modernoutdoorsman

Climbing to New Career Goals

June 29, 2015

IMG_4392

At the summit of Colfax, sub peak of Mt Baker.

I’ve been working to get a good climbing resume of easy/moderate climbs on rock and snow to earn certificates from the American Mountain Guides Association  (AMGA).  I currently have my Single Pitch Instructor certification and by next year I would like to have my Alpine Skills Certification. This class focuses on alpine, rock, snow, and crevasse rescue.

AMGA is different from my previous education at Colorado Mountain College (CMC) in Leadville that I have mentioned in other posts. CMC teaches a foundation of skills from the ground up, whereas the AMGA requires experience beforehand to take a class or test with their organization. There is much overlap between the two; however, they have different methods.

AMGA certifications are becoming the more standard/credible requirement for guide companies and schools, and this is where I want to work. I want to teach people how to be safe when they adventure.

Enough of that though – here are some pictures of how my very alpine summer is going.  

– Don

IMG_4376

Roman Headwall, Mt. Baker

IMG_4393

Approaching the summit pyramid of Shuksan. North Cascades

IMG_4262

Dragontail Peak in the Enchantments Range in WA

Aspen Withdrawals

November 10, 2014

DSC_0694

DSC_0681

DSC_4301

DSC_4385 DSC_4312

 

DSC_0696 copy

DSC_4199 copy

DSC_0753 copy

DSC_0756

DSC_4173

DSC_4398 copy

DSC_4518 copy DSC_4511 copy

DSC_0952 copy

What a beautiful time of year in Colorado – my favorite, in fact. There’s just something about seeing the mountains covered in a fiery blanket of yellow that makes my soul feel alive. But maybe it’s something more internal than that, something on the cellular level that our bodies sense and thrive from, too. I know this must be true because during the fall I always feel a little more awake, a little more vigilant of my surroundings.

Before I moved to Colorado, I had never seen a grove of Aspen trees and witnessed their beauty up close. How they almost come alive, draw you in and make you fall in love over and over again with their beauty.

Don told me that someday he will take me to see the maple trees in Maine during fall and that it will change my mind about the most beautiful part of the country, but until then I’m still convinced that this is where it is!

This is an exciting day for us – the official release of our blog. This is an idea we muddled around with for a while and we finally made that idea into something tangible – a piece of our lives that we will be able to look back on and cherish. As you can see, Don has made some posts over the past couple of months, but now I’m on board with the project so this is really going to be a team effort from the both of us. I hope we can show you different perspectives on things and have a variety of posts to share with you.

I’ve have read blogs for years, but that’s just it. I have been a reader, never a writer sharing little tidbits of my life. And let me just say, I get it now. IT’S SCARY being vulnerable and putting yourself out there for people to judge you. But in the end, I think it will get easier with practice and I’m glad I’m tackling this fear head on. Over the past year, one of the best lessons I have learned is to be more vulnerable with myself and others. This, in the end, is what really connects us, I believe.

Speaking of connection I just recently learned a cool fact about Aspens. Did you know that a grove of Aspen trees are all connected from one singular root system. Aspen groves have been named some of the largest living organisms on earth because of this. What this means this that they work together as a team, to keep each of its members healthy and alive. So if one of its members is thirsty or needs nutrients it will pass water through its root system to the other Aspen tree in need. This is pretty amazing!

This got me thinking about this concept as we were taking pictures amongst these beauties. When it comes down to it, we are all just humans who want to be liked, accepted and fit in. We want to know that we are worthy and that we are heard. This is something that we share in common with each other. It is something that connects us to one another, whether we fail to realize this or not. Like the Aspen grove, we as humans are connected in this way.

Why must we break each other down with negative comments and jealousy – especially over the internet? Why not instead offer support and love to one another, especially to others that expose their vulvernabalites and are attempting to make something good of themselves?

So why not offer a little extra support or encouragement to a friend or someone that you might not even know, but admire.  I promise that when you come from a place of fulfillment and positivity instead of a place of jealousy and negativity it makes the world just a little better and your light will shine a little brighter because of it.

 

Please check out our FB Page to see the our favorite outtakes and please give us a like: https://www.facebook.com/wedoitoutsideblog?ref=bookmarks

 

Love,

Emily

 

Photo Credit: Mr. Sunday & Miss Plaisance

 

Read more of our favorites


Naked and Afraid:
A Prelude

Mapping Out New
Adventures in 2016

Climbing to New Career Goals

Hunger Games
 

Camp Blades- A CUT Above the Rest





All rights reserved © We Do It Outside · Theme by Blogmilk + Coded by Brandi Bernoskie