I'm Back and I'm on The Veggie Train, Sorta?

Ok so I know I have been gone for a while, but Im back! After my wedding I spent a week in San jose Del Cabo, on my honeymoon with my new hot wife. With allot of time to ponder on my travels, I definitely came back with some interesting topics to contribute to the blogging world. My brain explored many avenues from Fundamental Mormonism to vegetarianism. I will start the week with the one topic that has been affecting my life on a constant level since I made the decision to "Go Veggie".

For the last few years now meat in most forms has not been agreeing with me, to put it lightly. Now because my new hot wife is a Vegetarian, I thought I would hop on the band wagon. I have to say I haven't been perfect, resorting to a 35$ slice of Hawaiian pizza in a mexican airport, in order to stop my stomach from imploding. I also ate allot of fish. But in my defence I thought veggies ate fish because my hot wife does. Turns out she's a fraud. I know right! So after I did the research I found out that we are what the hipsters call "pescetarians", so we eat fish, and shellfish (seafood). After finding out this crazy definition I began to wonder what the term vegetarian meant officially. After consulting my most reliable source (wikipedia), I discovered that the term partially defines me as a person that halts in the consumption of meat in order to maintain animal life. This struck me as a very generalized aspect of being a member of the off meat society. As a person who used to hunt every fall, and enjoys a juicy T-bone as much as the next guy, I have to be honest and say I have no sympathy for the slaughter of animals. Just sayin. The fact that red meat, pork and even chicken causes my stomach to reject itself has nothing to do with my morals. My main reason for making this decision is based on comfort. I feel I can live daily life more at ease without meat in my diet. Thats it thats all. So hopefully no more upset stomach.

So it has been a little over a week since I have made the decision to try this new lifestyle out and so far its not bad. I must admit I have had one craving, it was for a big mac if you can believe it. I can just imagine my stomach saying, if it could talk, "desperate times call for desperate measures!"

The other cool aspect of my decision to become a pescetarian, is that my hot wife is already there. So the transition will not only be easier, but it will help build our loving camaraderie by cooking together and discovering tasty new recipes. Today we indulged in some delicious home made portobello burgers  and home made garden coleslaw. So wish me luck and I'll do my best to give this an honest go. More great recipes to come! I hope.

Rappel Safe My Friends

Due to the recent series of tragedies in the Alberta Rockies I have decided to share my thoughts and some facts on rappelling.

From the evidence provided by the media, I have drawn the conclusion that both tragic accidents this summer that led to the deaths of three climbers were the result of either ignorance or poor judgment.

The first accident took place in the Kananaskis area in late July, the two climbers used one rope and two devices to perform a simultaneous rappel. This technique requires the climbers to each rappel from separate ends of the rope after it has been looped around or through an anchor. This technique is considered dangerous to many in the realm of climbing for a number of reasons. First, putting the weight of two climbers on one rope is an unnecessary risk. Second, if a climber does happen to rappel off the end of the rope, which seems to have been the case in this instance, the other climber will have no counterweight to prevent their deathly free fall.

The second accident happened a few days ago on castle mountain. CBC radio reports that the man was rappelling down the mountain and ended up rappelling off the end of his rope. Again, this to me seems to be a blatant case of poor judgment and practice. In this case as well as the previous incident, a simple knot tied to the end of the rappellers rope may have prevent death.

Rappelling can be an unnerving and dangerous aspect of rock climbing. It can cause fear and anxiety to an already moderately difficult process. It is important to keep calm and make sure you set up a proper rappel and use good judgment. If you feel In any way, shape, or form unsafe do NOT climb over that ledge!

A few tips I always remember to implement into my rappels are; always do your safety checks, inspect all your equipment, your rope and your harness for wear. Be sure to always tie a knot at the end of your rope. Always have a safety knot tied above your rappel device, such as a prusik or a klemheist. These knots will act as a safety line, giving you the peace of mind and control you need to keep calm.

As for the climbers that lost their lives on the mountain in the last few weeks, I feel great sorrow for them and would like to extend my deepest apologies to their families and friends. The climbing community is a strong group and I am sure we are all experiencing the shockwave that is felt after such tragic events as these take place.

One thing we all need to realize as climbers, is that climbing is a potentially dangerous sport. We need to remember to never take anything for granted. Even though it is highly rewarding and a lot fun, we need to take the time to question ourselves, our equipment, and our techniques. Be safe out there my friends.

http://www.openfile.ca/calgary/blog/2012/explainer-why-local-instructor-would-never-teach-simul-rappelling-technique-used-c

Wedding Day and Scarpas!

Today I get married. My Kate means the world to me. A hectic day yesterday but we are ready today! I wanted to post a new shoe that Scarpa is releasing that I think will rival Lasportivas solution. The Scarpa instinct VS. I'm super excited for these shoes. They look super aggressive and the toe box looks amazing! I'm looking forward to trying these suckers out.

Patience and Sour Candies

It's been almost five years since I met my bride to be. Tomorrows is the day we tie the knot. Through those years we have accomplished a lot. Our relationship has had a powerful influence on my love for the mountains. We began hiking together during the summers in order to strengthen our bond while she was away at university. Hiking pushed our boundaries at times but in the end it has cemented the values and established the core of our relationship. I highly recommend the solitude of the mountain trail to any couple looking to expand there love. It built our friendship tore down barriers and helped us build them right back up stronger. A great example where our relationship was tested took palce during our hike to Mount Assiniboine. It was day two and the monotony of below tree line hiking was getting to us both. The bugs were bad and we hadn't yet tied into our good stash of food. Needless to say we were both a little grumpy. After a solid hour of hiking without a word said Kate started to complain. "My feet hurt, I'm hungry, the bugs are bad". After about a half hour of constant jabbering I kinda lost my cool. "Do you need a fucking sour candy or something!!" Now I don't recommend doing this but trust me a lesson was learned. The agony that only this long boring trail could have brought taught us a little something about ourselves that day. Lesson learned? Be more patient and when your hungry eat. So on a day that requires a lot of patience, I am trying to remember this lesson learned. To get us through the final day of preparation before the wedding!

Climb at Home People

As a busy guy that lives in a town where you cant get out to the big crags without at least a couple hours drive, it is important for me to climb as often as possible in order to improve my skills and maintain my overall sanity (lol). In order to achieve this I climb at my local gym. A local climbing gym brings with it a community of climbers. These are the folks that I want to recognize in my post today. A group of people that all share a common mentality, they are friendly and super accommodating to all that enter our tiny gym. In a time when being rude can almost seem as cavalier as people that drive trucks with 6 inch lifts (douche bags), this family of regulars has shattered all my misconceptions of my fellow man, or woman (hehe). If you would have told me that there were a group of people like these in my community a year ago, I would have sneered at the notion, therefore conforming to the attitudes of the people that I so often jeer about. In becoming apart of this climbing family I have began to adapt my own views of the world and how we should treat others. I firmly believe that if you surround yourself with positive people you yourself with be happier and become a more enjoyable person to be around. A product of your environment. So today here's to the regulars at the GPRC climbing wall. You guys rock! (pun intended).

Another new adventure

As my passion for the outdoors has continued to grow, I have decided to share my own personal experiences, thoughts, curiosities and knowledge on the topic of mountain adventure. more specifically rock climbing and hiking. I am looking forward to Sharing my experiences and expressing my internal thoughts externally, within my blog.