Marathon Gauley Ride, West Virginia

The last adventure of the year for 2008 consisted of an all-day marathon whitewater rafting excursion on the Gauley River in West Virginia. I have been before on the Gauley and the New River, but never for the full adventure. The marathon trip is a full-day excursion that covers both the Upper Gauley and Lower Gauley. The Gauley is continually rated among the best whitewater rafting trips in the entire U.S., usually losing out only to the Grand Canyon (and not because of rapids, but because of the beauty of the canyon).

We started off the day in the freezing cold and thick fog rising above the water. The outside temperature was about 35 degrees (if we were lucky) and the water was probably 55 degrees. It's warmer because it comes through the dam and the top of the lake contains warm water. Fortunately, we were prepared with multiple layers and a wetsuit. We hit a rapid right out of the gate and stayed warm (in and out of the water) throughout the day. Keith bounced out of the boat on the first three rapids and lost his paddle each time!

I managed to never fall out of the boat unless it was a group spill where the entire raft capsized. Since we were in the "Team Extreme" short, seven-foot boat, this still happened quite often. We were doing 360-degree spins ahead of the rapids and before going through the most treacherous parts. We went backwards on one and then spun around quickly to go forward down the next, but ended up spilling. The guides kept saying "this is the last day of the season, so no one can get fired. We're going to push it all day long."

It was a wonderful experience. I probably won't go again since I have been so many times, but with the right group it would still be a load of fun!

Seneca Rocks, West Virginia

Keith prepares our equipment for the day's climbing.

The rock face of Seneca Rocks, West Virginia

The face on the left that we will climb as our first climb of the day.

Keith led this first route and prepped a top rope for my ascent of this easy section.


At the Summit of Seneca Rocks, West Virginia.

Keith at the Summit of Seneca Rocks, WV.

Fun, easy climbing in West Virginia

Beautiful views in West Virginia. It's not the Swiss Alps, Rockies or other more well-known areas, but holds a beauty all its own.

Another Summit view from Seneca Rocks, WV

Beautiful Fall view of Seneca Rocks, WV.

As our last adventure of the year, Keith and I decided to go rock climbing and whitewater rafting in West Virginia. It's a pretty long 9+ hour drive from Indianapolis to Seneca Rocks, West Virginia, but as you can see from the Saturday afternoon pics, it's every bit worth it. The views are amazing and the climbing is sweet.

I was a little nervous since, generally speaking, I'm just not a very good climber. Keith is always on his game even though he has had some time off as well. We have been here several times before but timed it perfectly with the Fall weather for this round as you can see in the pics.

Keith always does lead climb while I second merely because the difference in our skills is vast to say the least. He's a pretty experienced climber and I'm (thankfully) along for the ride. We have been here several times before and so this time we decided to take it easy. We combined some light climbing (5.5 to 5.8 range) with a hike to the North Summit. We have done some multi-pitch climbs to the South Summit already on previous trips. (North Summit is on the left of the "gun hole" in the rock face pic and the South Summit is on the right.)

The weather was cool and crisp. We enjoyed a chili cookoff and some local micro brew beer in the town below once we were done climbing.

We are going to hop in the car and drive to Oak Hill area so we can crash and wake up at the crack of dawn to go whitewater rafting! I've been before several times, but never during the timed dam releases of the more popular Fall rafting season. Also, we're going to do the entire Gauley River and in a short, 12 foot raft, which promises a bigger, more adventurous ride!

West Virginia Adventures

I'm excited to head down to West Virginia this coming weekend to go Rock Climbing on Saturday and then Whitewater rafting on Sunday! Keith and I are going and thankfully he has some coupons for Sunday rafting discounts. We're also driving and camping to keep it on the cheap.

If you look closely at the pic above I grabbed off the Internet, you will see a small climber going up the face. We haven't climbed in over a year, so we will take easy routes, but it's beautiful climbing in West Virginia. The scenery is amazing.

Sunday is the last day of the rafting season in West Virginia's Gauley River, where timed releases from the Summersville Dam ensure strong water flow and serious rafting rapids. I've been to the area rafting probably three other times in the past. However, this time we're doing the entire Gauley River and going during Bridge Day Festival weekend. During the festival in Fayetteville, BASE Jumping off the New River Gorge Bridge is legal. The bridge is nearly 900 feet tall and is billed as the world's second longest single arch bridge. More than 450 jumpers will participate by jumping off the bridge with a parachute on their back and starter/opening chute in their hand. They will jump and fall for about 4 seconds before releasing and deploying their chute. BASE Jumping stands for those that jump off of Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges) and Earth (cliffs, etc.). You have to be experienced and certified to jump during the festival.

We won't be jumping.

We've both already done other similar activities (sky diving, bungee jumping, etc) and the cost for a tandem BASE jump is just too high. However, the festival is the biggest thing to hit the county all year long. It was originally started as a means to provide a sanctioned and legal day for the BASE and bungee jumpers that continually tried to illegally jump from the bridge throughout the year. There are now more than 200 vendors with large sponsors such as AT&T. It will be a fun time to take in the atmosphere after climbing and before rafting on Sunday. We will drive home on Monday.

West Virginia is beautiful and ideally suited for rafting and climbing. It's probably an 8-9 hour drive from Indianapolis.

The weekend will be a great close to this year's adventure activities!

(Incidently, I'm listening to Fleet Foxes as a write this entry.)

Rafting & Rock Climbing

We have changed our end of summer adventure. Originally, we planned to do a single day crossing of the Grand Canyon. This is still on the list, but for a variety of reasons, we are going to delay it until next year.

As we looked at the timing, we didn't want to fly, drive, hike, and jet back home and complete the adventure in a blur. It becomes then only about the single event. About a checklist. And that's not the purpose of a list or life. It's about friendships, nature, beauty... the journey. We want enough time to truly enjoy the experience. To smell the roses.

Instead, I believe that we will take a long weekend to West Virginia and go whitewater rafting and rock climbing. We've been rafting before, but I don't believe we have done the Gauley in the Fall when the timed dam releases create more waterflow and therefore a faster, more adventurous ride. Also, Keith and I haven't been rock climbing for more than a year. It's time to get back out even if we (that really mean's me) are weak and shaky and can't climb anything difficult. It's about the beauty of the experience anyway. And, aside from the hillbillies... the mountains of West Virginia are stunning.

Summer of 2009 Adventure?

So, what is the new adventure? I'm proposing auto racing school. It isn't cheap, but the thrill is great. It appears that stock cars are the most likely as there are more schools and better liability protection for both company and participant. However, IndyCar style racing would be better. Let's face it, going 165 mph on a track in an IndyCar is going to feel more intense than in a stock car.

I'm going to keep looking into the details. You know it will happen. It always happens. I may be unfocused at times, but when my mind is set the laser sight is on and I'm impeccably accurate. It may take some time to plan, but just know that the train is going to leave the station... it's just a matter of when!

Also, for my fitness friends: I haven't forgotten the Last Continent Marathon or maybe some Adventure Races out West next summer?! And I still need to do at least a Sprint Tri.

In any case, if you're interested -- and you think you're worthy-- join the adventure club and let me know. Or take up your own adventure and let me know about that too!

Summer Fun Continues!

The Summer fun continues. I'm going to visit the great city of Austin, Texas for the Austin City Limits music festival! I can't wait to attend. Rock in Rio Madrid gave me the bug again. Previously, I've attended Lollapalooza (one of the first ones), almost attended the 25th anniversary of Woodstock but missed it :( and I've been to Bumpershoot in Seattle, etc. This should be a great time as Austin is a killer city.

I hope to visit and hang out with my friend Troy and his wife, but ironically, I think they may be coming back to Indiana that weekend. I'm hoping that is not the case. Right now we are only attending one of the days and will hang out in Austin for the rest of the weekend, but we'll see where the wind takes us. This event will help us to bring the summer to a close.

To open up the Fall we are going on another adventure trip out West. Seems to be an annual Fall event at this point. We hope to do a single day hike and crossing of the Grand Canyon. We went two years ago and hiked down, camped and came back up the South loop area. However, this time, we intend to go to the North side and in one single grueling push, we will go down, across and up the South side...enjoying its beauty along the way and hoping not to destroy our knees! Truly, it will be absolutely grueling. I think it is roughly 24 miles, but it feels much worse. You are essentially hiking in a desert on a reverse mountain. It will be a fun fitness adventure. Time to strap on a backpack and start doing stadium stairs again!

Additional Euro Trip pics

A series of additional photos for you to enjoy...

If you want to read about the Euro Trip (Running of the Bulls and Swiss Alps adventures), then check through posts for the entire month of July 2008 for full coverage.

New Adventures??

As you know, I do have a lengthy life list and checked off the two largest daring ones left on this vacation. (I'll try to post an updated list that merges what I have listed earlier but checks off items I have completed.) Maybe the only "bachelor" type item left would be to attend Mardi Gras, but after Pamplona, I'm not sure that appeals to me. However, there is a lot more to do. For me, the remaining items involve mostly travel from here out. Lots and lots of travel! I envision future trips will not be just for "the guys" but will include the spouses and girlfriends of my friends, etc.

How do you top running with bulls in terms of adventure? At some point, you have to cash in your chips and live off the earnings on a beach somewhere... don't you?!

I do know there is discussion about a weekend trip that would involve a single day crossing of the Grand Canyon from rim to rim. It's mostly a fitness test and interesting goal. That would be in September. Certainly, a worthy reason to ramp up the fitness training.

Someone mentioned today that I should request suggestions for new adventures to undertake. Great idea. Please hit the "Add a Comment" or "X Comments" link under this story to add a suggestion, comment or otherwise just verbally abuse me for your own pleasure. I would love to hear from you!

Speak Softly...

"The credit belongs to those people who are actually in the arena... who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions to a worthy cause; who at best know the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

--Theodore Roosevelt

(One of the greatest persons of the 20th century. President, governor, activist, explorer, author, soldier, Rough Rider, Nobel Prize winner, conservationist, father, husband, and more.)

This is a inspirational quote from a great man. It remains on my desk at work... a gift from my youngest sister. I don't pretend to think that anything I undertake measures against such a great person, or that I'm a daring person in the arena of life. I just like the quote and a nice reminder to live each day fully. Even for stretches when you forget, if you have the spirit, it can always be recaptured or reignited.

Swiss Adventures

I wanted to give a sense of the adventures that I undertook several years ago in Interlaken, Switzerland. At the top is a photograph of a paraglider landing in an open field. You start higher in the Alps and basically run down a sloping meadow and straight off a cliff with towering pine trees 100ft tall seemingly reaching for your your ankles. In reality, even they are hundreds of feet below you by the time the wind has filled the chute and you glide over the town. Interlaken literally means "between two lakes." It is a small Swiss town nestled in a valley within the Alps and surrounded by two glacial lakes. The site from above is beyond awe inspiring!

Next, you see some pics of people participating in canyoning. (Please note: none of these are my pics. I have some, but you know I can get lazy with the details. One day I'll scan and post them, but for now, you'll have to view others I yanked from the ol' Internet). In any case, canyoning involved repelling, cliff jumping, zip lines, bouldering and rafting without a whitewater raft. While fairly safe, there was a party of some 20 people that were killed in a flash flood several weeks after I left the last time.

The last pic is of a guy doing some sheer face ice climbing off a glacier. They basically take 150ft of rope, throw it over the edge, and you repel down to the end of it. Then you climb back up over the edge. Looks like he is close.

If we do make it to Switzerland, we will spend more of a relaxing time. Probably do some mountain biking, hiking and taking in the beauty and crisp clean air.

Adventure Archive: Reflections

I've been pretty blessed over the years, not just because I'm still alive and have a healthy family and great friends, but that I'm still alive! I've had some crazy adventures and done some pretty stupid things throughout my life (and I'm not even counting my love life!). In any case, some time ago someone asked me if I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish. I started a "things to do before I'm 30" list that eventually turned into a "Bachelor List." This is a list of adventurous or fun/stupid items that I might never have considered if I had someone else to consider. Or maybe it's just that I always sought someone that was equally adventurous and could keep up. I dunno. I'm rambling. This is the worst intro ever. See below for a list of fun activities that I've been lucky enough to undertake:

• Skydiving
• Snorkeling
• Bungee Jump
• Canyoning
• Paragliding (over the Alps, not the same as parasailing in ocean)
• Glacier Ice Climbing
• Rock Climbing
• Crowd Surfing
• Alpine Rock Climbing
• Mountain Biking
• Party in Times Square for the Millenium
• Downhill Ski Slope Mtn Biking
• Night-time Drunken Mtn Biking (one of the dumber things)
• Whitewater rafting
• Mini-Marathon
• Marathon
• Multisport Races - Duathlons, etc
• Snowboarding
• Skiing
• Water Skiing
• Cliff jumping
• Crowd Surfing
  
• Jet Skiing
• Boogie Boarding
• Sledding
• Start a Business
• Travel Extensively Outside the U.S.
• And more (I'll try to add as I remember)