32 Feet of Reflection

Thirty minutes ago kids were running around, laughing, climbing, and working on developing their group skills a mere 32 feet below my feet. It is still. It is peaceful. In a building that houses a program that depends on life, movement, and energy I find it ironic that in this moment, it is the stillness of the building, the silence, that provides clarity. It is in these moments that I realize that God had this all planned out for me.
My staff had just left and I had to make one last climb into the framework of the building to check on the, slow forming, ice tower. I quietly ascended and when i reached the top I traversed a log, which is 32 feet in the air. When I reached the end of the log there is a four foot jump from the log to the top of the climbing wall which I have floated across a hundred times before. I transferred my safety equipment. Double Check. Jump. There is no looking back, only moving toward my next goal. I open the hatch door that gives me access to a platform situated on the rear of the building. The moment the door opened I went to work attaching prussiks to steady the tubing and balance the flow of water dripping on the ice. When I finished I stopped and just stared at the dark world that surrounded my little window in the building. The moon provided enough light to see the silhouette of the trees against the bluish black starry night. In that instant I felt contentment and was pleased with my life. Thankful. Cheerful. Appreciative of the blessings bestowed.

The silence was harshly interrupted by the ring of the office phone. I quickly made my way to the edge of the wall. I connected the rappel device and off I went back toward solid ground. One of my staff had called to make sure I had safely returned to the ground. As I locked the door and walked toward my car I was quietly inspired by the stillness of the gentle snowflakes barely able to reach the ground. I was glad that my staff had called to check on my safety. I know that I have been prepared for this position. For whatever length of time or purpose I am content with continuing to challenge and change the lives of the students I work with. I have also been provided with an excellent staff. Tonight was a reminder of that. They are all showing a great deal of improvement, ability, and caring for the many aspects of the job they have been chosen for. Again I see no coincidence that they are the ones who are supporting me. They found a few pictures of my first year on the job. An 18 year old recent high school graduate ready to learn and teach and grow. I was young but the pictures remind me that I don't know where I will be seven years down the road, but something is guiding my way, thats for sure. Who knows what tomorrow brings? All I know is today was good and I look forward to whatever tomorrow has in store. I took the liberty of posting two of the photos that my staff thought were worth putting up on the bulletin board at work. Looking forward to whatever is to come. Up Rope!

Beneath the wall

This is the hardest part of the winter. I am trapped. The weather has not provided enough consistency for ice climbing and for the most part it is not worth the trip to drive somewhere for a weekend of rock climbing. I fill my down time with guitar strumming, reading and mindless web surfing. Sure it is a great opportunity to reflect and appreciate the exciting times but I long to be hanging from the side of a rock with hundreds if not thousands of feet of air between me and the ground. I have also been extremely busy with work. I have been training my staff which have been great but we have a long way to go. On top of new staff we started new counseling groups at work. I enjoy the groups but I am being stretched by being the sole person in charge especially of drug and alcohol groups. It truly puts me in my place and grounds me. Which at times is defeating because, as I mentioned, I would love to be up high on the rock right now. I have had some time to climb at work and set some new routes. The youth in adventure club along with my staff seem to really enjoy the new routes that are put up weekly.

On a different note, I slightly rearranged my apartment and I was surprised at how one minor adjustment made it feel more comfortable and calm. I moved my small table, which i eat and work at, from the carpeted living area to the edge of my kitchen area. I have a 12 x 12 tiled kitchen area with a lot of open space. In fact I am sitting at the table right now and it is more relaxing because the apartment feels less cluttered. Funny how minor changes in our lives can have a profound impact on our perception of things. This is a pretty random post but for the time being I have nothing else to write. My mind is shot from giving my all to the youth were I work and physically I am pretty worn out from lifting and climbing at work. Stay posted though, being cooped up for to long leads to creative ways of producing adventuresome activities. Hoping to be on belay soon! Signing off.

Soothing Sounds!

I first heard of this band when I was headed to West Virginia for a climbing trip to Seneca. We caught the very end of there amazing show and cheered and livened up the place. After they finished we encouraged a jam session. They took a break to eat some of the Purple Fiddles great food and then they jammed a little while longer. I was extremely thankful to have them play some more because as you will see in a moment, they are wonderful musicians and great people. We had a chance to talk with them after the show. Thanks to Tripping Lily for sharing your gifts!

myaccesstv.com

Higher Elevation!

I quietly descend into a canyon surrounded by ice and rock. I am lowered by a rope 150 feet to a small patch of ice that has frozen over the river below. I can still hear the rushing water under foot. It is hollow sounding. The ice steals the sound and muffles everything. I inhale..then exhale and stare at the massive display of vertical ice that is before me. I shake out my arms. All around me I hear the sound of coins hitting a glass floor and splashing in a wishing well. The ice throws tiny pieces at me while I prepare to step off solid ground. The sound bounces from one wall and quickly smashes another. With only fifteen or twenty feet between the canyon walls I feel trapped. the only way out is up. I stare up at freedom.




Swing, smack! My ice ax sticks with precision. I repeat with the other ax followed by my feet which are attached to crampons. I am no longer on the ground. Ice sprays my face. I turn my head to avoid injury. I repeat the same motions a hundred times. Swing Smack! right foot, left foot. Head turn. Stare up Swing Smack right foot, left foot. Im alive! I can feel the blood surging through me. My heart tries hard to pump blood up my arms which have been above my head for ten minutes. I relax my grip to save my arm strength. A few more steps. Swing Smack! there is my guide Kevin securely holding the rope. I take a moment to regain my strength. Kevin moves the anchor over ten feet to a new spot. Again I find myself quietly descending into the abyss. Welcome to Ouray!


Ice is diverse. It grows and forms unique structures. It can cool your drink or soothe a pulled or sprained muscle, it can make roads impassible and driving conditions treacherous, or it can provide a clear pathway out of a canyon. It is a necessary element in the sport of ice climbing. Without it there is nowhere to stick your ice tools or your crampons. I would be a stuck man in a canyon without ice. How interesting though that ice is also fragile. You have to move delicately over it at times to keep it from fracturing and failing under your ice tools. Other times it is solid and secure and you can hang multiple persons off two forged ice screws fastened into the ice.

As I stared up at the ice I couldn't help but draw similarities between ice climbing and life. Life can be fragile like the ice. Unexpected things can cause the ice to give way or the smallest inconsistency in it such as snow or an air pocket can shear off a human sized piece of ice sending it plummeting to the ground. Life is also fragile. An unexpected event occurs and fractures your way of thinking or how you make sense of the world. Things that are not supposed to happen to you or me. As if the stories of tragedy are somehow fictional because we only read about them and don't experience them. Like the ice we can also be a strong foundation. One that others can cling to for support. Life can give us exhilarating moments. The birth of a new child, the accomplishment of graduating or getting a new job.


I talked with a fellow traveler who I had seen on the same flight to colorado on my return flight. We exchanged stories from our trips and when I told her I had been ice climbing she said "isn't that dangerous, how do you do it". I casually explained it "yes it is inherently dangerous, as is driving your car, but with the proper instruction and care you can greatly reduce the risk." We talked a few more minutes and I doubt I convinced her to go ice climbing but it was fun sharing my adventure with someone unknown. Then I thought about it. Life, like ice climbing is an adventure. It includes the loose terrain and bad weather. It also includes being on top of a mountain after giving it everything you have to get there. I think it's those mountain tops that give us the strength to keep going. After all if you are on the top of a mountain, you still have to get down no matter how hard the climb was! Ice climbing may not be for everyone, but life itself is a "daring adventure" - Helen Keller. What are your mountain tops? What is your drive to reach the top? Climb on!






I am fortunate and blessed to have the resources and friends, that allow me to do some amazing things. This past weekend I spent a few days in Colorado visiting my friend Dan. I met up with him in Denver and hopped a small prop plane to Durango in the southwest corner of Colorado. The first morning we drove up to Molas pass and spent the day snowmobiling with a company called Ice Pirates! I recommend them if you are ever looking for a fun time. There are hundreds of miles of trails and our guide led us around them all and eventually to a hill climb that put us 14,000' above sea level. Then we drove to Ouray to ice climb, sit in the natural hot springs and enjoy the Switzerland of America. I don't get to do these trips all the time but it is a great reminder of how blessed alot of us are in America. Take advantage of the beauty and nature, but don't lose sight of where they came from and how fortunate we are! Keep on exploring, wherever you are, whatever you do, life is an adventure, go live it!

Thanks Dan for taking so many great photographs! The blog would not be complete without them.

Training Week is Over!

Excitement and relief are the emotions I feel after successfully administering a staff training for my seven adventure staff. The direction of the program seems to be taking off and it would appear that those who I hired are now well suited and share in my excitement for starting upcoming adventure based counseling groups. There was much that was learned on both sides as an instructor and for the new employees.
I started off the week with an acronym for my staff, I told them "I want you to be the BEST staff!" B-bright, E-efficiant, S-supportive, T-trustworthy.


They seemed to respond well to this acronym and although the first few days were mostly theory and covering the local operating procedures, the latter half of the week was filled with ice climbing, climbing three challenge courses, learning the games and initiatives, learning new debrief techniques, and becoming high ropes rescue certified for our course.


When it was all said and done they were excited to apply their new knowledge. I was excited because I was on the road to the akron canton airport to fly to colorado! Stay tuned for all the details and photos from the whirlwind trip to Ouray Colorado. Prepare for takeoff!

Earthquake in Haiti

If you are not aware, an earthquake has hit the island of Haiti which is located in the Caribbean. Some family friends and people we know that live in Haiti are there right now living through this tragedy. The earthquake has caused tremendous damage to an already devastated country. Its hard to think that God is in control when things like this happen but he is. It hurts, but have hope.

Most of my videos do not have photos but please watch this one.

Music beneath the wall...Off Belay!

I spend a lot of time climbing and being active however there is also a part of me that loves creating things. I really enjoy music, art and books. Currently I have a couple of books I am looking forward to reading but I have them on hold until I finish my staff training this week. I am currently reading a book called the CIty of Joy, it is a great look at life in Calcutta in the India of Mother Teresa. The other books that I am looking forward to reading are The things they Carried by Tim Obrian, and Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson. I also really enjoyed The River Why by David James Duncan.
Other than reading, I play some music and draw. I am not great at either, I used to get bored if i did something to long and would switch to something else within a few days or weeks. Lately I have just kind of done all of the things I like and managed to fit them all in. This is one of the neat things about growing up and having a consistent job, which I really enjoy! Having a job also provides me with the resources to decide to go skiing with some friends last minute on sunday. I have not been out in years but
I went for it. This is somewhat of a random post. I think random is ok sometimes. It has no purpose other than to fill you in on whats new, and comment on some of my interests other than climbing. But don't worry there will be climbing beta soon enough. Until next time...On Belay!

Listen with your left ear!