Preparing for a New Year or why did I start Outdoors and Outabounds?

 

As new year resolutions go, I have had plenty, I fasted every other day for a year, I learned the “proper’ way to drink Irish whiskey, I haven’t had a soda in over 15 years and I read most of the “classic” novels. Of course there were the resolutions that didn’t go so well…I planned on losing 30 lbs last year (I only have 35lbs to go) or the one + push up plan were you start on Jan 1 with 1 push-up and end on Dec 31 doing 365…yeah that lasted 5 days. However, I think I nailed this one for 2016. I am going to spend (no less than) 12 weekends in the mountains this year. An average of 1 a month. That doesn’t mean I am planning on spending any nights outside in winter..maybe.

I live at the foot of one of the greatest, if not well known, mountains in the United States, Pikes Peak. I have lived in Colorado Springs for 20 years looking at the majesty that we call the “Front Range”. I love the mountains I love to hike, climb, trail run and explore. One day I got a wild idea in my head, not an uncommon occurrence (just ask my wife and kids). I wanted to hike Pikes Peak!

Ok, that doesn’t see to crazy right? Pikes Peak is hiked all the time, they have a run on the mountain 1/2 marathon to the top and if that isn’t enough for you just turn around and run back down for a full 26.2 miles.(That seems like a REAL Crazy idea) If that isn’t your style then try the normal slow hike, take the Cog rail up or take the Pikes Peak Highway to the top. With all these options what makes my new years resolution so different? Glad you asked.

I don’t want to just hike the mountain, I want to explore the mountain! My goal is not just to make it to the top and check it off the venerable 14’er to do list. I was looking at the mountain and I thought how many times have people hiked, ran, rode or drove that mountain to the top because the goal was just to “get to the top”. I’m not criticizing those people, that is a legitimate goal. But when did that become the only goal?

Arthur Ashe said “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.”  

Ok, I believe that. So what was my crazy idea?

I am going to explore the mountain.

My goal is to walk every square inch of the mountain (metaphorically speaking). I am planning on walking/hiking the whole mountain. (In a later post I will be tackling the question “what defines a mountain?”) I believe there are parts of that mountain that have not been explored by anyone in a hundred years or more. Here is the plan.

When weather permits (No cold weather exploration until I am outfitted for it) I am planning on systematically hiking different sections of the mountain until I have seen it all . This is not a solo-venture however. I have made an open invitation to friends and family who want to join me either for 1-3 days (depending on the weekend).

I will go into greater detail about what gear I am using and what I plan to eat along the way.

Stay tuned.

The "line" seen to late.

Where is the line that demarcates the sensible from the foolish? Ask most Mountain Climbers whey they do what they do and they will usually quote Sir Edmund Hillary's famous line "Because it was there." And although that is true it cannot every truly describe or capture the passion that drives them to accomplish what appears to be foolish. 

I've had the opportunity to meet, listen and sometimes climb with some incredible rock climbers and mountaineers. Sadly, I have also read in the news that they latter had died in a accident on some mountain or rock climb. 

The decision to explore the unknown and climb the highest peaks has inherent dangers that can never be ignored. But those dangers are not an excuse to avoid the possible experience, knowledge and even spiritual gains that the mountains can offer us. So where do we need to "draw the line"? That "line" will be different for each of us, but do not make the mistake and think the line does not exist. I like the way Edward Wymper explained it and I have offend thought about it while I was making a decision in while out in the back country (and sometimes at home also).

"The line which separates the difficult from the dangerous is sometimes a very shadowy, but it is not an imaginary, one, It is sometimes passed unconsciously, and the consciousness that it has been passed is felt too late. But if the doubtful line is crossed consciously, deliberately, one passes from doing that which is justifiable to doing that which is unjustifiable."

I highly recommend the movie "Meru",  find the opportunity to watch it with a group of climbers. It is a great movie that I think captures the dangers and choices that we as climbers must wrestle with. Conrad Anker (I've admired this man for years.) has a lot to say about 'how far" is acceptable on a climb and how important it is to rely on your partners. Jimmy Chin, (if you are not following him on Instagram, stop reading and do that now! @jimmy_chin) has a great story about a conversation he had with his mother and how it molded his decisions on past climbs and if the danger was "acceptable".  

I also found the side story (no spoilers here, go watch the movie) with Renan Ozturk, his accident, his recovery and his return are a great example of the quote by Albert Frederick Mummery,

"It is the momentary carelessness in easy places, the lapsed attention, or the wandering look that is the usual parent of disaster "

I myself had to come to realize that I needed to make some choices, years ago, when it came to my "rock-rat" lifestyle. During my college years for a few years after I spent a lot of time traveling and climbing. I did a few solo climbs (that pale in comparison to what is going on now in the Valley), Alpine climbs and back country snowboarding that began to worry my new wife. Withing the first year of marriage we had our first son and I was still pushing the edge as best as I could while holding down a job. 

I soon realized that I was crossing the line "consciously" and that was a problem. I wanted to be a good husband and a good father. I had a great relationship with my father and I wanted the same with my kids. (My father died 1 week after the birth of our 4th child. He had the chance to hold her while visiting us in Colorado.) His death put a lot of things in perspective. That was the winter of 2000. I made a promise to my wife (and myself!) that I would cut back on the risk taking. My pledge went something like this, "I will not place myself in harms way, without reason, until my youngest child reached the age of 18." My reasoning? I figured at 18 at least they would have been able to get to know me and I wouldn't be leaving my wife with small children to take care of by herself. For the record our youngest, daughter, turns 18 this December (2018).

I have been hitting the gym and losing weight (go check out that vlog lol). I will be back to a good "fighting weight" by her birthday! To celebrate my  new freedom?....I decided to start tackling the long process of climbing all of the 14ers in Colorado, with winter accents.

(I figure it will take a few years so if anyone wants to join me, drop me a line and see where I am on the list.)

There are about 9 peaks that will require some skills and a little "margin of luck" to summit. I can guarantee I will be recruiting some "seasoned vets" for those climbs. 

So here is to the "thin-line" and knowing where it is.

Getting Lost ...the right way

What does it mean to be lost? I think most people would define lost as "not knowing where you are". I would also add that a person can be lost if they "don't know where they are going". There are of course combinations of the 2 definitions.

-You don't know where you are and you don't know where you want to go.

-You don't know where you are but you know where you want to go.

-You don't know where you want to go but you know where you are.

I am not going to focus on the first two, at Outdoors and Outabounds we describe the 3rd definition as part of what I mean when I say "erase the compass". I am not promoting leaving your compass behind or ignoring it! So what does it mean to "know where you are but not know where you are going"? 

I know lot's of self proclaimed "mavericks" you know the type, they claim to "think outside the box" and "never color inside the lines". I have even had the opportunity to hike with a few of them. In fact most the "outdoor enthusiasts" (including myself) define ourselves this way. I know very very few people that plan a hiking or camping trip without doing research on what trail to take to get to a destination. A few years ago I realized that I was one of those people. When did leaving the trail become a legitimate option?

"When did that little dirt trail become our master?"

I truly believe that we need to wander a lot more. Columbus, Magellan, and Shackleton stepped out in faith! They were willing to explore the parts of the map that were marked with the every foreboding "There Might be Giants". They were all very versed in astronomy and always new "where they were" but they had no idea where they were going. (In the case of Columbus he knew where he was going he just didn't know he was completely wrong.)

In the day in age we live in actually "getting lost" is pretty hard to do. Sure there are places we can go and get lost, South American Rain forests or the  sveltd  in Africa but even then SATCOM and GPS are available (for the right price). 

Let's bring it back to how all this should affect us in out outdoor adventures.  I live at the foot of Pikes Peak. The mountain is massive, and 99% of the people on it are on trails. A large percentage of them are taking the Barr trail to the top of the 14,110ft mountain. As though that trail is the only way up the mountain. Yes, it is the easiest and the fastest way to hike the mountain and is a perfect option for those people who have no time to take a different route...think about that for a second. A large majority of the hikers don't want to get lost if they go off trail. This is the funniest reason to me since you can see Colorado Springs for almost the entire climb. You can walk in one direction, any direction, and you will run across a road or trail. In fact this is true for almost anywhere in the mountains on the Front Range.

Bottom line:

Don't be scared to walk off the path, like anything in life you need to be prepared and have a "toolbox of skills" that you can rely on. But everything is in your reach, erase the compass, and take the time to know where you are but not care where you are going.

-Coach Stack

Finding the perfect hiking partner.

One of the most important things you bring with you on a trip in the mountains is a friend. Hang on before I hear all about the benefits of a solitary walk, yada yada..I am referring to bring a four legged companion/friend with you.

I lost my dog, Jackson, to cancer a year ago. I could go into what a terrible experience that was and how I cried for days. (I still choke up sometimes). Jackson was a Redbone Coonhound, and was a great dog. He had a few shortcomings that caused a some headaches but I’ll go into that more latter. Needless to say I was not ready to think about another dog for a while.

After a while I started to think, “If I was to get another dog, what would I get?” I took into consideration that I wanted to spend more time in the mountains. Coonhounds are a wonderful breed but their hunting instinct is overpowering. NOSE ON, EARS OFF! I wanted a dog that I could at times have off leash and not worry about them running off after every smell.

One of the dog breeds I had looked into before getting Jackson was the Rhodesian Ridgeback. It seemed the dog had almost everything I wanted except I read 2 things that were of a concern. 1. Can be a little to “playful” around small children. ( Rhodesia’s are a large and well-built breed.) 2. Can be aggressive. (That speaks for it’s self). 14 years ago, when I was looking for a dog, I was in a different place in life. My wife and I had 4 kids ages, 8, 5, 2 and 1. So #1 was a bit of an issue. #2 was just a no go! (I have learned better about #2 and how it may be a little “blown out of proportion.”)

So I found a Redbone puppy and brought him home on Memorial day 14 years ago.

FAST FORWARD »»» to 2016

While I was recovering from the loss of my dog I spent a lot of time trail running at a local park here in Colorado Springs (Palmer Park). While on the trail I had the opportunity to see and interact with many breeds of dogs on the trail. I saw the standard breeds: Labs, Goldens, Australian Sheppards, Vixslas and Labra-Doodles. But one one fateful day I saw a Ridgeback on the trail. It was a great looking dog and so well-behaved! I remembered that I had once looked into the breed years ago. I thought it was time to look into it again, and I’m glad I did.

I started looking at everything I could get my hands on about RR’s. I looked in every book store and read everything I could online about them. (Yes, I even watched Animal Planet’s Dog’s 101….) I read the good and the bad because I wanted to know what I might be getting into. Then I found this video blog about a guy and his 2 Rhodesian’s

https://markingourterritory.wordpress.com/ (shameless plug)

It was great! The dog’s were by no means perfect but they looked perfect for me. So I started looking for breeders in the US. (I thought that since I have only seen 1 dog in 14 years it must be impossible to find.) Well guess what I found that there were a few breeders in my area?!!! What how is that even possible, and yet I never see the dog anywhere?

I stalked 2 kennels for about a month before I made up my mind that I wanted to know more. Yeah, it takes me a long time to make a decision that will impact my family. I had to know was this the right dog for us and, almost as important, were we the right type of family for this dog? (Do not underestimate that last question.)

I contacted Sovereign Rhodesian Ridgebacks and filled out a questionnaire that was required before I would be considered for a puppy?!!I thought “Are you kidding me?”. No they weren’t and now I understand why.

1. This is not the “right” dog for everyone.
2. Not everyone is “right” for this dog.

Don’t get me wrong Rhodesian’s are fantastic dog’s, FOR THE RIGHT PEOPLE. That cannot be said about Labs and Goldens who love everyone it seems. (That has it’s place also btw.)

I asked the owner, if it would be possible for me to visit and see a few of the dogs. She told me that she only had 2 and it would be better to visit with a good friend and mentor to her at a different Kennel, Lionridge. (That so happened to be the other kennel I had been looking at.) With a “meet and greet” date set we headed out. Ok, on a side note I may or may not have told them I was planning on bring my entire family with me including my son and his new wife. But, remember I saw this as a decision that would effect everyone.

When we got to the house (That sat on 20 acres!! of wooded land, SUPER JEALOUS!!) We met the owner. She brought us out back to an enclosed area where we could meet her “kids”. I cannot even say ho impressed I was with the dogs. My wife immediately feel in love with the biggest one there, a male Rhodesian named Rigs. 110lbs of muscle and fur! i got down to see him “face to face” and he leaned into me so I could give him a good scratch. When I say “leaned” imagine a bulldozer giving you a slight push!!  You cannot imagine the strength underneath that “slim” exterior. I can tell you that they are big dogs but it belies the strength below the surface. (I found out latter that same thing applies to their personality)

The entire family fell in love with the breed that day. So I told them to “sign me up”

Our “little” Dublin came home with us 3 months ago. When I say “little” at 5 months he weighs 70lbs.

I cannot bring him on long trips (he is still a puppy) but as we start our adventures in the mountains, I’ll post updates.