Dying and selling out

So tomorrow is the last day of my Wilderness First Responder course. It has been a good time so far. We have had a mixture of lectures and practical exercises, learning and then putting to use the skills we have learned so far. I have learned more about the human body in the last 4 days than I have in the nearly 30 years prior!

Today was a mass casualty exercise. I was a victim. The background scenario is that I had brought out a group of people I met online to practice climbing for a trip we were taking to the Amazon. We weren't climbing rock, however, but trees. I was coaching people from the ground, and had four people in the tree, climbing simultaneously. The person toward the top fell, hitting all the others on the way down, who all fell on me. I was knocked unconscious and couldn't breathe.

Picture this now, four people I met four days ago were instructed to pile up on top of me. Wow. I had a girl laying half on me, and half next to me. She was screaming her lungs out. I had to be dead while someone gave me mouth to mouth. Now at least the mouth to mouth was simulated! It was quite an interesting situation, but as my gf would say, "In the name of learning".

During this simulation, I died.

Which leads me to my next topic. I sold out when I was down here. I have taken the last four days and have actually been living in a hotel room. Luckily for me I had the money saved up from being frugal enough. It's been nice though. The bed is comfy, and I have luxuries like a refrigerator and a stove. I don't even have people walking by and asking me what I'm cooking!

Oh, and I have a shower with just me in it. Pretty nice I must say. I think I might even enjoy a bath before I leave here.

So I did sell out a bit. I was going to live out of my car this week, but I decided that I didn't want to try to figure out a safe place to park in Portland, and I didn't want to subject my classmates to my week long stench. I'm sure they appreciated it, especially since they had to pile up on top of me :-)

All in all it has been a good week, and a good class. Hopefully I am doing well enough so far, and will do well on the final written exam. This really is a big step toward my dream though, and I am glad to be taking it. Check back tomorrow or Thursday to find out how I did. Also, Thursday I turn the big 3-0, so get my thoughts on that.

So all my readers, as always, follow your dreams and do what is right for you. It isn't always easy, but you will know if it's right for you. You won't want to do anything else.

I would rather not be buried by an avalanche

So yesterday and today I took the AIARE Level I avalanche course through Mountain Madness. It was pretty sweet because I got it for the low low price of free. I consider that a success in my career as a climbing bum.

It was a great course, filled with snow, snow, and some yellow snow. I do have enough experience to avoid this yellow snow, because contrary to popular opinion, it is not a lemon snowcone!

I am happy to have taken it, and am just a day away from Level I certification. That combined with my Wilderness First Responder course will make it two valuable certifications in the same month. Not too bad for a slacker living out of his car!

There was a guy in the course who was considering camping out for the night, but was a bit nervous about the cold and being in a tent. He also considered getting a hotel room, or crashing out in his car. As a public service I gave him the tips on how to comfortably spend a night in a car. I think he is going to try it. I'm curious to find out what happens!

So I am going to invite people who may be reading this blog to ask questions or to give suggestions on what you want to read about. We can tailor this to make it more interesting or helpful to you all. Also, it saves you from reading the narcissistic ramblings of me!

ZBL update: over 263,000 miles and running strong! What a champ.

Good night to all. Don't be afraid to push your limits, you don't know what you are capable of until you do.

Welcome one and all!

So this is my first attempt at blogging, something I thought was a bit ridiculous in the past. Now, however, I find myself with a fair amount of time, since my life is pretty simple. I guess I will start at the beginning.

I was a teacher, and a pretty horrible one. I would stay up all night trying to make lesson plans, which were promptly rejected by my vice-principal. I will admit that living in Newark, NJ didn't help my mental state much either. I had a bit of a mental breakdown, and decided to leave Newark and head to my safe haven, Seattle. Now, of course I had a full time job, a serious girlfriend, and a lease with about 10 more months on it. So I did the only logical thing.

I bailed.

I sold all of my furniture (which was only a couple of months old) for a loss, broke my lease (for a loss), and then packed up everything into my 1997 Honda Accord. I then decided to drive cross country. Now, I am a climber, and I love being on the rock, or in the mountains. So in my drive, I went to Joshua Tree National Park first, which is just a few hours east of San Diego. I climbed for a few days with a friend, then headed north to Seattle.

Now, as rash as my decisions were, I did have the forethought to contact an old employer, a sweet climbing shop called Second Ascent, to see if I could get a job. I am now fortunate enough to work 40 hours a week there.

Once in Seattle, I had put on almost 5,000 miles on my old car, and I am proud to say Zbl is still running strong! It's a good thing, since he is also my home at the moment, and will be until at least October.

It's crazy, but believe it or not, living in my car has been one of the least stressful situations in my life. I have been liberated. Thoreau was right, simplify! Now, I'm not a hippie who wants to get rid of everything and live in the woods. I love being in a city with restaurants, and toilets, and people. I just like being able to get away from it to be alone in the mountains. And then I am ready to return. I do want a house one day, and I do want luxuries like a kitchen and a tv. It's just that for now I am pretty content living this way.

I will be working for a mountain guiding company this summer, only working 20 hrs a week, along with some trips in the mountains with clients. If you need a company to climb with, look up Mountain Madness, we're awesome! With this schedule I will be able to climb several days a week, and still pay my bills. As long as Zbl is running strong, everything will be fine. You will all be able to follow along with the status of him as time goes on. I love this car, and you will also get to know and love him!

So this is my introduction to me, and what I'm doing Homeless in Seattle. In the climbing world I'm a climbing bum, which also means I'm living the dream. I hope to give you some insight into my world, and to let you have an escape into a fun life. I will share it with honesty and hopefully some humor. If nothing else, I will have some great pictures, and some decent stories. Let me know what you think!