Just went through my climbing gear to start prepping for some upcoming spring/summer trips. The peak of the season will be here before we know it!!
Though it’s good to always check your gear before each use, a careful inspection prior to the season will help you get ready & stoked for the days to come.
Here some things I look for, but definitely check your manufacturer recommendations & use your own judgement. Remember, these are life-safety items, so when in doubt replace it! You are worth it!
As an artist, I often think I’m not good enough — yet.
Still building to what I could be,
but not quite there.
Wanting to embrace what might be,
but feeling too unpolished and experimental to try.
What if it isn’t about art,
but the art of letting it go–
Into the wild
to pursue it’s own life.
Do something. Anything.
Then let it go.
Earlier this year I had the amazing opportunity to visit Peru to explore a story about mountain guides. However, when I arrived there and started working on it, I realized there was an even deeper story.
Being in the Andes reminded me about what I love the mountains. The Andes are magnificent, not only in their beauty, but also in the people that live & work there. I was inspired not only by the company of our group but simply by the energy that exists there. In the mountains, daily tasks are oriented toward food, shelter, sleep, and community. There is more space to reflect & appreciate. It is in that space, change can happen.
When I asked Julio why he was guiding, he talked about a change he saw in people after visiting the Andes and I instantly understood. Being a guide myself, I’ve seen it as well. It is one of the most amazing experiences to be a part of. I was intrigued how this drew him into guiding. The story that unfolded was of family, struggle, and inspiration. I found it a little difficult to convey in a 5 minute spot, but you can watch it here.
King County Explorer Search and Rescue is a 100% volunteer organization, so there’s really not hiring involved, just recruitment of people who are interested in helping others & saving lives.
ESAR only accepts new members during it’s training season, and the 2011–2012 training season has begun. You can see new dates posted on www.kcesar.org, so get your backpacks and come out to training!
I’m often asked is: how does it work? Is it super time consuming? See my answer & last year’s graduation slideshow after the jump.
Summer is winding down and I’m back spending hours behind the desk catching up on all the back log. Man, what a great summer! I’ve been on a project tour of Virginia, Washington DC, Aspen,Co, Boulder, CO, Peru, and of course some climbing in between. I’ve met some incredible people, been inspired by their talents, and stories.
One lucky opportunity this summer was working with pro climbers Courtney Sanders and Daniel Woods at Dominion River Rock earlier this year. I was doing my first film project and did a short on Courtney. After only climbing for about 6 months, Courtney met Daniel Woods and was immediately thrust into the professional climbing world. Can you imagine? Six months in, I don’t think I even knew what half the climbing terms were! The simplest problem seemed so impossible, even when someone showed me the moves.
This story intrigued me.
I recently published the short on Vimeo and shared it with Courtney. I was completely nervous that she might not like it.… But fortunately she not only loved it, she shared it on her blog. I was so very honored by that!
This being my first short documentary piece, I was a bit shy to post it. There is so much of the story yet to be told, so it feels a bit unfinished & rough. But, I’m trying to let that go and embrace the learning/adventure that is film making.
Either way, Courtney & Daniel are amazingly talented climbers and genuinely sweet people. Courtney has been able to accomplish in a few short years what many top climbers have spent a good portion of their life on. So, please check it out and let me know what you think!
Hello world! The ‘ol blog is a little dusty, but I’m still alive and enjoying the summer. New posts coming soon, but in the meantime, I thought I would share this interesting phone app I recently heard about.
It’s called Peak.AR and it’s available for iPhone or Andriod. Through augmented reality (AR) you can hold up your phone and it will list the peaks in the distance. Pretty cool idea. Check the FAQfor information on how to work offline.
As soon as we got to the base of our climb, we felt drops. A moment of sun. Now a moment of rain. Undeterred, or maybe not even noticing, he racked his quick draws, did a quick safety check and started the climb.
Moments. Most are mundane, passing by unnoticed and unnoteworthy. We’d been planning this trip for months. It’s been almost a year since this group of friends has been together. A three day weekend was the perfect opportunity for a little rock climbing, camping, and outdoor fun. A moment in time we wanted to remember. Unfortunately, the weather was a crap shoot once again. The spring weather can’t decide if it should bless us with sun or rain. The clouds murmured a few drops, only to be dried quickly by the warmth of the sun. We sneak by, trying to get in a climb before it figures out what we’ve done. Yet this moment would not go by so unnoticed.
King County Explorer Search and Rescue is a 100% volunteer organization, so there’s really not hiring involved, just recruitment of people who are interested in helping others 
Wow, happy Spring everyone! April already? I can’t believe it.
