Turkey wings and engagement rings!

I popped the question! The day before Thanksgiving Kim and I were cooking in her kitchen, listening to Christmas music, both of us in our lounging clothes. We were relaxed, doing something we do fairly often. It was then that I realized this moment is exactly what I want for the rest of my life. This wasn't an elaborate date, it was just a perfect moment. I got the ring that I was hiding, came back to the kitchen, dropped to a knee, and asked her to marry me! After some crying and kissing, she finally said yes.

The next day she and I cooked our first Thanksgiving dinner. I usually like to have humorous stories about mishaps, but there weren't any. The biggest mishap was the amount of food we cooked. Our turkey was 21 pounds, and we made enough sides to feed at least ten people. Everything was homemade, except for the greenbean casserole that was the campbell's soup recipe that we all know and some love. We had sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, crescent rolls, and two pumpkin pies. And egg nog of course :-) I love egg nog. Anyway, our turkey was moist and delicious, and I can't wait to make it for family next year.

Kim and I had our hands on every dish, and it was a fun day. Our Thanksgiving was great, and I hope you all had one just as wonderful.

Old habits die hard

So I've been with PetSmart for three months now, and it's going quite well. My boss hasn't fired me yet, the managers above and below me seem to get along with me well, and the employees like me. On my lunch break I go to play with the dogs, and after work I have found a Brittany who adores me and loves to curl up on my lap while I rub her ears. Since I can't have a dog, this is the closest I get!

Yes, life is pretty good, but I still can't escape the fact that I am living in the flatlands of New York. When I go to a ski shop and ask about telemark or backcountry gear they look at me funny and say "Not on Long Island". Sigh.

So today after work I decided to swing by EMS (the east coast version of REI for those not in the know) and decided to put in my application. I can only work part time there, but I kind of want to. I miss talking to people who are gearing up for trips, and sharing their excitement about the next adventure they are going on. I won't lie, I also like the ego boost of being the expert when talking about outdoor gear. :-)

I work at least 45 hours per week at PetSmart, but I wouldn't mind another 15 hours or so of working as a gear guy. As I was walking about the store I had to refrain from jumping in on conversations as customers were asking associates questions. I sure do love getting people out there. I don't even want the gear discount (though I'm sure I would use it on occasion), I just want to hang out and talk gear.

On a separate note, I have been reading Shannon's "Her Dog Blog" and I suggest you read it too if you are into dogs at all. She does a pretty good job of researching products and letting you know what her pup Teton thinks. Check it out.

New Beginnings

I have recently been reading my friend Shannon's blog "Her Dog Blog" (great by the way) and it made me realize that I kind of miss writing on this blog. I do need to edit the title, and I have edited my information. I have spent the last several months coming to terms with the life changes that have occurred. I am now living in Long Island, working for PetSmart as a presentation manager. It's not too bad, and hopefully soon I will be able to be promoted to the next level. Two promotions and I will be a store manager. Not too shabby.

Now, my knee is messed up. For those of you who are in the dark, it turns out it is really bad arthritis. Apparently I need to have knee replacement surgery to fix it, but I am far too young. Since I won't be doing the surgery, I am going to cut back on my activities and just try to enjoy life. I am enjoying being near my girlfriend. She has been so supportive over the past two years, and I love her very much. I am definitely fortunate, she has been a true joy in my life.

Working at PetSmart has really made my desire for a dog rise. I want another Brittany. In fact, every chance I get I am playing with one of the three Brittany's who stay at the Pet Hotel. It is definitely a perk of the job!

Anyway, this is an update, and I hope you all look forward to some more blogs from me.

Do you remember your first time?

I have been out fly fishing several times now, and was always asked the same question when I returned. "Catch anything?" My answer was always no. That all changed on Tuesday. On Eric's recommendation I headed to the Teanaway River just outside of Cle Elum. He told me I should fish the middle fork.

After driving around for about an hour down various pothole filled dirt roads, I finally decided to just park the car and start fishing. I pulled off on the first decent spot I could find, and began wading upstream. The water was never very deep, waist high at the most, but the flow was pretty solid. Often times if it got higher than my knees I found myself on uneven footing and worried that I would be swept downstream a bit. The danger wasn't anything more than a few bumps and bruises, being wet, and hurting my pride, but I still didn't want to face it.

When the river became too much I would wade to the shore and walk on land. As I went, I casted into the spots that seemed probable for trout, trying not to snag my fly on branches or the occasional canyon walls the river formed.

After about an hour and a half of wading upstream, casting with no results, I decided to get out of the river and see if I could find a better spot to fish. After only a few minutes of walking, I came upon a bridge over the water with the sign stating "M ork Teanaway" The "F" in fork was missing due to shotgun shot scouring the sign clean of any dirty letters.

I saw a small path leading to the water, and decided to follow it. I went down and what did I find? THE PERFECT SPOT! There was a strong flow falling over large rounded rocks creating a lot of bubbles. To the left of the bubbles was a deep pool of slower moving water which was leisurely lapping against the undercut cliff. The highly oxygenated water should prove a great spot for fish to breathe easy. The slow moving pool should be a great spot for flies caught in the water to become lunch for a hungry trout.

I slowly and quietly as possible headed up the stream, trying to get to a spot where I could cast above the pool and allow my fly to float over this honey hole. I cast a few times, watching the white feathering float downward leisurely toward me. I stood about fifteen minutes, casting repeatedly, until, finally, a hit!

I was so excited I jerked far too hard, and watched as a brown back rippled the surface and my fly flew past me head. I quickly cast back to the same spot, and again missed the catch. I pulled my fly out of the water again, false casted a few times, and landed it perfectly. As I watched the white feathers float over the pool I told myself not to be too excited. As the fly approached me I pulled the line in, and watched as the brown back broke the surface and my fly disappeared. I resisted the urge to jerk the pole, and waited half a second longer. I smoothly struck, setting the hook. I felt the trout through the sensitive rod, each jerk and tug being transmitted to my hands. I pulled the line in by hand carefully, being sure to let the rod take the pressure so as not to stress the line too much.

I could feel the strong trout running through the water, the line pulling away from me. I carefully pulled the line closer and closer until I could get the trout into the relatively calm water by my legs. He was beautiful, with a proud red stripe running through the black mottled skin. The back was a dark brown leading toward an olive green on the sides. It wasn't the first trout I have landed, but it was the first on fly gear. What an experience it was!

I had to pay much more attention fly fishing. Positioning my fly, controlling the line, and bringing in the slack as I landed the fish were all part of a fulfilling experience. It was completed by the pristine surroundings. The cold clear water, lush foliage, and sounds of nature were not interrupted by car horns, shouts, or sirens. I can't climb now, but I am more than happy to still be outdoors.

Now that I am slowing down, I am seeing more than ever.

A river runs throught it.......and that water is COLD!

Now that I am unable to climb I have found a new diversion. Fly fishing. I took a course while attending SUNY Plattsburgh, and really just learned how to tie flies and got some casting practice in a field.

I need more practice.

I took Eric's advice and went to the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River. First I had to wander and figure out where exactly I should go to fish. After tromping through thick brush I finally made it to the river....and realized it was deep all around me. Far too deep and strong for me to wade into, even if I had waders. After a retreat and a walk down the dirt road, I found a more accessible location.

I wandered down and set up my rod, and tried to cast. Now, I wasn't bad when I practiced over a year ago, but I wasn't all that good either. I figured out a major difference on the river. There are trees here! It only took three casts before I had my fly wrapped around a branch, followed by another branch, and a rock. Yes, a rock. I even got my fly wrapped around the line somehow, becoming a tangled mess.

After an hour of tangles and snags, I finally started to develop a rhythm. I spent the next three hours up to my ankles in some extremely cold water, simply flicking the line back and forth.

Playing the fly across the slower moving portions of the water was enjoyable. I simply tried to imitate the motion of the little water scooters I have seen so many times throughout my life.

I spent a total of four hours on the water, trying to improve my skills. I lost two flies, and caught one stick. I saw one tiny tiny tiny fish try to attack my first fly. It was too small to even really get on the hook.

Despite not having many fish show up, it was a successful day. The rhythm of the line when it was flying through the air brought me to a peaceful place. I was alone on the water, enjoying the sound of the running river, focusing entirely on the movement of my arm, the rod, the line, and the minuscule fly thirty-five feet away from me.

Harsh dose of reality......

I obviously haven't posted on here in quite a while. It's not from boredom, but more from some confusion on my part. I have had to face a harsh dose of reality about a month and a half ago. I was climbing with my buddy and professional guide, Ian. While I was climbing my knee popped several times, and my 6 year old knee injury finally finished itself off.

For those who don't know, I tore my ACL in 2004 while serving in Iraq. (For those wanting to know the real story, I tore it playing soccer, but it WAS in Iraq. The field was full of mortar holes!) I was able to survive for six years based solely on my leg strength, though I did have times when it was quite sore. There were also times when I had to lay off for a week or so. This time, however, it was quite severe.

With this injury, I am unable to climb, and will require surgery. This kills the dream of guiding this summer, and pushes it back a year.

I am also living in a house now, with my friend and co-worker Eric. He and his girlfriend have very generously allowed me to live in their guest room for the summer. I am fortunate that I have such a good friend, and am having fun working on their backyard. I have also begun to shift my focus from climbing to something else.

This injury was a big slap in the face of my dream, and a true dose of reality about the consequence of injury to a mountain guide. With this I have decided that I still want to guide, but that I also want to have a more stable job that I can do full time.

I am now studying for my GRE test so I can apply to a Ph.D. program. There it is. I said it. To the world. It's official now. So there it is everyone.

What I am hoping for now is some feedback from everyone who reads this. Do you want to read more of my writing? Let me know, respond to this posting. If you do I will keep this going, and you will get to hear about my progress from knee surgery, and my march toward grad school. Let me know. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think!

Apologies, trips, and a ZBL update!

So I have been quite remiss in updating my blog, so I apologize to everyone. First of all, I want to say thanks to everyone who has been reading this, I'm extremely flattered! So the last week has been pretty crazy for me, and I'm not even sure why.

Easter Sunday, the day when all good Christians are supposed to recognize the sacrifice that Jesus made, I was out climbing with my Jewish friend. I'm going to hell. Anyway, I got the chance to play guide to him. We went out to Leavenworth to climb R&D, a 5.6 climb on the Yosemite Decimal System.

For those not down with the YDS, it is a numerical system used to rate the difficulty of climbs. Originally 5.9 was considered the hardest climb conceivable. This was back when people climbed in boots and used hemp ropes tied around their waist to climb.

Now a 5.6 is considered an easier climb, approaching moderate. I brought out my buddy, Lucky, to climb. This climb was a 4 pitch climb (4 rope lengths, roughly 500ft long or so total) that I had to onsight (climb without any real knowledge of the moves of the climb). This was great for me, since it is a realistic thing I would do with clients.

I was able to get through all the moves pretty easily, despite the cold snow falling on us off and on all day. Some of the route was wet, all of it was cold cold cold granite. Our fingers were freezing and Lucky had on a very uncomfortable pair of rock shoes. We were on the route for almost 4 hours. At the end he had a big smile on his face, since he got to do the hardest climb he has ever done.

That smile was all I needed to know that I am definitely in the right profession. It was a great day, and he was spent at the end of it. We drove back home without incident, and relaxed over some pizza at his place. He paid. It was a great tip to get as a homeless guide. Oh, and he let me use his shower. AWESOME! It's the little things that get me excited.

I worked the rest of the week, and went climbing with my buddy Ian (an amazing guide) Friday.
We hit up Leavenworth, and got to climb a bunch of harder routes. Again, the snow was falling on us intermittently, and the rock was COLD! Luckily all we had to do was shove our hands into the even colder cracks, wedge the backs of our hands against the sharp granite, and pull up our body weight. Over and over again.

Of course the cold makes the skin a bit more fragile, so I have some stellar cuts and scrapes. It's awesome.

ZBL UPDATE: He was pampered Thursday, getting new rear brakes (to the tune of $335, still cheaper than rent!) and a bath. That's the first bath since leaving Jersey. I'm pretty sure I heard him thank me somewhere in there. He is quite the champ, making both trips to Leavenworth over the past week. He totally deserves some pampering. Also, he has been given the past couple of nights off, as I am couch crashing for a couple of days. Don't worry though, I won't be getting too soft on everyone now though :-)