t minus 1 week

wow. nervous. dreams of bears. excited for countless days on the sea.
swell. wow. cooking. camping. unknown.
unknown weather. unknown beaches.
endless directions this trip will take on a daily basis.

lists are not growing, no time. lists are dwindling, 'bout time.
will be on a plane in 1 week where lists are no more lists. :)

the energy around this cause is so accelerating.
everyone I talk to is excited, some at work are in awe.
they come forward with their network of contacts
even if nothing comes from their resources
it's great that more awareness is out there

comments on the site, comments in my mail.
we are fortunate, lucky, active, honored.

pride. scared. living life.
no worries necessary.

SanJuan Surf

Surfing in the San Juans

Monday Matt and I went to our favorite surf spot in the San Juans with our friend Collin. It was a birthday surf session as Sunday the 4th of May was my 30th!
The race was big with a perfect westerly swell creating green and breaking waves, mostly around 3 feet.
As the current strengthened the race was intimidating at times. The waves came from all
angles, slapping me in the face and shooting me out in different directions. I would be happily surfing and suddenly find myself blasting into the eddy.
A few times I sat out ahead of the race, letting my boat slip back into the waves and was struck by the beauty of our home and the privilege of playing in our dynamic waters.
I also thought about fear. In a place where the sound of the water and the energy of the waves evoke fear, sitting, watching and breathing centers me. Then I can recognize if there is a real danger present or just a lot of moving water which gets my adrenalin up.
As we embark on our trip, fear of the unknown surfaces.
In Sanskrit, the sacred language in which the Yoga Sutras were written, Abhinidvesa is the word for fear. Fear clouds our perception and we fail to see reality. Even the wisest person suffers from fear because it is instinctual- fear of death. The practice of Yoga helps to overcome all types of fear, through techniques for relaxing the body, controlling the breath and quieting the mind, perception clears.

Thoughts on Firsts May 3

Ahhh…finally getting this whole blog thing figured out! Just made some last tweaks to the skooks video, and thought I’d write up a short post. Had an interesting email exchange with a friend and fellow coach (he is also a college professor), Jonathan Walpole, about the issue of claiming to be “the first” to achieve a goal related to outdoor pursuits. He feels that to claim such a thing is pretty silly, as a lot of the routes attempted in more modern times by people using modern equipment, have most likely been done for one reason or another by indigenous peoples of the area, with far simpler “equipment.” Also, as many outdoor adventurers are not interested in fame or money (motivated by the experience of living and traveling in remote parts of the planet, and often moving via human-power), lots of routes have been successfully traveled, but not announced to the public. I am in total agreement and added that: to make the achievement of the goal (unless survival depends on it) the focus for, let’s say, a kayak expedition, can certainly create a dangerous attitude regarding risk assessment, concern for other group members, and detract from truly appreciating the area which we’re fortunate enough to be experiencing. It was an interesting exchange and I appreciated what he had to say about it all. I should also add that Jon is an incredible resource of information and experience, and that for anyone contemplating a kayak journey, Jon has probably researched (if not paddled) the route and would have valuable input.

Our conversation was an interesting opportunity for me to examine my goals for the trip and to once again, consider everyone else’s. Also a reminder of how careful one must be when presenting themselves, rather personally, to the public. We probably all are guilty of judging others (and their motivations) at times without really knowing them. Add to that the medium of the written word with its absence of facial expressions, tone of voice, etc., and I think it becomes easy to be misunderstood. It’s kind of a new concept for me to realize that once something has been posted on a blog, there is the potential for lots of people—many who don’t know you--to make their own interpretation of who you are and what you are about—and this can work both ways! Anyway, all interesting food for thought.

It was unexpectedly emotional to wrap up our boats for shipping last weekend and see them departing on our adventure weeks before we will!! Kind of symbolic, too, as that’s what will probably happen throughout our whole adventure—but usually by only 7 feet!

-10 days to go testing our signal

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three

there's been a lot of thought around 3
matt and djuna born this trip sometime ago
they were 2, simply put
they asked me to join as a third
to me it's significant.

a 1 person trip is a different purpose of a trip altogether
2 is an intimate trip with more risk than 1
3 provides much aid, but not so hard to move the group
4 now is that group, different agendas come about
5 continues the path to many in a group,
eventually that group splits back to 3.

3 is a magic number
3 provides a tie break in decisions
3 allows 2 to go in the woods protected from bears
3 breaks up camp duties a little easier
3 is a prime number
3 resonates with the universe well
3 boats allows more special foods to be brought
3 sets pace while 2 and 1 talk
3 can navigate while 2 helps 1 if injured
3 makes boat carrying a sure lot easier
3 is easier on the mind than 2
3 can make a triangle, where 2's only a line
3 lines are in a peace symbol