Test Weekend

Cut off for trail head. Slept here for the night

This past weekend, June 27th and 28th, 2015, I took my finalized camper car out for a test run before going off to see America.  To test it, I decided to combine it with another item on my list that I've wanted to complete for a while, hike a Colorado 14er.  For those unfamiliar, there are 53 peaks in Colorado with an altitude over 14,000 feet, and a prominence of at least 300 feet from any adjacent peaks.

Car Conversion! - Part 2 of 2

If you haven't seen it, I'd recommend part 1 where I tore my car apart to create a sleeping platform.

Now that I had the platform made, it was secure and level, it was time to figure out how to arrange everything to maximize space and not cram myself with too much stuff.  The first and biggest item on the list: the bed.  The goal was to make a bed that would fit the width of the opening to the trunk as well as not to be too thick that I couldn't move around.  My parents had an old memory foam (i know, luxury) mattress pad topper laying around.  Conveniently enough, Cutting it down the middle fit perfectly!

Cutting the memory foam down the middle.

Car Conversion! - Part 1 of 2

If I'm going to live in my car for the next year, a few additions are going to be needed to make living and sleeping in it a bit easier.  But, one important goal of this build is to not do any permanent modifications to the car.  All additions need to be reversible so that the car can be put back together when this crazy adventure comes to an end.

Starting Stock Back Seat

Risk, Reward, and Pushing Yourself

Recently, an innovator by the name of Dean Potter passed away while practicing one of his many crafts, wing suit flying.  If you haven't read the articles, a quick Google search will yield plenty.  But one idea that consistently arose again and again was the idea of risk, and that he finally pushed too far.

Often in my endeavors to live a little and experience more, people warn me of the risks and cite the worst case.  Friends and family say they are scared for me and what I'm doing; but when I tell the stories later on, they praise them.  It's strange to keep getting these mixed messages for doing the things that I love.  But let me make it clear that I do these things out of passion, not adrenaline.

This isn't a high that I'm chasing, or a buzz that has to keep being sought after. I'm not thrill seeking, I'm doing what I love, and if I do get my adrenaline going, then something has gone wrong.  The whole point of what I do is to be consistent, plan ahead, focus, remain calm and occasionally enjoy the view.  I'm not going out trying to prove anything to anyone, but instead, to refine my skills, push myself and grow from the experience.

In the end, am I taking a risk? Of course. But we take risks all the day. As Alex Honnold has said, we drive every day, that's a huge risk but it seems so normal that no one bats an eye.  I am taking a risk that I deem acceptable for the reward.  My risks are no different from any one else's, other than the environment in which they are made.

Presidential Traverse

Some dreams start out as dreams from when we were kids.  We fantasize about the day they'll be fulfilled and train for years to be ready for it.  Other dreams start with an impulse, grow to become nearly impossible, and are eventually...completed.

Six months ago for Christmas, i was given a Backpacker magazine, with the cover story, "The 2015 Hikers Life List."  Like all lists, it was a fun fantasy to read through, but would just be another list to fall to the wayside.  Except one hike stood out to me, #77, the Presidential Traverse in a day.

Normally a 3 day trek with lots of boulder hopping and almost entirely above tree line, its no easy hike, especially if undertaken in a single day push.  The Presidential Traverse is a 26.4 mile hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and crosses some of the only alpine terrain in the east coast.  It is mostly along the Appalachian trail, but also uses smaller tails in the area for navigating on and around some of the peaks.  The biggest issue is the weather.  Mount Washington, approximately the middle of the hike, is known for having the worst weather in the world, and until recently, the highest ever recorded wind speeds on Earth.  Not a fact to be taken lightly.

I asked my good friend Andrew if he was up for it way back in January, more of a joke than anything.  We tentatively planned to do it the weekend before I graduated in May if notorious weather was good enough to do it.  But, the weekend quickly came and past with out even a thought and life was going to move on.  Except, life paused instead.

As a great way to end our week, Andrew and I decided to finally make this dream become a reality.

It was the most miserable fun I've had in a while.

What a "Week Off"

You make plans in hopes of doing something fun and exciting.  You then make more plans for after the first plans so the excitement continues.  But when the first plans fall through, what are you left to do?

I found myself with a whole week to kill, stuck in Rochester, New York.  Now normally this would be awesome because there's a ton of unexplored terrain around here that i never got to see due to school life.  But, one small issue: I'm officially homeless.  It's a little bit hard to explore when living in your car, especially when every item you own is in that car leaving very little room to sleep.

Thankfully, after living in Rochester for nearly 5 years, I've come to know a few people who live here as more than just students.  My great friend Andrew agreed to let me crash at his place, and go on nightly adventures after he gets off work.

Score.

The first day, Sunday, we rappelled into abandoned water towers at Cobbs Hill.  The graffiti around both towers is beautiful.  The artists that haunt here are very talented and have put hours of work into some of these pieces.  But not all of the artwork is outside the towers.  Some of the best works are inside, which is only accessable by climbing some sketchy trees and then rappelling down with climbing equipment.  Thankfully, I have both of those skills, and with Andrew as my guide, we found some great hidden Rochester gems.

The day finished off with just slack lining in the park and some local BBQ.

The following day was spent hiking around Green Lakes State Park and some water fall.  It wasn't so much of a hike...at all...but still a beautiful state park.  One lake is secluded and few people wander the short path around it; the other has a beach and is where most people go to bbq and enjoy the nice summer day, in this case, Memorial Day.
Next night was an off night to relax and plan.  The dinner was delicious, the plan was insane, and the ideas were grand.  It was definitely going to be one week worth remembering.

We then explored the Middle falls in downtown Rochester.

The final night we went to buffalo to go kayaking and explore some abandoned buildings.

Finally, we did our goal from the begining of the semester, which I'll talk about next post, so stay tuned.