The fear of the Unknown

College Graduation (December 8th, 2012) University of Southern Indiana

   Now that I have finished school it is an interesting feeling to have the option of going almost anywhere and doing almost anything.  It feels almost odd at times.  However, that doesn't have be a negative thing at all.

"The fear of the unknown... That's the greatest fear of all." - Yvon Chouinard 

   People go on adventures for different reasons, and at different points during their lives. The definition of an adventure is not the same for all people.  Here's a few thoughts by a climber/business man turned philanthropist.

"An adventure only begins after everything goes wrong." - Yvon Chouinard

“Real adventure is defined best as a journey from which you may not come back alive, and certainly not as the same person.” - Yvon Chouinard  

   I think that the innate need for discovering what is over that next hill is what gives mankind the guts to first look over the edge, and then go beyond it if possible.  It is what leads us to new discoveries which advance us beyond the primitive and into another realm of human existence.  Here are a few words pertaining to adventure and discovery and the experiences which can be gained by persevering along the way.

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein

"When I was a boy the old chiefs used to say, as soon as you climb a high mountain, the highest you can find, do not stop halfway and look back. Climb till you reach the top. There you can breathe deep and look into all the valleys. Then you can say, 'I have seen." -  An Old Nez Perce Chief 

"We leave as we came and, god willing, as we shall return, with peace, and hope for all mankind.” - Eugene Cernan 

   These were some of the views of a climber/business man and philanthropist, a physicist/humanitarian, a Native American chief, and an astronaut, on the what can be gained from taking that risk and just going for it.  I think this is a testament to the human spirit of curiosity.  There's one last thought from Yvon Chouinard that came to mind.

"A lot of young people come to me asking what books to read or movies to watch, and I tell them that's all well and good, but there's no substitute for just going there." - Yvon Chouinard

   I think that people should evaluate their options carefully so that they can make the best choices in life, but all those choices come with risks and consequences.  At some point we just have to take the plunge.  I've still got a lot of things which I plan on accomplishing in life, but I'm leaving them purposely loosely defined.  I think it is important to leave room for unexpected opportunities and for times when everything goes wrong.  To the spirit of adventure! - Nick

View from Twin Sisters Peaks

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” - Lao Tzu

A View from Twin Sisters Peaks 
near Rocky Mountain National Park (2012)

180 South & The Tallest man on Earth

Here follows some links to a trailer of my favorite documentary film and the webpage of my favorite singer/songwriter:

“Real adventure is defined best as a journey from which you may not come back alive, and certainly not as the same person.” ― Yvon Chouinard

180 South Trailer - documentary trailer

"Have you ever seen the far side of a mountain, swallow the sky, as you travel through the valley, as you're speedin' still far behind, through the valley where lovers climb" - The Tallest Man on Earth 

The Tallest Man on Earth Website - singer/songwriter website

The Tallest Man on Earth - Dead Oceans - webpage of publisher/record company

One Giant Leap

Mt. Ida in RMNP  (Summer 2012)
Captured by my hiking partner Mike

Camping at McCormick's Creek

This is a video of a camping/hiking trip that I took last fall at McCormick's Creek State Park last fall.  It was a fun and successful expedition!

Fall Break at McCormick's Creek  <- link to youtube video

The "Essence" of Mountaineering.

“We shall not bring back a single bit of  gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal  or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It's no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go.” - George Mallory

I completely agree with George Mallory. I believe that his words are an accurate view of the main reason why men choose to reach for the sky.  This quote is referring to Mt. Everest.  George Mallory was the first man to attempt to reach the summit of that mountain.  He and his partner died along the way.  It is still unknown whether they ever reached the pinnacle of the earth.  They were daring pioneers in an age, the 1920's, where climbing Everest might have been equivalent to landing on the moon during the 1960's.  



This is an image from Colorado that I took early in the summer of 2012.  The steep peak on the right is 12,700 ft. Hallet Peak.  It is not really Everest, but it's the experience that counts and not the elevation.  Later that summer I made it to the top where it was difficult to breath from the thin air in the exposed tundra.  It is one of my own many small accomplishments of last year.   

The fixed image in the background of my blog is a view of Longs Peak from Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.  It is 14,259 ft. high.  I have yet to hike/climb this peak.  If I did it would be my first fourteener, which is what mountain climbers/hikers call a mountain that is over fourteen thousand feet.  One of my goals is to go back and do it in the next few years.  

A mountain must always be respected, but can never be conquered.

I hike the trail up Mt. Ida.

It starts from over two miles above sea level,

At the continental divide.

It is listed as a “moderate” hike,

I soon find out that there is no such thing as moderate…

I start hiking and my breath is taken away,

Not by the view, but by the thin air.

There is a long trudge ahead of us,

Up to an elevation close to 2 and ½ miles above the sea.

As we clear the trees after the first half mile,

It is open tundra.

The only thing that seems to be up here is a thin blanket of grass,

And lots of boulders.

Then we see a marmot sunning itself on a rock,

And some pikas running in and out of their caves among the boulders.

The trail becomes harder to follow, and slopes upward more rapidly.

There are snow fields up here, and it is a chilly wind that blows from the peak.

It is a psychological battle to keep on going, because we can always see the top.

However, it never seems to get nearer…

Finally, we close in on the top of the mountain.

As we get closer dark clouds start to form.

The rain comes first, then the hail starts…

We are so close now!

Probably about 150 ft. below the top.

Then we see a lightning strike…

It is not safe to be out in the open with nothing but a few boulders to hide behind.

We turn back around.

The wind picks up, and starts to blow the storm clouds towards us…

I risk a quick glance back every once in a while,

But I have to keep my eyes in front of me dare I lose my footing.

It would be a long slide down the mountain.

My hiking partner loses his water bottle and it rolls down several hundred feet…

We keep going.

Normally it seems to take longer to reach the top of a mountain.

Today with the storm clouds behind us it seems to take longer going down.

We get below the tree line again.

Now in relative safety, we are only about a half mile from the car.

The trees open up and we emerge beside the continental divide sign where our journey began.

I look back up at the top of the mountain up in the clouds.

It was a great view for the few minutes that we got to spend near the top.

I think to myself, “A mountain must be respected.  It is possible to climb a mountain, but impossible to conquer one…”

~Nick Whittemore (2012)

In Rebellion to a Rebel

All are rebellious,

Some more than others,

All in different ways,

We rebel…

We rebel against our parents,

We rebel against our friends,

We rebel against society,

And we rebel against the world.

We rebel against God,

We rebel against religion,

We rebel against ideas,

Some of which we should not rebel against.

We should listen,

Speak less,

Learn more.

We should listen to those around us.

To our friends, our families, our country.

We should listen to the world.

We should listen to God.

But most of all we should listen to ourselves..

We should hear what our hearts preach,

We should hear what others say,

We should be willing to listen.

We should be willing to evaluate,

Those ideas, those things around us,

The things that are passed down 

from generation to generation.

We should keep our hearts open;

Open to these simplicities.

As we grasp them, we should hear their voices;

The ones who uttered them in the first place.

We should think about them,

Apply them to our lives,

Not just listening; but active listening.

I am a rebel,

One who has not listened.

We all are rebels,

In this way we are the same,

  

This has the power to tear us apart,

Or the power to bring us together,

Which shall we choose?

The answer seems simple,

But it must be fought,

Fought valiantly, fought daily,

Fought constantly.

It must be carried out,

If we are to survive as a species,

We must listen to each other,

And actively listen.

We must be true,

We must be kind,

But we must work hard to do this,

We must be in constant rebellion to the rebel….

-Nick Whittemore (Feb. 2012)