Thursday January 9, 2014
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Today was hands down one of my most eventful wednesdays in a long time. It all started off bright and early; dazed, hungry and blinded by the pre-10am light I fumbled out of bed and into my work clothes. I quickly made myself a tumbler of black coffee and a plate of eggs and hotdogs (I am the picture of health). Today I was going to my friend Tyler Robic’s property to help and observe him carry out his morning chores.

His beautiful farm is in Purceville, VA nestled along the beginning ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The land is unique in that it is a perfect marriage between entrepreneurism and just having awesome animals. The cattle and most of the horses on the property belong to other farmer’s and tenants leasing parts of the land from the Robic’s. The chickens, sheep, goats, cats, rabbits and protected forest all belong to his family. For the size of the land - it’s not too shabby. This wasn’t my first time out here; I had visited months ago with some of our SMSC classmates. It’s always a joy to be outside and, to me, there isn’t anything better than being outside and getting work done. Except maybe eating and sleeping. Aside from the property, the Robic household is a handmade marvel. Redone largely by his Uncle, the house features rich wooden floors (fashioned out of repurposed barn walls) and furniture, large cozy rooms, two fireplaces and leather couches and blankets in every room that can fit them. I felt like I was walking through a rustic edition of a Pottery Barn magazine! Due to privacy issues I felt it wouldn’t be right posting any pictures of their rooms, so instead I posted the view outside of his parents room (4th picture above). Impeccable taste, ingenuity and quality make up their home. 

After getting all of the animals fed we ventured out into the grazing fields to do some recon on a dead cow Tyler spotted earlier that morning. Cause of death was impossible to identify without cutting into the carcass which was completely frozen solid. It was clear vultures made it to the body before us because the ears, eyes and udder were missing. That failed we headed out with his German Shepard and Boxer to check out an old rock quarry his father has been researching. But that’s classified. The real adventure began at the base of the Maryland Heights hiking trail. To get to the mountain we needed to navigate our way alongside the Potomac River, through a creepy town made up of buildings with fake props and exhibits inside and across a railroad bridge. From there it was a flat stretch to the trailhead which then immediately transformed into 3 miles of switchbackless, unforgiving, ice covered elevation. Not one to complain, it was a struggle for me to make it up that climb in jeans and a damn miracle Tyler made it up in his Carhartt overalls. However, the view at the overlook was, to say the least, breath taking. Before us stretched out the historic city of Harper’s Ferry. To our left and right branched out the mighty Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. There was something about the biting, cold air and the crisp, ice covered waters that made the view even more surreal - I felt like I was gazing at a sight similar to ones I will one day experience in the northwest. 

We headed back to the Robic farm for much nourishment and coffee. With a good amount of the day left to burn before the Owl Life History lecture at the Loudon Wildlife Conservancy we decided to break my firearm cherry with a 12-Gauge Remington 870 Shotgun. I must say I severely overestimated the amount of recoil and underestimated the loudness of the discharge. I barely budged but my ears were ringing! We then switched out his shotgun and grabbed a pair of hunting rifles and headed into the woods for some target practice. I used one he was borrowing from one of the animal keepers he volunteers with (the gun I’m firing above). Again I was deafened by the discharge but this time I felt like I had been hit by a flash-bang grenade. My ears were ringing and all I could hear were the muffled vibrations of our laughter. I don’t want to make any statement about whether or not we should be allowed to have our guns - but god damn it if I were to die protecting my family I would want the motherfucker that killed me filled with lead and hurtling towards hell with me. That aside, I have had firearms training on my list of things to do for a very long time. My priority is handgun and shotgun training for home defense and then rifle training for hunting. This was just a wonderful introduction to the shooting world - and I can say I am hooked. 

Hours later and the best damn Chai Tea Latte I have ever had (made by his sister sold out of a wonderful, historic shoemaker building repurposed into a coffee shop) we finally made it to the owl life history lecture. First and foremost, I had no idea it was going to last 2 hours. By the end of it I wanted to scream and kick the shit out of something. I simply cannot sustain concentration in a purely lecture situation for more than an hour. Other than that, I learned so many things about owls I had never known before. I learned that their faces are essentially parabolic satellite dishes, that they had 4 external ear flaps, that they close their eyes and turn their heads away at the last moment before they catch their prey and that can move their heads more than 200 degrees because their eyes can’t shift side to side. The lecture was worth going to. I learned a lot. But, as seen in the last picture, I envisioned an outside class filled with hands on learning. Not a stuffy building, crowded chairs and over 2 hours of slides.

Definitely the most eventful wednesday I’ve had since leaving SCBI. I miss the mountains dearly and I miss my classmates even more. I’m using these last days in NOVA to prepare my gear and my body to head back for my internship. Getting back in shape, fixing my diet and streamlining my gear are my priorities right now. But one can never have too much adventure.

Here’s to being spontaneous and making sure that recoil pad is tight to your shoulder.

Chris 

10/14/13
Dolly Sods Wilderness Area (North), WV

Today I had the opportunity to hike and camp Dolly Sods with my SMSC crew. The wilderness area had a good two days to soak up all the rain from this weekend and was a boggy, mist covered trail by the time we got there. The sprawling plains had turned into a sea of fog trapped in a valley. As we hiked deeper, ghostly pine trees began to emerge like specters leading us towards the forest. As the fog lifted the already obscure trail markers and trail signs became easier to find and we began picking up speed. Initially we planned on finding campsites off of Bear Rocks Trail but our pickiness kept us moving forward. Eventually we found ourselves 5 miles in along the beautiful left fork of Red Creek in a forest of pines. The mist held off long enough for us to set up camp but as we began to look for firewood it crept back in and added a eerie calm to the red-colored creek. Thanks to our amazing wilderness-survival-bushwacking-aint-no-thang dream team we had a ridiculous amount of firewood and a big fire going in no time. We all began desperately warming our feet and drying our soaked boots and socks. As the night drew closer and we prepared to camp down for the night we began setting up dinner. We roasted peppers on Elliot’s make shift grill (what a disgusting vegetable), pan roasted onions, grilled up some meat sticks and topped it all off with freshly boiled rice. I don’t know what we would have done without Tyler’s whisperlite. The night was a peaceful, cold night made perfect by our warm sleeping bags. Tent #1 was knocked out and ready to sleep but Tent #2 would not stop laughing and singing - and truth be told I didn’t mind that much at all. It’s the camp vibes and the good people that we do these things for. 

The next morning we awoke to a rekindled fire and the best soupy pancakes one could imagine - all thanks to Mr. Tyler Robic and Stubey Poopy. After eating through an entire bag of pancake mix we suited up for the wet hike out. The plan was to head east on Blackbird Knob Trail, north on Upper Red Creek Trail and then east on Doblin Grade back to Bear Rocks and the parking. True to my record thus far, Dolly Sods didn’t fail to utterly confuse me and we found ourselves standing in an open field without a trail facing a dense pine forest quickly being overtaken by fog. It was both beautiful and frightening how fast fog can move. In retrospect, I realized we needed to stay left after crossing Red Creek and to follow the path hugging the creek (one of two trails flanking a trail sign that simply said, “Doblin Grade”). Honestly, all I ask for are arrows, West Virginia. We knew that we needed to head northeast to intersect Beaver View Trail or the fire road so we hugged the ridgeline following game trails until we emerged into a pristine field of moss, pines and rocks. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. One could look out into the horizon and see the foggy vista stretch on forever. Ever conservationists, we made sure to stop and flip rocks and search streams whenever possible (I didn’t, ain’t no one got time for that with my big ass pack) and we were able to find a number of Red-Spotted Newts. We eventually approached a climb leading to a second pine forest but we hesitated to enter, hoping instead to find a way around it. Lucky for us, Laurie was able to use her animal-like game trail identification skills to zig zag our way across what felt like random directions back onto Beaver View Trail. From there it was smooth sailing back to the fire road and to the cars. We decided to end the trip with a quick drive south to a bird banding overlook we visited during class but the fog was so thick that the sprawling mountains had turned into a sea of mist. In a way it was the perfect way to end the trip. It was the first time adventuring with this new group of friends and despite all the rain and fog and swamp we all stayed positive. In fact, we had an amazing time just simply being with one another and being lost in the outdoors we are all fighting to save. In a way, the cold, crisp air and endless fog was a perfect ending to a perfect trip. 

Here’s to my rough and tumble friends.

And never saying no to adventure.

Chris

"Eventually we found ourselves 5 miles in along the beautiful left fork of Red Creek in a forest of pines."

"The mist held off long enough for us to set up camp but as we began to look for firewood it crept back in and added an eerie calm to the re-colored creek." 

"We all began desperately warming our feet and drying our soaked boots and socks."

Tyler climbed up pine trees and broke off dead branches for the fire. 

"Thanks to our amazing wilderness-survival-bushwacking-aint-no-thang dream team we had a ridiculous amount of firewood and a big fire going in no time."

Ever multi-taskers we roasted our peppers and our boots. 

"The next morning we awoke to a rekindled fire and the best soupy pancakes one could imagine - all thanks to Mr. Tyler Robic and Stubey Poopy."

"One could look out into the horizon and see the foggy vista stretch on forever."

"Every conservationists, we made sure to stop and flip rocks and search streams whenever possible and we were able to find a number of Red-Spotted Newts."

"In a way, the cold, crisp air and endless fog was a perfect ending to a perfect trip."

It’s been too long since I’ve last written my thoughts here. So much has happened since my last entry. Perhaps the best way to describe it would be to say its been an “avalanche” of positivity and change. It all started when I packed my life into a 90L duffel, grabbed my pack and my guitar and headed out for the north for my cousin’s wedding. I knew right then and there that I had finally taken the first steps of an exciting adventure. The trip up north through NJ, RI and MA was everything that I could have asked for. I got to see family from all over the world colliding in the humble houses of my New England family. Aunts and Uncles that took care of my brother and I during our stay in France, cousins all the way from Oregon that I only got to see on facetime and Christmas and Cambodian relatives that took us all over Cambodia helping my father find the home he grew up in all collided and it was a surreal moment. The power of a family that stops at nothing comes together is unlike anything else in this world. The house was so crowded that I simply set up camp in the backyard for the whole week. I slept at 10 and woke at 6 to the fresh New England air (yes, it is different) and the sound of wild turkeys (and sprinklers) - it was perfect. The best part of the wedding, hands down, had to be when my cousin and her husband walked out onto the stage to begin their first dance and, instead of having “Ho Hey” played by the DJ, all of my cousins and I ran onto the stage guitar, ukulele and pill bottle filled with golf tees a-blazin’ and sang them the whole song. She was in tears by the first chorus. I don’t mean to be overly sentimental but I think I almost cried playing that guitar haha. After a few delicious Samuel Adams later, a whole lot of dancing and quite a bit of street cred with the cute Boston College white girls, the night drifted away into the misty air. And just like that woke up the next morning at 5am, broke down my tent, packed my car, hugged my family tightly and headed straight for Front Royal, VA.

Just like that I found myself in a small town swallowed by the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounded by the new faces of whom would become some of the best people I’ve ever met (don’t let that get to your heads guys). Those who’ve followed this blog from day one know exactly how hard I’ve been working to get to SMSC and that first night just standing in the middle of my empty dorm I most definitely cried like a little girl. It’s one thing to get an email saying you’ve been accepted to a program but it’s an entirely different thing waking up in the morning, looking across a beautiful campus and seeing the mountains. It’s only been 3 short weeks but I have already been overwhelmed with huge amounts of kindness, learning and adventure. Right off the bat I made a good friend and fellow adventurer named Tyler Robic and hit the AT the morning of our first class. Things pretty much took off after that. There is no short of being in the great outdoors here. The massive campus is gated but so large that it contains its own forest and it’s own pesky population of white-tailed deer. Our day-to-day are a perfect balance of in-class theory/policy and fieldwork and data collection outside in the SMSC campus or on surrounding farms and research centers. There are no words to describe how good it feels to get my hands back in the earth and my mind back in the classroom. For so long I have been yearning to be productive - to have a direction and goal to work towards. The limbo of unemployment and the cutting knife of rejection have made me a humble and grateful man. The people here are good people to say the least. The staff are the kindest, most down to earth professors I’ve ever met. I forget sometimes that I am surrounded my PhD’s and leaders in conservation - they are all so fun and real to talk to. My classmates are from all over the place (OR, CA, MI/NY, VA) and are quite an eclectic mix of people. There is no end, I mean NO END, to the bonding, laughs and adventures we share. I have to admit that even though it’s just week 3 I already kind of miss them all…My knowledge base of ecology and conservation biology is slowly increasing and I am starting to work out parts of my brain that I forgot that I had. I am also making sure to write down all of the street cred that I get from volunteering/ working with the researchers here and I am nursing a beef jerky addiction. Needless to say, there is so much to experience here and this blog will be seeing much more of it before the end of these 4 months.

Finally, I had the opportunity to attempt to hike the Roaring Plains circuit in Davis, WV this past weekend. When they say that West Virginia is the wild and the wonderful they are not kidding. It’s like going back in time every time I suit up and head out there. John Denver was right, life is old there and things take on the air of a simpler yesterday. To put it lightly, the hike was brutal. It opened up with a small field of wild flowers but quickly led to a misty, pine-filled climb along the ridgeline of the mountain. For several hours we climbed upwards across slippery rocks and fairly deep streams - the whole time envisioning the breathtaking plains sprawling in the wind. We eventually reached a fire road that would, in 1 mile, finally put us at the Roaring Plains trail. It was along this calm respite that we realized that we were running low on time and daylight. If my buddy Zach was to get back at home by 2000 we would need to turn around by 1630 latest. Needless to say we began a frantic trail run into the woods. At about 1600 we stopped for lunch and the turn-around. We never made it to the plains but we were 4000ft. up, surrounded my pines and could kind of see the peaks of the Allegheny in the distance - we were satisfied. These were some of my favorite people and I appreciated just being able to get out here. They met up with me 830 that morning outside of Front Royal’s only Target. They drove an hour to get there and the hugs and back slaps were something I really needed. These were guys that, only half a year ago, were complete strangers working with me at REI. Over a couple of hikes and many many fun days at work, they became my good friends. And here we were, Sean holding down the fort at REI, Zach working hard at Enterprise and me going back to school to save the world one tree at a time. It’s cliche but it certainly wasn’t the destination this time but rather the journey and who I made it with. We pretty much ran the rest of the way back home, piled into Zach’s car shirtless, ran over my glasses and blasted Led Zepplin all the way home - it was just as I missed. We will certainly attempt Roaring Plains again in the future, our campaign to press westward won’t stop for anything.

All in all that’s everything that’s been happening lately, in a nutshell and in only 10 photos. Life is strange, that much I know. Sometimes you are drowning in a endless sea of lost hope, and sometimes you are snowboarding down an avalanche of positivity and change. Everyday is an adventure that has just begun and you just need to get yourself out of bed, strap up your boots and make life TAP. 

Here’s to never giving up and trekking on.

Chris

"I knew right then and there that I had finally taken the first steps of an exciting adventure."

"The house was so crowded that I simply set up camp in the backyard for the whole week."

"She was in tears by the first chorus."

"Just like that I found myself in a small town swallowed by the Blue Ridge mountains surrounded by the new faces of whom would become some of the best people I've ever met."

"It's one thing to get an email saying you've been accepted to a program but it's and entirely different thing waking up in the morning, looking across a beautiful campus and seeing the mountains."

"My classmates are from all over the place (OR, CA, MI/NY, VA) and are quite an eclectic mix of people. There is no end, I mean NO END, to the bonding, laughs and adventures we share."

"There are no words to describe how good it feels to get my hands back in the earth and my mind back in the classroom."

"Needless to say we began a frantic trail run into the woods."

"At about 1600 we stopped for lunch and the turn-around."

"It's cliche but it certainly wasn't the destination this time but rather the journey and who I made it with."

     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!"