Dreams

Have you ever had a dream that you thought was so real that you couldn't tell the difference between that dream and reality?

Have you ever had a dream that you were flying above the world?

Have you ever had a dream that so resembled your passions that you can't help but be motivated to live life in a way that emulates that dream?

Have you ever wondered how life could be different if we didn't have bodily limitations and our spirits could roam free on this earth?

Have you ever loved doing something so much and so completely that you devote your life to doing it?

Have you ever seen the smile on someone's face when they are truly satisfied?

Have you ever sat above the world and admired the glory of the human race?

Have you ever reached out your arms and embraced the goodness of humanity?

Have you ever talked to God? Have you ever had an answer?

Have you ever had so much passion for something that your heart cannot contain it?

No? Have you ever lived?

Endless Sky

Tuesday night I worked ground crew for a BASE jump, Wednesday I slacklined for 2 hours and was late to my important meeting, Today I went skydiving between classes, Tomorrow I am going climbing in Boulder Canyon, Saturday I am going skydiving again, Sunday I am having a slackline/bbq with lots of friends. Life is good :)


They say you don't have time to have fun when you are in Aerospace. I am living proof that whatever they say is wrong. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want. Do what makes you happy and you will find a way to get through the struggles in your life. A passionate life is a successful life. This is what I live by. Have no doubts, no reservations, no skepticism, just pursue what gives you the greatest pleasure, and your life will be much more enjoyable. We didn't choose to be on this earth, nor do we know why. But who we are and how we got here are insignificant matters compared to what we live for. I live for life.

Monastery Movie

This is me walking the line at The Monastery earlier this summer. Total Mind Rush! Enjoy!

Monastery Video

Doubt.

I question all that is questionable in order to find a higher truth where there is none. I strive to discover a meaning to this random manifestation of life on earth. The more I question, the more I realize the answer is unattainable, and this frustrates me. No amount of adventure can make up for the fact that I cannot find a purpose to my existence. Will I find an answer? probably not, but I'll make sure that I give my life meaning and purpose. I'll make my actions and adventures meaningful and this is the beauty of life. We can chose a path of our own design. If I know anything it is that we are capable of anything we desire. The purpose of life is to cultivate these desires to achieve happiness. The paradox of life is that while happiness is easy to achieve it is nearly impossible to maintain, thus leaving us watching our life pass by as we search for something new. But what can be done when all possibilities are consumed? What if there is nothing left to aspire to? Is that the end? This world is too small for the capacity of the consciousness of man.

Linear Ambition

Linear Ambition

Hip cats do flips on tight line
Thinking panting waxing waning
Come and go this freak show

Smooth like soft skin
Tripping some and gripping others
Peaceful Zen you comprehend
Yet flopping like dismal endeavor

High above bright blue sky do I
Search for higher state of mind
Flapping fabric double backed
Crazy antics do attract
Audience of perplexed proportions

Eyes closed, body knows
Feels thrill of heightened being, then
Stop. Slip. Spin. Burn.
Yin takes painful turn
but Yang takes care to follow

Focus on nothing equals something
Of a spectacular kind
Clarity, temerity, serenity
Walked the gap of space and time
-sr

One Deep Breath

So much in life can be simplified by a very simple action. One Deep Breath. Fear, frustration, stress, any negative emotion can be quickly expelled by just one deep breath. You become calm, cool, collect, and can start to analyze things with a different and more relaxed mindset. Everything that I do becomes easier when I can control my breathing. This weekend I'm going to be completing my level second and third levels of the accelerated free-fall (AFF) class at the mile-high skydiving center. During my first level I was terrified at first, then I took a deep breath and all the fear cleared away, and I jumped out of the plane. It is amazing what we are capable of if we pursue what we are passionate about, and clear away any negative feelings we or others may have.

Here's another poem I wrote recently:



The storm is rising steadily
Soon it sweeps me off my feet
The wind is blowing past the toll
Slowly rising out of control

I am confused
I’ve lost my way
Please bring me back
Another day

I need a place
Where I belong
Unknown sights
Tell me this wrong.

My ship is sinking steadily
The water splashes at my feet
Will I survive I do not know
Alone in life, where did I go?

My heart is dying steadily
The pumping blood looses the beat
Without someone to share my song
Unloving bodies carry on.

The nature of
My human mind
Needs to confide
Secrets divine

Without a pulse, without a place
Without a pace, the human race
One drop drips down, onto the frown
Turned upside down, start the countdown

Who I was and who I’ll be
The past will breathe tranquility
As what I sought from dusk till dawn
Was found inside me all along.
-sr

Cubicle Daydreams

Sitting here in frigid air
My back hurts from this bad chair
I write reports all stinking day
And never get to live or play

The weekend is so close
Only a few days at most
But until then I must wait
Isn’t the office great?

Cover sheets and paper jams
Sometimes I don’t give a wham
Inside with all these boring types
What’s with all the crazy hype?

I wait and wait and wait all day
Shaking from my lack of play.
If only I could be outside.
To jump and sing and run and climb.

I dream of sky and air and space
Anything to leave this place.
They say: “9 to 5 it shall be”
But "No!" I say, "I shall be free."

Jump out of planes and climb on ropes
Nowhere near these office dopes.
I can choose to live my life,
I will not deal with office strife.

Happy is as happy does,
But happiness is hard because
Inside your heart you must find
What brings pleasure to your mind.

I cannot stand this dreadful place
Where Corporate ladders are the race.
I dream of life in mountain air,
For I am simply happy there.
-sr

Castle & Conundrum

This last weekend mom and I cruised over to Aspen for the day and climbed Castle peak and Conundrum Peak. We had a wonderful time and met some really neat people. The Jeep handled the 4wd road to the trailhead with ease, and we found ourselves camping just below the trailhead before getting an early start the next morning. While we were setting up camp in the failing light a young doe came trotting into the campsite and started eating some of the small plants I had urinated on earlier. I was able to stay really still and she didn't see me even though I was about 4 feet away. Pretty incredible. We started hiking at 6:30 the next morning after giving a ride to three people who didn't want to ruin their rental car, and made it to the summit of Castle by about 9:15. There were a few sections where we had to cross the snow, so I kicked some steps in for mom and then she followed behind me. She was a little worried at first, but it was good to push her comfort level a little bit. Once on the top of Castle, I decided to do the traverse over to Conundrum. I made it across in 20 minutes, and then made it back in 25, with a a round trip time of 45 minutes. I covered about 1.5 miles and +600 feet vertical gain and loss in that time, meaning that I was moving really fast over the class 2+ terrain. We descended from Castle after mom had waited for me, and then glissaded about 500 feet down the snow field to get back to the road. Mom had a blast! It was really fun, and made the descent a lot more interesting. After we got back we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's cabin and hung out for the rest of the day, and then returned on Sunday. It was a really fun weekend. I will post pictures soon.

Tomorrow I am headed out to go skydiving, and the following day I will be meeting up with a few really experienced climbers from the Denver area to do a really difficult ridge traverse in RMNP. I can't wait, and I'll be sure to post a lot of pictures.

Crazy Mountain Goats in Chicago Basin

I had some interesting encounters with some mountain goats in Chicago Basin during my San Juan Showdown. Everyone else couldn't hold their nerves as well as I could, so I went in for a closer look.

Youtube Video

San Juan Showdown

This post was so long that I had to host it on another site.

Between June 28th and July 8th I went on a trip to the San Juan range in south-western Colorado to climb a bunch of peaks. I managed to climb 13 14ers in 9 days. The trip report can be found by clicking on the following link:

San Juan Showdown

Sawatch Range Finale

This weekend a couple guys from work, Scott and Kyle, as well as myself traveled to the Sawatch range to bag a couple of 14ers. The plan was to leave from work and head out to Leadville and eventually to the Winfield trailhead to climb Huron the next day. The drive was quick, and we stopped at Wendy’s on the way up. Two words: bad idea. I haven’t eaten Wendy’s in about three years, and it didn’t sit well. Lets just say I had a little extra propulsion from the rear to get me up the mountain the next day. Anyway, we were driving in Scott’s Durango, and didn’t have too much trouble getting to Winfield. After that the road got a little bumpy, and we threw it in 4x4 and made it up another 1.5 miles, just a mile short of the upper trailhead. There’s nothing like cruising down old county roads with the Yonder Mountain String Band blasting away on Scott’s bagillion dollar sound system. We hit the hay at about 9 and set the alarms for 4am the next morning.

The Three Apostles from Huron's North Flank

We awoke at 4 to severe Wendy’s syndrome, and decided to give it another half hour before getting up so that our stomachs could settle. We hit the trail at 5:15 and were off into the woods. Huron’s trail is short, but makes up for its shortness with steep and relentless switchbacks. The 3 miles to the top covers about 3500 feet, with almost all of the elevation gain in 2 miles of the trail. Scott had a bad knee, and wasn’t in tip-top shape, so we let him set the pace. The alpenglow that we saw on the trail was amazing, and we had a wonderful view of Ice mountain and the three apostles sitting on the continental divide behind Huron peak. Another notable view were all the Alpine Forget-Me-Nots in the area. Starting at about 12,500 feet, they were scattered all over the mountainside, and it might have been the vividness of my new polarized lenses for my sunglasses, but they were vividly beautiful. We made the summit at about 10:??, taking about 5 hours to climb the peak. I was really happy that Scott and Kyle made it to the top, as this was their first fourteener. The top had an incredible view, we could see every 14er in the Sawatch range, as well as Grays and Torreys, all of the Elk range including the Maroon Bells, Capitol, etc, and even Pikes peak. The sky was very clear and what started as a potentially boring climb turned out to be well worth the trouble. I definitely plan on returning to the area to hike up Ice mountain and the three apostles, as the climb looks really technical and fun, plus Ice mountain is a centennial 13er (one of the 100 highest peaks in Colorado). I plan on tackling this goal after I finish the 14ers sometime next year.

We hiked down and had some food, and then drove to Buena Vista to stock up on some food. We also parked at the park and set up a slackline to put on a show for all the families with their kids, and also to see if any raft guides wanted to come over and have a walk. Unfortunately, I was the only one there who could walk it. Kyle gave it several goes and made some good progress, but while I was walking people just came by and asked my if I was in the circus and silly things like that. After a little slacklining, it was starting to get past the afternoon, and we needed to get to the Harvard trailhead. We picked up some food and headed up to the North Cottonwood Creek trailhead. After some moderate 4x4 we arrived at our destination and set up camp. I took some neat close-ups of the trees and a bridge in the dying light, and then we hit the hay at about 8:00 well before dark.

On the way up Harvard with Yale and Princeton in the background

We awoke at 3:00 to a really neat view of the milky way, and to legs ready to rock and roll. Scott was too tired from the hike the previous day, so he slept in and then went fishing later that morning. Kyle and I hit the trail at about 3:30 and were ready to rock. It was about 3.5 miles from the trailhead to treeline with about 2000 feet elevation gain. It is really easy to hike when it is dark out because the scenery doesn’t distract you, and your goal is a lot simpler. You just put one foot in front of the other and make sure not to stumble on the obstacles dimly lit by the headlamp. We made it to treeline in about 2 hours and took a quick break, then continued to hike, motivated by the increasing light. We were able to see some really amazing views of Mt. Yale and Mt. Princeton, lit up by the Alpenglow.

Kyle and I were feeling good, so we kept on hiking, making it to about 13,000 feet before the sun finally hit us. The last part was really steep, but we made incredible time because the trail was so well maintained and because we were already acclimated by the previous days climb. We were able to make the last 1,400 feet in about 50 minutes, finally summitting at 7:32, 4 hours after we started. I finally finished every 14er in the Sawatch range!

On the summit of Harvard at 7:30am

Mr. Marmot on the summit of Harvard

We enjoyed the view, made friends with the resident Marmot, and then started the descent. We didn’t run into more than 10 people on the way down, but they were all moving slow with heavy packs. Kyle and I only packed the essentials and kept our pack weights down to about 15 pounds. We ran down most of the steep sections, using gravity to our advantage, and were back to the car at 10:30, only 7 hours after we left. It was a 13.5 mile round trip with 4,800 feet in elevation gain, and we averaged nearly 2 miles an hour which is great for my standards. I wanted to stop by the cabin to say hi to the Grandparents but Scott and Kyle were spent and just wanted to get back to Denver to shower and sleep. I didn’t blame them. The first 14er is always really taxing on the body, and Kyle did really well for bagging number 1 and number 2 all in the same weekend. Traffic was bad going back and we arrived at about 2:30. All in all, it was a really fun weekend, although I can’t wait for this next week… Look forward to the next mild adventure, as this will be the best one so far…

To view all the pictures from this trip, click on the following link:
Huron/Harvard Pictures

Highline at "The Monastery": Truly a Religious Experience

On Sunday June 10th, Said, Dylan and I went to set up a highline at “The Monastery”. The Monastery is actually really close to Estes Park. If you are coming from Denver, you take I-25 to Loveland, and then take highway 34 west towards Estes Park. Once you get to the town of Drake, it is a fun drive up a bunch of switchbacks on a steep dirt road until you get to the trailhead. At that point we got out and started the hike. The hike is only about 1.5 miles, but it is really brutal. It is probably close to 1000 feet of elevation gain and loss in the first ¾ of a mile to get through a really steep cliff section and then across the valley to the climbing area. We hauled butt and it only took about 20 minutes. The rigging took a lot longer though. It was about 3 hours before we had a walkable line. The gap was 35 feet long and about 110 feet high, with Longs peak dominating the horizon in the background. I can honestly say that it is one of the coolest areas I’ve ever been to in, and the fact that we were highlining there was even cooler.



Dylan, one of the guys we met up with for this line, is a really good highliner. He has been walking highlines for several years now, and has quite a few significant walks. Two summers ago he walked the lost arrow spire line in Yosemite. This is the highest established line in the US, and the second highest line in the world. Because of the intensity of the exposure, there have only been 20 people in the world who have walked it. Dylan’s highlining has been featured in many different catalogues and magazines, and it was no surprise that while we were highlining, a couple of older guys who work for Scarpa offered to hook Dylan up with a shoe sponsorship right there at the crag (There were a lot of strong climbers working on 5.12s and 5.13s right near us). They wanted him to wear their shoes while he walked the line, and he gladly agreed. It was really cool. Hopefully after I get some more experience in the realm of highlining, I can get sponsored as well.


Because the line was so short, it was really quite easy to walk, so we all tried doing tricks and other fun things to push the envelope even further as we were on the line. I got the knee drop, lay down and sit start. Said was able to pull off a lot of really cool moves that I don’t know the name for. Dylan was really incredible though, pulling off a couple of surfs, no-hands walking, and a lot of really hard sit moves. It was pretty fun.

Dylan with Longs Peak in the background

By the end of the day, we had all walked the line several times, all with very minimal falling. Nobody took a leash fall, which was great.


This is only my second outdoor highline, but I feel that it was scarier than the first one. In fact, while I was up there I was really questioning my decision to do any sort of intense activity. I couldn’t really find the fun in it for a while. In the words of my Buddy Jeff, “for me I love it...I think that you can never fully understand the beauty of life unless you are scared ****less with the possibility you might die”. Well I’m not so sure that I agree with that, but Jeff jumps out of planes for fun. In my opinion, life wasn’t meant to be drab and boring. God didn’t put us all on this earth to sit on our butts and push the button of a remote all day or complain about everything. It really grinds my gears when people who do nothing with their lives think they have a right to argue about meaningless issues like war, american idol, etc. I think life is so much more worth living if you are on the edge. Of course I make sure that everything is safe on the highline before I do step out onto the void, but at the same time, once you are on the line there is no control whatsoever regarding your fate, except for the ability to put one foot in front of the other. How many people can say that they have simplified their life so much that their entire fate rests on the ability to take a step? Walking is something almost everyone takes for granted and it is an incredibly important human function, but it is never simplified to a matter of life or death. What if everything were simplified in this manner: eating, breathing, blinking, pouring a cup of coffee? Because highlining simplifies life in this manner, I grow an incredible appreciation for everything that I come in contact with. It is hard for people to understand this without having a similar experience, but I feel that I am actually a better person because of highlining, and this is a gift and blessing from God not to be overlooked.



I think that "The Monastery" is an aptly named location.

Kelso Ridge

On June 2nd Kevin Kelly and I decided to go climb Kelso Ridge on Torreys Peak. After Kevin rented the proper equipment from REI (Ice Axe + crampons = $14), we hit it. We left the Highlands Ranch area at about 4:00am and got to the trailhead at 5:30. We were on the trail by 5:45. The normal trailhead was actually not accessible, as there was an avalanche earlier that season that was covering the road in debris. We ended up starting down about ¾ of a mile below the actual trailhead. The initial hike was easy going. We passed about 15-20 people with skis getting ready to ski the north face of Torreys. The sun was just peeking over the peaks behind us as Kevin and I got to the saddle between Kelso peak and Torreys peak. This is where Kelso ridge began. From reading reports we knew that up high on the ridge near the summit there were a lot of steep and dangerous cornices that we had to navigate around. We had mentally prepared for this for a few days and felt ready for it.



The first portion of the ridge is about a half a mile of navigating around class 3 and class 4 towers. Many times we were climbing a lot of vertical rock. I’ve never climbed anything so steep with such a heavy pack before. Just in case we needed to rope up for a few sections, I was carrying an ice axe, a second ice tool, 2 snow pickets, a 30 meter rope, a small rack of 5 cams, 5 slings, a harness, belay device and a few biners. I was also carrying a couple extra jackets and gloves in case the weather got bad. In any event, things were heavy, but the climbing wasn’t too bad. We just threw it into 4wheel drive in a few sections and got through fine. As we were going, there got to be quite a bit of exposure. To the south of the ridge there was about a 1000 foot drop at an 80-85 degree angle, and a steep slope to the north of the ridge. During the towers section we ran into a solo climber. Colin was from Tennessee and had come out to start training for an Alps trip he has planned for the latter part of July. Because he had just gone from 500 feet to 10,000 feet in a matter of 12 hours, he was a little slower than Kevin and I, but a strong climber just the same. We started talking and ended up joining up with him for the rest of the trip. This was his third attempt at the Grays/Torreys group, and he was pretty determined to succeed. Luckily the weather was great and we had no problem cruising up the ridge.



There were a few sketchy sections before we got to the snow cornices near the top of the ridge, but they weren’t really an issue with the ice axes in tow. The last half-mile of the ridge was covered in cornices, however, so we decided it would be best at this point to throw on our crampons for the rest of the climb. I led all of us from this point on, breaking all the trail and cruising up the steep sections. After all, this was Kevin’s first 14er and Colin was still acclimating. We got up a few hairy couloirs and finally got to the crux of the climb. At this point we were about 100 vertical feet from the summit with about 2000-2500 feet of exposure on either side of us. We had to traverse around a final tower on a knife-edge of snow on the ridge. Right at the tower crossing the snow was at a steep 60 degrees or higher. At this point it was about 9:00am and the snow was starting to get a little soft. Thus, our crampons got less and less purchase on the melting snow. I crossed the crux no problem though, and Kevin and Colin were soon to follow. Not too long after we were on the summit of Torreys, joined by the 20+ skiers who had trudged up the normal route and were about to start their descent. It was a little too bad having to share the summit with all those people, but it was fun all the same. I think that was my 5th ascent of Torreys.



After soaking up the view we ran over to the top of Grays and then were headed down. We were back to the car by about 12:30. Overall it was a really fun day. I was a little disappointed in Kelso ridge though. From what I had read, it was supposed to be really scary and difficult as a snow climb, but from my perspective, it really wasn’t all that bad at all. Hopefully this isn’t me being naïve, but based on my experience, it was well within my acceptable level of risk. There wasn’t a single point during the climb where I felt uncomfortable. It was definitely a good learning experience though, and a great way to start out the 14ers season.

Castlewood Highline Movie

Jeff finished putting together the footage from our highlining session. He put a movie up on youtube, and it is pretty good. Make sure you turn up the volume a little bit for added drama. Enjoy!

High Boltage Gap

HIGH-adrena-LINE

Let me tell you about the most amazing experience I have ever had.

So you know that I have been slacklining for several years now. Yesterday, however, some friends and I decided to go rig and walk our first outdoor highline. I have walked an indoor highline before, as you can see from this link: The Spot Highline Comp (I'm the last person to go in this movie).

An indoor highline has no comparison to the rigors and intensity of an outdoor highline.

At 8:00 am on 5/27 Jeff, Said and I left from my house to go to Castlewood Canyon. Our original intent was to set up a line at the dungeon area. We arrived at the parking lot at about 9:15 and started the hike up the hill. It is about a mile of class 3 scrambling to get to the Dungeon area, and it took us a good 20 minutes with 50 pounds of gear on our backs. The original spot we decided to set up the line turned out to be a lot shorter than we remembered (I hadn't been there in several years, and what I thought would be a 30 foot gap was actually only 15). After a little searching, we found our ideal spot.

We decided on a 65 foot span which was about 50 feet off the deck. I set all of the anchor points with my gear and anchoring expertise, and in most cases, everything was triple redundant. On the south side we anchored to two trees, two bolts and two cams. On the north side we anchored to three bolts, two rock slings, one cam and one hex. After I was satisfied in all of the placements, we equalized the points, and set the line.


Above is a picture of the equalized anchors leading to the line.

Next we tensioned the line with Jeff's pulleys. After about 6 tensioning sets we were satisfied with the tension and then removed the pulleys from the system and replaced them with 10,000 lb shackles. (The pulley system was only rated to 2,000 lb, so by removing the weakest link we were able to make the line safer).

We were actually walking on two lines, one of which was threaded with a third line. We did this so that if one line failed, we would still have two others to catch our fall, hence the redundancy. After the lines were tensioned, we taped the two together and then were ready to go. Jeff had the first attempt, but wasn't able to go more than 5 steps or so. The line was really loose even though we had tensioned it a lot. After more analysis of the system I concluded that this was due to the fact that the anchor systems were so complex and large, that they themselves had a very consequential spring constant which was allowing the line to move so violently. In order to walk you had to have extremely tight control of your body. It ended up that I was the only one of the three of us who was able to walk it. I bet with a more controlled and static anchor setup, Jeff and Said would easily be able to walk it. After all, Said is one of the best trickliners in the world.

Above is a picture of me with the first walk of this highline, and the first walk of any highline in Castlewood Canyon.

We spent about three and a half hours rigging the line, and about three hours attempting to walk it.


The exposure is a big part of the mental game you have to play. Each of us could easily walk this long of a line two feet off the ground, but up high, the adrenaline is the master. The line calls the shots. If it wants to throw you off, then you fall. To prevent injury, we wear helmets and a harness with a leash attached to the line. I managed to catch the line every time I fell, which was only a few times, but in the event that you can't catch the line, the leash is there to save the day. Even so, there is little you can do to subdue the feelings of dread, nausea, excitement and unavoidable elation as you walk.


With other high risk sports such as bungee jumping and skydiving, there is the same sort of rush. However with Highlining this is much different. For rope and bungee jumping, there is little work required, you simply plunge into the void and hope there's enough tension to keep you from hitting the ground. In skydiving, there is a bit more work involved, mainly keeping yourself oriented in the right direction, and steering your canopy, etc. Highlining isn't even in the same ballpark, at least at first. You can't just plunge into the void and expect to get across. Every step requires so much concentration and control. You have to control your feelings and your breathing and your heart rate, and you have to subdue your surroundings and focus all you've got on the one goal of making the next step. I can honestly say that this was the most mentally, physically and emotionally taxing thing I have ever done. And I loved it.

After all was said and done, it was a thunderstorm that persuaded us to pack up and go. I am really glad that we decided to set this line, and am excited that I was lucky enough to control my feelings for that long, even though it is the hardest thing I have ever done. In comparison, this is a pretty mild setup as well. People have walked lines as long as 180 feet and as high as 1200 meters. I have plans for higher and longer lines than this one in the next couple of weeks.

It is hard to explain to people how and why highlining is appealing. I imagine the biggest reason is that so few people actually encounter situations where their fear dictates their every move. To me, being able to control the fear and emotion is an incredible feat. I can now more easily understand myself and my limits, and I will continue to grow to be hopefully a better person. Once you have found peace with your feelings and emotions, and can still walk the line, I think this is the most spiritual experience you can ever have.


(Nobody has ever been severely injured or killed while highlining)