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