Evergreen

A bit of mountain prose for everyone! Enjoy!



Young as the saplings of fresh charred forests.
Full of unbridled vigor for all things unmeasured.
Lay down before him at his feet are the tools for which he can conquer mountains.

Beyond his grasp--both physical and thought--the summits are which we all aspire.
But we will some none ever dare to take that first step, for fear we may stumble.
Let us not be held back by what society now calls 'maturity.'

Instead, let us be free of mental burden and strive for the summits of faraway heights.
The strength lie within us to conquer all things that come our way.
It is our choice whether we use it or not.

--Hook

Pushing Your Boundaries

Have you ever made an analogy in jest, only to have someone say to you, “you could never do that.”  Oh now, then it gets personal, as if they have just slapped you.  What you said was initially in jest, but now you come to realize, after thinking about it: “ What the hell do you know about me, to tell me I can’t do something?”  I remember when I was young, for some reason or other, making a joke to a friend that I could climb a mountain, and he said with the utmost seriousness, “you can’t climb a mountain.”  It rocked me to my core!  How insulting!  You, a supposed friend, telling me my limits! 

Blog Videos!

So I just got a brand new little video cam, a kodak zx3 sport, and I'm pretty excited about it!  I just wanted to see what everyone thought about some video blog topics.  Here's some ideas, but feel free to something out there; gear reviews, simple introductions, controversial topics, best trails/areas in Austin.  What do you think would be some good ideas?

--Hook

Two Fingers at a Time

         From outside or at a distance, the problem is less absolute.  Less menacing.  Approaching it, you may seem outwardly confident, or maybe you’ve even convinced yourself on the inside that you are sure.  You take hold, placing your hands and feet ever so slightly, yet very purposefully, on each hold.  As you ascend, there isn’t much that crosses your mind.  Only ‘left foot here, right hand there.’ ‘Right foot there, left hand here.’ ‘ Now lift.’ ‘ Got it.’  

I call it Beautiful.

              Although the collapsed grotto is not exactly the loneliest of an oasis, it is perhaps the most beautiful place I've been to in Austin.  Surrounding yourself with such a place grants anyone an insurmountably tranquil feeling that you can't help but stay there for the hours that pass only as moments.

The Proper Method Of Enjoying A Cigar

The cigar is an iconic symbol for a reason.  You see leaders, rulers, writers, nobility, white collar, blue collar, all sorts of people enjoying the bundle of leaves that are rolled so carefully and with such passion.

The Climbing Addiction

           Here are some pics of my regular climbing area.  My girlfriend Rachel getting her shoes on and just a few of the walls.  We usually go 3-4 times a week, climbing for about an hour.  We're getting better and better every week.  I love climbing, it's challenging, rewarding, has a great community.  The technical aspects of it are intriguing.

          Today I finally ascended a harder route I've been working on the past few trips, then I finished it 2 more times for good measure.  Also I worked my way over to the intermediate area and made a couple attempts, but no successful ascents.  It's ok, though, because I finally overcame that one I've been working on for a while.  Red route, you dirty bastard, you no longer defeat me.  Rachel also ascended 3 routes she had been previously working on, so congratulations goes to her as well.  It was a great session, full of victories.

         Climbing was something I started after being inspired by a documentary the name of 180 Degrees South.  I'd been fresh out of the hospital, still overcoming gallbladder removal, and basically watch a lot of NetFlix when I came across it.  The founder of Patagonia clothing company goes along on a ride with a guy following in his foot steps, travelling to south america, surfing the coast and climbing mountains along the way.  The way it's done, you really feel the rawness of being on the rode, the tireless efforts they go through to continue to that final place.  You can feel the dankness and the humidity on your skin just watching them swat away bugs as they trek.  You can smell the ocean salt as they sail, you feel fear when they are in danger.  If you care about climbing or the environment, you'll like this.  It's good to see people aren't afraid to still go and do big things.  Maybe you can watch it sometime and be inspired to do new things.  Look for it on NetFlix.

--Hook

Memorial Day

Memorial Day should be an important day for all of us in America.  It's a day we remember those who have fought and died for our freedoms.  Although it may hit a little bit closer to some than others, let's all observe it, and say a prayer that some people have been willing to pay the ultimate price that hopefully we'll never have to live in chains.  At 3 PM Monday your local time, make sure to pause for a minute and think about those who never made it home. 

--Hook

The City. Or...

How Moving To The City Woke Up My Inner Outdoorsman.

When I was younger, growing up in Small Town, Texas, I spent a fair amount of weekends in the woods with my dad, uncle, and cousin.  We camped, made fires, told ghost stories, and generally caused a ruckus.  My uncle worked for a big international paper company which gave us a lot of room to roam because he knew the best plots of land and had keys to them all.  It was awesome.  We saw all sorts of forest.  So forest is pretty much where my time was spent.  When I wasn't out with my dad and uncle, I would learn a few things from a few short stints in boy scouts, but that was more of a place to be babysitted than anything.  Our troop never really went anywhere.  It was pretty small with a lot of older kids, so I lost interest as a few years went by.

The New 'Reactions' Rating System

Ladies and Gentleman,

Just to give you more incentive to give feedback, I have added the following three 'reactions' to the blog posts. "Conqueror," is the rating you give if you loved the article and agree with it.  "Explorer," means you like the article but you thought there could have been more said.  "Green Horn," means you think I totally missed what you think I was aiming for and should try harder next time.  So feel free to leave me all sorts of 'reactions' because it's what makes my writing more enjoyable for you! 

Thank you fellow Conquerors!

--Hook

My Awakening

This isn't happening. This can't be true. It'll go away soon:  Things we've all said to ourselves plenty of times.  We just can't deal with something so we deny it exists or think it'll be fleeting.  That's what I was saying to myself at 14. My freshman year I fell out in the middle of lunch time, hit my head hard on that cold brick floor, and, apparently, had a seizure.  My first of many.  My first visit to the doctor told me I had seizures, but according to my MRI, EEG, EKG, and everything else, he didn't know why.  But that it would be ok, I'll just have to take expensive medicine the rest of my life in such high doses that it will take a large toll on my kidneys.  Hell if I was lucky I might even 'grow out' of my seizures in my 20s.

For Starters

www.thecleanestline.com/2011/05/big-boy-and-the-pink-tape-route-.html

I really liked this article because of this author's sincerity. Although I might have to hold it against him for the mullet. The author talks about an attitude a lot of us may take in any of our favorite hobbies or careers: the ace of grace or the enthusiasm of the beginner. Sometimes we look down at those who are just now starting out at something we've been doing forever, and it's time to realize that everyone starts out somewhere. Eventually, that person may catch up and outdo you. So don't be that jaded veteran.

Some Basic "Don'ts" of Climbing, as Provided by Trail's Edge.com

Skimming through updates of my favorite sites today, I came across a link at Alpinist magazine to a short but informative article on things not to do during climbing. As a beginner in this sport, sometimes I find it easier to learn what NOT to do than the million other things of what to do. Not making a silly mistake in the first place will help everyone out. Though most of it is common courtesy and common sense, some of us being completely new to it might not realize that.

Enjoy

http://www.trailsedge.com/blog/the-donts-of-climbing/

--Hook

Blue Water, Grey Rock

This is a very cool video that starts a small series of 5 videos with guys from the outdoor clothing company Patagonia. They combine blue water sailing with rock climbing first ascents(in plain speak, the first recorded time someone has reached the summit of a certain rock formation).

It really combines the brotherhood of climbers(of ages young to old). It starts with an introduction of a crazy group of guys, deemed "the wild bunch." And their captain Reverend "Bob." The old soul of the group and the one whose vessel they'll be sailing on. Sounds like a typical guy movie, huh? Maybe. But these types come together and make interesting stories because they're not living typical lives.

Introductions being done, they get up to 'ship shape' and sail out. I really love the folksiness of the music in this, it really brings it all together. There are many beautiful shots in all of this, and some pretty amazing camera work. This little series is sure to inspire.


Check it out and remember, watch all 5 episodes!

--Hook

Such Great Heights

So I finally got the chance to climb at Austin Rock Gym. I've had a couple gift certificates for the belay training class plus one day of free climbing since my birthday, but since gall bladder surgery had recently put that out of range for a while, I had to take a couple months off. But I finally got the chance. When I scheduled the training, the guy didn't have anyone available for that day so I pushed it to the next day and he got us in for 7 pm. A late class, unfortunately, but the guy told us we could come in and boulder before our class, for as long as we want.

Solitude.

A Work of Fiction,

I was watching an old Twilight Zone episode, the one with the book-loving banker. 'Henry Bemis,' was his name. One day, while trying to read between customers at the teller booth, he was caught, and soon after, chastised by his boss for reading at work. Poor guy couldn't catch a break. He explained to his boss that he loved to read but when he got home his wife would hide his books, tear up his magazines, and make it impossible. His boss only laughed and canonized her.

Common courtesy isn't quite so common.

Overcoming Simple Obstacles

Cruisin' down the road in my girlfriend's sleek little car, a chain of cars in front of us slam on their brakes.

(Oh crap.)

Jack of All Trades, Master of None.

Greetings, my fellow conquerors!

In my first post I told you about the blog, and now in this post I shall tell you about myself.  I am an introvert.   It's a very natural thing, a part of my skepticism of people in general.  I like to overcome this by pressing myself to make new friends.  Being that I'm in a new area, it's been hard to do, and until now, I haven't tried very hard.  So that's one of my first goals. 

Veni, Vidi, Vici!

Why did I create this blog?

If you've ever doubted yourself.  If you've ever had second thoughts.  If you've ever had butterflies in your stomach.  If someone has ever called you the underdog -- and not in a cute way. Then this blog is for you. 

This blog is dedicated to you, Mr. Underdog.  This is for those butterflies in your stomach.

This blog isn't for the "naturals."  This is for the rest of us.  This is for the ones who struggle.  This is for those who persevere.  This isn't for the quitters.  It's not for the whiners or the losers.