Category Archives: People

Short Trip Home

One ocean, two countries, three states, and four days- I’m back in Missoula tonight, and grateful to be here. Despite a few detours, the trip home has felt short- perhaps as it should. I had a fantastic few days in Sydney – visiting old friends, ping pong, cricket, and lots of brilliant food.

Morgan, for the 6!

Brotherly death match (photo: Morgan Wagner).

Old friends and new friends (photo: Jill Brigden)

Thursday was a doozy- 7am run. 12pm rock gym session. 5pm “Sunday dinner”. 9pm flight to Honolulu (landed at 10am on Thursday morning, again). 4 hour layover. 6 hour flight to Seattle. I was very thankful for a few extra seats on the long flight, so I had relatively little jetlag to fight.

In the sunlight.

Goodbye.

I spent Friday in Tacoma with Pat, who graciously stored my car while I was traveling. I enjoyed seeing his life there, and a fantastic concert by a cellist I didn’t know. Saturday I split for Bellingham to catch up with Ky and Amanda in their new digs and check out a city I’ve always wanted to see (worth the trip).

Tropics + 36 hours.

Bellingham winter.

I left early this morning to catch breakfast with my friends Bob and Nancy in Stanwood, WA- they’ve been a huge support to me over the years, and I’ve been overdue to check in with them. Sometimes the smallest visits can be the most supportive. I got in the car and fired the last 540 miles home this afternoon- Montana welcomed me appropriately.

Winter welcome.

I need to express thanks to a tremendous number of people for making this trip possible. In no particular order: Bob (+family), Alan, Amy, Pat, Andy L, Jane, Marten, Andy G, Dustin, Justin, Micah, Ky, Amanda, Jill&John (+family), and probably at least a few more. Thank you. I am deeply grateful to the universe for many miles of safe travel and indelible experience. Cheers.

Skander and Andy Go to the Beach and Break Shit

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This trip has been in the making for a long time- I’ve never spent this much time with my brother and his family, and it’s been nothing but good. Beyond that though, I’ve spent the last week with another wonderful friend, mentor, and human being. I haven’t written about Andy Lemann very much, but he’s probably been one of the most important people in my life in the last year.

On the way down from the Blue Mountains.

He got me the job that I work and love at Energetechs.
He showed me around Missoula when I didn’t know anyone else.
He’s taught me more than anyone else about architecture, dancing with beautiful women, and simplifying my life.

This is Andy’s country, and he knows all the best parts- Kangaroo Valley.

And in September, he taught me quite a bit about family when he left Missoula and moved back to Bowral, New South Wales, to take care of his aging parents and reconnect with the community he left almost 25 years ago.

Apparently, a big deal.

Delicious.

Rural towns are eager to have something to be proud of. In Robertson, that’s a giant concrete potatoe…

Bowral sunsets from the kitchen sink are not to be missed.

Andy picked me up in the Blue Mountains last Tuesday, and we celebrated his father’s birthday on Wednesday in Bowral. I found a cello, cranked out a performance of a Bach Suite and Andy and I quickly re-arranged a bunch of the tunes that we had performed together last summer- his father couldn’t be more pleased. More than anything though, Andy loves the beach, so Thursday afternoon we hitched a dinghy to the truck and headed for Shell Harbor- at which point we started breaking shit.

Surf! For a little bit.

Andy gave me an awesome surfing lesson, until I got washing machined on some rocks and cracked a fin off his brand new surfboard (but not before I finally, finally got to stand up on top of a wave). Friday morning we went sailing, until we jibed south, and the mainsail boom snapped in half like a toothpick.

Sail! For a little bit. (Photo – Andy Lemann)

The cockpit cover tore, the bilge pump gave out (momentarily), and we managed to almost overload the dinghy (twice). I only narrowly avoided driving on the wrong side of the road… twice.

“Bloody hell the boom broke!” It’s a unique feeling that…

We had hoped to sail and surf more, but with our toys in disarray we got a box of wine and hopped a train to Sydney. Andy’s grandmother owns a place in Double Bay, one of the most desirable parts of Sydney Harbour and Andy was eager to share their little slice of heaven with me. While it was truly a rare opportunity, my body had the last laugh because I spent the one night we had at the house writhing in pain from the wisdom tooth that decided to erupt through my gumline. Andy naturally, took care of me with utmost compassion, and sent me on the way with family Sunday afternoon. Thank you my friend, for amazing times here, and wonderful friendship always.

Two men, each more than worth traveling 16,000 miles to see.

Well worth 16,000 miles of traveling. (Photo- Lynley Wagner)

I’m back in Turramurra (north of Sydney) for the last few days of holiday, eating liquid food, and sorting out what other fun I can have while clutching an ice pack to my jaw. I’ll be trying to get some larger photo albums posted on my Picasa site, and will post links shortly.

Debris

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Hard climbing, easy climbing, beautiful climbing- it’s all here in the Blue Mountains. Huge thanks to my hosts Alan and Amy, I’ve had a truly unreal week of climbing, camping, and general horsing around. This past Monday started with an upset as rainy conditions scared us off of “Hotel California” (10p, 5.11b), but after a long walk to the Hanging Rock formation, we went back to Pierce’s Pass to tick “Debris”- the largest, most exposed pitch of climbing I’ve ever seen.

(Top blue dot= Alan at halfway, bottom blue dot= Skander at hanging belay)

(Alan is all- “no big deal…”)
This was all Alan. It was his vision to do it, and it was his perfect, onsite lead. The pitch is 52m of sustained 5.11c- major respect. I had nothing to do but support him, I belayed, climbed second, and did most of the being scared. I completed the moves,but not without resting on the rope a number of times- mostly to get my head sorted out against the wild, wild exposure. The movement was mostly straightforward, powerful, and sustained, but the position on the very edge of the arête, overhanging in two directions, was totally stunning.

(Skander on second… Alan at top)
I have often struggled with big exposure in my climbing, but I wanted to have the experience and get a little further out of my comfort zone. Doing this leaves me feeling like I have some solid tools for feeling less gripped on the big stone. It also made a perfect memory for one of my last days of climbing here with a partner that I have sincerely enjoyed re-connecting with. Do the things that scare you- and when you do, don’t be afraid to realize that those things are awesome.

(Pierce’s Pass, just above Debris)
Plenty of other less serious fun has also been had. Since my last post, the three of us shared “Sweet Dreams” (5p, 5.9) on Saturday morning (we finished the route by 1030am to beat ridiculously hot temperatures), and spent Sunday climbing piles of very short, very fun problems at the Dam Cliffs (key note, don’t forget to jump the dam!)

(Long enough to hurt your feet)

(Climb all the things!)
Camping with hippies, good Indian food, and amazing scenery rounded out the experience. I mentioned hanging rock above, yeah that’s worth a few photos as well. I’m starting to think I need a better camera again:

(Amy peaks over the edge)

Katoomba

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Australian place names are just cooler than American ones- Katoomba is a bit of a tourist trap, but it’s also ground zero for outdoor recreation in the Blue Mountains National Park. As I’ve noticed in the past, climbing makes me feel more at home where-ever I am than almost any other thing I do. Even better, I met Alan two years ago in Squamish, B.C., and he and his leading lady Amy were in town for full on climbing holidays. We’ve been having a very good time.

(good to see an old friend)

I took the train up Wednesday morning, and after a trip to the post office and grocery, Alan says “how about a quick 5 pitches this evening.”
In a word- “yes.”

(more exposure please!)

While not the climbing wasn’t particularly beyond me, I’ve never climbed anything so exposed, and Alan’s mate Paul joined us for the fun while Amy rummaged for dinner. We had a good time- more on the phenomenon of “carrot bolts” in another post.

(top out stoke with Paul)

I got an unlucky finish with rope drag topping out the second crux pitch and felt a muscle tear in my back while yarding up the rope for the seconds. Despite the exceptional climb, it wasn’t the best way to start the trip.

Thursday morning was surprisingly misty and cool, but Amy and Alan were up for some adventure so we headed for another stellar multipitch at Pulpit Rock. Amy lead off, I got the gymnastic overhanging crux, and Alan (who climbs 5.13) stuck the 5.7 outward facing roof chimney pitch (yes, you read that right).

(misty, but pretty)

(outward facing roof chimney crack….)
Late afternoon found us racked up at a short sport crag, and despite best best effort at the 5.10d warmup, my back wasn’t up for steep sport climbing. Alan, and his friend Rhys however- proved the moniker that the Blue Mountains are “all about steep, hard, sport climbing.”

(pull hard, Skander, its steep)

(whipped)

I took today very easy, still on-siting 5.10c though and feeling my back badly. The scenery and company can’t be beat, and my friends seem to know everyone, so even just hanging out at the crags is a really good time. The Blue Mountains are one of the most unique areas I’ve been in and I’m truly loving my (very relaxed) time here.
I’m blogging from the phone, so posts might be limited and with typos, thanks for following! More soon!

(Amy, loving it)

(more steeps!)

(brilliant views from climbs, photo by Amy O’Toole)

Sydney, New South Wales

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“On holiday” it’s a phrase that has a meaning that most Americans don’t really understand- but after 6 days in Sydney with my half-brother and his family- I’ve got a pretty good read on things. “On Holiday” is about eating, lounging, doing all the fun things we don’t usually let ourselves go at and most importantly, not doing anything in particular at all.

On the other side of the Pacific.

Given my stop in Hawaii, I had almost zero trouble with jetlag, even though I left on Monday morning and showed up 10 hours later on Tuesday night. Sydney is one of the great cities of the world, and even rolling home from the airport I was eager for a detour through the city streets. Wednesday we hopped a ferry across the harbor, under the harbor bridge, and into the heart of things. Photos to tell-

I love these kids- the background is nice too.

These guys are worth travelling 8,000 miles for- oh yeah, the background is nice too.

Top down view of the harbor from Sydney Tower.

Getting a feel for old town in The Rocks district.

We’ve had a solid day on/day off pattern, with plenty of lounging around home. The Cricket thing is big here, so my nephews made sure I had a complete experience.

Fully kitted up.

In American baseball you “pitch,” in cricket- you “bowl”- the difference is signficant.

Most importantly though, it’s been over a year since I swam in the ocean, and Sydney beaches are truly world class. Friday in Kilkare was nothing short of perfect.

Salt water.

Family beach day.

Solar powered hot tub.

My brother’s house is on the north side of Sydney, and perched close to Ku Ring Gai National Park, which means I’ve had a great opportunity to meet some of the locals.

They said hello first (literally).

Backyard entertainment.

Questioning my choice of flip flops for my hike.

Questionable choice of flip flops for a hike.

Names here are hilarious.

Say it as fast as possible.

Really? Bong bong?

I’ve spent the last day catching up on some professional commitments before I leave my computer and head out climbing, but this first week with the family has been worth the whole trip. Even though he is my brother, we’ve (obviously) not spent much time together, and I’m looking forward to having some more time with him and his family after their vacation and some of my other adventures.

My nephew Morgan on the left, my brother Bob on the right- Sydney Harbor, January 2013.

Festival

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“We seek festival community because our own communities are dead.” (Nizlopi)

It’s both true and false- Missoula is a vibrant mountain community with a fairly quiet crew of ice climbers. Fair to say, the Bozeman Ice Festival brings us to life, and I was excited to have friends from Missoula to share one of my favorite places with. While I missed the festival last year, it seemed like JoJo and the regular crew really stepped up to take the Bozeman Festival to the next level. The only problem was, with everyone wanting to join the fun, open climbs were a little illusive…

Saturday.

Full of stoke, Conor D. and I got after it Saturday morning, only to find 18 people in line for Champagne Sherbet and Champagne Slot (which are both forming nicely). So we hiked. A lot. Finally we gave up on finding some more elusive climbs and headed for the Genesis. Some top rope laps at G1 left us feeling like we had at least done something, and we followed the festival down the canyon as the light faded.

This years festival included a Saturday night party built around an outdoor mixed competition at the Emerson center. Credit to Marko P., Craig P., and many others for construction and route setting. Complete with outdoor firepits, live music, and beer vendors, Saturday night was a very good time.

Stephanie Maureau- climbs harder than almost all the boys- crushing it.

Bozeman hardman Whit Magro straddling a free handing log 50′ up and 20′ across the overhanging traverse.

Sunday Conor and I linked up with a few other Missoula boys (Cole, Josh, Mack, and Cory) and took over the amplitheater. I’m still a terrible mixed climber, and was just as happy for Conor to put up the rope on the mixed line just left of “Thin Chance” (which was in, but a little thin for my shaky lead head). We did both lines, then a lap on Climbs on the Left- by no means a banner day, but I really don’t mind easing back into ice season.

Conor, getting pumped.

Lots for me to remember.

Sunday night I felt fortunate to be invited to dinner with a few new friends who work for Grivel North America. It might have been more prudent to head for Missoula on Sunday night, but these connections are one of the reasons it’s so fun to come to a festival. We enjoyed perfect conversation over perfect food, and my week has felt a little richer because my circle of connections in this strange frozen circle is just a little larger. The additional time was well worth the speedy drive back on Monday morning.

This place is always spectacular.

ThanksAction

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One of the biggest reasons I like Thanksgiving so much is that it reminds me (and leaves a day off) to express how thankful I am to the many people that make my life rich. I call this ThanksAction. I will give Facebook some credit for being a useful way to keep track of people that might otherwise disappear into the ether. My Thursday was punctuated with cooking, laughing, and text/phone/facebook messages from across the world.

Hiking the M to get our appetite on!

Dinner was a small group of lovely folks, and a large table of delicious food.

Prairie Heritage Farm Heirloom turkey, perfectly seasoned and done.

Very thankful for friends that love to cook.

Who are you thankful for? How can you let them know? I know few things that can improve your day as powerfully and quickly as sharing some gratitude with someone. My ThanksAction has continued through the weekend, and perhaps one of the things I’m most thankful for is that I haven’t run out of people to get in touch with yet.

Special.

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It is important to remember that the most important, special, things tend to happen in just their own time- and that time has been the last 9 days.

This past weekend I was again at Prairie Heritage Farm to slaughter turkeys for Thanksgiving. You’ve seen the pictures from last year, so I’ll spare the gory details, and if last weekend wasn’t one to celebrate my anniversary in Montana, this one certainly was.

The high, northern plains.

There’s a feeling I get being out there, on the high northern plains. The openness of the land and the warmth of its people remind me why the hard, unglamorous work of farming is what has shaped many of the richest, and most fulfilling parts of our culture. Jacob and Courtney seem to draw a particularly beautiful crew of people each year to help with the grisly work- I was particularly privileged to enjoy the company of my new friend Katie for the drive from Missoula to Power, and our shared work slitting throats together. We had glorious weather, and spectacular new facilities for the slaughter- making this year less about “getting through it”, and more about “doing it right and having fun.

Getting what she came for.

Farm-fresh and amazing, dinner is not to be missed.

The introspective observations:

As much as I enjoy my time on the farm, I don’t feel compelled to farm- but I do feel compelled to empower other people to farm.
The hard and unglamorous work of farming often mirrors the hard, unglamorous work of contracting- and I like that.
Being around this group of people made me start to seriously think about my own aspirations in participating in the sustainable food system. How can I participate more?

A humble day of work and 10 gallons of blood.

The practical observations:

People always look funnier with turkey blood splattered on their faces.

“I told you not to look directly at the turkey…”

Turkey farts smell really bad, and are hilarious.
The look on little Declan’s face says it all…
There is such a thing as “sipping Tequila.”

It was a special weekend, and no doubt I got what I came for.

A few other highlights from the last 9 days:

I had a hilariously good time as a guest soloist with the Dodgy Mountain Men last Thursday night as Missoula said goodnight to our beloved Top Hat (until spring of 2013). Thank you gentlemen, and I look forward to more songs soon.

Soundcheck.

Despite a year of injuries and training focused entirely elsewhere- I still put 10 more pounds on my best-ever deadlift last Tuesday night.

Last Sunday I took the first few steps on the next BIG adventure. Stay tuned.

Safe to say, I will have plenty to give Thanks for at the table this Thursday.

The Seeley-Swan at sunset.

Participation

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There’s only one thing that you must do today- vote.

Please do not let this thing fall off your list today. Call in sick, take your kids with you, drive instead of bike- this matters.

Some people say “it’s rigged” or “my vote doesn’t matter” or “I refuse to participate in a system that is broken.” Fine, perhaps, but- your participation only makes it less broken, and most of the things on your ballot (like your local officials) actually do depend on a handful of votes. Skip the national election if you really must (I would still prefer you didn’t), but there are people in your community that are fighting damn hard to work for you, and they’ve earned your support, I guarantee it.

If you don’t know where to vote- here.

If you don’t have time to research a candidate, email me with a phone number and I will call you and help you.

Think, and participate.

Solo, Part 2

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How do you stop looking for something you can’t seem to find?

Release the belief that you need it.

Tonight I spent $16 on cover charge and drinks with people that I wanted to care about, but the grand total was coming home feeling empty.

Last night I spent alone, sweating in the gym, and came home feeling satisfied with my life.

I’ve put most of the pieces of my life back together since I stopped traveling one year ago. Profession, adventure, public service, community. Romance hasn’t been one of them, and sometimes that feels lonely. I’ve had this conversation several times with friends lately- that I’m smart and fit and funny and talented- but solo is how I roll whether I like it or not. Strangely enough, I’m convinced it’s not the external factors that really matter- the music was good, the people were fun, but sometimes you know when you are trying to convince yourself that you’re having a good time.

I’m not proud to write this post, but it’s part of my life so it must be discussed. The rich experience that some of my favorite couples enjoy makes charging through my life solo seem just a little less vibrant.

stickthefeeling

engineering, adventure, and balance

Category Archives: People

Short Trip Home

Skander and Andy Go to the Beach and Break Shit

Debris

Katoomba

Sydney, New South Wales

Festival

ThanksAction

Special.

Participation

Solo, Part 2