Now What

Off For an Adventure

Good ideas are spawned in the darkness of the night, and are realized when the sun brings it's light, creating the contrast that makes the dream come to life. It is in the darkness, however, that one finds what they really made of.  "It's a small world" is never more apparent than when all one sees is a 6 foot swath of the trail in front of him or her. Reality swings to and fro, displaying only for a second what people later that day will over look on their quest of beauty. What makes something stand out is not the subject, but how the subject is perceived, and the contrast that is captured. That moment comes when the sun tickles the horizon and the head lamp is put in your pack for the remainder of the day. Only then, it is realized how far is still left to go. And even though the view is stunning, the summit is not yet in sight, and doubt sets in. "Is it possible?" The good idea that came to be in the not too distant past now raises its eye brows as if to say "Are you sure you want to proceed?"  That is where I find myself now, my metaphorical car is left at the trail head, but the route ahead causes me to stagger.



Now What

No longer is being an adult just a concept.  Soon I will be responsible for myself,  with no more restrictions, no 'wrong' answers. College needs to be planned for, a car bought, and insurance to go with it, a job to keep it all up and running. My 'dream' is a long way off and is way bigger then it appeared to be when the ground work was being laid. The plans that had been set so carefully are no more than guidelines, my 'details' merely bullets but have yet to be expanded on. I applied to life, and it asked for my resume. I handed it a sticky note with a mayo stain on it.



Final Thoughts

So the analogy in the first paragraph might have been a little over done, but it fits. Putting my thoughts down on 'paper' helps me process, and work the issue from every angle. There is nothing left on my mind tonight. If you as the reader have any suggestions/input, I'd be more than grateful for your input.


Thanks,


K

NOLS Dispatch; Issue 1

The Duffle Bag Dilemma 

Has it all been assembled, did it all get in the bag, I'm I prepared for everything? In June I will be driving to the airport on my way to my NOLS trip into the Waddington Range. NOLS, stands for National Outdoor Leadership School, and is one of the premier outdoor education programs in the country. Rooted deep inside me is the fear that something has gone overlooked, only time will tell if everything had been taken care of.




Simply A Day Dream

Throughout the hours that I have recorded on this world many of them have been spent dreaming about the mountains. Humans were born to move, born to push the body to its physical limit. Anything with risk, sharpens the mind and enhances the body, creating a a more refined being. Climbing ignited the fire that still burns today, the fire to be in the mountains. As the years passed, the passions evolved and one of the physical manifestation of that passion are the blogs that are penned every week or so. Every kid that wants to through the winning touch down, or hit the home run that wins it all, the pull to do something epic in the mountains leads toward the unknown.



Structure

Where there is a will there is a way, the road map appeared in catalog form given to me by a friend. It sat on the kitchen table for a while because if it were to be opened a trip would become a reality, so it sat untouched. The curiosity enveloped the darkness and the pages turned themselves as my dream started to take the format of reality. For a small amount of money you could go anywhere in the world and learn anything you wanted to know about being outside. The idea infected everyday life until the plan was presented to my parents. Who's answer stunned me, when they said that they would help me out financially, the magazine that had so little impact at first now had shaped everything that took place from then on.



Running a Marathon 

Now the work load that must be finished to make my dream come true starts to set in, it will take a while. The following three years were spent finding odd jobs that people needed done, mowing yards, dog sitting, and house cleaning became the meat of the operation. Running is not my area of expertise, nor a passion that is rooted inside me, but like anything else one must take one step at a time. It made sense that if it was financially doable that I acquire as much of the gear before the trip so that it could be used. It would give hands on experience to layering and the how the entire system would work. Even after cautions from my parents about being careful, we agreeded that it was ok so long as it was kept to a minimum. It was not kept to a minimum but the budget was still balanced. Weeks became months, months became years, and last week the final piece of paperwork was taken care of, everything paid for. The finish line is in sight.




Final Thoughts

The NOLS Dispatches will be the bulk of my posts for a while. They will explain the journey that I have been on chasing what some call the American Dream. I welcome you to join me on the journey that has consumed my life for the last three years.



K

The Dark Side

• Arrogance is the camouflage of insecurity.

                                                             -Tim Fargo

The Grass Was Green and the Frisbee's Were Flying

What a day it was, skiing on fresh powder with no lines, just us and the mountain. Scott, my editor and I had finally gotten used to being on skis and had figured out the logistics just right so we didn't fight traffic but still got in a good day on the slopes. It was windy, but we didn't mind. It was one of those rare moments in life when everything was just right, and nothing was on your plate that you had to worry about. We were no longer green horns, we had not figured everything out yet but we had progressed leaps and bounds from our first trip. Life was good.



The Weekend Project

This is the project that started off as a 30 minute project but after the third trip to the hardware store reality sets in. It was just such a 'project' that Scott and I found ourselves in. Our first day on the hill we struggled, big time. Losing skis and being unable to get back in them and just trudging on, so we make it our policy to help others when we can. I dismounted the chair lift and fiddled with my gloves, and I look up to see Scott helping a gentlemen back into his skis. After he catches my eye Scott nods toward a woman who has fallen at the foot of a patch of trees and is struggling to no avail. Skiing over there, I see that she has figured out its best to get out of her skis and start over. Tapping on the release with my ski pole she pushes it and out she pops her foot in. Scott has side stepped up to me and has her poles in hands. After a brief dialog, it is clear that her English is not her first language, which turned out to be better for us as she could only watch what we did and mimic us. I love teaching people and seeing the light bulb turn on when it clicks. It is important that the 'student' has support from their peers that can help them when I can no longer help.




Focusing

After we got her into her skis and taught her how to stand back up we turned to look for her friends so we could pass the baton unto them, they were gone. For the next 20 minutes, Scott and I did what we could to ensure her retaliative safe passage down the mountain. Once we reached the last flat part she recited back everything we had told her and so off we went as there was nothing more we could do for her. On the way down we kept a close look out for the rest of her group. They were gone. That ticked both of us off royally, and confused us; why wouldn't you stay and help your friend? We were unable to come up with an answer for that.



Final Thoughts

So...
Scott and I went on with our day as best we could but we could never figure out why they left her to fend for herself. I wasn't able to come to terms with it that day but I finally sorted it out. What I came up with was that even though I was frustrated that her group left, I was able to share my passion with someone new and hopefully she started to enjoy herself. That is all that I came up with. It still sets me off when I think about it but I really have no control over what happened and so I'm letting it go.


Looking Forward

This year is a big year for me I have a NOLS trip coming up and I got accepted to college for a Ski Area Management and plan on going going to the mountains as often as possible. I will continue to write and share my experiences with you. Hope you had a wonderful new year.



Another distraction.



K