, a memoir and a writing guide, he knew he wanted to write a long-form haibun—a traditional Japanese style that combines haiku and prose poetry. The inspiration for his latest book came from a 43-mile-long mountain bike ride he took in March 2021 from Pierc Point to Bolinas. Stir crazy after months of shelter-in-place, he settled on the idea of taking a point-to-point ride. “I just decided that I was going to take this big ride that I’ve never done before, immersing myself as much as possible and writing poems along the way,” he said. “I mean the primary goal was to see if I could even do this.” At the time, Mr. Flynn DeSilver was mulling over what his next written work would be. “Point of All Return” is a haibun that chronicles his ride. He starts off with an homage to Olema’s unique position as a meridian point between two tectonic plates. “To set foot, horse hooves, or bicycle tires on the Point Reyes peninsula is to land on another continent,” he writes. “Geologically of course, but also culturally, even spiritually. It means to land in a unique, more poetic consciousness imbued with the essence of the East.” Much of his inspiration comes from Delores LaChapelle, a deep ecologist and author of “Deep Powder Snow: Forty-Years of Ecstatic Skiing, Avalanches, and Earth Wisdom.” The 1993 book proposed the idea that one can deeply connect to the earth through the sacred act of powder skiing. “There’s a magical rhythm you get into when the exercise is weightless and perfect,” Mr. Flynn DeSilver said. “My friends and I were obsessed with that book and fell in love with it. We were all big backcountry skiers at the time.” When he moved to the West Coast in the early ‘90s, he shifted to mountain biking. It’s never been about the thrill, but rather the rhythm, patience and body movements that amount to a meditation. Mr. Flynn DeSilver will co-lead a daylong yoga and writing program at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center on May 7. More information is at www.albertflynndesilver.com/classes.