Redwood National Park, 2nd Spike and learning to roll with the punches.

Portland, OR
Elevation: 1,073 ft.

First and foremost, I am alive. I have made it through the second spike of our field season and I must say that things are picking up in pace, difficulty, risk and temperature. But more on that all later, first a flashback to my last 6 days off…

We started the day early in anticipation of the drive. The destination was the coastal town of Arcata, CA and instead of the southwesterly winding road of highway 96 we thought it would be safer and quicker to take I-5 to the east southwards and then to cut across on highway 299 effectively making a box around northern California and our study site. The roundabout path granted us the chance to hit Yreka, Weed, Redding, Whiskeytown and Weaverville; towns we would not have likely ever visited. It also skirted us around Mt. Shasta which was a beautiful sight to drive towards. Snow-capped mountains have become a favorite sight of mine. 

From Klamath River to Arcata the temperature dropped at least 20 degrees causing us to quickly throw on layers before catching lunch at a quaint little Pho place. It’s the mild, misty summers of the coast that has convinced me that my future nest will be in a maritime town. I love the sun and the water and the fact that you can have an excuse to throw on a fleece most months of the year. After the late lunch we loaded up on camp foods at the local organic market, grabbed a few beers at a local brewhouse and gunned it for Gold Bluffs Beach. The next morning was cold and misty. We took our coffee and tea on a large piece of driftwood facing the chilly and endless Pacific. Our plan was to get to the Kuchel Visitor Center for maps and information and then to start our backpacking trip at the southern tip of the park. 

We parked Rhyhorn at the Redwood Creek Trailhead and hiked into the woods. The plan was to skirt the creek southward and to find a backcountry campsite along the gravel bars close to Tall Trees Grove 8 or so miles in. Along the way we passed an amazing variety of flora I had never seen. Endless ferns and towering Redwoods dominate the landscape of the small fog belt we hiked along. It is the uniqueness of this part of the California coast combined with the endemism of the Coastal Redwood that catalyzed the creation of the Redwood National and State Parks. To hike among these giants is to walk in a land successfully and gratefully preserved. The greatest thing about backcountry hiking is coming across random acts of humankind. Or rather, humanhumor.

There are, of course, trials to being so removed, or rather, to being so dependent on common human conventions and comforts that can push you out of your comfort zone. An intact bridge over a narrow drainage way for example.

Pushing onward we finally made camp a little past the Tall Trees Grove on a gravel bar at the junction of Tom McDonald Creek and Redwood Creek. There we set up camp, read, filtered water, ate and slept. The mild trail and the cool creek were welcome comforts compared to the harsh, rugged mountains of our field site and we slept like kings. The next morning we were welcomed by the sounds of birds and the drifting, coastal fog. 

The hike out was much quicker than the hike in. There was little else to see but stopping to bid farewell to trees we had passed on the way in. Once we got to Rhyhorn we resupplied on food, water and clean clothes and, bidding farewell to the trail, gunned it for Fern Canyon.

I will admit much of the motivation to backtrack to Fern Canyon was because of it’s role as a film location for Jurassic Park II. The unique canyon was right off the coast and held enough moisture to be home to countless Five-Fingered Fern. Hiking through its cold waters and staring up the walls and logs immersed me in such a primeval aura that I half expected a Velociraptor to come tearing around the corner. 

In an attempt to place ourselves more northward by the end of the day we hit the road after Fern Canyon and didn’t stop until we reached Crescent City. We didn’t expect the town to be so…tourist dependent as it was. Having just been in Fern Canyon we were surprised and uncomfortable being in the rundown, beach town. Small hotels and motels lined the main street and industrial buildings and dilapidated houses filled the rest of the space. The goal was to get information from the park headquarters located there but it was closed and instead we opted to have dinner at the local Thai restaurant. Though the owners were extremely kind and accommodating, what I had was less Drunken Noodle and more cheaply stir fried, day-old noodles with random leftover vegetables and too much spice thrown into it. Heading back down the coast we aimed for the Nickel Creek campground. It was ideal because it was along the coast and was an easy 1.5 mile hike from the parking lot, the caveat was that it was a parking lot notorious for being broken into - what can you do? We stopped at an overlook for some cell phone signal to call loved ones and to watch the sun set.

The next morning we walked along the beach and bid the Pacific farewell. The rest of the trip was going to be inland traveling northwards into Oregon. The mission was to get to Cave Junction by that night putting us in a good position for our rendezvous with the Medford Interagency Communication Center’s radio technician the next morning. We needed him to reprogram our Oregon-issued Forest Service radios to better work with the californian repeaters of the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains we were working in. Along the way we stopped by pull-off in the Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest to do a rainy last hike among the great Redwoods while Lilly got a much needed trail run in (runners, you know). It is truly amazing and humbling to have so many great trees made so accessible by roads and byways. It is amazing and frightening to me knowing that these giants were almost logged to the point of no return and has made me so grateful for all of the hard work conservationists have been doing these long years and years to come to save all endangered members of our world, charismatic or not. I knew in my gut that I was fighting a good fight that may, on the surface, seem hopeful and without reward but that there existed success stories like this and that no one can ever expect a success story if no one is fighting. 

Radios reprogrammed and returned we stinkily and starvingly hit up Medford REI for supplies and Food 4 Less for food and beer for the next work spike. Piling everything into Rhyhorn for the last time we made our way south back to our cabins and to our warm beds. It would be only the third night I’ve spent in a bed since May 21st. 

Now, back to the second spike. First off I have to apologize for this being such a long post, I haven’t had much signal or wifi access as of late and when those are within reach I haven’t had much energy for anything other than reading and sleeping. I have begun to find the glow of a screen tiring and painful and the endless world of smartphone apps (even instagram) to be overwhelming and stressful. Perhaps good changes? Anyways, back to the post.

The second spike of the field season was difficult for me for many reasons. First off we were now on our own. Rob and Alan from Smithsonian and OSU respectively had returned to their usual lives and it was now my teammates and I in charge of the field season. No longer did we have guides or supervisors to turn to when we had questions or to rely on for decision making. With Kristine gone from the team the leadership position fell to me and, not having lead a team formally before I was beginning to panic at the amount of detail that I no longer could let slip off my shoulders. It was a godsend and a grateful blessing that my team turned out to be understanding, supportive and extremely independent. Quickly we turned the decision making to the whole group and became a sort of consensus-based self-governing field crew. The great Klamath Field Crew of 2015 haha. Having received GPS and map coordinates from Alan we packed the trucks with supplies, food and maps and hit the road for the first assigned site of the spike. The destination was the 2002 Stanza Fire.

Ascending up the mountain the roads began to narrow and become unkept. Many places were blocked by downed trees and rocks and some parts had been burned away completely. Using the map and GPS we navigated the turns best we could. The goal was to get us as close as we could to the assigned polygon and to still be near a safe turnaround point, campsite and approach angle. Inevitably we took a wrong road and found ourselves making the scariest 20 point u-turn of our (my) life. With the whole team spotting me I nervously maneuvered the massive work truck against the edge of the drop off. After all was said and done I took my hat off, uttered “Fuck” and took a long piss off the mountain side. 

Once in the polygon we worked quickly to set up the plot running 50m and 30m tapes to form a large rectangle transected into 9 subplots. We set off on working through the protocols knowing that there wasn’t much room for questions and that we were in charge of the quality of the data now. The pressure of this being the only field season afforded by the grant for the study made it all the more imperative that we got this right. Then the thunder came. Being out here in fire country we needed to treat lightning seriously. Having come from the east coast where thunder and lightning roll in from the skies along with heavy rains I had no concept of “dry lightning”. Here in the dry mountains of the west lightning can come suddenly and numerously and without rain starting fires everywhere it lands. As the skies continued to boom the radio chatter began to increase. Lookout planes were being sent to survey the mountain sides and people were reporting their locations. We decided to call it off until tomorrow and made camp at a pull-off along the road. Parking the truck between the road and our circled tents we set off on taking an inventory of the supplies, reading and cooking dinner. The cold winds whipped at us atop that ridge so that we were in long-sleeves before long. 

As the sun set over the distant ridges we gathered close and sipped our beers and ate our warm lentils discussing books, past jobs and the anticipated trials of the rest of the spike. I have never worked in such beautiful and yet rugged mountains and gazing over at the burning sunset I knew that I was in a good place with good people.

The next day we finished the Stanza plot and quickly headed for the next location on our list and promptly finished that one as well. The mission then was to find the Norcross Campground, send two people and the truck back to Happy Camp to rendezvous with our new teammate Charles and to set up camp and dinner. But first I needed to cross this stream. 

If there is one thing to know about me it is that I like to be prepared. Prepared for a test, prepared for a job, hell, prepared for a vacation. I simply need to be prepared. I am ok with doing most any job no matter how unpleasant as long as I know ahead of time what I will be dealing with and can prepare accordingly. It’s why I am the most daring and clumsy when it comes to bushwacking. Trampling blindly I crush through brush, thorns and snags to take the shortest path but I do it with two pairs of socks, thick Carhartt jeans, knee high gaiters, long-sleeves, strong boots, leather gloves, a kool-tie around my neck, a buff around that and over my nose and mouth, a wool buff over my head and hair and a sun hat atop all of that. But no Chacos. That is why all the rest of the day and it’s responsibilities could wait. I needed to cross this stream. After walking up and down the bank several times the team decided the only way across was to either step carefully and surely on the barely exposed rocks or to walk barefoot across it. As my teammates began taking off their shoes and socks I looked desperately at Alan’s instructions (as I didn’t have a great track record of crossing streams barefoot) and it simply said, “cross the stream to the polygon”. The bastard. I took off my boots and gaiters and socks and rolled my thick Carhartts as high as I could. I secured the radio in my pack and began to cross. I rationalized that the worst case scenario would be that I slipped and broke my ankle and then drowned, so as long as I was able to get away without any of that happening I could really see the whole thing as a success. Stabilizing my first step I could already feel the weight of my swinging boots and heavy pack shifting me around. Holding my breath I lifted my other foot and gingerly stepped onto the next slippery, freezing rock. 

As it would turn out Norcross Campground was an exceptional and beautiful campground, likely due to the fact that the fire we were studying had destroyed it and it had been rebuilt. Mainly meant for horseman, it had a few large corals, wide open camp grounds and access to the nearby creek. Since our sites for the rest of the spike were in fires within driving and hiking distance from the campsite we decided to make it our home base for the next 8 days. 

As the week progressed the temperature began to rise. Quickly I was realizing that I couldn’t keep up my usual field uniform and would need to start making compromises between being clean and not getting heat stroke. The slopes and vegetation also began to worsen pushing many of us to our limits by the end of the 10 hour days. The girls had the right idea to take advantage of the frequent stream crossings and decided to hike the second half of the return trip a la undies. 

One of the perks of working in old fires are the views. We work surrounded by old snags many of which could kill us, but are absolutely beautiful. The sheer size of some of the pre-burn trees are astonishing. 

For the most part we were out of the field and back at camp by 4-5pm each day. A pattern began to form where we would start our days 0600 hours to beat the heat, get our plots done as fast as possible and return to camp to process trees collected for stem analysis whilst imbibing hot beer until dinner time. Because of our proximity to Elk Creek we also had the luxury of bathing each night this spike. Another thing about me is that I absolutely need to be clean. Working in the field and hiking and camping for 8 days on end I have started to develop techniques to beating the stink. Moslty baby wipes and Dr. Bronners to be honest. 

Each night was spent with good conversation, good food and good company. To think that we were being paid to work and live out here blew all of our minds. It seemed we all knew exactly how lucky and privileged we were to be chosen for the team and, even on the hardest days, we all agreed with the age old wildlife saying, “A bad day in the field is still better than a good day in the office”! 

Here’s to an amazing team and an amazing summer to come. I have already grown and learned so much from the land and the people I have come to call my home and friends. My perspectives on life is ever changing and my path is ever growing but like I said before, I know I am in a good place with good people. Until next spike and next time.

Chris

To Newport and Back Again

Portland, OR
Elevation: 1,073 ft.

This weekend I had the chance to travel down the Oregon coast with my cousins Khem and Amanda. Piling into Amanda’s car Friday morning I was already envisioning the next three days of getting car sick. I had dropped off Rhyhorn at the local Toyota dealer Thursday afternoon, begrudgingly, and have yet to get him back. I will honestly admit that I have separation anxiety from my truck (and the shit ton of basic things I keep in him as I halfway live out of him). Between slow workers, parts not coming in as promised and the fact that I didn’t know what half of the expensive repairs meant I have realized that I need to learn to fix him myself. Easier said than done but then again I have never liked relying on incompetent people…That out of the way the drive was truly a beautiful experience. The last time I saw the Pacific I was a small child and didn’t appreciate it, seeing it as an adult was an entirely different thing. I had all of my east coast perceptions to compare the experience to and had two awesome wildlife guides with me! 

Friday consisted of making our way northeast to Ecola State Park and Cannon Beach. Pulling into the park and walking to the first overlook I gazed out onto a pristine beach with barely any people on it and few houses and developments looming in the distance. Standing offshore where large haystack shaped rocks breaking the light blue waves as they came ashore. I had never seen this kind of beach before. I was much more accustomed to the dark green, murky waters of our overcrowded east coast beaches. Littered with trash and people and framed by towering hotels and advertising planes and ships. Compared to the zoos out east this was a sanctuary. My cousin aptly stated that it was the, “quintessential Oregon beach”. 

Walking along the shore of Cannon Beach the first thing I noticed was how fine and cool the sand was. It was so fine that it made an almost squeaking sound as you dragged your feet through it. Nearly everyone was in a long sleeve because of the cool coastal air. My cousins revealed that summer granted temperatures a little warmer but not by much - I loved it. Walking in the water I was shocked at how cold it was. I didn’t see how people were able to swim in it for long. It made me miss the warmth of the east coast beaches. Littered all over the beach were the dried up remains of Velella velella that were pushed onto shore by the strong winter winds. This imparted on the beach a kind of fishy smell. Not unlike dried squid. 

Travelling with my cousins was great because they knew the areas so well and knew where the best places where to stop. Driving through Tillamoook we made a stop at the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory. We only had 15 minutes but it was enough time to fill up on cheese curd samples, meat sticks and maybe the best cookies and cream shake I’ve ever had. Think Cold Stone but better. 

Our last stop before out campsite was Cape Meares, cape #2 of our three cape tour. The sun was starting to set giving me another chance to play around with soft light and water. 

That night we camped at Cape Lookout State Park. The campsites were clean, spacious and only a few minutes walk onto the beach. After setting up camp we hurried to the beach just in time to catch the last few minutes of the sunset - it was perfect timing. After a hearty meal of couscous and curry (a new camplife hack for me) we walked along the beach to look at the stars. It was my first time camping near a beach and I loved it. As I fell asleep I fantasized about the future beach camping trips I would have with Rhyhorn (I know it’s bad). 

The next morning we hiked to the edge of Cape Lookout and gazed southward back along the coast. I strapped on my full 65L Osprey Atmos AG Pack to test out it’s handling and to make any adjustments I would need to before the field season. Once an REI employee, always and REI employee haha. Hiking through the forest up and down the switchbacks I felt the ocean breeze and smelled the pines. The forests out here are cool and wet and, along the coast, filled with fog and breeze. I loved every minute of it. 

The last cape on our journey was Cape Kiwanda. Turning into Pacific City I was greeted by a much more familiar scene. Cars were parked everywhere and people were out and about enjoying restaurants, tourist stores and the beachside. We stopped for lunch at Pelican Pub and Brewery. The beer was flavorful, albeit a little mild for my taste, and the food was savory. I would definitely recommend the cream ale. The beach itself was covered in cars and tourists. Since it was a popular take-off point for boats it was a drive on beach and the sheer amount of people turned off my cousins who were used to the much more empty and serene beach of their past trips. I felt right at home. The hustle and bustle and different people reminded me of a super clean and behaved Virginia Beach and it made me miss home. 

We continued our journey southward to my cousins’ old stomping ground, Newport. But first was a stop at the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. Amanda had done a lot of work here on the coastal birds living on and around the rocks offshore. I don’t know the first thing about birds but if one ever needs to know more about coastal birds, Khem and Amanda are the ones to ask. The natural area was beautiful to look at. The beach there was covered in black cobble stones. Formed of basalt and smoothed by the ocean, the waves created a rolling, crackling sound as it pushed and pulled the stones. 

Next it was onward to Newport. Pulling into the hilly, seaside town Khem and Amanda would point out certain stores and places. It was here that they had lived and worked during their formative years as ecologists. I could tell that there was a lot of their history locked in the buildings, streets and shores.

The last stop of the day was at Ram and Dawn’s home. The two were long time friends of Khem and Amanda and recognized me from the wedding. More friends arrived for the dinner including: Becca, Chris and Eli. It was wild having met these people 4 years ago at the wedding and seeing them again 4 years later under totally unpredictable circumstances. For a moment I thought on the progress I had made. Their home was beautiful and full of colorful things they had collected over their journeys. Like Khem and Amanda, Dawn worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ram was a artist that had painted most of the art for the coastal state parks we had visited. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him more about his art and photography but it was clear that he had worked on more projects to name and it was also clear that he was extremely talented. Behind their home they had a bunch of different types of chickens. I learned that Khem, Amanda, Rom, Dawn and many of their other close friends started and owned a chicken co-op for a long time. It explained the enthusiasm for chickens and gave me the chance to try some of the best eggs I’ve ever had. 

The rest of the weekend was spent in Corvallis where I met up with Erin, an old friend from the SMSC semester. It was wonderful catching up with her as well as seeing the college town my cousins had studied in. Again I was met with the realization that time was always moving forward no matter what you were doing. People were constantly changing and progressing and moving on and all one could really do is hope that they are doing their best and, in general, are hurtling towards a happy and accomplished life. 

I will get the rest of the week to spend in Portland, once I get my damn truck back from the incompetent dealers, and will head down to Corvallis on Friday. My gears will once again be set into motion as I begin my field season in the Klamath National Forest. I have to admit I am nervous to be the co-leader of the field team and am a little afraid of the unknown. But after my big trip and hearing advice from my cousins and their friends I have seen first hand the variety of stories and lessons people have to offer and am armed with a lot more peace of mind. Life is a crazy shit show and we are all trying to figure out how to be secure and happy (if that’s even possible). And it is a dynamic thing that can’t be controlled. But in a lot of ways it’s perfect that way. This will be the last super long post for awhile. For the most part I will be switching back to my suck-ass iPhone 4s camera and instagram but will be documenting my journey out west as full and candid as I can. Thank you all for reading and being awesome parts of this crazy life of mine.

All the best,

Chris 

Mountains, Hip-Hop and the Quest for Stickers.

Denver, CO
Elevation: 5,280 ft.

After bidding Ellen goodbye, good luck and thank you I began my usual routine of prepping Rhyhorn for a long drive. It didn’t take long for me to get back into the road tripping zone but it did have a feeling of being lonelier. Putting Rhyhorn into drive I looked back at Ellen’s house and took solace in her words when she told me that I would be meeting amazing people out west. Like-minded, open and fun. It rekindled the idea that I was starting over and that I was jumping into the unknown with a purpose - to really find out what this world had to offer. Reenergized I took off westward for highway 230, the destination was Colorado.

Highway 230 passed me through a few of the ridges of Medicine Bow National Forest eventually giving way to Colorado and the small towns of Cowdrey and Walden. From there it was south and eastwards towards Fort Collins. Deciding to take highway 14 through Medicine Bow and Roosevelt National Forests was, perhaps, one of the best decisions I made during this trip. The scenic routes added a couple of hours to the trip but allowed me to drive through parts of the Rockies (but not the Rocky Mountain National Park, I was incorrect). Cattle and farmlands blurred past me as I hurtled towards the Rockies - my heart was pounding irrationally hard over these mountains.

Highway 14 took me right into the mountains and snaked its way eastward along the Cache la Poudre River. Around every turn there was something to see, I could barely go a few minutes before pulling over, grabbing my camera and running across the road. I climbed down river banks, up rocky mounds and stood along ledges so steep I got lightheaded - it was an adventure.

Something that caught my eye along the nearly 2 hour long passage was the way the mountain sides would change from section to section. I am in constant realization about how little I know about geology but only after this drive did I realize how much I want to learn. My logical way of looking at it was that the sides were all characterized by the different types of vegetation present as well as whether they were snow covered or barren. I figured that a few things could have contributed: elevation, facing westward or eastward and management (logging, burning).

I had never seen mountains like these in my life and getting the chance to drive through them by myself was something that I really needed. I left highway 14 with a newfound respect for these silent ridges as well as a burning excitement to learn more about the west.

I decided to stop in Fort Collins for a rest and grabbed a burger at a restaurant off the main strip called Lodge Sasquatch Kitchen. While there I made friends with the bartender and a regular. They were the first young people that I had seen in a long time and it was refreshing to hear them talk about places to see during my time here in Colorado. The bartender was a transplant that had spent time living in Michigan and South Dakota before coming here and I was able to talk to her about some of the places I had been. Rested I headed out for Boulder with the simple mission of finding the NEON, Inc. headquarters and finding the Boulder Patagonia. During my time with NEON I met some of the best people I know and found a family there. It was one of my biggest learning experiences going through the different protocols and it allowed me to see the SCBI facility in ways I had never seen it before. Never before had I known the buildings and the land so well. At the end of each hard day there was always the realization that all of this hard work was to produce data and samples that would be sent back to Boulder. They were also the ones that came up with the protocols, handled the troubleshooting and would send out supplies and people to train us. I just HAD to see this magical place that had put us through so much. Pulling into the parking lot I looked at the plan building complex in front of me, unsure if I was in the right place. It looked like I was in the middle of a business park. What gave it away was a few white F150s parked around me with the “NEON, Inc” magnet decal on their sides. A decal I fondly remember frantically ripping off our truck in Annapolis, MD during a beer run as a lady with groceries laughed on. The building was set up so that NEON had the entire first floor. As I entered the main lobby I had the sudden realization that I had no fucking idea what I was going to do once I got here. The mission was just to get here and I hadn’t planned anything. I will spare the suspense and confess that it went just as awkward as it could have gone. Gently pushing the door of the main office I entered a silent, sterile waiting room. The young woman behind the desk looked up at me with a surprised look and said, “Hello”. “Hi”, I replied, “So this is kind of random but, I used to work in Domain 02 in Virginia, and I am just road tripping across country to Oregon and I just had to stop by and see HQ”. “Oh, wow! Thanks for stopping by!”, and then she fell silent and stared at me. I looked around and mentioned that they had a nice sign. And that it was quieter and smaller than I expected. I asked her if all the techs where here and if the labs were here and she said yes. I found a picture of the board and told her that I had met them, she said wow. I then asked her if there were a lot of visitors, before she could answer I noticed the sign in sheet and saw it was mostly maintenance guys. At that point it was so quiet that I knew if I kept talking it would quickly degenerate to just me making an ass of myself so I asked her if I could use the bathroom and she said yes. Leaving the building I felt a big sense of accomplishment. A year ago I had no idea that I would be where I am now. Not in a million years did I think I would ever make good on my playful promise to myself to visit headquarters and yet I had just peed in their bathroom. Starting Rhyhorn I thought about my NEON team and said under my breath, “that was for our soldiers”.

Pulling into Denver I was greeted by a traffic jam. For the past week I had been driving through country roads and rural highways, the concept of rush hour hadn’t even crossed my mind and yet here I was stuck between priuses and shiny SUVs. It reminded me of NoVa and started giving me splitting headaches and claustrophobia. I remembered how much I hated big cities. But, being the mile high city as well as the hub for a lot of outdoor sports I bit the bullet. I will say something that made me happy was the fact that nearly every other car was a SUV and that most of those were tricked out 4runners, Escapes and Jeeps AND that all of them had roof racks. Rhyhorn and I blended in perfectly. After about an hour and a half of traffic I pulled into the parking lot of Kevin’s apartment complex. It was the first time I had seen him since Christmas and I went in for a big hug only to learn that he had bruised the muscles around his ribs from heavy coughing and a performing in a recent performance despite said cough. Kevin is the only guy I know that goes so hard that he sprains his serratus muscles dancing. After settling in in his apartment we grabbed dinner together at his favorite sushi place (a treat from my mom to us, she’s the best!). 

That night was a trip down memory lane. We caught up on life, what our future plans were, what we were doing right now, how much we were winging it and a reintroduction to the world of hip hop. Once upon a time I was a breakdancer and throughout high school and early college dancing was a passion of mine and Kevin and our close friend Johnny. It started with home made martial arts videos and evolved into home made dance videos and eventually culminated into us making our own crew and everything complete with logos embroidered on our clothes. We were in it. Once college came around we met many like-minded dancers and really entered the world of hip hop choreography. Speaking candidly, I had no idea what I was thinking. My sad attempts at creating choreography are moments I will never live down. But Kevin. Kevin took off. His style was complex and rich in emotion and, in my opinions, years ahead of the game. It was his love and passion for dance that caused him to pack his things and drive to Colorado to pursue teaching. At the time my friends and I were worried and pretty much chalked it up to him just dying but we were wrong. Spending the whole first night watching his new pieces and watching videos of our favorite choreographers I was caught up all at once to just how much progress hip hop dance has made. It is a complex, rich force of art that is going as strong as ever. Watching Kevin teach his classes I was really taken back. I couldn’t really comprehend what I was seeing. I remembered practicing in my basement late into the night for a international night talent show at my high school with Kevin but now here he was with a full class teaching excited students and getting paid. I told him that watching him teach reminded me of the opportunities I had at SCBI to teach BJJ basics to my friends. There is no feeling quite like teaching. You are imparting a part of yourself to other people and they are excited to feel and learn and become part of what you have to share. It’s intense as balls. Here are some links to some of the artists that we revisited as well as Kevin himself: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/LucklessLotus

https://www.youtube.com/user/BrianPuspos

https://www.youtube.com/user/keoneANDmari

https://www.youtube.com/user/shaunevaristo

https://www.youtube.com/user/DJIcon

And I have to mention separately Bboy Cloud and just how much he has grown as a dancer. He has transcended breakdancing and choreography and has gone the distance to write and produce his own films. I always found his short musical clips amazing but, armed with kickstarter, he has come out with his first long, short film and it blew my mind. Watch it for yourselves and tell me that this is world’s better than the shit they have on tv, movies and the god damn grammy’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOYZyCJF5_8

During the day we had a tour de gear stores. Kevin was being a great sport and taking me to outdoor gear stores I am sure he would never have visited on his own. He held it together while I fan-boy talked his ears off about Patagonia and REI and had the patience to wait while I geeked out about said companies in said stores with said store’s employees. Walking into the Denver Patagonia I had low hopes to be honest but I was driven by my quest for stickers (Patagonia stickers are some of the hardest stickers to come by, you have to visit their brick and mortar stores to get them and even then there are only 29 in the U.S.). Something I learned while visiting the DC Patagonia was that employees knew, at best, the surface factoids about how the company was a big figure in the fight for environmentally responsible businesses. But a man named Trevor Masters changed all that. I must have talked to him for at least 30 minutes about the company. We talked about Yvon Chouinard and how many things he had pioneered for the company, climbing, watersports, the clothing industry and sustainable business. We talked about how the worn wear program was bringing to the forefront the concept of reducing and reusing. He told me how surprised customers were that a person was going to literally sew ad repair their worn clothes before their eyes. He put it well when he said, “A pair of pants you wear and repair for 10 years is 10 years worth of pants that don’t have to be made, circulated and trashed”. Just when I though I couldn’t be geeking enough about the company he asked for my information and gave me his. He told me that, if things didn’t work out with my field job (getting an extension, etc.) that he would email Porltand Patagonia’s manager and put in a good word for me. I was beyond freaking out. We talked more about the company and started touching on technical fabrics, fabrics made from recycled material as well as their traceable down. I don’t think he expected me to keep up with him let alone finish his sentences and even correct him on a few things. That’s when he asked me if I had read and of Chouinard’s books. When I said no he told me to wait one second and he went to the bookshelf, walked over to the register and BOUGHT ME TWOBOOKS. I died where I stood. I told him that I had never had such a positive and actually thought provoking experience in a patagonia store. That I thought I was crazy that I was as passionate and grateful as I was that such a company existed. He handed me some stickers and told me that it was a pleasure meeting me and I left with a new friend, a rekindled love for the company and some bad ass stickers. 

The next stop was the flagship Denver REI. Both places where places I had often fantasized about visiting. One does not just drive through Colorado without visiting these places and here I was making it happen. When we pulled into the REI we were shocked at how big it was, then we shocked that we had to pay for parking. Instead of entering through the front we decided to park on the side. As we walked up towards the door I stopped dead in my tracks. Right at the entrance was none other than my friend and Fairfax REI coworker Chelsea posing in front of the sign for a picture! A little context, Chelsea and I both left REI a week apart to drive cross country for Oregon and Washington respectively. We were each other’s support systems and shared the grief and sadness of having to say goodbye to our REI family. I knew we would both be traveling but the trips just didn’t line up so I figured we would reconnect later in the PNW but as the fates would have it we ran into each other at that moment! I touched on this once before, the strange way that coincidences work, and I thought to myself how it was all chance that Kevin and I woke up so late, that I talked so long with Trevor, that we got stuck in traffic and that we parked on the side instead of the front! Mind blown and giddy to see my old friend I shouted and hugged her like a maniac. 

The actual store itself was massive and impressive for that fact but was otherwise underwhelming. The staff was friendly and I’m sure were knowledgeable but they seemed to lack the fun, friendly, passionate sparkle my team had. It could have been the fact that it was a slow Wednesday, or because I am a pathological romanticizer, but everyone seemed deflated. 

The night ended with beers at the Great Divide brewery and some cheap, delicious chinese food. My time here in Colorado has been so eye-opening and fruitful I can’t believe it was just two days. I told Kevin that I have been trying harder to live a more open life, to take more chances and to just go for it. And more than ever I can really say that it has been helping me experience life in a better, fuller way. The next stop is the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone for Wyoming pt. II. Until then my friends.

Sorry this one was so long and thank you all for supporting me and keeping up with me. It is a honor, gift and privilege to have you all in my life!

Chris

     Yesterday I had the opportunity to adventure through the northern area of Dolly Sods, WV with my brother in adventure, Sean Lacey. The 13 mile hike was part of a plan of ours to slowly expand our adventures westward, and let me tell you, it was a hell of a first experience. The beautiful wilderness area was nested in the Allegheny mountains and had a variety of terrain and began as a beautiful westward descent towards the center of the valley. We hiked through sprawling fields of low grasses, sporadic conifers, clusters of boulders and fields of blueberries. In the distance we could see a dense forest of evergreens awaiting us. The valley has had a history of war and logging which could be easily seen in the lush forest floors which were densely covered in ferns and new growth. It was as if we were walking through prehistoric times. The cool forest gave way to bright, rocky fields (I deduce this is when we obtained the majority of our sunburn). For a few miles there was no cover but we could tell we were quickly approaching Rocky Knob by the increasing number of boulders as well as the occasional trail maker (Dolly Sods didn’t have a blazed trail leaving us to the mercy of hikers past). Upon reaching the first large rock face (which we presumed to be Rocky Knob) we could see other, larger rock faces in the distance. Fast-forward two more knobs and we reached what we believed to be THE Rocky Knob mentioned in the literature. Throughout the hike we recorded time and elevation at each trail intersection and made sure to note the first two knobs as Tallywacker Knob #1 and #2 respectively. At the base of the peak we set up shop and rehydrated. Once our food had cooked we took our meals up to the top and enjoyed a well-earned lunch and a breathtaking view. I took the opportunity to photograph the surrounding landscape as well as some candids of Sean. Lately I’ve found that I am relying on my iPhone 4s more and more as my primary camera (I can see all of my photography professors cringing). With these hikes getting more technical/beautiful the opportunity is starting to outweigh the quality and I am reaching for my phone rather than unpacking my bulky DSLR. In my opinion, the app VSCOCAM (http://vsco.co/vscocam) is an invaluable partner on these hikes. It’s photo quality is much higher than the stock camera app and its editing capabilities are everything that I need (except I could use a brightness/fill light option) to take quality images. The only photos in this entry taken with my DSLR are the ones watermarked. Anyways, photographic aside aside, I really owe a lot to Sean Lacey. Over the past months he has become a close friend, a valued teacher and a irreplaceable  adventure companion. Aside from basic survival and navigation, he has shown me how to truly live a simple and honest life. He has helped me gain so much experience with the outdoors and has made me a much more capable and confident hiker. Once we finished our meals we prepared for the stretch back home. To do this we essentially needed to complete the second half of the rectangular hike which included more than 4 different intersecting trails, all of which weren’t marked. We had roughly 5 or so hours of sunlight left. The trouble really began with finding our way back to the main trail from the knob. What we took as the main trail was actually the first of many bushwacked trails we would accidentally follow and it took us almost 30 minutes to navigate the confusing terrain. Once we were on the main trail we hiked until we found ourselves in a earthy, red forest. Our biggest error happened when we miscalculated the distance between two intersections on our map and mistakenly thought we were much further ahead then we were. We crossed the river and met a man setting up camp with his dog. We knew that we needed to hike north and cross a second river but the trail and map weren’t lining up. The terrain features quickly became ambiguous and the trail completely disappeared into campground. We eventually came across a woman filtering water and crossed the river there. We completely lost the trail at this point and only had 2.5 hours of sunlight left with well over 6 miles to go - it was going to turn into a night hike. We gave up on the trail and began bushwacking northward until we found yet another stream - this was the giveaway that we were terribly off course. As it would turn out we were surrounded by the stream and needed to u-turn. Crossing the stream again and hiking through thick trees we found the man setting up his tent again and he happily shouted out, “Deja-vu!” which is the last thing any hiker wants to hear when they are lost. He helped us get back on track and we eventually found the trail indicator we needed. With less than an hour of sunlight left and 5 or so miles to go we rehydrated and prepared our headlamps. We would be approaching the bog part of our hike, in which there were of course 2 very crucial intersections, in the dark. To my luck we had a mile worth of bog before the sun set so I was able to figure out the best way to step through them - there is no best way to step through them. By 21:00 we were hiking in complete darkness across the center of the massive valley through swamp grass, thick mud and invisible streams - I was pretty damn scared and completely out of water. The only thing letting us know we were going the right direction was the fact that the mud we were walking through didn’t have grass and the notion that it and must have been formed by hikers. By 22:00 we were on dry land again and ascending up a cool rocky path. I knew we were close to home. Call me over dramatic but I shouted for joy when I shined my PD22 up the trail and a license plate and 2 rear lights reflected back - we had found the damn parking lot. 

Here’s to strapping up your boots and going for it.

Trek On,

Chris

"In the distance we could see a dense forest of evergreens awaiting us."

"It was as if we were walking through prehistoric times."

"For a few miles there was no cover but we could tell we were quickly approaching Rocky Knob by the increasing number of boulders as well as the occasional trail marker."

"Fast-forward two more knobs and we reached what we believed to be THE Rocky Knob mentioned in the literature."

"Aside from basic survival and navigation, he has shown me how to truly live a simple and honest life."

"At the base of the peak we set up shop and rehydrated."

"Once our food had cooked we took our meals up to the top and enjoyed a well-earned lunch ad a breathtaking view."

"Once we were on the main trail we hiked until we found ourselves in a earth, red forest."

"Crossing the stream again and hiking through thick trees we found the man setting up his tent again and he happily shouted out, "Deja-vu! which is the last thing any lost hiker wants to hear."

"To my luck we had a mile worth of bog before the sun set so I was able to figure out the best way to step through them - there is no best way to step through them." 

     Earlier this week I had the fortune to hike Big Schloss (Great North Mountain) with my good friend, Sean Lacey. Hands down the 13 mile hike was definitely the most beautiful and rewarding hike I’ve done so far. It took about 7 hours to get to the summit but the weather was cool and forgiving and the switchbacks gradual and calm. We only took about 3 breaks and the first one was at a beautiful overlook of West Virginia. A preview of the amazing scene at the top. One thing I have to say about this trail is that it definitely was the most varied trail I have ever hiked. And by varied I mean there where times where I felt we were on a beautiful, rainy pacific northwest mountainside, entering the African savanna, walking through a Narnia of thorns and bees and crossing the abyss of a himalayan mountain. At the summit of the mountain was the most beautiful view I’ve seen to date. From where I sat I could see the intersections of the blue ridge and Appalachian mountains. To my left was Virginia and to my right was West Virginia. To imagine that I was sitting at the single, measurable, physical point marking the end of the trail on my map was something so mind-blowing and surreal to me. My mind is always moving through frames of relativity and perspective (it’s just the way I see things) and I was simply humbled. I fall in love with these mountains each time I hike. As icing on top of the cake, Sean used his pocket rocket (http://www.rei.com/product/660163/msr-pocket-rocket-backpacking-stove) to cook us up a well-deserved lunch of chicken teriyaki and mango chicken with rice. While he did that I adventured around the summit with my DSLR geeking out the gear junkie side of mine. I have to say, my PAG240-1 Pathfinder (http://www.rei.com/product/805931/casio-pathfinder-pag240-1-multifunction-watch) really pulled through. It not only gave accurate compass bearings but it correctly measured our final elevation at a 2,920 ft. Ok, the company-man side of me aside, and my rambling under control, the hike is definitely a hike I will be doing again. A life spent outdoors traveling, learning and experiencing the simple pleasures is a life I am working on achieving and these are the kind of pushes I need to get there. Here’s to chasing your dreams one mountain at a time.

Trek On,

Chris 

"From where I sat I could see the Intersections of the Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains. To my left was Virginia and to my right was West Virginia."

"Sean used his pocket rocket to cook us up a well-deserved lunch of chicken teriyaki and mango chicken with rice."

"It not only gave accurate compass bearings but it correctly measured our final elevation at 2,920ft.."

"And by varied I mean there were times where I felt we were in a beautiful, rainy pacific northwest mountainside."

"Entering the African Savanna."

"Walking through a Narnia of thorns and bees."

"Crossing the abyss of a himalayan mountain."

These signs kept us going!

I'm a sucker for texture.

"We only took about 3 breaks and the first one was at a beautiful overlook of West Virginia."

   Nearly a week ago I had the chance to hike Old Rag with some co-workers (quickly turning into friends) and my bud Paul. It was, to say the least, extremely fulfilling for me. As embarrassing as  it may be, it was only the second serious hike I’ve every done. Not coming from a very outdoorsy family, I have been trying to catch up! Even more embarrassing is the sheer amount of people that hike Old Rag. Like I said, playing catch up. We decided to hike the 7.4 mile trail counterclockwise which meant climbing the famous rock scramble rather than descending it. This proved to be much more than I anticipated and, between my ridiculously heavy 40L multi-day pack and my ridiculous fear of heights, I did borderline terrible. There were times where I had to hand my pack up to Zach or Sean and then (poorly) hoist myself up the slippery boulders. The bulk of the weight in my pack was my overstock of food and my heavy DSLR. Both of which I was convinced I needed. But through the sweat and cramps there was laughter, good conversation and a peaceful calm I have never felt before. There is a clarity awarded by hiking a good hike. As we trekked the miles and miles I began to think about where I was. Who I was with and where I was going. Not just on the trail but in this day to day life I live. Since joining REI I have met some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and some of the most humble adventurers I will ever meet. I have learned the value of living a simple, honest and clean life. I learned to work hard and to be strong as an individual and as a team. Probably most of all, I learned that life is just too short to say no (except for sky diving, give me some time for that). I’ve been spending my days off either on adventures or volunteering in the community. Balancing a day for “us” and a day for “them” is something I learned from my good friend, Sean Lacey. I have always been an avid volunteer but not until meeting him did I realize just how many ways there were to serve the community. This is a guy that volunteers on a farm,  then immediately goes to donate blood, refuels and showers at REI and then heads off to spend his evening volunteering at his church…This is Sean Lacey. The beautiful thing about all of this was that I wasn’t sitting in my room late at night thinking myself into oblivion. I was blinking, sweating and aching - I was hiking a mountain surrounded by nothing but trees, mountain air and my brothers. When we reached the summit of Old Rag I could never have anticipated the breath taking view. The wind ripped at us across the treeless summit taking away all sounds. Before us spread the most beautiful sea of clouds and trees I have ever seen. It was as if we were on the edge of the world looking at a view only the gods could have the right to see. The clouds floated endlessly into the distance, the trees stood proudly in their sheer numbers. I felt infinite. I understand that this isn’t in any way the best or most extreme mountain range but to me it was an accomplishment and taste of something I am going to be doing the rest of my life. To say the least, my love for nature, the outdoors and the conservation of the only earth we have was refueled and rebuilt with a hard earned perspective…5 hours or so after entering the trail head we found ourselves sweaty, tired and satisfied enough to head home but first, we needed to see the ponies. I cannot wait for the many adventures to come with my beloved new friends.

Trek On,

Chris So

"To say the least, my love for nature, the outdoors and the conservation of the only earth we have was refueled and rebuilt with a hard earned perspective."

"Nearly a week ago I had the chance to hike Old Rag with some co-workers (quicjly turning into friends) and my bud Paul."

"I felt infinite."

"5 hours or so after entering the trail head we found ourselves sweaty, tired and satisfied enough to head home but first, we needed to see the ponies."

"But through the sweat and cramps there was laughter, good conversation and a peaceful calm I have never felt before."

"Since joining REI I have met some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and some of the most humble adventurers I will ever meet."

PHOTO DUMP!!!

Earlier this week I hiked Signal Knob with my coworker, Sean Lacey. It was my first serious hike and it was a much needed escape from the day to day. Work has been amazing, family has been good and I’ve been quite happy (gaining weight even) but I just needed to get away from it all. The 10.5 mile hike did the trick. We completed the loop in a little over 4 hours, much faster than the 5.5 hour prediction the website said it would take. The ascents were brutal, the paths were wrought with loose rocks and the view was breath taking…During the hike up we talked about family, friends, martial arts, the outdoors, relationships, volunteerism, boots, packs, knives - you name it. I feel like I found quite a kindred spirit in Sean.  Many cliff shots and a couple of chicken wraps later and I knew that we would make an excellent adventuring team! When we got back to our cars we refueled with some well-earned hamburgers and shakes (milkshakes are, arguably, my favorite food). I was preparing to part ways when I asked him what he was doing next and as it would turn out he was on his way to the Jefferson Memorial to read and write in his journal. I was surprised to say the least. Being someone who writes and reads and occasionally journeys into DC by himself to do both those things one could imagine how excited I was to be invited to join! We ended up sitting outside of the memorial for a good two hours as he wrote and I watched the sunset on the tidal basin barefoot. Can’t really explain it, but it was exactly what a long day’s hike needed as its ending…Hoping for many more adventures to come my new friend!

The other day I had the opportunity to photograph Reston Association’s Clean the Bay event. It was a part of a larger Clean the Bay day organized by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and was a very exciting thing to be a part of. I am really growing fond of Reston. It’s residents, it’s natural areas, it’s vibe. I would have really liked to have grown up there around so many nature and conservation education events. Anyways, the photo assignment was to capture the volunteers in action as they cleaned the shores of Lake Audubon and Lake Thoreou. I couldn’t have asked for better volunteers (not that I really have any say in the matter)! They were all very lively and very funny. The group I stayed with for the most part were a bunch of volunteers from the locally headquartered protective services Triple Canopy. They were a group of veterans and the such and I just vibed with their easy going, straight forward humor. Having been working with veterans at REI I have started having an affinity for the simple, honest, no nonsense demeanors of our servicemen(women). So much respect for what they’ve done and what they are doing…ANYWAYS, the lakes were absolutely beautiful and much larger than I thought. We weren’t able to even get around a 5th of it! As we turned a corner the rich foliage gave way to an expansive, resort-like sprawl of manicured lawns, private docks and shining boats. Just 10 minutes away from my house was this beautiful lakefront neighborhood! I hope to come back again sometime and run/bike around the lake. Reston is my go-to getaway. 

Lastly! Today was the 2013 Post Hunt event in DC! I can’t explain in words how fun this event was. Picture national treasure combined with the lost symbol combined with premium rush and that’s basically what we did! I discovered the magazine at dinner last night and with only a few hours notice I assembled a three man team consisting of: Tim Tolentino (Geography, Transportation), Mason Hsu (Geography, Problem Solving) and myself (I had the map and a bike for Mason). What we thought was going to be an obscure, little known scavenger hunt with an easy $2000 dollar prize ended up turning out to be this massive braniac horde of all the brilliant minds of the DC area. Everyone and their attractive girlfriends/sisters/daughters were there cracking these puzzles that were just jibberish to us. We were disheartened to say the least but we pulled through all 5 puzzles and made it to the final clue. We got everything but two puzzles wrong of course, but in the end we felt like winners. It was the experience and a well-spent day off. Carpe Diem is alive in us and I have no regrets. For our hard work and fried brains we thought it appropriate to end the day at the delicious haven, Shake Shack! I don’t think there isn’t a thing on their menu I don’t want to try. If only I had the stomach and money for it! All in all, it was an amazing week filled with amazing people. Things are looking very positive for me lately and I just have to keep on going. Keep working at REI, keep studying for the GREs and keep living life day by day. That’s the goal, that’s the mission. 

Here’s to days off well-spent.

Trek On,

Chris

"The ascents were brutal, the paths were wrought with loose rocks and the view was breath taking."

"I feel like I found a kindred spirit in Sean."

"Can't really explain it, but it was exactly what a long day's hike needed as its ending..."

"The other day I had the opportunity to photograph Reston Association's Clean the Bay event."

"The photo assignment was to capture the volunteers in action as they cleaned the shores of Lake Audubon and Lake Thoreou."

"I am really growing fond of Reston. It's residents, it's natural areas, it's vibe. I would have really liked to have grown up there around so many nature and conservation education events."

"As we turned a corner the rich foliage gave way to an expansive, resort-like sprawl of manicured lawns, private docks and shining boats."

"I assembled a three man team consisting of: Tim Tolentino (Geography, Transportation), Mason Hsu (Geography, Problem Solving) and myself (I had the map and a bike for Mason)."

"We were disheartened to say the least but we pulled through all 5 puzzles and made it to the final clue."

"For our hard work and fried brains we thought it appropriate to end the day at the delicious haven, Shake Shack!"

     This past weekend I had the honor of photographing Reston Association’s Spring Festival! I never get tired of volunteering for local organizations like this, especially for environmentally focused events such as the Spring Festival. From my pictures one probably couldn’t tell that the event was a huge success featuring numerous nature education games, live music and a nature trail scavenger hunt where kids solved clues at educational kiosks manned by local plant and animal environmental groups. Basically, the event made me wish I had kids so they could be exposed to the overflowing amount of positive, nature loving community I was seeing. I never knew there was such a vibrant eco-conscious community so close to home! The Walker Nature Center was a beautiful complex surrounded by forest and a nature trail. The trail led through the forest to a lake where visitors could fish (if licensed) and kayak. I didn’t even feel like I was 10 minutes away from home! As if the free eco-friendly bags and live music wasn’t enough, vendors provided free information on native plant species. Visitors could then buy native virginia plants from a local farmer (how often we overlook our native plants!). The entire event lifted my spirits and calmed how stormy my mind has been becoming lately. It reminded me that there are good people and good things in this world.

     In other news, TODAY WAS MY FIRST FULL DAY AT REI! It’s been weeks and weeks of sporadic training but today I was able to put in a full 8.5 hours, 5 of which were spent stocking various sections of the camping department. How fitting that the first section I ever stocked by myself would be the water bottle wall. It was the camelback bottle that got me to become more active. It was my camelback bottle that reliably held my water through Cambodia and France…Things always find a way to come full circle. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always for a reason. Alas, cheesiness aside, it was so incredible to return to the workforce. In all honesty, through my aching back and legs and sweat I haven’t been so happy in a long long time…For the first time since I spilled into this shark tank after graduation, I have structure and purpose in my life again. I stocked the hell out of those shelves, I memorized the hell out of all the camping supplies, I politely helped the shit out of those customers! I put in the work and the hours and I went to BJJ tired and satisfied. I missed work so dearly. I may be looking into this too deeply, or maybe not deeply enough. All I know is that I have a direction and a purpose and that I love this place I call work! I love learning about the equipment, I love meeting the customers, I love hearing about adventures and I AM DYING TO HAVE SOME OF MY OWN! I don’t know what I’m typing anymore. I’m sleep deprived from editing pictures and am bruised as hell from BJJ…I just know that I’m finally at a good place again…and that I really am excited for what the future holds…

Here’s to never giving up, and knowing when to let go…

Trek On.

Chris

"This past weekend I had the honor of photographing Reston Association's Spring Festival!"

"The Walker Nature Center was a beautiful complex surrounded by forest and a nature trail."

"The trail led through the forest to a lake where visitors could fish (if licensed) and kayak."

"I didn't even feel like I was 10 minutes away from home!"

"As if the free eco-friendly bags and live music wasn't enough, vendors provided free information on native plant species. Visitors could then buy native Virginia plants from a local farmer."

"For the first time since I spilled into this shark tank after graduation, I have structure and purpose in my life again."

Volunteerism, REI and the SMSC

     Two weekends ago I did a volunteer shoot for Reston Association’s Habitat Heroes. It was my first time freelancing for an environmental organization and quite frankly, I loved it. I got to meet Reston Association’s Community Outreach Ha Brock, Media Manager Sean Bahrami, and several awesome volunteers. These hard workers were pulling out Garlic Mustard that had overrun a lot of the nature areas’ forest floor. The experience really showed me the value of a community committed to protecting it’s native wildlife. The experience also opened a valuable door into the the Reston Association’s many events. I hope to be working with Sean on many shoots to come. I used to work in Reston and often get onto the W&OD trail from here - I figure I should give back to the beautiful area. To check out some of the shoot here’s my site: 

http://500px.com/christophersophotography/sets/volunteer_work

     Something else that getting involved with the RA showed me was how environmental conservation can take many forms and how interconnected it is. Looking through the huge PDFs of the summer events Sean sent me I quickly realized how many activities and projects Restonians could get involved with. Barely 10 minutes away from me there were watershed cleanups, invase species removals, wildlife education classes and long half day bird watching adventures I had never even heard of! Both far reaching and compact at the same time, determined communities like Reston really offer the chance to make a difference. Conservation can take many forms, not just the big gov’t and NGO orgs I have been applying too, or obscurely located Alaskan coastal bird population surveys. They can be right in your community. I still want to travel far and wide, don’t get me wrong, but I was wrong to overlook the hard workers in my own neighborhood. 

     I got a call back from REI for the group interview! I got the call last week and have been very very excited about it. The company is everything that I could hope to work for. They are a consumer co-op and big environmental steward both locally and holistically. The big picture reason I’d like to work there is to learn about the various equipment as well experience more of the local natural areas. I hope to make good friends and to explore some beautiful places around here. Of course the 50% employee discount has a say in all this too haha. Just today I went to a ‘Hiking Basics’ REI class (not employee training, REI just offers awesome classes) and made sure to walk around the store for 30 minutes before. I’m not working there yet but I am already seeing everything in a different way (and making a wish list). The hiking class was extremely useful, we learned a lot about basic equipment, safety precautions and local mountain geography. Touching again on the interconnectivity of conservation, REI is also participating in this weekend’s Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. Something I took away from the class other than hiking stories though, was again seeing the bigger picture of all of this. This meaning the business of environment. I watched employees walk up and down the back rooms stairs, I watched a man stumble over returned items to get to his buried desk to make a call to HQ about a complaint and I listened to how we are supposed to camp 300’ away from the trail or the rangers will make you move away (it makes the trail look bad). REI is a co-op, yes, but in this day in age it is essentially a business. And even a business focused on selling products for 'human-powered outdoor recreation’ needs money to run. Like REI, environmental conservation in its entirety needs money to work. Parks need to stay healthy and pretty, parks need fees to be pretty, parks need patrons to get fees, parks need to be pretty to get patrons, you camp 300’ away from the trail. I’m not sure where I’m going with this but I’m certain I’ve hit something. The more and more I explore into this field, the more and more I get rejected from jobs, the more and more I just take the leap and get out there with these classes and volunteering, the more I start to see things clearly. I suppose, I’m growing up. 

     Last update, it has just been a sudden rush of progress lately, I finally manned up and completed the application to the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. It wasn’t easy writing the letter of interest because of how much I wanted to get into the program. Having been thrashed by the job market to the point of depression, this program came out of the darkness like a lightening bolt. If I am able to get into the program and get the scholarship (because I literally have no money) I would be living, breathing, eating environmental training for a whole semester. If there is one thing that being in the job search shark tank has taught me it is the invaluability of experience. These orgs don’t care too much about what fancy coursework you’ve taken, they want to know that you know how to do the specific job they are advertising for with the least amount of training and pay necessary. It’s like pokemon. Say you need to train a pokemon to a competitive lvl 50, you don’t give too much of a damn about the personality or food preferences of the pokemon you find, you will catch the one closest to lvl 50. You will always opt for the most profit with the least amount of investment (this of course not taking into consideration EV training and competitive breeding). As of right now, I am a passionate, dedicated, willing to learn lvl 25 nothing. This semester may be the only chance I have to get a foothold to dive into this field. There are cheaper ways of course, find local opportunities, keep searching, volunteer! I have and they have always let me go. There aren’t many benevolent hearts out there willing to take a chance on 'potential’. The sequester is effectively shoving its hand down many of the departments’ throats and putting a nice freeze on govt hiring and everywhere else frankly doesn’t give a damn.

Things sure have changed from the boy that applied to 5 USAJOBS positions and immediately started packing for adventure.   

I have come to learn and realize a lot of things. Even now my plan is shaky at best. IF I get the job at REI I will have until August to gain experience and savings whereupon I will enter SMSC IF I get accepted and get the scholarship. After that I need to work my ass off to learn everything I can while making as many connections as I can. Best case scenario, I am hired into Smithsonian from within and find myself in a program that I am in love with that will help me get my masters. Worst case scenario, I don’t get the job or get into SMSC and I start from the beginning again while continuing to work at my parents’ store and perhaps working at a Caribou Coffee or something. 

C'est la vie, non?

As I continue to ride this ever changing sea,

Trek On.

Chris