Summits Beyond...

Since I've Been Here...

2012-01-06T18:38:00.001-08:00

Ugh. Falling alseep. Will write tomorrow...

Where is Kshon?

2011-12-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

HEY PEOPLE! So, Feliz Navidad, merry Christmas, happiest of Chanukah! All of this...

Where have I been? I was recently in North Carolina, taking my SPI exam with the AMGA. This was after my climbing trip with Stephanie Maltarich, but before my flight to Argentina. In fact, I actually delayed my flight by a week at a very low cost... This allowed me to climb more, see friends in Asheville, and spend Christmas time celebration-type stuff with my parents and family friends in the immediate Manassas, VA area. Cha-CHING! This is what I have been up to. Quite simple, but complicated enough to explain... One often needs a flow chart or a wipe-off board with crazy NFL-looking Playbook-like scribbles to begin to put a chronology to my escapades...

Speaking of Escapades... I do not plan on ice skating any time soon... however I did just receive this book for Christmas from mis padres, and I am totally siked to hop on some sick ICE when I am down south:

This book is an introductory book on Ice Climbing technique and training. Although I have gotten my "feet wet," with ice climbing, so to speak, I am at a point of self-education to make more sound decisions while moving on ice...

I may even just write a book review here afterward, so stay tuned and check back for little lessons I generate here based on what I learn from the book!

So - what's next?! You may be tempted to ask me...

Go ahead.

Ask.

....................... ........................... ...........................

OKAY! I'll Tell you!

I am going to fly to South America on December 28th, and then take a bus on December 29th from Buenos Aires to Bariloche. A 19-hour bus trip across the country is an inexpensive and romantic way to view the Argentinian countryside.

Once I am there, it will be time to a) Celebrate New Year's! b) Re-acquaint myself with friends in town, c) Climb a bunch, and d) Climb a BUNCH!

In addition, I will continue to paddle with PURA VIDA PADDLING. Paddling day trips and such with clients from around the world.

I DO look forward to being in touch with each and everyone of you, so if you need to contact me, the best way to do it is through e-mail and skype.

email: kevin.shon@gmail.com

skype: kshon. (with dot).

So, for now this is what I have for you. Stay tuned, be updated more with photos and stories... but until then, buena suerte y un abrazo fuerte!

Chau,

Kev

Buried Treasure Part Deux: "And by tomorrow, I meant..."

2011-12-18T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hello there good people! We have to stop meeting like this:

Here I am in Miami-Dade International, waiting for my flight to Buenos Aires. I am returning to La Patagonia for 3 months of adventure, catching up with beloved friends, climbing and instructing my longest OB course to date: 72-days. Wow.

I recently have been using travel time as both a reflection period as well as a way to share- to internetically break bread with my friends and family- to share. to update them as to my whereabouts, my happenings, my next moves and my thoughts on it all.

I am excited to see the "front range" of the Andes sub-range in a mere 48 hours, arriving to Bariloche by bus. I am excited to see the smiling faces of my long-far-away friends who have been bustling with life, managing volcanic ash literally covering our little town in a a few-inches thick carpet of fine pumice, a low tourist season where people are seriously considering if they are going to make it through their Spring tourist season as campground hosts, hostel owners, etc. Life in Patagonia is not easy, but it is beautiful, wild and filled with an amazing spirit. To live there is to be more connected with the land than in some other places I have lived.

One thing is for sure, I am developing a knack for being drawn to landscapes where the people and their culture inhabiting those landscapes are truly connected to the land in which they inhabit: Appalachia: from the hills of West Virginia, to the Highlands of Western North Carolina. From the expanses of the Yampa Valley in North Routt County, to the granite spires of Frey -- the people in these places have a long indigenous story, as well as modern development (which I guess, really, could be a lot of places in the world).

What exactly is this Blog about anyway?!! Kshon - GET TO YOUR POINT -

Well.... Just saying -- Landscapes fascinate me, and the people connected to them inspire me. I am in a funky in-between where I fly circles around the world, going from predictable location to predictable location, as my life has taken on a rhythm which takes me to these beautiful recurring places. But, as I fly, I am a SUPER visitor. I am a friend to many, but a local to none. I flap my wings, circling above, but never landing long enough or deep enough to build a nest and have people call me one of their own.
Note, my friends love me, obviously -- and cherish our connection, I believe, AND I am still an adventurer who comes and goes on my own wavelength.

My wavelength is broad and adventurous... somewhere on the Red spectrum of light, while cascading down rapids and plummeting below only to splash up the steep granite headwalls where the table top pines cling for their sinewy existence....

I go to cool places. Beautiful places. Wild places. I am part of these peoples' lives. I adventure and teach people how to take care of themselves, others, and the world around them through challenging situations in unfamiliar settings.... I love that.

My wings flap and are not tired, for thy have a rhythm. AND -- I am spotting twigs here and there that will make my nest totally sweet. I am talkin' bout settling in to my rhythm with an arrival point in mind. I will soon be ready.

So - if you were wondering what goes through my mind while in an airport...trying to encapsulate my thoughts in a quick, online, digestible, type-able form.... that was it. Did you blink? Did you miss it? So'k go back and read it again, Its not goin' anywhere...

But you know what did?! A 48'' Sling with two carabiners when I was climbing with Stephanie Maltarich in Red Rocks - at Mescalito on the route called Dark Shadows. I will post the video when I have my mini hard drive back - it is packed in my checked bags...

Please know I miss you all, I am going to miss you over the next several weeks. I am reachable by SKYPE and GCHAT.

kshon. (with dot) is my skype name.

I will be posting pictures and videos from my adventures in Argentina- including NCOBS's International Leadership Semester Course.
Stay Tuned. Stay good. Be well...

Un Abrazo fuerte a todos,

De servir, poner tu mejor, sin parar,

Kshonito

Buried Treasure...

2011-12-05T15:31:00.001-08:00

Time to cath a speeding plane. this update will be completed tomorrow.

Quick run down:

Air plane
Denver
las vegas
Red Rocks
Lots of Pitches
Buried Treasure
Montrose
Hi Ben Gardner!
I missed you Kat!
Clmbing tomorrow? Sweet Place
Wow- 25 dollar boot rentals? But I have never ridden AT setup before
23 F, hundreds of cold smoke vert in my face!
Double Eject!
LOVE IT!
Bye Ben, will miss you Kat
Ben cant wait to climb again with ya
Drive Safe
Misssed you STEPH!
Hi Angela, so amazing to meet you
Airport
Flight
Hi cool person sitting next to me
we'll talk the whole flight. Weird. Cool.
Dallas Ft. Worth...wait, boarding already?!?!?!

More in a sec. ...

Post-season climbing Trip: 2011 Pre-Patagonia Departure.

2011-11-25T11:09:00.001-08:00

So, I am sitting in Dallas/Fort Worth airport. Waiting for my 2:00 pm flight to Denver, Colorado. I am brewing up another adventure and this time, on my own time and terms.

I am about to meet my dear friend Stephanie Maltarich for a week of climbing spread out between Moab, Utah and Red Rocks, Nevada. After having worked hard for 4 months outside of the Catskill Mountains of the Hudson River Valley for New York City Outward Bound, we were ready to leave the comfort of the Shawamgunks and head west to scale routes greater than 3 pitches. Take note, and have no doubt, the Gunks was a great training ground for our late-Fall climbing soiree.

This of course is the preamble to a few other adventures I have in the chamber: Taking my SPI exam for the AMGA (www.amga.com). "SPI" stands for Single Pitch Instructor. If I pass my exam, I will be qualified to guide clients in 5th class terrain, while belaying them up to an anchor and lowering them back to the ground, managing their climbing site either from below, or from above. This is a major step forward for me in my "private sector" side of my outdoor education pursuits.

Post Red Rocks, post Asheville (where I will take my SPI exam), I will then be heading to San Carlos de Bariloche in the Patagonia region of Middle-Western Argentina. Here I will commence with my love and responsibility to North Carolina Outward Bound, as I will be instructing one "Alpine Backpacking" course, and then serving as the "Proctor" for our 72-day International Leadership Semester Course. This course will start in early February and campaign on, sojourning boldly until the tail end of April... This is a huge honor and undertaking to infuse continuity, personal attention, and high quality to my crew of students, which could be anywhere from 1- to 13 students. Enrollment numbers are still clicking away, so we will see how large my ILS Spring 2012 crew of students will be.

In addition to heading to Patagonia for work, I also venture for reasons two-fold:
a) I love Patagonia. The landscape captivates my soul - it calls me, begs me to return. A bit dramatic, I know - but, well, go there yourself and see what it does to you...

b) I don't mind being a little personal here on such a forum as my blog for my friends. Last April, I ended a 2-year relationship with someone from Argentina who was very dear to me. So, I am excited to return to the land that I love down south to feel what it is like to be there and be single. To feel what it is like to take steps forward in a land that I know associate with heartbreak. I have such good friends there in Bariloche and I feel set up for success professionally, emotionally, and personally.

Have no fear my friends, with such text-based content, specially content that i can admit is rather dry (being merely personal updates on my life full of dull facts), I will assuredly incorporate some great photos at the end of this post. My next few posts will be reflecting on my adventures in my more natural, creative non-fiction style of writing.

For now? You are stuck with the play-by-play of what I had been up to, and what I am about to be up to. The Twilight Zone of my life: those funky in between transitions where most of you see me nowadays. Those two days that I am in Manassas visiting my family, or when I text you that I will "be in town tomorrow, what u up to?! Want to hang out?"

Your patience is so deeply revered and appreciated in our friendship and kinship. I am a professional adventurer who is constantly circling. I will light one day, as Eagles do, but for now I dry my wings in the sun.

OOps! Time to board a plane. Photos in a jiffy!!!!!!!!!!

What now?

2011-11-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

This was the question I started off with back in May, when I had then recently returned from Argentina. Freshly single. Freshly returned. So much was raw and ready to be thought over and since then so much growth has found its way to me front step. I'd like to fill you in on where I've been and what's new...

The quick version of my summer is that I returned to the US from South America to work at North Carolina Outward Bound School. I did. It was amazing. I was surrounded by good friends and could really focus on doing a job well done with my profession, while also picking up the pieces from my former relationship and make new sense about what I wanted in my life.

Throughout the summer I had ongoing conversations about potential employment with New York City Outward Bound. In July, I committed to joining the NYCOB team (which meant I would forfeit my eligibility to be considered "seasonal staff" in Patagonia this season).

I definitely saw the benefit in the opportunity to work with urban kids from Expeditionary Learning School of NYC (http://elschools.org/) , here is a link to NYCOB's website (http://www.nycoutwardbound.org/) and so I made the decision to be in New York for the Fall. I just finished my 8-week stint there and had been living in Queens/Fishkill New York for 4 months. The season was long, challenging and amazing all at once! Keep posted for more photos to come from this Fall!

What's next for me?

- 5 day climbing trip in Nevada with my close friend Steph Maltarich, a week in Asheville preparing for my SPI (Single Pitch Instructor Exam), and then a flight to Argentina, where I will instruct a 14-day Alpine Backpacking course, and a 72-day International Semester course.

Stay tuned for more...

For now that is all. Expect more regular updates now.

Cheers,

Kevin

Rejuvenated

2011-07-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

After a long spell in Argentina, I know see what nearby "peaks" are beyond the clouds of my recent return from South America. I left Patagonia with much material for reflection and am again ready to write some thoughts out for Summits Beyond. I look forward to offering some of these reflections as I am making new sense of my next steps in this crazy expedition called "life."

Soul Searching is like routefinding of the mind, heart, and spirit. Well, after taking a sit-down break, I am now ready to recommence my journey. With steps forward, I will be posting what exactly all this mumbo-jumbo means...

Stay tuned, and join me in the journey.

-KMS

Patagonia Update # 3

2011-02-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

The LOWDOWN.

BACK FROM CHILE.

We just returned from a weekend in Chile, where we visited the hot srpings of Puyehue National Park, the cities Osorno and Puerto Montte. It was a blast! Below are some pictures I took and a few I scrounged from the internet to try and convey the beauty of these places.

Osorno, for me personally, was lack luster. I am sure the town has some amazing history, but it lacked the qualities that attract me to an area of high population density. The main themes were big malls and mega grocery stores, ''Am I back in the US?'' I had to ask myself... blah!

Puyehue, really nice. The hot springs vary. There are modern enclosed pool-type of hot springs, and there are outside flows of thermal waters cascading into human-carved pools. We opted for the indoor ones because they wer eless crowded. But, the next time around? We want the most ''natural'' looking that we can get.

I'd like to come back and visit the park itself more, do some hiking around the border of Argentina and Chile. In fact, I have found a new climbing goal - its called ''Pantojo'' or by some ''Pantoja''. It is a 1,000 foot volcanic plug. More on that below.

Puerto Montt was beautiful in many ways: It touches the Pacific Ocean (my first time to the Pacific in the southern hemishpere-the only other time was in Seattle visiting my older brother), it has houses and other buildings in a slew of pastels and other vibrant colors, these categories remind me of many a classic fishing town I have visited: Seward, Alsaka; Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; Kennebunk, Maine; Seattle, Washington. I have seen a few. The personal downside, which I won't spend to much time on, is that I found a lot of things representative of the yearning to be like Yankee Gringos. That's right. I said it. Their is a three level shopping mall with KFC, Pizza Hut, and lots of other stores that are similar to those we find in the US, but, instead of being a touch of home... it came off more as an urgent wanton of the Chilean people to try and emulate USA as much as possible for simply the comfort of their south-bound tourists from the north. It was almost like an attempt to immitate a land with an economy that they so desire, while forsaking their identity as a beautiful, tranquil little fishing town in the southern most reaches of the conitnental western hemisphere... So the store fronts in the mega mall and the urban planning of neo-shopping complex meets olde-towne fishing village remain dissonant in my mind, while I am still excited to return to eek out the parts of Puerto Montt that speak to me more... We were a bit rushed because we were 4 hours away from the Argentine border and they close at 9 pm. So, we had to boogie out of PMontt if we expected to arrive back safely in our own beds in Bariloche for work onMonday morning. Mission accomplished. I also found a cool hooded sweater, which was an un mentioned personal mission for me in Chile. The best hooded sweaters? Are made in Chile. Check.

TRONADOR. (album link)

I went to Mount Tronador (translation: The Thunderer), with three friends a few weeks back. We went as a team of four with the goal of summitting Peak Argentine. This was a true gift for me because I was able to hang out with three Argentine friends, all who speak fluent English, but who are also awesome at helping me hold myself accountable, so of course we spoke almost entirely in Castellano. Amazing. No, on top of speaking entirely in Castellano, I was on the sharp end of the rope- in the lead, route finding through the crevacced glacier fields and all.

We started our hike from Pampa Linda and made our way to Refugio Otto Meiling. The ''refugios'' (translation: Mountain Hut) are not some primitive escape from the rain. They are a fully stocked small-scale Andean hikers lodge sponsored by Club Andino Bariloche and the managers of each refugio receive a hefty concession for operating them. This ain't no tin roofed bivouac in the middle of nowehere. Ok, well, yes, it is in the middle of nowhere, but you can find sleeping accomodations upstairs, a full kitchen with amazing meals, local beer, Argentine wine, a candle-lit intimate atmosphere where friends share stories of their day on the glacier, or the trek up from Pampa Linda, and where locals play the Argentine all-time favorite card game Truco.

The short story is... we didn't summit. We made it to a place called ''La Entrada'' or, the entrance to an area known as the ''Deprersion.'' No this doesn't mean we all became instantly very sad, and therefore had no cahrisma with which to summit, the Depression is a lower flat spot that scientists believe was part of the throat of the volcano that was once there. Tronador was three major peaks: Chilean, International, and Argentine. All three are right next to each other, thus stratifying the border between the two countries, and the trail to Picco Argentino stands where there was once a towering volcano, spewing ash into the air, with its approach trails that are now known as the arms of Lake Nahuel Huapi. more on this guy later...

We didn't summit because the snow was pretty ''blandito,'' or thin. It was like walking in medeival golf shoes (crampons on plastic double-lined boots) through a marsh of Mashed Potatoes. Can you imagine doing that for 5 hours? So, we could have made it to the summit, returned to basecamp as night was to fall, only to be wasted of energy, unable to cook dinner with only enough sense to lie there and hope that someone would make our feet feel better.
Or, we could call it an amazing experience in judgement and decision making after considering our then-currently delicate balance between exhaustion and ahtleticism (sometimes int he mountains the two can mix so subtly it is hard to tell which one you are actually experiencing). We returned to camp happy, hungry, and yearning to return the following spring (November, December) to give it another go.

I personally feel great about the outcome. We went for a walk on some glasciated terrain, roped up and everything, and we could practice what we all need to practice the most: Route finding and decision making skills. Was I a bit dissapointed that I didn't get to use my new Black Diamond Cobra Ice tool? Yes. Will I live to use it again? Yes. So, all in all it was an amazing trip getting to know Diego, Letticia, and Esteban and sharing some good times with them. Woohoo!

BUILDING A HOUSE. (album link)

Something I didn't mention is that I helped some dear friends work on a strawbale house they are constructing here in Bariloche. Eric and Erica are my friends, and they invited three gringos: Dan, Scott, and Tyler to come help. Those guys own a company called BUILD IT GREEN in New Hampshire, USA. They have since become good friends, and I look forward to seeing them next year, when we install the bales of straw, or ''Fardo'' as it is called here. ''Well, if you're buildin' a strawbale house but your puttin' the bales in next year, what the heck did ya do THIS year?!?!?!'' Well, we laborously unloaded to semi-trucks full of fesh cut Oregon Pine from 60 km south in a beautiful little town call El Bolson (More on Bolson later). We then maticulously measure them and cut them to form the Tennon & Mortise structure that serves as the skeleton for the straw bales. This wat of building if a very antiquated form of building houses (and furniture too!). It is a shame that we don't build like this more often in the States. In the US, we have tons of culdsisacs with amazing houses. But the fact is, these houses are built to last 13 years and then they start to fall apart. The crime of it all is that development builders in the States ACTUALLY PLAN FOR THIS. They know your house will far a part somewhere between your second mortgage, kids going to college, and you gazing towards retirement.

The follwing has been flagged for being an aside and an environmental opinion. It has been flagged as such to ease your flow of reaqding. If you've got the time, give it a read... if not? Hope you'll be able to when you've got more time...

That span of 15-20 years is when your house is in dire need of an update, not to mention thats when you'll be making the most money you'll ever make in your entire life and coincidentally when you also want to switch from your laminant floor to a nice hardwood. You'll probably go to Lowe's and select a model of hard wood floor that came from Indonesia or Northern Canada, both of which are great options... the thing is that the amount of transport that flooring has seen from the time its timber was felled until your walking on it in your house is such that the carbon foortprint of your new floor that you could only purchase after selling your third vehicle to kid down the street for his 19th birthday has made a significant envionmental impact between your house, your neighborhood Lowe's, and its original plantation from where the mass-grown trees originated, that the sun now shines brighter over Patagonia because of carbon dioxide emissions from a saw mill in Japan that actually set the flooring to size. Sheesh! Globalized Economy means Earth-sized environmental considerations to carefully ponder!!!!! Pardon my rant...

The truth is that we do have a structure that requires us to find parts from really far away. Sometimes thats really a cool conept, like having really quality cars from Japan, or Diesel to fill them with from Saudi-Arabia, or Gold to line the particle boards that are in the computer that regulate your cars operations from South-Africa. All of this is really a step forward for society. AND, when we all start to realize that this is one model of commerce,and that it just might be creating excessive pollution for our world...hopefully we have thought of a back up plan?
Of course Global Warming is a natural cycle.... I mean, so are Glacial periods people, and believe you me- I love ice ages.... seriously. Without them? I could enjoy summitting Tronador... But, also, the natural reaction to a period of cold is a period of warmth, but we humans are adapting and evolving and developing our own technology at a rate that may just aid int he altering of our climates ability to regulate itself. Puede Ser.

I digress.....

Building the structure of the house was real fun, here is a link to some photos of the process...

FINDING WORK.

Since moving to Bariloche, I have found some work as an assistant to the guide for a company called PURA VIDA PATAGONIA (http://www.puravidapatagonia.com.ar/). Technically, because I do not have a DNI (similar to seocial security number) or an Argentine ID, I can not qualify to take the exam with the Prefectura (Argentine Coast Guard), or the exam to be a certified National Parks guide. Therefore, for now, I am guiding, but with more of a helper's capacity in terms of final-call decision making. This is a really good place to be. I can gain more professional experience, I can observe others and their decision making process, and I can help out good folks who want to guide clients through an amazing Patagonian experience.

Pura Vida Patagonia conducts many types of Sea Kayaking trips, and for right now, I am helping with half-day trips (an excursion of about 2 to 3 hours). Clients show up, we show them how their equipment works, how to saely exit the boat if it flips over, and what do to afterward. This is conducted in English or Spanish or both. I have needed to give the safety talk in Spanish. So, as my spanish improves, the comedy of my safety talk will hopefully one day decrease (and at least I can still laugh at myself). We paddle about, have a snack and return and that is all in a day for me. it starts around 1:15 pm and we finish putting gear away around 5:30 pm. There are many more fine details to it, but we can talk about them in person when you come visit!

MERIDIES (http://www.meridies.com.ar/) is the second business I have been helping. recently we completed a three day adventure with clients from an agency called Adventure Travel. We sea kayaked for a day, wnet on a day hike to Cerro Llao llao, and then we summitted Cerro Challuaco with 10 clients. I look forward to helping Meridies int he near future.

I also have a dream to conserve Patagonia through education. I will implement an education program to local kids here in bariloche with a dual curriculum. !) To teach chuldren of Bariloche how to conserve energy and reduce waste in an urban environment through common sustainable living techniques for energy, water, and waste minimization. 2) To teach children of Bariloche what natural world exists outside of their urban zone in Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi through real-time experiences in the surrounding Patagonia wilderness. These experiences will include bridging connections between the urban and wilderness areas of Patagonia.

I feel that education is the key to resource management and through a carefully planned curriculum, we can all conserve this beautiful place together.

OTHER ADVENTURES.

There are more adventures to come. Watch for photo albums and more! Such as my Outward Bound courses down here!...

Bariloche dispatch #2

2010-09-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings friends and family,

As of recent, Pili received an amazing gift from her father.... a NEW CAR! Or, new to us anyway. There will be much less waiting for bus to come in snow or high frigid winds. We can visit places on the weekends... etc. It is a red Fiat Duna, a 2006 deisel. And so, since Pili is still practicing her driving for her test this coming Friday, I have been driving, as I have my international driver's license. We have been to two really ocol places so far: Villa Angustora, and El Bolson.

Angostura is about an hour away by car. As the crow flies, you can almoast see it from Bariloche across Lago Nahuel Huapi, but as the road heads east, then north, and curves back west, it is a windy circumnavigation of the lake. But, imagine... rural Wyoming, the foothiils before the Grand Tetons? That is the landscape east of Bariloche.

To the south? El Bolson, home of organic, local food movements, a full community recycling program, a hippy-fair every weekend the weather is good, where Pili bought some beautiful ear rings, and a bracelet of silver. Home of the local amazing icecream company: Jauja (pronounced: ''How- Ha.'' Simply amazing. The drive south? Imagine a combination of Western Washington State, meandering to the Kenai Peninsula in a matter of 4 hours. Breath taking.

I have begun volunteering at Colegio Del Sol, where Pili teaches 4th grade in the afternoon in English, and 2nd grade in the mornings in Spanish. Buenisimo! MY volunteering consists of preparing short lessons (30 min.) teaching students about the environment. We have started simple. With trash. For now, there are two programs going on in Bariloche: 1) at the Basurero (the dump) there are workers whose sole job is to separate organic refuse from reusable/recyclable materials. The recyclable materials are then sent to various locations around Argentina to be recycled. 2) The public is encouraged to separate their prganics from in-organic materials for waste so that the Basureros (workers at the dump) can have an easier time splitting things up.

I have been teachign kids at Colegio Del Sol why separating is helpful, how they can separate the trash in their house, and other little trash tips as well. The next few lessons wille explore a)where does our food come from? and b) what happens to our trash after we send it away to the basurero?

Also, Margarita continues to get bigger and bigger. I will be sure to include some photos of her in this post, as well as some photos I took just this morning of Bariloche. The photos are mostly of two distinct locations in Bariloche: Cerro Otto, named after one of the early German settlers who crafted some of the first nordic skis --Otto, it is his old house which is now a museum. Cerro Otto lingers in early morning clouds as a Shangri-La type feels sets in. Also, photos of Cerro Catedral, the local ski resort, as morning sun casts beautiful light on route 82, the road our house is on.

I think that's the general skinny for now..... Enjoy!

Kev

(1) Lago Guitierrez w- Cerro Ventana on the left in clouds, and a mountain ridge on the right leading to Frey and on to Tronador. This is literally a 5 minute walk from my house in Bariloche

(2) Margarita is SO BIG!

Bariloche update 1

2010-09-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Things I did:

Got introduced to the Bariloche bouldering gym. SCORE.

Started an eight-week course on climate change and global warming, with a global focus but also
pertinent to Bariloche\Argentina. All in Spanish. Wow.

Am volunteering at Colegio Del Sol as the curtain person\ techie for the kids' end of year musical
play

Went skiing at Corre Catedral one day. No Poles. On Purpose. On Tele. Awesome.

Pictures and videos to follow chicos...

Abrazo,

Kev

Hola De San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina!

2010-09-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

Back to the land o' lakes, and I'm not talkin' 'bout Minnesota...

I landed safely, touching down shortly after 1:45 pm in Bariloche, only to have my friends Maria & Eduardo pick me up at the airport - que bueno! And after that? We went to El Colegio Del Sol, where Pili is a 4th grade teacher...

Her students remembered me from my last visit to which a few exclaimed ''It's Kevin! Kevin is here!'' and, as Pili had her back to the classroom door, she looked over her shoulder in GREAT surprise! Yesssss..... Together again Otra Vez!

Before departing for Argentina, I climbed for three days with some good friends from North Carolina, and then headed up to Morgantown, W.V., where I saw MORE good friends. Our friend Forrest's band (The Soul Miners) played through the night as we boogied and caught up. I had the good fortune to meet the fiancee of my good friend Mary Brys, el, se llama ''Christian.'' The next morning it was breakfast at Bob Evan's and it was off to visit Greg and Emily Corio and their little boy Bryce, who is getting bigger by the day!

Speaking if getting bigger by the day, Pili's daughter, Margarita? Wow. SO BIG! I will post some pohots to follow this post...

After a slightly stressful drive home, due to the long story of me losing my wallet for 24 hours, I finally made it home to Manassas, where my parents still live. Reason being for my stressful drive is that during the time span of my lost wallet, I cancelled by bank card, thus nixing my ability to withdsrawal cash from an ATM. Therefore, writing paper checks is such an archaic method of payment with today's technology, that there were a few close calls with a quarter tank of gas, at 1130 pm, with an electronic check proceessor that repeatedly rejected my paper checks... ARGH!!!! FInally, I sucked it up and went to a BP. I know. BP! I get it... but at midnight after driving for over 7 hours back and forth across all of WV and VA, I just told myself it was a private gas station, subsidizing their fuel stock from before the oil spill, and that... they couldn't be held accountable for something that BP, HALIBURTON; and TRANSOCEAN did to our earth.

So... that was that, and then I made it to my folks house, several hours later.

Life down here? Is going to be exciting. It is still darn chilly in the mornings as Spring attempts to make an appearance only in the afternoons... it is still dark until about 815 am, and

Well, that's just the quick update, more to follow you crazy peeps I care about so much!

Until then, Hasta luego!

Kev

Super Margarita!

The House! Small, but comfy - beautiful!

Margarita is ready for school!

Going abroad... Going aboard...

2010-08-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

Friends,

Hello. After noticing that it has been yet nearly another year since my last post, an update is in order. Speaking of order, a new approach to this blog is in order - in celebration of my next upcoming adventure,, I will be posting more frequently with videos and photos, to portray more of my everyday rhythm while in Patagonia, but for now? Sit right back, and I will catch you up on exactly what has been going on in life...

photos: Kevin Shon 2010, top to bottom- 1. Climber Staff Training, 2. Climbing with Students at Table Rock 3. 2010 All Staff photo! The Hills of Appalachia as viewed from Ginger Cake Acres near Table Rock 4. Chinese Checkers in the Philip's building at Table Rock -night time entertainment 5. Climbing with friends Kelly and Jen on the North Ridge Route, Table Rock 6. The Hills of Appalachia as viewed from Ginger Cake Acres near Table Rock

I am wrapping up my fourth summer season at the North Carolina Outward Bound School (www.ncobs.org) as I prepare for some Fall/Winter work in Patagonia (which is their Spring and Summer). I will be posting photos/video over my next consecutive posts offering but a mere glimpse of my time at both our Table Rock and Cedar Rock base camps.

After I slowly organize my cabin and my car for the big trip out of NC for the Fall, I will head first to Table Rock on August 25th for our Staff appreciation celebration at NCOBS. I will then head to the New River Gorge for a few days of climbing. Then, after a quick visit with my parents in Northern Virginia, it will be off to Argentina for the Fall/Winter.

Pili and I are excited to be together again- we have been patiently waiting to be reunited while we commit to our professional passions. This Winter (from here on out referred to as "Summer," due to being in the southern hempisphere), will be an amazing opportunity for us to be together while also being able to actuate our professional passions as well as our relationship!

The loveliest folks waiting for me back in Patagonia...

I will be living this Summer in Bariloche, Argentina instructing some Outward Bound courses, as well as working for a local elementary school in Bariloche, Colegio Del Sol, developing an environmental education curriculum for their grades 1-6 programming. All of this is also building towards something bigger; a new high school will eventually be built by the same board of directors overseeing El Colegio. It will be an eco-school (http://www.eco-schools.org/) and the dream vision is for me to be develop curriculum for this school as well, using the elementary school as a pilot. This would mean full-time in Argentina for several years down the road- after a master's degree and a few other stops along the "voyage" I began after graduating from WVU (www.wvu.edu) nearly 5 years ago. CRAZY! I never would have thought this was where my adventure was leading, but everyday I am reminded that once I think I have hit the peak, the summit, I see that there are more, off in the horizon, both figurative and literal.

The figurative peaks? Will be the stuff of catching up in person, or over phone. The literal peaks? I will attempt to continue my new passion of photography and try to post some photos from my climbs in the Andes this Summer in South America.

Stay tuned for more stories, and i will stay tuned for yours.

Viva La bariloche!

2009-10-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

Que Tal hombres?

Estoy en Bariloche, Argentina por los maises de Octubre y Noviembre!
The weather here is simply smashing (rainy, cold, snowy, amazingly spring!). I hope to upload some photo and video to showyou a bit of my encounters here :)

Meanwhile, I am taking Spanish lessons, about two times a week for two hours per session, and I am helping out around the NCOBS base here. Lucila, my boss is simply amazing. Actually, now that I think ofit, every single person I have met so far is ABSOLUTELY amazing. I have a bike to borrow to ride the several kilometers to my lessons, lvie near a bus stop on the outskirts of downtown, and I am really happy here right now. I hope, soon, to be able to type all of this in Spanish. I am attemptingto upload a video on to Facebook right now that shows you some of the high winds and snow, but ... alas, the internet esta no rapido. So, we'll see what I can whip up.

Hope you are well, I will also be thinking hard (hopefully without hurting anything), and posting to my other blog Gradus ad Conscientia. A Blog about education and expriential learning.

Chau chau for now y grande abrazos!

-Kshonito

There are other summits the horizon now shows...

2009-09-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Broadcasting from Everglades City, Florida...

Kev here, and I will start off saying this is gonna be short. But, more to come without a doubt. So, am in pre-course prep at NCOBS for our International Leadership Semester. This means I am the Florida phase instructor who is doing most of our prep (packing out gear, food planning and packout, route selection, curriculum development, etc.) before the semester proctor, Calvin, arrives.

After my buddy Calvin shows up, wehave one day to meet up, hang out, chat and chill and organize what our course vision will look like. Sounds easy enough... perhaps? Then we expedition for two weeks, over 70 miles from the Southwestern tip of the Florida mainland northwesterly towards Everglades City. Good stuff..... We will then wrap up the Florida phase and fly south to Patagonia... Specifically, to Bariloche, Argentina where Calvin and the students will take it from there, mountaineering and Alpine climbing and such. I will be their logistics support and live at our basecamp there in Bariloche and re-ration their resupplies, climb in my off time, and attend Spanish classes.... with dreams of returning for more work (hopefully some Backpacking and Service courses we offer down there...)

That's the quick and skinny for now.... photos, stories, and aspirations to come- one of which? ..... (applying to Grad. school.......!!!)

Much love,

K

My Summer, My Fall, My Winter of 2009.. aka "Ready, Set... GO!"

2009-09-05T19:44:00.001-07:00

Post Coming Soon

West Virginia Tomorrow!

2009-08-10T13:28:00.001-07:00

I will be posting from West Virginia, Morgantown, The New, and other amazing places...

Climbing, catching up and hanging out to ensue...

Travelin' 'Round... I feel pretty lucky!

2009-08-10T10:33:00.001-07:00

Hello out there!

Currently, I am visiting my folks in Northern Virginia... After some amazing catch-up time with friends and family I prepare to head to West Virginia. After that? I'll plan to head on back to Asheville for a day or two before I head to table Rock for more Fall work...

More stories of these antics to come...

And -- I have recently printed off the Blog title Photo- a picture I took in the Tetons around this time last year- I am trying to (slowly) get in to adventure photography... So, this is my first attempt. Why am I telling you this? Well, I hope to send out some postcards with the photo, so you can see my photography work in person and so I can send you a little "thinking of you" note.

So that's that. A lot of climbing to be had this Fall, and updates from Argentina will be on the nigh!

Much love,

Kshon

p.s. here is a video of the Wood Brothers playing "Luckiest Man" one of my favorite groups right now with their catchiest song...

I heard of the Wood Brothers after being first introduced to Chris Wood's other trio: Medeski, martin, and Wood Shown here jamming hard in Vienna, playing one of my faves: Bubble House. BEWARE: This song gets a little "Free Jazz" for some...

John Medeski speaks at All Good Festival to Music for Democracy:

2009-08-08T21:12:00.001-07:00

.

Since I've Been Gone...
August 8, 2009

So,

Wow, how fast has this summer flown by? Like watching sap drain from sugar pine? No... Like watching lichen grow on a rock face? No... Well, then how fast?! Super FAST, that's how fast...

Now that we've cleared that up, what have I been up to all this time? In case you're interested, I am about to tell you...

This Spring (2009), I instructed a 50-day Outdoor Leadership Course, and the duckies are flying high. 10 students... and many of them are now proud members of the Outdoor Education community after attaining their first major outdoor jobs since the OLC.

This late Spring was filled with time off after the OLC, our NCOBS All Staff get together, a trip to Vermont, and before all of that stuff, a trip to Seattle to visit my brother before his big move to Zurich, Switzerland. I even managed to recert my WFR (Wilderness First Responder) somewhere in there.

The summertime? Simple enough: 2 21-day courses back to back with 4 days off in between... These courses included backpacking, whitewater canoeing, and rock climbing (see paddling photos below). So literally, my summer was spent in the woods. I love this and also am experiencing a little "re-entry" to the rest of the world, a little bit. 6 weeks in the wilderness can make me feel like I missed a whole lot of worldy news, while at the same time living in the present moment so intensly while on course, that the students in front of me at the time, and their development is my world, making all of our global occurences less immediate. Intense.

Since my time off, I am currently in Manassas visiting my family for a few days... only to venture to West Virginia then ultimately back to NC for more NCOBS work! I was bouldering at Sportrock the other day and met some really nice people, one of which I will climb at Seneca Rocks with very soon, the other? I am going to try and put him in touch with my people at WVU- this young guy works at the Sportrock climbing gym, so i thought he'd naturally fit in at the WVU wall! And I digress....

I have actually started a whole other BLOG as well... it is titled: ...Gradus ad Conscientia... a blog that focuses only on education, community building topics and self-growth concepts. I will leave Summits Beyond for more personal updates and such... so if you are interested in the new blog (Gradus...), let me know and I can put you on an access list!

My Fall looks pretty fun. I plan to do lots of climbing, traveling, and some Course Directing for NCOBS. This basically means I supervise course quality through serving as a resource for unstructors and plan for behind the scenes logistical support, etc. to make 5-day Group Education courses happen.

For September, I will be in Florida as a phase instructor for our International Leadrship Semester which spells out 20 days in the everglades of south Florida...and after they are done in Florida, learning about Lake Okeechobee, the Shark River Slough, Tide Charts and maritime navigation, will escort the crew south, flying with them to Argentina!

I am so very excited at this privilege an opportunity to spend the month of mid-October/mid-November in Bariloche, Argentina as a volunteer at our base camp down there... more details on that story soon... until then? I will be updating Summits Beyond when I can. I look forward to hearing from you all soon, keep me updated on your lives too! I have many friends that I have been missing, and I look forward to your contact...

Beunas,

Kshon

Kshon Summer/Fall update coming soon!

2009-08-08T02:13:00.000-07:00

It's Almost Time Folks!

2009-03-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

So, Team,

The time is now for me to send a little update... Lightning round stylee...

December:

26-Jan 9: Was in Exmuas, Bahamas instructing an 8 -day Sea Kayak course. New Year's near Stocking Island was amazing! One of our student's, literally, found a message in a bottle... I saw my first water spout, in-person. Dark skies on te last night of course... "like, yikes Scooby!"...

Jan-February: Working in South Florida for NCOBS Sea Programs: 5 day "Group Education programs," working with local private schools, teacing about South Florida Ecology and local lore of Everglades City... what a wild, wild place... *** I will include photos below that depict some views of our EOBC (Everglades Outward Bound Center) Base camp living situation...

Feb-March: I was in Vermont for 1.5 weeks! I stayed with Jarod and Joanna, which was AMAZING. I met some of the most amazing people I have met in a really long time... good friends, beautiful people, I am excited to go back and visit soon! On my way up, I visited with Heather Rudzinski and Christa Ricker, two of my best friends in New Hampshire... I would have seen the one and only Brent Bell, but alas, time shall be on our side for the next passing... On my way down from, I stayed with the wonderful, amazing, ever-inspiring Jess Ross...... AMAZING TIMES!

I was also in West Virginia, visitng my "WV Family," lots of my friends from college were around so we went to my favorite eatin' spot- Black Bear Burritos... hung out on evening with Adventure West Virginia Leaders and spoke a bit about Environmental Interpretation... 'twas a good time, truly. All the while I stayed with my good friends Greg and EmilyCorio (They're having a baby in two months!!! WOOOOHOOOO!). Although it was sweet, it was also a very short visit. I look forward to more next time... Thanks Forrest, Nathan, Joe, Traci, Gin, Elaine, Jan, Carol, Stace, Tom, Greg and Emily and EVERYONE who came out - it was lovely to see you....

Then I spent about 5 days or so in Manassas, VA, my home town. It was there that I visited with both of my dear grandmothers. They are so sweet... I miss them a lot. My parents are doing really well also and it was so nice to see them... I do want to shout out to the Chamberlain Clan. I missed you all this time, butget ready, because in May? I am coming over! This time I hope there is a Molly and a Maggi and a Travis in the house!!!!!! :) And of course a Mr. and Mrs. C :) And cute doggie :) Lucy :) hehe..... she's so cute.

As for now? I am in "pre-course" planning for four days, before instructing my OLC: Outdor Leadership Course at NCOBS. a 50-day course designed to equip participants with the necessary skills to attain entry-level positions at outdoor education facilities around the industry. WFR, Group management, technical expedition skills and interpersonal processing/facilitation skills will be some of many foci for this course. It is truly an honor to be offered this opportunity, and I am ever-grateful for my school (NCOBS), my co-instructor, course director and the entire team that makes this thing happen... Thank you in advance for the next amazing 50 days... Here is a link to the course description from our website:

http://www.ncobs.org/courses/course.php?coursetypeid=3

On this note, I WOULD LOVE TO RECEIVE MAIL FROM YOU! PLEASE! Letters in the field?! Oh my gosh, they really make my week/month... for serious.... :) so.... Please, you can send snail mail to:

Kevin Shon
c/o North Carolina Outward Bound
P.O. Box 279
Jonas Ridge, NC 28641

and larger packages should be sent to our town office address:

Kevin Shon
c/o North Carolina Outward Bound
2582 Riceville Rd.
Asheville, NC 28805

Please, do send letters! ...50 days people!! That's a long time!

Okay... So, as promised... some Florida Pictures, and some Table Rock pictures- my mountains base camp:

Do you know Farlin Black? :)

This was my house this year- the upper left room....

This is one reason they call it "Sunset Island."

Josh Harris with his shoulder all laid up, but he still dances pretty seriously.... This is a room called the "Sinker" ...

Bern dogg- my buddy Bernie....shaken, not stirred....

"High School Dance" as perfomed by Mary McWay and John Porter :)

THIS is why we call it "Sunset Island"... dime a dozen around there.....

And now for Table Rock.......

Our Staff Lounge (above) and Hot Tub (smaller wood structure)

My humble little cabin for this year (door on the left) All by myself! Big old bed! Sweet!

My humble cabin (on left) from last year... I'll miss it but I need some "no-roomies" time for a summer...

My buddy, Clay, on his porch playing Harmonica-- he is our L5, or logistics specialist, level 5 -- aka Second in charge of makin' it all happen for Logistics support! (Big man on base camp) :)

The mighty Table Rock looms 400 in the air -- a view from my front porch... no leaves yet means yo can see the entire Eastern Ridgeline of the Lineville Gorge- where I live... Amazing!
Come visit!!! More photos and updates from the field to come!!!! :)

That's all for now..... much love,

Kev

Kshon's Spring OLC 2009 Update!

2009-03-02T23:51:00.001-08:00

More coming soon...

Stay tuned!

Amos 5:24

2009-01-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

MLK.

Three very powerful letters, when strung together remind me of a figure so prominent, so strong in the movement of social justice. May we pay Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute this day as we recognize our country has much work to do in the arena of equality. For, we live in a world of "...and justice for some." Let us also keep in the forefront of our minds that this man who created a movement across the world, and more specifically in our own country was murdered in cold blood simply because of his efforts to create equality among Americans. Yes, I will dwell on the macabre fact that someone pre-meditatively selected his or her own process for ending the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Someone consciously chose to end his life. It is easy to let this event stand in our minds- as an object of history, and difficult for this event to forever exist in our hearts. We are separated from the reality of it all when we make it so cerebral.

The reason I so intensely reinforce this otherwise disgusting and reprehensible act of power, of silencing someone to the ultimate degree, is so that we, with the privilege of not needing to remember this fact, will not possibly forget. Is your life really that affected by Martin Luther King Jr.'s death? Were you ever really effected by his life, by his movement? I do not ask these questions rhetorically. I ask them without judgement upon the reader.

What I mean is this: I know that as a white male, and a person of great privilege in this country, I probably could have gone on plain as day with or without MLK- white people never had to use a separate bathroom, or go to a different school, ... Please take careful note of my words - I am merely saying that the dominant culture defined the way we would function and Dr. MLK beautifully challenged that paradigm, that institution of whiteness is rightness and he did so with eloquence, with compassion, with tenacity and a loving spirit towards all. He was the definition of the term passive resistance. Compassionate.

I want to hold on to my anger, to my angst towards his death. Someone had to kill him just because. period. Possibly they felt threatened? Possibly they viewed the world as all backwards and therefore justified the means to the end (thus furthering White power across the world). I want to hold on to my anger for a moment because in can be easy to forget. With our fast paced world of technology and super high speed communication, facts can be lost, experiences not fully processed, and thus, the value of the past lessened and certainly not remembered...

It is too easy to merely put a date on a calendar and say woopdie doo- thanks for keepin' it real and fighting the good fight Mr. King. It's too easy for some. I don't want that. I want us to acknowledge the atrocity of his death - partially so that we may not ever see another. His movement must be continued and we must be ready to fight until we can accurately say "... and justice for all."

That is my soap box for now. if my comments are alarming, I would love to engage in meaningful conversation and clarify anything that is odd or off-putting. I write this with love... may he never be forgotten. May his movement live on. ... We have work to do.

Whew- I didn't even expect for that to come out! I was just going to shoot out a quick update since I have been awol for the long haul. Not really- I have just been way busy in the field, etc.

But here I am! I am here and excited to share my recent adventures! So here goes...:

Well....

I was on the Service Bus with NCOBS for 2.5 months. That was intense. for more on that check out www.ncobs.org/bus.

This involved driving in a Blue Bird mini-bus around the country doing many fulfilling service projects and climbing, paddling, and hanging out with 6 other folks... We met some amazing people along the way and I am excited to share more stories in person with folks.

After Service Bus? We ended up in the Everglades, where I attended "returning staff expedition" where we poled through the saw grass of the Shark River - literally following water flow from Army Corps of Engineers controlled canals through the National Park, out to Highland Beach and Pavilion Key and then back to base at Everglades City. What an adventure..... all of that in 5 days! Can you imagine? Photos to come...

After that expedition, I adventured to the Bahamas for a 7 day Sea Kayak course. Sadly, it was our last course down there for a while, meaning they have shut down the Bahamas operations until further notice, but we made the best of it and ended on a positive note!

Then I returned and had two days off and it was back to work! I just completed a 5 day canoeing expedition with students from Miami's Ransom of the Everglades Upper School. Great set of students, challenging weather (freezing temps at night, 15-20 kt. head winds, 100 meter mud slogs with fully loaded canoes and sloppy Everglades mud banks up to our knees!). The experience was phenomenal for our crew...

Which brings me to now -- where I have been given the privilege to co-Course Direct for the second phase of Ransom students here at the NCOBS OBEC )Outward Bound Everglades Center).

Lightning round... I know. More later- pictures to come. I miss all of you...

the tides of change are upon us. may we support our great country and pay our influential members due tribute.

Kev

Going... Going... But not yet gone.

2008-12-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

Wow.

I have been working steadily in the wilderness since April 2008. I have been traveling in a tight-knit community for the past 2,5 months. I have most recently arrived in Everglades City, Florida for two.five months of work with the NCOBS Sea Programs which was kicked off for me with a returning staff expedition through the saw grass swept Everglades, into the back bays of the Gulf of Mexico, I leave tomorrow for a week long Kayaking course in the Bahamas and... I am tired.

Whew.

That was a mouthful - or, rather, a keyboard full...
I am tired, but not down for the count. I am worked, but not- over worked. I am sloughing off the crisp (as opposed to shielding from the burnout; no burnout yet...). It has been forever since I have posted anything here and I deeply want to catch up with my loved ones and family and all of those whom I cherish.

Whoa.

So, my new year's resolution is to continue improving the quality of my work at NCOBS, while also improving my communication (AND face time) with my peeps, while realizing my plans to pace myself and enjoy life to its fullest.

You see, my Kayaking course falls over Nw year's, so I won't be around to share this resolution with you in person- but ahead of time, so that we'll all know where I am at with all of this stuff.
I regret not being in more touch, and this plan is going to address my lack of "hellos", etc.

To work the internet angle of things, I will also be posting photos and stories of this previous year's adventures here for all of us to see, share and understand.

Yo.

And a heads up: this Spring I have been contracted to instruct my first OLC. This means in March I will be instructing for 55 consecutive days, 60 in total after all of the planning is accounted for. This course will officially go from March 6- April 28th. I plan to rest just before and immediately after the course, so, I hope to be spending time with you folks. Let;s be in touch about shcedules and whatnot because I really want to hear from/be with/see all of you.... really.

Really.

So, it is Christmas Day, 2008, and I write to you from my little cottage on Sunset Island in Everglades City, Florida. I hope for you a day to remember, a day to celebrate, and a day to focus on your families as a prioroity. I miss you all very much and I hope you will refer to my posting about the Mountains and Valleys.

To conclude.

I have been to my first small "summit" at NCOBS-- two years of working, serving, and being in and out of contact. Before I push my "professional altitude" to new heights in April, it is my hope that I can proverbially (and who knows, maybe literally), come down to the valley and plains to use my experiences from the mountains and seas to live a richer life outside of that wilderness...
I hope we can all go to the wilderness together someday.

I miss you. I am still out there- growing and fostering growth in others, and I want you to know I care. Have a safe and merry Christmas and may this be a time to focus on our priorities...
For all who do not celebrate Christmas, I am eager to celebrate with you and learn about your traditions, I hope for you a place of focus on what matters in your lives too.

With much love,

Kev
Kshon
alias alias alias

Post Script:

Please e-mail your physical address to kevin.shon@gmail.com with the subject saying:
"address book." I want to have a log of your places to send mail - it's time to write my friends. It is my time to write. Miss you...

Service Bus stories coming soon!

2008-11-22T01:05:00.000-08:00

OBX OBX OBX OBX OBX OBX OBX

2008-10-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

This coming Monday, I will be traveling with a co-worker of mine, the famous Pete Hampson, from Asheville, North Carolina to the Outer Banks of the North Carolinian Atlantic shores...

I am excited to hang out with Pete, he is a great character and an incredible spirit! Go ahead, ask me why I am going to the Outer Banks...

No really, ask me - out loud. Wherever you are- that lady across from the counter at the coffee shop s not going to look at you funny or anything.....

Ok, I'll wait....... ..........

........... (just ask out loud and I'll stop waiting...) ............

Ok- I am going to help support the NCOBS Fall '08 Semester COurse going on right now. I was originally supposed to be the mountains instructor for that phase, but a hurricane came through and they started that phase early, and I was then going to be the kayak OBX phase instructor (where they are right now) - but then I injured my leg in a mtn. biking incident. So... alas, I have been invited to travel with Pete to offer wrap-up logistics support for the crew.

I will drive them from the OBX to the Charlotte airport, where I will drop them off on their way to Chile/Argentina... Bariloche I presume.

Then........... it's time for the SERVICE BUS! More on that later, thanks for playing folks,

kshon

"Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast"

2008-10-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, these past three weeks have been a huge trial in patience, captivity, and recovery. No, I haven't been abducted by people with ski masks, nor have I been sentenced to a jail term, none of that...

Four weeks ago I ruptured two muscles in my left quad.

Two weeks ago, I went to the doctor.

Yesterday, I was able to take mt first real step on flat land, with no brace on my knee.

Today? I started my first attempt at personal physical therapy...

I never really realized how active I am, until I was unable to be active in such a physical sense...
What a pleasant surprise though because my mind has been engaged in amazing ways since my injury mostly because I was cooped up, barely able to hobble up and down the hilly forest-side of Table Rock.

I have been reading some great literature: An AEE journal issue that made my head spin, NOLS Cookery- is always a great "I wish I coul dbe in the field right now" resource :), and Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks. Wow. My brain is full of new perspectives on social justice in education, there are so many new ideals in my head about educational reform that must take place, and I have been able to analyze my pedagogy and my instructing. I have gone to this philosophical place -- attempting to uncover what it truly means to "experience" something-- and how when we make sense of those experiences, this gives way to growth, knowledge acquisition, liberation, and community development.

It has been tough to "just sit around," but if my mind could measure the distance it has traveled since I've been laid out? I've been puttin' in some miles...

There are a few groups out there that operate in teams, and they know the quality of the axiom: "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." Well, unfortunately, this is the approach that will be most effective to heal my leg as it should be healed. I say unfortunate because I want my injury to go away "yesterday."

Being in this state though is a really safe space for me to experience different-ableness. I can't do , right now what my friends do. They try and wait for me, or walk slow to show me respect.... the go up stairs at a pace I can follow.... and I have appreciated it. I have always had full use of my body -- and right now I don't. Rather, its full use is a different "full" than it has ever been. I am looking forward to the opportunities this disability affords me. Then, slowly, I am excited to be back to my old running, jogging, hopping, climbing, skipping, anything-but-laying-in-bed self.

Slow progress=smooth progress, and smooth means faster recovery....

stay tuned, more to follow...

kshon

A Guitar Great: Fusing Rock with Blues

2008-10-05T15:52:00.001-07:00

This link will take you to the first part of a multi-series depicting the life of Jimi Hendrix

Jimi's History

Much peace,

KShon

A New Favorite...

2008-10-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

So, I had this song stuck in my head today... and it was so vivid in my "ear' that I thought "Man, I would love to learn guitar, JUST to be able to play this song." This same night, at the NCOBS OLC Coffee house event, their WFR instructor KT played it on the guitar... Oh my gosh... it was... meant to be? So.... in honor of KT, my "ear", Bonnie Raitt, and John Prine, I have two links to youtube of her performing Angel from Montgomery here they are:

1)

Later version

2)
Older version

Gosh.... her voice is "scratchy velvet smooth".., Someday? I'll play it for you...

Goodnight,

Kshon

Woe is me... aka "My disability is my greatest opportunity."

2008-09-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

Long story short? I have had one of two things happen to me (So says the doctor):

1) A ruptured Quad tendon, going from my hip to my knee.... (probability +- 5%) or...

2)A torn quad muscle.

So - I am laid up for about three weeks... say some thoughts, say some prayers.... hopefully I'll get better soon! That is all for now...

Much love,

Kev

the image below highlights the proposed muscle tear-

Bike Repair, 101

2008-09-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

So, my buddy Scooter just gave me a quick lesson on spoke tuning- my back wheel/tire on my mountain bike was knocked totally out of true when I wrecked my mountain bike in an adventure race this past weekend... So, he taught me how to balance my tire/wheel side to side, the wheel isn't perfect, but at least the bike is ridable until I can buy a new rear tire.

New Title, New Image, New Outlook...

2008-09-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

So...

I have changed the title of this Blog to be more fitting. "The Adventures of Kev" was kind of cute, and yet, I realize I have grown out of the title as well.

Yes, I still have plenty of adventures... but after a climbing trip to the Tetons, I felt refreshed, renewed, and, looking back to ask the question :where am I at right now?" I think this title is more appropriate... After I have achieved a new perspective, I come to find another, and another..... and another. Maybe there are a few valleys along the way, offering a lull in perspective, a time of living in the present... but for me the summits are all about reflection- looking at where I once was. making sense of the valley of the daily task that I had just climbed out of. Does this make sense? I can go on rants that seem totally clear to me, but not so seen by others... kind of like route finding without a guidebook...

So I say to you my friends... you are missed. From the summits past and present of my crazy, work-filled, currently-nomadic, experiential/crazy life... I chose this path. Sometimes that means I am lonely on these peaks. I can always peer in to the valleys below and know that you all are there.... doing well. I may not be able to shout back to where you are? and you may not be able to see me way far above the treeline... but we're all still here... just spread out a little bit.

I close this entry with a quote from the french poet Rene Daumal:

One cannot stay on the summit forever -
One has to come down again.
So why bother in the first place? Just this.
What is above knows what is below -
But what is below does not know what is above

One climb, one sees-
One descends and sees no longer
But one has seen!

There is an art of conducting one's self in
The lower regions by the memory of
What one saw higher up.

When one can no longer see,
One does at least still know.

So there you have it, I will not always be on the summit. Someday I must come down. This journey is rich with life, and yet vacant all the same. At times I feel enriched by the solitude of adventure, and other times, I lament for the summit is a cold, lonely place.

May I always remember what I saw higher up... As we will always be beckoned to climb the summits beyond.

- Good night

image from: http://www.presscluboftibet.org/UserFiles/Mount_Everest.jpg

"One way to pick a future is to believe it's inevitable. "

2008-09-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a long while since my last entry and I received this quote in my e-mail inbox from the "Outward Bound Daily Quote" e-mail that I receive. This quote seemed quite appropriate for me to share considering what I have been through in the past month...

I started off with a climbing trip beginning in the Grand Tetons. Alpine climbing at its finest- late August storms brought a wintery mix, including upwards of three feet of snow above 10,000 feet. So, my climbing party decided that we should head out of dodge... We then went to Devil's Tower and on to the Needles of South Dakota's Black Hills. I will post some pictures at some point- it was challenging great fun, and I truly learned a lot.

But, what really sparked my influence from this quote is the 12-hour adventure race I did this past weekend. Sponsored by the TralBlazers Adventure Racing club, this race took place in the hills of northern Georgia, near the Tallulah Gorge... I was able to race with my friends Zach and Donna- two of my greatest friends from college... point being, without bogging you down with too many details just yet, we raced for a personal team total of 15 hours and 19 minutes (not including a two hour deduction searching for a missing checkpoint marker- equaling an actual 13 hours and 15 minutes of racing).

During the race, I flipped over the handle bars of my bike, significantly injuring my left thigh- a pretty deep muscle bruise on the mid quadracep (right where the two top thigh muscles meet)... However, we knew we were finishing. It was ou first adventure race, so we went conservative on obtaining optionl checkpoints- choosin to stick with just required check-ins. At any rate. For me to finish the race I had to tell myself that my leg didn't hurt, and that it was necessary to run like I was,or to jog like I was, or to shrug off the newly acquired incapacity of upper left leg.

So, I did determine my future...that completing this race was just like facing bad weather in the Tetons; "It's gonna be okay," "You are going to finish safely..."

From the sharp end of the rope to the adventure racing circuit... the power of the human mind, body, and spirit never ceases to amaze me.

More to come later, glad to be back on the scene...

Much love,

Kevin

p.s. Racing with two of my great friends only helped me realize how much missing of my friends I actually do. Yeah - crazy... I think I have a litle bit of "uh oh are we all going to grow apart" anxiety..... any suggestions?

Well Hello Again... Sea Kayaking Revealed!

2008-02-27T19:35:00.001-08:00

Hello friends, family, members of society from the countryside...

I have had several days of" support staff" work around base after returning from my sea kayaking course. One of my students, Zakiya, just posted a lot of pictures from her camera that she took on our sea kayaking course. This inspired me to write a new blog entry, share some of her photos and some of mine too. We paddled for six days out in the field, one day at base in the beginning, and a closing morning on base for day 8. Although these pictures do not begin to encompass what we experienced, it will at least depict memories from our journey through the adventures of renewal. This course was called an "Adult Life Renewal" course. People from ages 30 to ages 63 or so... Challenging

themselves in the present, to reflect on their past and commit to some action plans to investigate and create their future.

I love sea kayaking. The northern everglades are a beautiful place to do it. Check out the following photos... if there is a "Z" near the photo Zakiya took it. If there is a "K" by it, I took it. Word. I hope you enjoy this peek into my life as an NCOBS instructor down in Florida.... it's a wild place- really...

Z - First of all, I worked with two amazing women: Kelly and Merle. Here we are relaing, NCOBS style.

Z- A curious pelican wonders if these are her multi-colored cousins... At our put-in site.

Z- But, before we left on our journey we had to explain all of the group gear... the night before we set off for the put-in.

Z- Before we could really do some adventuring, we taught students naviagtion. Here Kelly (right), teaches a lesson on chart reading. From there students were expected to navigate self-reliantly with little guidance from instructors.

Z- Here I am teaching about Tides. Did you know that in South Florida, we have semi-diurnal tides? That means we have not one high and low tide, but TWO high tides and Two low tides per day! Who knew?!
After learning anbout tides, the crew could make more effective float plans for the day. This would influence the "final" phase of their expedition, where they crafted their own path home...

Z- Here I am with some wild hair, and Jamie, sitting next to me has his bug net on. The no-see-ums were pretty intense that day. The crew had just come off from Solo- a time of intentional reflection. A few hours later and they were on "final"

Z- A little late night "Ambiance" at the Outward Bound Cafe

Z- a few of our students: Jeff (above)

Z- Barrett

Z- Zakiya & Kelly (one of my co-instructors)

Z- and Joel serving breakfast at the "Outward Bound Cafe"

So, needless to say - a lot of fun was had, challenges met, and renewal was realized. I hope that my new friends whom I had the pleasure of instructing, hanging out with, and getting to know are back in their homes... making a difference in their communities... and in their lives.

A few other shots from my camera...

K- my kayak, the Necky Elaho HV. a great boat to paddle on the swells and whitecaps of the Gulf of Mexico.

Kelly taking a picture of Jeff consturcting a lesson about the development and poor resource mamagement of South Florida

K- ME!

K- The whole crewjust before departing the island at course end:
Front Row (L-R): Zakiya, Joel, and Merle
Middle Row (L-R): Susan, Me, Kelly, Sarah, Ted, and Dana
Back Row: Jeff, Jamie, and Barrett

Yep...

2008-02-13T11:51:00.000-08:00

So,

me and two buddies from NCOBS (Lee & Bernie) drove to Marathon Key to see my friends Jessica and Thomas and Dan. We did. It was awesome. Then, we went to Key West for the night. It took me a second to remember the layout of the place, but after all of that? I remembered. It was fun. We stayed the night at a hotel on Duval St. fun times... We drove back through a monsoon. It flooded our base camp and made ouyr power go out. Scary. ...

Love,

Kshon

Back again...

2008-02-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

Wonderful folks,

Hello, from Sunset Island, Florida!
I am back once again, yet going back to the field tomorrow. I completed the second session of Ransom Everglades... chilled for a day after post-course shenanigans.... then only to plan for a four day personal sea kayaking trip.

It was great to be in a sea kayak again with some of my good NCOBS friends. Well- I mean, I was in the kayak by myself- but there were five of us (each in our own kayak). We saw so many of the amazing south florida things to see: Dolphins fishing, a shark, sea turtles, sunsets, waves, sun, field food leftovers mixed with amazing freshly-bought veggies... But this wonder wouldn't be reality without mentioning the "bug hour" full of no-see-ums, mosquitos, and racoons that plague the human condition every evening as the sun goes down.

My buddy, Josh Harris, and I worked a lot on our bracing and sculling and other paddle work. It reminded how beautiful the kinesthetic art of paddle work can be. We paddled from our base camp toward an area called Goodland- over twenty miles travel total. We started off in some back bays and paddled towards the gulf. We hung out in the gulf of Mexico until the last four mile sof our trip and it was amazing. Simply amazing!

Many of the dolphins we saw were fishing for prey about 4 feet off of our bows...
At any rate. I have no photos of this trip -- but my buddy bernie took some I think... so if he gets them developed I'll post them here. Life is good at Sunset island and I miss many of you lots. Pleae drop me a line when you can... I'll try to do the same. More later!

Kevster

p.s. Courses are going great too!!!!!

Okay, okay, okay........

2008-01-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

So,

Tomorrow, I go back in to the field for 5 days, working the second episode of Ransom of the Everglades 5 day GEP (Group Education Program) contract. I only have one measely picture to show you from session I depicting our innovative sleeping systems known as "boarding up" where we place planks of wood coated with Nautical grade sealant perpendicular to our canoes which becomes our floating home for the night. Yes - our "home" where we cook food, set up tents, use the bathroom, and store 5 days worth of supplies underneath. Pretty crazy; and by crazy I mean Amazingly awesome. This boarding system allows us to sleep, permit free, within the boundaries of Everglades National Park. The boards are normally stored underneath all of our equipment in the hull of the canoes.... so giving students opportunitites to set them up self-reliantly without aid from their instructors is a great team-building initiatve!

Check it...

And a few from my new satff training!

Jeff & Lindsay @ Gullivan Key

Josh Brown, Kelly, and Merle... Panther Key!

Swamp Thang...

2008-01-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

I will edit more later.......

But basically... I am in the Florida Everglades...with some amazing people. In an amazing community. Doing amazing thngs. Please feel free to visit.

I just returned from a 5 day training expedtion.
It was awesome.

More on that later.
I leave for my first florida course in two days.

More later,

Kev

(s)Out(h)ward Bound...

2008-01-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

Greetings all,

May this New Year bring you many good tidings, times, and tides- as the patterns and rhythms of life ebb and flow...

Today I leave for, ultimately, my winter destination of Everglades City, Florida. It is time that I experience flocking south for the winter... Usually more of a snow-lover, and one who loves working hard in white-capped peaks, I will exchange all of this for white-capped waves of the Florida coastal waters... Specifically the western coastal waters of Mexico's Gulf.

We OB instructors will be facilitating canoe and sea kayak courses in the Everglades. This will be my first time in the course area and I am really excited. However, my excitement has an all-balancing "other side". Last night I rang in this new year with the Chamberlains... Mr., Mrs., Maggi, Molly, and Sam & Gretchen! I miss them and my own family soooo much already and I technically haven't even driven away. You see, one of my best friends in the whole world (Sam) just returned from Iraq, and we were able to have some great quality time together- but tomorrow he and his wife, my other good friend- Gretchen will return to Alaska tomorrow. Maggi will return to North Carolina, Molly will go back to school... and the tide changes.

Sometimes the saddest part of saying "hello" again is knowing that, soon, one must also say "goodbye."

But... let's have a smile -- :)

And, smile once more, because no doubt- seeing loved ones and the closest of friends is priceless. Sure it's a melancholy affair of missing them and saying goodbye- but we all have our next great adventure waiting for us right around the corner! This is going to be a good year. These are the good times...

My ramblings of being happy about "hellos" and sad about "goodbyes" are part of the patterns and rhythms of goodtimes. They start, they stop, they linger, they go to quick...
Life is good. I digress...

I am super-stoked to be in such an ecologically amazing place as the everglades-and, although I have mentioned missing the mountains, the next time I write, I will be doing so from Southern Florida.

Happy New Year. Venture forth. Relentless adventures abound. For me? ... down south.
For you? ... Please, let me know.

Turn the corner, embrace the unknown, enjoy this year.

Adventure on,

Kev

http://www.nwf.org/everglades/images/mapEverglades.jpg

http://www.solcomhouse.com/everglvisear1.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_boZtPb0rwlA/RzRystDoh9I/AAAAAAAAABM/a0XeNlBDA-M/s1600-h/looking+south.jpg

One more time....with feeling! (A repeat from a few weeks ago, but worth noting...)

2007-12-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been extremely interested in Greg Mortenson's programs: Pennies for Peace and the Central Asia Institute.

The Central Asia Institute (http://www.ikat.org/) has a mission statement of:
"To promote and provide community-based education and literacy programs,
especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Central Asia."

The CAI seems to be interested in something which I am completely passionate about: Mountain cultures. More specifically, I am so interested in how topography effects the development of culture, especially in mountainous regions. Mortenson also started another organization called Pennies for Peace.

Below is an excerpt from Pennies for Peace (http://www.penniesforpeace.org/home.html):

...to Pennies for Peace, a program of Central Asia Institute (CAI).

Pennies for Peace educates American children about the world beyond their experience and shows them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale, one penny at a time.

Our best hope for a peaceful and prosperous world lies in the education of all the world’s children. Through cross-cultural understanding and a solution-oriented approach, Pennies for Peace encourages American children, ultimately our future leaders, to be active participants in the creation of global peace.

To participate in the Pennies for Peace program, please start by completing the registration form and returning it to Pennies for Peace. Feel free to contact us anytime for more information.

What is the Power of a Penny?

The penny, 1% of a dollar, is symbolic of the '1% of Gross Domestic Product' goal set by the United Nations. The goal was for wealthy countries to give foreign aid to impoverished nations each year.

Pennies for Peace teaches children the rewards of sharing and working together to bring hope and educational opportunities to children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A penny in the United States is virtually worthless, but in Pakistan and Afghanistan a penny buys a pencil and opens the door to literacy.

Please join us in Pennies for Peace!

These two programs seem to be contributing towards/highlighting positive change in Asia. Funny thing, I was cleaning out my cabin at NCOBS for the season a few weeks ago and I kept finding all of these spare pennies. I thought to myself: "I should look in to starting a NPO called 'Pennies for Peace,' I wonder if that name is taken?" So I hopped online, and within minutes I had discovered that the name was already taken. A few seconds after that, I thought "Right on, someone beat me to the punch- and what an amazing 'punch' this really is, how can I contribute?"

So, I am still thinking about all of this. I hope that our future generations of American (United States, Canadian, Mexican, Central and South American) children will all have positive/healthy opportunities to learn more about the importance of these eastern cultures and about their own cultures, and how these different groups may interact to be allies for one another, instead of adversaries. Just a thought...

At any rate, I just ordered 3 Cups of Tea, written by Mortenson. It is supposedly a chronicle of how these programs came about and sheds light on the man who is Greg Mortenson. If anyone else has read this book already, please feel free to leave a comment or two about your impressions of the book, the organizations- anything that can help you and me learn about how we, as one of the most privileged countries in the world can be a serious and genuine ally for everyone.

____________________________________________________________________

I am also really interested in this book simply for its references to K2 - the second highest (and often considered the deadliest) peak on our planet earth.

Information about K2& the Karakoram Mountains:

k2climb.net

Wikipedia Karakoram information

Karakoram essays, photos and resources

A link to Google Images search of Karakoram

It's my big brother's birthday today! WooHoo! Happy Birthday Aaron! He turns 31 today...
I am so blessed and happy to be in Seattle to help him celebrate!
Likewise, as my west coast visit for 2007 draws to an end, I am excited to see my friends and family back on the east coast. I look forward to some quality catch up time with folks, climbing, and preparing for a season with NCOBS in the Florida Everglades...

Big Hugs,

Kevin

A Nor'easter, eh?

2007-12-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

Special Thanks to Adam Pellillo for this beautiful photo of the Cheat River, taken from Snake Hill.

Wow -- ice storms, heavy winds, snow, sleet, slick roads, "buy your milk and eggs,"... What is to come of this "wintry mix"? I hope that you and yours will take measures to protect yourselves throughout the country, wherever you are- be it Vermont, new Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, The rest of New England, the mid-Atlantic... I mean EVERYWHERE!

Very chilly weather comes down, as spirits go up...for some faiths and creeds the winter festivities have already begun! I wish and pray for you the happiest togetherness, times for reflection, peace, and celebration!

I will be staying put in Virginia to be with family for Christmas. I am so excited to have many a great book to dive into this winter... I am currently reading:

http://www.elschools.org/publications/KurtHahnSchools.gif

http://www.ccra.net/covers/cover.cfm?isbn=0872203263

http://www.sharpendbooks.com/images/covers/wway.jpg

After these, I will attempt to tackle:

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/e/e8/180px-Way_of_the_Peaceful.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0684836319/ref=dp_otherviews_0/002-3768890-5141655?ie=UTF8&s=books&img=0

http://www.ccsf.edu/Library/exhibits/three_cupscover.jpg

All the while, I hope to be practicing:

http://www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/1710/sullivan7a.jpg

AND...

http://www.get-hiking.com/images/mountaineering.jpg

Anyway, these are my reading/academic goals right now, other than studying to re-take the GRE, and eventually apply to grad schools down the road...

UNH?
Mankato?
I dunno..... the options are endless.....

To all of you who are with loved ones during these winter holidays- be safe, be merry, celebrate. Breath is life.

So be it,

Kshon

p.s. What is new with you? Let a guy know...

Round and round and round it goes, where it stops? ...

2007-12-10T18:49:00.000-08:00

As of Saturday evening, I am back in Manassas, Virginia...

I look forward to seeing folks back home and along the eastern seaboard-- I had planned one final road trip to New England, but unfortunately, I think this might now be out of the question...for now.

This winter holiday season will be relaxed for me I think: Staying with my folks, visiting with friends, a bit of training, climbing, and preparing myself for a winter season in the Everglades of Florida with North Carolina Outward Bound. I will be leading Canoeing (possibly sea kayaking , but not as likely?) courses in the 10,000 Islands outside of Everglades City -- and I excitedly anticipate being able to see all of my friends who will be down there...

So, a shout out goes to Jarod and Joanna, as they are most likely embarking on a joint adventure through life that will lead them first to Montana - home of beautiful country side, The Depot (my favorite restaurant in Missoula), Conrad Anker, and Greg Mortenson.
This is great for so many reasons! Just to name a few:

1) Climbing rules! There is certainly plenty of it on those hills, and I am excited to get out and visit, climb, and adventure with two of my best friends...
2) Conrad started the Khumbu Climbing School to educate Sherpas bound for the big peaks how to stay safe* in the Himalaya, and Greg started Pennies for Peace and the Central Asia Institute- both organizations for which I am passionate. It would be neat to catch up with both such figures and fetch more ideas for a school that Joanna, Jarod and myself are excited to open one day.
3) I love the mountains
4)Big Sky
5)Backcountry
6) Fly fishing
7)Adventure with friends.

As I consider the plans of my future, I see visions of Grad School (Outdoor/Experiential Learning), potentially PhD work (focusing on mountain cultures? Perhaps?). I also see in the more immediate future, more focus on climbing, going higher, going colder, getting crampons and axes and seeing what Daumal is exactly talking about... The hills and cliffs of our beautiful world are calling... they also demand immense respect. I am excited to pay that respect.

This planet is beautiful. Its people are beautiful. I pray for the day that we (the people) and it (the land) will be completely sustainable with our symbiosis. I also will commit to educating the future, and the present about the past, and the choices we have to make about the history that is not yet written... so that the dimension of People to People can be pursued with love, compassion, moral courage, and tenacity towards Peace and sustainability for all...

Children run this world.

Why do we (in the most universal, collective sense) seem to generate scenarios where the children need to run from this world?

Call me idealist. Call me what you will. Let us use our will to do what we will, and to empower the children to discover a will of their individual own so that they might be able to pick up the pieces of our mothers and fathers, and place them like pieces in the puzzle of life. May the children figure out the solution to the jumbled mess that is our present presence, and, like a present, they will present the gift of peace, if we will only give them room to breathe it so...

Big Hugs,

Kshon

Blast from the past:
Me at ADV WV, second year - 2004

*safe being a relative term. As we know, in nearly everything we do, there is inherent risk and danger...nothing is truly safe.

A Quote For the Mountain Seekers...

2007-12-04T02:13:00.000-08:00

"You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know." Rene Daumal

p.s. Check out the new videos I added... BBC World News, some footage of Greg Mortenson, and ... (drumroll please) ... a REALLY neat organization called "Friends Without Borders" (site)

--Goodnight Moon

Central Asia Institute, Pennies for Peace

2007-12-03T01:51:00.001-08:00

...to Pennies for Peace, a program of Central Asia Institute (CAI).

Pennies for Peace educates American children about the world beyond their experience and shows them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale, one penny at a time.

Our best hope for a peaceful and prosperous world lies in the education of all the world’s children. Through cross-cultural understanding and a solution-oriented approach, Pennies for Peace encourages American children, ultimately our future leaders, to be active participants in the creation of global peace.

To participate in the Pennies for Peace program, please start by completing the registration form and returning it to Pennies for Peace. Feel free to contact us anytime for more information.

What is the Power of a Penny?

The penny, 1% of a dollar, is symbolic of the '1% of Gross Domestic Product' goal set by the United Nations. The goal was for wealthy countries to give foreign aid to impoverished nations each year.

Pennies for Peace teaches children the rewards of sharing and working together to bring hope and educational opportunities to children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A penny in the United States is virtually worthless, but in Pakistan and Afghanistan a penny buys a pencil and opens the door to literacy.

Please join us in Pennies for Peace!

The Great Northwest

2007-11-27T23:11:00.000-08:00

After climbing at Red Rocks for 5 days, I have since travelled to Seattle for a week, Vancouver for 4 days, and I am now back in Seattle for another week. I have been staying with my brother and sister-in-law and having a great time!
While in Vancouver I visited with my good friend Amelia. She is finishing grad school at UBC...We rode bikes all over the place: Stanely Park, Downtown, Eastside, and Westside. We also had some great sushi and... wait for it...... wait for it............. BANFF FILM FESTIVAL!
It is now raining/snowing/sleeting in Seattle and I am excited for the potential for skiing, climbing, and other outside fun. Drop me a line folks, what's going on in the world for you?

photo taken from: www.adventurewv.wvu.edu
-Kev

Westbound...

2007-11-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

Folks,

Hi, and "Whhhhhhhhew..." I come to you with greetings and an attempt to catch my breath. I breathe deep after finishing a long season at NCOBS. We had our 40th anniversary party at Table Rock and Gala in Charlotte; TR is safely closed down for the winter season.

I fly tomorrow to Las Vegas and begin a week long climbing trip at Red Rocks canyon.
After that I fly to Seattle, Washington to spend two weeks with my brother and sister-in-law.
For the month of December, I will be road tripping a bit up to Vermont, NYC, and the greater Boston area.

I am really excited for my buddy Sam to come back from Iraq. I pray for his safe return...

Not too much more for now... but will write more from the road, er, our west.

Miss you all,

Kev

Kshon update: Lightning round!

2007-10-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

AKA: Real quick, WML (Write More Later).

Ready................................................. go:

Just finished my first full summer/fall season at NCOBS! WOO!!!
Jam Crew is a strong band of friends from NCOBS and I miss them a whole lot:Represent WHAT?!
AORE conference coming up....
Riding my bike with Lucas and Katelyn along the C&O Canal !
In Morgantown for a few days.... hung out wth Molly Chamberlain (yay she cooked pasta!)
Played soccer tonight ("interesting...")
Climbing hard and yeah... living life

Upcoming:

Red Rocks climbing for Thanksgiving
Seattle for the time after until my bro's birthday
Morgantown for December? I dunno!
January: Florida Everglades with NCOBS

Much Love,

Kev

2007-07-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hello out there from NCOBS land!!!

Well, I have my fall/winter schedule. For those interested please remember that my schedule is due to change- I have about 20 days before I need to confirm this schedule. if you would like to do something with me, I would love to! But, we should start making plans soon so I can make it work with my schedule :) and yours :) :)

Okay so here goes....

Episcopal: 8/21-8/27

Blue Ridge School: 9/13-9/18

Cannon School: 9/23-9/28

Woodberry: 10/4-10/10

Saint Phillips: 10/13-10/19

Florida New Staff Training: 1/4-1/11

Ransom I: 1/13-1/19

Ransom II: 1/20-1/26

Savannah: 2/2-2/8

Berkeley Prep Leadership: 2/13-2/19

Support Staff: 2/22-2/19

Canterbury: 3/1-3/7

Palmer Trinity: 3/10-3/16

A Calendar will soon follow (for all of us visual processors out there!)

These dates are liable to change.... but .... the sooner I confirm them, the less likely they are to change for me.

I miss you all very much. I am realizing how important you all are to me by not being able to be in proper touch (I live in the woods!!!!)... so I would love to see you.

I have a lot of work offered to me- which is a blessing. This is a really good sign... I am honored with this job and with this amount of work- but I am equally honored to have you in my life.

I can not stress enough... IF YOU WANT TO GET TOGETHER- please let me know :)

Quick daily update:

Yesterday- Zach and I ran 7 miles after bouldering for the afternoon, then we blew a tire on a company truck on accident (a low lying rusted old pole was barely peeking out of the ground and snagged the side wall- pretty hard to see in any case)...

Woowoo

Today- Zach and I went sport climbing at Hawk's Bill Mountain- a beautiful area... we pulled hard and I am now really tired.

Tomorrow: Old Crow medicine show in Boone- need I say more?

Miss you all,

Kevsky Shonovich

2007-07-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

Greetings from North Carolina!

Wow...

My how the time has passed: Colorado, NYC, Vermont, Joanna's Graduation, Saying "Goodbye" to Carly for the summer, and NCOBS. Life is certainly busy for the Kevster, but somehow I am managing to hold on. In fact, I am holding on not due to any one action of my own accord; I am holding on because you are here in my life and for this I am thankful. You see, I am missing my dear friends dearly- I have been living in the woods nearly the entire summer and it just hit me the other day how much I actually miss all of you~ !!!

Okay, I think a quick update is in store for everyone...

After returning home from Colorado I attended a conference in upstate New York (an AEE conference). After this I cruised down to the big city and spent four lovely days with Aspen Enjoli Fitzgerald-Dorsey and Ginny Yang: Two of the most beautiful women possessing some of the most hospitable hearts that I know... To be honest? The NYC was kind of intimidating- after three long months in the vast valley bottoms of Western Colorado the skyscrapers, flashing lights and "rat race" was more than apparent.

Whew- what a mouth full... After NYC I drove north to visit my good friend Jarod Waite outside of Burlington, Vermont. I was recertifying my Wilderness First Responder and St. Michael's College (where Jarod was a graduate student) was the only course on the entire east coast that matched ,y personal schedule. After this craziness of New England travel I headed south to visit Maggi Chamberlain (one of the world's coolest/amazing/inspiring women!!) in Newark, "Dela-where?" and then on to Manassas for a quick visit with the folks and then it was down to Radford for nine unforgettable days with Joanna Lilley (I LOVE THAT GIRL!!!) Joanna is like the amazing sister that I never had: She loves the outdoors, she is beautiful, intelligent, knows what she wants, is a doer and the list goes on and on- I am honored to have her as one of my bestest friends! So what did we do for nine days?

We drove to North Cacalaka and attended Merlefest and awesome bluegrass festival in Wilkesboro, then we travelled around the Pisgah area in search for NCOBS base camp and Carly Ferguson. It was so great to meet up with Carly for a while and it was so great for the three of us to have some true quality time! Then it was back to Radford for Joanna's graduation!!!!!!!!! I helped her move her things into a place for storage and then went to the ceremony.... sadly enough I then had to leave her for oneof the happiest/accomplished moments of my life thus far- I was driving to Morganton, NC to begin my job with the North Carolina Outward Bound School!

Gosh- so here I am. At Table Rock Base camp, updating my blog for the first time in months... It has been a crazy ride since May 8th, and I know my life will never be the same because of this place. I went through a two week immersion familiarizing me with Outward Bound during New Staff Training and I am now a new member of the NCOBS family. I have led two courses so far and they have been life changingly-positive for me. I am learning so much about myself, others, and the world around me. Our base camp has survived treacherous wildland fires that threatened to burn our base to the ground as a hot spot jumped a fire break only three miles down hill from where are are situated. I have sen Carly a few times since beginning with NCOBS and currently Zach Mauss is in our staff library to my left, reading some deep philisophical literature (Gary Larson). I am so glad that Zach is here- he was in Israel for an entire year and I have not seen him since his college graduation from WVU more than a year ago. Nothing has changed but nothing remains the same for he and I but one thing is for sure- true friends stay true friends even though they are miles and miles apart :)

I had an epiphany the other day. I realied how much I miss my loved ones and how I yearn to talk with, write to and visit everyone that I cherish so much! It has been a real challenge to become at all organized so that I may stay in more consistent touch. Believe me, please- once I get a system going that will set me up for success I will be writing, calling, and visiting much more often! The Chamberlain clans, My own folks, Carly, the Fergusons of course, the WVU crew, the Extraordinary League of Adventurers, Adventure WV peeps, friends from High School and the like- basically, I MISS YOU.

I am committed to my job and committed to making a difference here and elsewhere in the world. However, I am also committed to making a difference in my own world- with the peoiple and places that I love. I want to apologize for being out of touch- the woods tend to aid in that process (read: Walden, Henry David Thoreau). I am making an attempt to balance my life between the educative benefits of the wilderness as well as my educational profession thereof and the people in my personal life of whom are truly a priority of love, comfort, understanding and true significance as to who I am.

I love you all. I want and need to show you that. I will. :)

But I digress- NCOBS is great, I will be working mountain courses this fall in the Pisgah National Forest and will be running some winter courses down in the everglades during January, February and March! This will be a really need chance to see a different NCOBS course area and learn a lot along the way.

Carly is well but is looking for work where she can and hopes to find a satisfying job real soon. Please send your thoughts and prayers for her. Also please always send your thoughts and prayers for one of my best friends Sam Chamberlain and his entire family. He is in Iraq and puts his life on the line everyday for our safety... I miss him, his wife, and his entire family in Virginia. May our hearts be with him and his men as they try to hash out this middle-east conflict thing...

I hope you like the pictures below of Zach and I on a hike to the summit of Table Rock mountain taken earlier today... You all are welcome to visit me ANYTIME!!!

Shalom,

Kshon

My Time In The Big Apple: Building, Cops, Bites, and Rock Shows!

2007-04-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Well Helllllo,

It's been a while since my last posting, and let me tell you- a whole lot has happened.

I have left Clark, Colorado. Carly flew out and rode back with me- which was amazing and so good for us. When we arrived in the east we stopped in Maryland for a bit to visit her parents- I love them! It was then on to Morgantown to see our peoples and to view the Banff Mountain Film Festival... Back to Maryland then onto Virginia to be reunited with my family!

MY BROTHER FLEW IN FROM SEATTLE FOR MY DAD'S BIRTHDAY!!!

It was great! We celebrated in a classic Shon way- we sat around and just spent time together, no big celebration, just enjoyed the observation of my Dad's gift of life...

Then I had to jam back to Motown to join my Adventure West Virginia peoples for the Co-Regional AEE conference in Claryville New York. It was so great to see Greg, Forrest, and the entire Adventure Crew. I also saw Joanna Lilley! I HEART HER! She and I won a trip to go onto Keith King's Schooner in the fall, and we are sooooo pumped about it!

I was able to present two workshops on integrating Environmental Interpretation into a freshmen orientation program and the OOPS! Symposium was so great also! Brent Bell has really started something good.... it is great to see the OOPS! torch being carried from year to year. Next year's symposium will be in Asheville, NC at the AORE conference. I AM SO EXCITED TO BE IN THE AREA FOR THIS EVENT! I had a great time...

So ANYWAY... About the Big Apple- right? p.s. did you notice my interpretive thematic title about NYC? Catchy :) Catchy...

So... I came to NYC en route to recertify my WFR in Burlington Vermont. I didn't want to drive back to Virginia and then back up to Vermont and i have several friends in the city. It makes sense to come here.

On this visit I am only able to see my two beloved friends Aspen and Ginny. Aspen is a grad student at Columbia University studying film, Ginny works for Spin Magazine as a free lance writer, but her full time gig is working for MTV in their Digital department. YAY!
So... I am currently writing this blog from a New York Apartment in Harlem where Aspen lives, where as Ginny lives in the Neighborhood near Greenwhich Village.

First of all...

I am leveled to know that the Virginia Tech mass slayings were committed by a guy from Centreville, VA- the town next to Manassas- where I grew up! I am still very attached to Virginia and I found out about the tragedy from Aspens Apartment. Well... Columbia had its own fair share of problems too...

A man captured a girl at her apartment, took her upstairs, raped her and tortured her from 9p.m. until 4 a.m., tied her up, and set her apartment on fire. She managed to escape, and is alive, but so is he. He is running the streets of New York somewhere and the police said that even the drug dealers (or "corner boys" as they called them), want him. This was really looked down upon even in the criminal community. How did I find out about this?

Well... Here's the deal...

Aspen had an apple computer and a part on it broke. Her CD player had a bad component, so she sent it in using her "applecare" warranty thing. Long story short, Apple says "Oh, the part won't be in for a month, have a free brand new I Book." Aspen replies "Okay I'll take it!" We take the subway to the Apple store- which is underground, however, to enter the store you must approach this 60 foot glass cube with a front door and a giant apple symbol on its frontwall.
It looks like a clear giant cube from afar, and it has posted security all around the cube peering into the store from above... kind of a neat environment that they have created. But I digress...

So, Aspen gets her IBook but she doesn't want to take it on the subway or train, because it was about 10:30 p.m. when we piked it up- the store is open 24 hours, and that says "PLEASE ROB ME OF MY NEW IBOOK!." So, we walked to my vehicle that I needed to move because of street sweeping anyway, and I drove her to her apt. where she would deposit her computer, get back in my car, and we would drive to a parking spot and ride the subway train back to her place. Great plan!

While I am waiting for Aspen to return to my car from running upstairs, I am sitting there with her roommate in the back passenger seat, Padmini. As I am talking with Padmini, I see two flashlights approaching me from the back of my vehicle. "Shit. What did I do?!" I think to my self. I didn't do anything- I was double parked, but everyone does that here.

It turns out they wanted to run my plates and such to check on any suspicious activity. Having Virginia plates, an a green 4runner packed to the brim, I made for an enticing q&a with the boys in blue. While they were running my plates, about three other cops came around to my driver's side window just make conversation... They were actually very cool with me.

I was respectful and acknowledging of their authority, and they treated me like a real person. We talked about backpacking, telemark skiing, and that one of the officers went to school in Baltimore at Howard. Very cool. They also were patrolling to inform everyone that a 6-foot tall bald man with a goatee was at large, showed us a sketch, and let us know how serious it was. They said "If you see a stranger matching this description in you're lobby, let us know... If you see him at your apartment door waiting for you? Beat town... run... call us."

So it was pretty alarming..... This guy, to my knowledge is still at large.

That's where buildings, bites (as in megabites), and cops come to make part of my NYC experience. But wait! THERE'S MORE!

Ginny, the lil' MTV staffer that she is took us to a CD-release party for some rock band that is up & coming in the city. Aspen and I felt pretty darn cool to be around such an event- we had a few drinks, listened to some pretty cool music, and we headed out around 2 a.m. when a lesser known band played their music (which was after the CD of the release party band had been played through). We left. The band that was actually playing live wasn't so good. They had promise to be a really good rock set, but then it quickly diminished to high school antics on stage. Poor form guys! They did have an awesome violin player though :) She could rock out harder than any other violinist I have ever seen in such a context of he rock genre.

ANYWAY... so that was fun. We are going to see the CD release party band tonight in Brooklyn for, like, 12 dollars or something. I am excited. Their CD was pretty good :)

After I head out from the big apple (and I'm not talkin' sizely computers here people), I am going to stay with my friend Jarod in Burlington, where I will recertify my WFR at St. Michael's college.

I think that is all for now- this was a long one that really only scratched the surface of everything. I would love to sit down over a cup of tea and share with you more on the Adventures of Kev.

After this entry, I will only have to share about the WFR and leaving for NCOBS which I will do in May. We'll see what other adventures happen along the way...

See you on the other side,

Kev

2007-03-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

So...

My Morning Jacket still ROCKS.

Just thought I'd let you know....

7 days until I lave Clark, Colorado to head east for a month of craziness.
WFR recert, AEE conference, Merlefest, Backpacking in Pisgah (or the Smokies), then off to North Carolina!! OW OW!!!!

Miss you all,

Kevin

Fishing in the Trail River with my buddy Sam, Kenai Peninsula.
p.s. 1st Lieutenant Samuel Cain Chamberlain is home on leave from Iraq for two weeks!
AMEN!

My summer schedule

2007-03-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

Family, Friends,

With the help of a guy I know... let's just call him... DD for now, (Okay it's Dave Denny- you found me out! you got me!) I figured out how to upload calendars as images. Not that it is exactly rocket science to change a word document to PDF to jpeg... but it was he who suggested it. But I digress...

Below is my entire summer schedule, which is of course entirely subject to change...
Please, click each month to enlarge the calendar in another window.

kevin.shon@gmail.com

My Morning Jacket...

2007-03-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Dude.

So, last night, I go to our local watering hole "The White Bison Pub" with some of the cook staff from the ranch... One of the Chefs, who does a lot of our baking, "Pastry Chef" if you will, requests for Phil, one of the Bison owners, to play his (Paul's) DVD of a My Morning Jacket live concert.

WOW.

Man... I mean, these guys... ARE AWESOME.

Now, many of you who know me hopefully know that, although we are all slaves to trends and fashions, etc. ... I really don't feel too much pressure from "the industry," or, from some external source to take on the current/latest fad...

I guess the only reason I really mention this is because My Morning Jacket seems kind of passe...Well, not passe, but, they got all of the radio play about two years ago.... they kind of burst on to the scene from nowhere... Their initial flare has not died off, I guess I am just trying to say I felt no pressure to run out and buy their album before- when it was the newest, hottest, must have thing.

BUT- WOW. After watching that DVD? Those guys OWN the stage. They are in control of what you experience...and I'd like to think that is art, or at least a certain approach to the arts. To have that mastery of one's tools is truly.... "proficient"!

Anyway- one of my chef friends just told me that I am "opinionated". I think he's right, but I certainly don't want that to offend anyone. I think, if we carry the thought process out enough, especially in a reflective way, we are all opinionated... I mean, critical thinking requires weighing A against B, testing the differences, etc. and drawing conclusions as a result.

I guess knowing when to conclude those results is key- some people aren't interested in YOUR conclusions? I dunno....

But really, the only thing I can seem to conclude for this entry is that My Morning Jacket rocks.
I wish I had jumped on the band wagon earlier- maybe I would have enjoyed my MMJ experience earlier on? I don't mind being a listener in their controlled environment...

:)

2 weeks until I load up my life in the big green 4Runner and head east.... Climb on!

Kev

An ode to Steamboat: Mt. Werner, Part Duex aka "How I learned to love the 80's gor-tex fully body ski suit..."

2007-03-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

****DISCLAIMER: The following blog post is laden with sarcasm. This is probably the most sarcastic blog I will ever write. Be assured, the sarcasm is only temporary, necessary, and pretty intense...You have been warned.****

SO,

Let me ask you a riddle: What do Colorado, full-body 80's gor-tex ski suits, texas, Steamboat Springs, Mt. Werner Ski hill, Me, tele skiing, human zoos, idiot lift operators, and my buddy Tercel all have in common?

Having trouble? I'll give you a hint: My second time at Mt. Werner, which was today.

COME ON!!!!!!!!!!! I am not talking about normal ski suits people! I am talking neon turquoise, purple, yellow, red, (with a floral design on the shoulders for the ladies) full up suits filled by people who are SOOOOO observant that they ski right on top of you!!!

Whew... I feel (a little) better... Had to get that out there.

I am sorry, allow me to explain my background and situation. I also fully admit my unabashed ignorance for this one blog. Normally, I am a really nice, affirming, positive guy. Today? I use just one little blog to discuss some culture shock I face when at ski resorts...but I digress.... back to my background...

See, I downhill skied, like, three times as a kid... at resorts yes, but since then? I have only experienced backcountry beauty. I am talking fresh turns in chest deep powder, no lifts, free (except for federal taxes for nat. Forest Land), quiet, pristine nature, on my own, quiet, on my own, quiet, on my own, and QUIET!

I am used to having a total "flow" experience (Dr. C would be so proud!), in the out-of-doors of North Routt County, Colorado. Today was my second time at Mt. Werner, the most prominent, popular, and over-populated ski hill outside of Steamboat, Colorado. Please, keep in mind I fully understand that I contribute to that "over-population"...anyway....

So, honestly? The whole full body ski suit thing? I think it's passe, but I really don't mind it. Shoot. In so many ways? I am passe... What DOES ABSOLUTELY AMAZE ME is how other people are unaware of their surroundings, or at leas,t their total disregard for shared space? Is that the way to put it?

What I mean, and here is where total ignorance comes in... I promise- the one time I will ever really vent in an ignorant, blanket-statemented way... is the people who yell across a mountain-top restaruant at the ski hill "HEEEEYYY BILL!!!!!! HEYYYYYYYYYYY BILL!!!!!!!!!
HAVE YA SEEN KENNY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" People who think that they are the only ones existing on the mountain. TOO MANY PEOPLE!!!!

Sorry, I am going off on a slight tangent here- not that I am well known for my tangents or anything....

So... I find there are a lot of Texans here. Totally cool... no worries there- but some of them, not all, like to shout in the thickest of accents from one ski lift to another- or from the top of one run all the way down to the base..... ANNOYING!!!!!! They basically have personalities as big as their home state- which is beautiful in a way...

But... still, this pales in comparison, as I said, I am a pretty understanding, patient, (dare I say compassionate) guy. BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

BUT!!!!!
The one thing I CANNOT - CANNOT STANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Is when people are so oblivious to anyone else's presence but their own that they will snowboard right over you, ski into you, or stop right in the middle of the run, 15 feet in front of you!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I grew up outside of Washington, D.C. Therefore, I naturally am a defensive driver. I am always looking out for the one who will accidently- "oops so sorry!" side swipe you, t-bone you at a red light, swirve and knock YOU into oncoming traffic. I am a pretty good driver. I must say- I can drive in what I call "the school of fish effect." Rush Hour- I-95? I think you get my point.

ON SKIS?!?!??! None of that matters. You ARE at the mercy of others. Your safety DOES depend on the lack of responsibility of a beginning skier with their head in the clouds.

"OH!!! He is bashing beginners!!! BOOOOO!!!!" Wrong.
I am a beginner. I stink. I couldn't catch the edge of my ski if it were a spring guppy bitin' on bologna!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am NOT GOOD at downhill skiing- there, i said it! I admit it....

But- I am very conscious. I take care when around others. I respect peoples' space. It drives me NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When people do not possess the capacity to do the same.
People WILL RUN YOU OVER.

"Waiter, back country please?"
...
"oh, all out? Only rat race ski slopes for the next 5 hours?"
...

"well, thanks anyway, I think I'll check across the street at that other new restaraunt? You know, the one called 'Chez not-this-skiresort'?"
GEEZE!!!!!! O' CRIMENY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have almost been anihilated many times at the mercy of somebody sailing at least 75 mph in my direction. ..... Whew......

Wow- this is getting long.
I have one last complaint...and I promise- the disclaimer from the beginning will be null and void :)SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!??!

I am getting on a charlift today, and the operator gives it a hard shove on purpose, right into my bum....... I could tell by his smirk and the three groups of people that he did it to ahead of me.
THANKS ASSHOLE!!!!

You know what happened as a result?!

My poles got stuck on the "wait here to load" rubber sign in the ground, I lost grip, they flicked out in between my skis, I caught not one but TWO edges sideways and almost fell off the lift.... BUT I DIDN'T!

You know what I got to show for it though?!
A nice HUGE GOUGE right into the base of my brand new Black Diamond Havocs with O2 Tele bindings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT A FRIGGIN' JERKFACE!!!!!!!
he didn't have to do that- but he did anyway, and then his only response?!
"Oh...hey buddy...here are your poles, I'll send 'em up with the next guy....."
WHAT?!?!?!?!??!?!?!

So, my biggest PET PEEVE???????????!!!!!!!! it is when I perceive people as being TOTALLY UNREASONABLE.
Why would you EVER push a chairlift into someone just to joke around?!
Why would you NEVER claim responsibility for damaging someone's skis?
Why would I ever want to go back?!?!?!

Now... I am not bashing Mount Werner.... but there is one guy who needs a professionalism check. All those evil-kanevil speed skiers without a clue need a responsibility check.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I need to relax.
Okay. I feel better.

I am sure, in their own minds, they have a perfectly good explanation for their actions that I am failing to understand. (This is me cooled off.... chilling out and getting over it.)
So I apologize for teasing about loud Texans who take the Colorado ski resorts (and highway systems) by storm, they are actually a big-hearted fun-loving bunch of folks.
I was also just teasing about full-body 80's gor-tex ski suits. I mean, if I owned one in tiger stripes with rhinestone sequenz on it? I would probably rock the HECK out of that thing, but I don't :(

And, yes, I lost my tempter about oblivious speed-demon "ski patrol training sessions waiting to happen"skiers who fail to use safe skiing practices. Sorry.
I almost feel bad about bashing the ski lift operator, if my skis weren't so expensive.... but hey- I can always fix skis... I can't really afford to fix me right now if something REALLY BAD happened... So it could be worse...

ANYWAY- I just wanted to put it all out there that when people don't exercise saftey-conciousness, or at least people who are unble to widen their lense to view "community" to mean others around them, even if on skis...... it ticks me off- because in my opinion, that is unreasonable. Am I being unreasonable? Maybe a little flippant- but then again, you were fairly warned :) (Woulda been nice for senor lifty to warn me before swiping a lift into my gluteus at a high impact speed).
BUT- There is a silver lining!! (as always) :)

In the beginning, I mentioned my buddy Tercel. He is an amazing chef here at the ranch. He is also an awesome surfer (resume includes shredding in Oahu, Australia, and growing up on the Oregon shore), his parents are the former creators of NOLS AFRICA, and he can hold his own on skis...
Well, we are both aspiring Tele-skiers. he skis Black Diamonds. Kevie skis Blue Broomers.
Today, Tercel says in his Hawaiian influenced slang "Hey Kev brah, les' go 'dere to dat backside and ski bumps-yeah?" I said..... "uh..........(oh shoot he means black diamond runs!).....okay :)"
So... we took the secluded lift up to the top of the south face of Mt. Werner (after we skied major bumps down into a bowl to access the lift)... and I thought "okay- not so bad..." until the last 90 vertical feet- VERTICAL FEET...90 of 'em!
I mean, it was like, a 39 degree slope or more, but no way 45, and then I thought "OHHH MAN! Black Diamond time!"

So... I flailed down, fell a bunch, an smiles snow for the next 3 minutes :)
Then it was time to skidaddle, (no pun intended), so we went home, and I wrote this. :)
TA-DA!

Yes... again, I commited the e-sin of rambling on blog.... but I had to vent- and I know many of you out there love me, and care :)
Uh.....okay..... so..... I am gonna go, and try and make the next blog shorter, and more creative :)
Miss you all.... HERE COMES THE EASTCOAST BABY!!!!
2.5 weeks....

Kev

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......... the sound of relaxation

2007-03-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

Cows.Tires.Cajun food.Long afternoon runs. These are the topics of today folks. These are good topics.

I slept in today, enjoying my time off from the ranch.

Upon my waking, I drove to town (Stemboat Springs) to Bob's Conoco- they repaired my tire and checked the others. NO LEAKS :) Conoco- hmmmm...is that who USA has a beef with right now? The whole Venezuela thing? I dunno... but they fixed my tires! Maybe they're an independent franchise... let's just pretend... My friend Steve Cole suggested I go there- he worked there about 15 years ago, and swears by them. If this angers you... you can beat him up :) ...

ANYWAY!

During the tire repair, I mosied on to a New Orleans style Bistro- Sun Pies. Sun Pies is located on Yampa Avenue. My buddy Zach, a chef here at the ranch is from Lafayette, Louisiana and he highly recommended the place. It was GREAT! If you are ever in Steamboat Springs, and this place is still around, GO. I had a great po-boy which really necesitated an afternoon workout...

FASTFORWARD:

Back in Clark, repaired tire, all others good to go. I am now switched in to "running mode": shorts, hat, all that- I go for a nice cruise... only about 2.5 to 3 miles, but for a "flat lander" starting my running routine back up after a few months, 2.5 is a good clip for me. I love where I run right now, and I wish you could be here. Country roads, dirt, ranches everywhere...

When I run, I pass our local watering hole, past the firehouse, past the Home Ranch, hang a right at the Clark Store (the only gas station in 15 miles/general store), past the local Charter School (more on that later), and all the way to past the Stranahan's house to the Gravel Pit.
The Stranahans own the Home Ranch, and 98% of Clark, thought knowing that would help...

The coolest part of my whole run is the cows and horses lining both sides of the road. Some of them look at me in awe, some in apprehension, some are not sure if they should join me or not...

I talk to them. Mostly just like you would talk to a puppy: "Hi!...c'mon, let's run!" stuff like that. Does that sound weird? I don't think so... I mean they are actually pretty cute, baby cows, families of horses are trying to comprehend just what this running object is, and why it is doing that.

So, needless to say, it was another good day in Clark. I leave soon. I'll miss this enchanted land, but am excited to return home, start the next chapter, and cruise on..... More Adventure around the corner!!

One love,

Kev

p.s. hope this story was less "rambly," I could have put in a lot more vivid succulent detail, but I am tired from my run :)

"Spring Ahead": AKA Daylight Cravings Time....

2007-03-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

The sun is out here in beautiful Clark, Colorado. With partly cloudy skies, I had a quick ski lesson with some folks today, went for an afternoon snowshoe with a couple, and then went home! All of our guests showed up an hour late to breakfast because they didn't realize the time change....

I only have 11 days of work left, spread over three weeks. It is still light out at 6:30 p.m.- so awesome. That's all for now... Not too exciting... Hence, the darkside of the blog: RAMBLING...

More next time,

Kshon

First night with a buzzed haircut-
I have balanced out the tan since, no worries...

2007-03-10T23:27:00.000-08:00

Enter music: "Shaking the Tree" by Peter Gabriel....

Those of you that know me, know that I totally love this song, and serves as a partial inspiration for this quick daylight-savings entry...

So, the last entry was dedicated to the wonderful Chamberlains- the Alaska chapter.
Well, this entry is dedicated to a good friend of mine, currently residing in Israel- the Holy Land.
Zachary Christopher Mauss is one of my best buds. He was keen enough to write me a message the other day, so I decided: "Zachy, this one goes out to you bud!"

He is actually the photographer behind the magic of my stream crossing photo above, thus creating the background picture for my blog - DUH!

Well, anyway... He is a great partner in crime when it comes to Adventure, as are many of you- He suggested that when I return to Morgantown I should eat some Black Bear and have a few rogues, in his honor, naturally, and frankly, it's the least I can do. Always trying to be the overdoer when it comes to fulfilling obligations, I mean, I would basically be a bad friend if I didn't follow through.....

Speaking of Adventure, I have a fateful tale for you that happened this night. My 4Runner, shall we call it, GUS? Gus- the big green 4Runner, kind of like Clifford the big red dog, only not as fluffy. Anyway...

Randomly, for the past few weeks, my left front tire has been randomly and unusually low on tire pressure. Well, tonight, I was in charge of hosting dinner at the ranch. This means I dress up ever so slightly, make sure the kitchen runs smoothly, attend to the guests needs, etc. etc.

How does this involve tire pressure? I will answer - have no fear...

Sooooooooooo, I show up to the ranch about 20 minutes early, as I am going to pull my 4Runner into the garage and use our air compressor to fill up my tire. Great. So- I do... uneventful enough- I accidentally fill the tire to 40 lbs. of pressure, I only need 35 lbs. So, I take the nozzle to the compressor and stick it back onto the stem of the tire to release 5 lbs. of pressure. The nozzle gets stuck. Cro-magnon Kevin tugs in the nozzle... nozzle pulls out the entire dry-rotted stem of my tire and before my eyes, I watch in horror as my front left tire breathes it last breaths for the evening...

GREAT.

5 minutes to be hosting dinner and I am standing with a tire stem in my left hand, eyes wide, and in utter shock as my truck sits there. Dead. Lifeless; unable to go anywhere!!!

Screw it.

I walk into the kitchen stressed out as all get out, and the chef;s think it is because this is my first night hosting..... NO NO NO- I explain the situation, they try to calm me down.... no good.....

time passes, I collect my nerves.... eat dinner, entertain.... have a grand time, and then go head to head with the metal beast that is my beloved, stubborn, road-tripping monster: GUS.

It takes me a good 30 minutes to locate all of the correct tools to change my flat and put on my spare. Sheesh. My this time it is easily 10:30 pm, GMT.

Well well well.... so our tire iron in the shop is bent to the left, our hydraulic jack is broken. GREAT! So... if the night couldn't get any better, I decide I should close the garage door. it is only 38 outside (a warm Spring evening), but I get al lil' paranoid in Mountain Lion country, not that they would really mess with me, but why take the risk- plu the door open was distracting me. We all know I am pretty buff and could easily kill an assailing Mtn. Lion with the tooth pick from a boyscout Swiss army knife- but let's not go there, after all, I'm a uniter, not a divider....

But I digress.......

Long story short, I am done, after finding tools, using brute strength to loosen airgun-tight lug nuts, and putting all said tools back in their respective "homes."

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

Well, the event is so ,well.... "eventful" that I wanted to share it. There ya go- typical Kev story, no real point.... just sharing for what it's worth...

All I wanted to do was go home and relax tonight and I had to punish my biceps with car work!!!! But all is good. I checked my e-mail late night, saw a message from Zach, from LEAF, from Amo, and I was excited to share with you my little story. Oh- I had a message from Lindsay too!

Anyway...

I love Clark, but when you know you are returning east for an amazing job, good friends, world-class climbing, and good time, it is sometimes easy to say "sianora" to rural, small-town Clark, Colorado. I love it here, my heart home is among the hills. My heart is in the highlands.
I will miss the "champagne powder" as they have coined the term in this neck of the woods... but that Conquenessing Sandstone calls my name "Kevin... pull hard holmes..."

So, I aim to return east, meet back up with lots of you, climb, conference, recert WFR, and move to Norte-Cakalaka! Which, is Spanish for, North-Cakalaka... in case you were wondering.

Anyway... I leave you with an image of the old beast that is hopefully getting me back to the right-most-coast.

Miss you all, Set those clocks back and enjoy the sunshine!

Love,

Kev

My "mighty steed of steel" and my Cabin. Word.

2007-03-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

So... This post is for my good friends Sam and Gretchen. Sam is currently defending our country. Hands down, He is one of my best friends, and his lovely wife- Gretchen has been a good friend for several years now...

Yesterday, working at the ranch, I dropped some guests off at a dogsledding venue. There, they had little puppies- 11 day olds running around in the waiting area-shack thing. The lil' ankle biters were rampant! Chewing on peoples' shoe laces, etc., sleeping one second then puppy-growling the next.

This got me thinking, and so really, I just want to show the cuteness of the Chamberlian's pup- Jasper. He is a Malamud little boy. He is guaranteed to be so much larger than this photo depicts- it was taken in September when I visited Anchorage, Alaska- my second trip to the beautiful land of the last frontier. I guess I could be called "uncle Kev" because I love this little guy as though he were my own- only I don't have to water him, walk him, clean up after him, or anything- I pretty much just get him all riled up and then turn him over to his loving owners- like any good uncle would :)

So anyway... with Spring-like weather here in Clark, I count down my return to Appalachia, family, and more adventures. AEE is coming up in mid-April. I am presenting my first workshop at the regional level and I hope all goes well... I am kind of nervous, but am sure it will all work out in the end. I can't wait for great climbing, homecomings, and NCOBS.

I also recertify my WFR in Burlington, VT in late April- which should be a blast. I am still considering Merlefest.... so.... any takers- let me know!

I miss all of you, and I hope life is good!

Don't forget to smile.....

KEV!

Jasper and Me in the C's backyard, Sept. 2006.

Madness, Sunshine and the roof of my 4Runner

2007-03-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

So,

Today I grew a little frustrated because I work a lot and am unable to get much time off. I stuck up for myself and actually will have more than 2 days off this month!!! WOOHOO! I was kind of harboring angst towards the guy who does my schedule, mostly because the month of march is the first time all season he has made one for me :) ... with three weeks of the season to spare.
<----The office

And then...

Today was BEAUTIFUL in North Routt County. A high of 45, sunny, clear skies- totally KAVU. When I left work this afternoon I pulled out the book I am currently reading: Exploring the Power of Solo, Silence, and Solitude, pulled out the Crazy Creek, and hopped up on the roof of my 4Runner and read for about an hour and a half.... ahhhh... just what I needed.

That's right- on the roof of my 4Runner... what a totally sweet place to read a book! Don't tell me you've never seen the world perspective from arriba su auto! It is a neat place to relax, chill, or chillax even. So I hope this blog posting finds you well... and that will be all for now!

Exodus: T-minus three... two...

2007-03-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

With three weeks left in Clark, I begin to project how my travels east will be. Will the weather hold out? Will my travels be safe and sound? How will this first major adventure pan out? These questions are raised constantly in my mind.

Savoring every last turn that I am afforded to carve and "dropping a knee" as much as I am able, my escapes to the backcountry offer peace, silence and solitude. Life is good.

I drive away from Clark on April 1st, and will mosey back to West Virginia where I will spend a few days with some of the latest candidates for the Adventure West Virginia leadership crew. I am excited to get back to my Alma Mater, for the (hopefully) warm weather, good climbing, and stellar friends back in the hills.

After attending the co-regional Northeast/Mid-Atlantic AEE conference, I will head to Vermont to recertify my WFR then it is down to North Carolina! NOCBS training starts in May, ends in June, and two days after I lead my first three-week expedition.

I hope NCOBS and me will be a good fit, thus far, it should be considered my dream job.
Although a short entry, this is it for now-- I will post more when I get a minute, as things are hectic, crazy, and a turbulent mix of emotions as the light draws near at the end of the first tunnel of this life called Adventure.

Thus far, these are the Adventures of Kev

KMS - out.

On the job, guiding at the ranch...