One month is a long time to pass with no blog updates.  I apologize for leaving everyone out of the loop but I hope it is an indication for how nutty things have been lately. 

My logistical marathon started nearly one month ago with an amazing weeklong assignment on the Rogue River in southern Oregon.  We had sunshine, cool water and big smiles.  I don’t know how else to describe it except that it was the perfect fit for everyone on the trip.

My four-day return to Colorado had me pulling off long sweat filled computer days inside a very hot El Guapo (the van).  It was rough, but well worth it as it allowed me the time to hop on another plane for six very nice, unplugged days in Georgia with my family and friends.  In fact, it was the first vacation I have taken in my adult life! 

I stepped back ten years and it turned out to be exactly what I needed. Board shorts, sunglasses, family, friends and my old wakeboarding stomping grounds on Lake Lanier.  That was all I wanted and it delivered.

My return flight to Colorado and El Guapo dropped me right back in the thick of things.  I managed a few hours of sleep then kick started my life again with a few hours of emails and an editor meeting coupled with a 500-mile drive, a few phone calls and the audio version of The Alchemist.  Seventeen hours later I pulled into a familiar spot in Park City, Utah at my friends’ cabin.  We had a short visit in the morning and I was off again for the final leg to Lake Tahoe.

I have been here for a week working on few new developments that I was hoping to share by now, but unfortunately it looks like they will have to wait.

As always, my time here is short. I will be taking a break from the lower 48 on Wednesday and heading to Alaska.  Two full days of travel logistics will have me on a ten-day river assignment inside the Arctic Circle and I could not be more excited!  If there was such thing as the perfect assignment for me, this is it.  I have spent a lot of time in Alaska and the Yukon Territory and so far in my travels, I have not found a place that I like better.

After that, I have set up three weeks of personal trips, stock shoots and a quick trip to Mexico for one of my best friends' wedding.  Most of my time will be in the field or on the move so please bare with me if I can’t get another post up before September.

Hasta!

            There have been a lot of good things going on at TCP lately so I am breaking a little from my usual reflections to post a news update.

            Last Friday I was honored to have an interview with me posted on The Adventure Chronicles for their Friday Focus series.  If you haven’t seen the website, the Friday Focus highlights different characters in the outdoor adventure world and I have to say that I am flattered to be featured in the company of adventurers like Stephen Kotch, Corey Rich and Barry Blanchard, among plenty others.

            On the outdoor theme, I was also very pleased to have this month’s cover of Blue Ridge Outdoors.  Having my roots in Georgia, it is really nice to have some of my adventure imagery circulating around the Southeast.

            Last but definitely not least, I am thrilled to announce that I have been chosen as one of Aurora’s newest Select photographers.  Differing from their stock image beginnings, Aurora Select is Aurora’s assignment division based in New York City.  Always up for a new assignment and a new challenge, I am really looking forward to collaborating on new projects with this amazingly creative group.

            As I mentioned above, this news post is a little unusual for this blog.  If you would like to keep up with the happenings at TCP, please feel free to sign up for my quarterly newsletter.  Just fill in your email address in the appropriate box on the homepage and hit enter!

            See you out there!

    Being a solo traveler and photographer, I pride myself on my own resourcefulness.  I never set out to be a loner, but I can take care of myself and if the situation calls for it, I can go it alone for as long as necessary.  I feel like it is an essential and common trait for all photographers.

            I am resilient to adversity.  I take the hard lessons and keep pushing.  I seek out people and information from the ground up, face to face with honesty, integrity and compassion.  I work hard and I work independently, which usually means I work alone (**as before mentioned, by necessity**).

            I take pride in my approach and feel like I am stronger because of it.  It has given me a sense of power and control over my own direction.  It has given me confidence, it has taught me self-reliance and it has guided me through tough times.  My approach has always taken care of me, that is, until this week.

            This week my biggest strengths became my biggest weaknesses.  This week I found myself immobile, in pain and stripped of my usual self-reliant abilities.  I was sick.  I was defeated and incapable of even standing myself up.  Sweating, freezing, unable to swallow or walk, ears aching and head pounding, I laid in a cheap motel bed groaning in pain and disorientation for the better part of 96 hours.  I was helpless.

            I knew I wasn’t doing a single thing to help myself, but I couldn’t.  I couldn’t take fever reducers at the correct intervals.  I couldn’t prepare any kind of nutritious and palpable food.  I couldn’t change my sweaty sheets.  Most importantly, I couldn’t get myself to a doctor because I couldn’t even walk.  I kept thinking, “How did I let it get to this point?”

            In the days leading up to my predicament, I had been hanging out with some friends and kayakers at the Glenwood Wave in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.  High temperatures had worked their hardest on the high country snowpack and transformed the Colorado River into a 25,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) behemoth.  It made for some amazing playboating.

            On the last morning of our stay, I was feeling a little off and decided to rest in the van.  The day heated up and the inside of the van turned into a convection oven, aiding in my physical and mental plunge.

My buddies told me they were taking off for another part of the state and asked what my plans were.  In my self-reliant persona I said I wasn’t feeling well and that I would catch up with them later.  That was dumb.  Later came and I realized there would be no catching up.  I needed AC and somewhere to be for a few days.  The dizzying 2.4-mile drive from the wave to my motel should have been a strong indicator that I needed a doctor first, then a bed, but I felt I could just ride it out.

I was very wrong.

That one decision changed everything.  Once I was in bed, there was no getting out.  Eight hours into my stay, I started feeling a bit uneasy about my state of helplessness and sent my parents a text message to let them know what was going on and where I was.  Unfortunately they were in the middle of some marathon travels of their own and would not receive the text for another 24 hours.

When we finally talked, I was not myself.  In fact, I barely remember anything that was actually said.  What I do remember was the sound of concern my condition had put in my parents’ voices.  It is a sound you never want to hear, because as helpless as I was, they felt even more so.

With a new perspective, I downed a handful of Advil, waited an hour then made a run for it, literally.  In my state of self-destruction I had neglected to realize that there was a hospital three blocks away from my disgusting, sweaty motel bed.

I must have really looked the part when I walked in because as soon as I filled out my paperwork, the woman at the desk sent me to the lab for a Strep Throat culture.  I hadn’t even seen a doctor or a nurse yet. 

Soon afterwards I was in an exam room with a cheery female doctor who was so excited about my extremely advanced case of Strep Throat that she asked if I would mind being used as a teaching case for her interns.  I was so fired up to finally know what was going on and that I would have an easy remedy that I remember smiling and belting out the words, “Bring ‘em on in!”

You may be thinking, “Geez, what a wimp.  Who writes a thousand words about getting Strep Throat?”

Well, I am writing this because I learned a lesson.  Just like all of the lessons we learn in our lives, it can apply to nearly anything.

In my own self-described confidence, I failed to realize that sometimes you really do need someone else’s help and you need to ask for it.  I could have told my friend I really wasn’t doing well and needed some help getting to a doctor.  I could have asked a doctor for help before going to a motel.  I could have done a number of things that would have drastically shortened my misery, but I didn’t because I was overly confident in what I could do on my own.

Sometimes we just need a little help.  Don’t ever be too afraid or too confident to ask for it.

The room was artificially cool, my fold out stadium-seated desk was uncomfortable and the windowless walls and fluorescent lighting left me without any sense of time.  This scenario would normally rank pretty high on my torture meter, but there I sat taking it all in like a sponge.

As the Memorial Day weekend was in full swing and most Americans were out enjoying their afternoon barbeques, backyard football games or quality time near rivers, lakes and oceans, I was sitting inside.  

I loved it. 

I was in a classroom at the University of Colorado in Boulder wrapping up an educational and inspiring few days at the Aurora Multimedia Workshop.

            The line up of presenters ranged from photographers, film-makers, writers and editors to marketing directors, higher ups in the ad world, Pulitzer Prize winners, company Presidents and multimedia pioneers.  These were across the board innovators and media Ninjas in my mind.

            I watched and listened in awe as James Balog went through his Extreme Ice Survey presentation.  I forgot to breathe while Jim Sheeler talked about what went into “Final Salute,” the story of the Marine escort officer that returned the bodies of slain Marines from Iraq while tending to the needs of the surviving family.  Even hearing Dick Durrance’s account of how a 19-year-old kid (Dick) was able to shoot a cover story for National Geographic was unreal.  So unreal in fact that the audience’s uniform reaction was, “Holy s**t!”  For the techno folks out there, we even had an exclusive first look at Sports Illustrated’s new platform for handling this whole new / multi-media movement.

            Incredible!

In all, it was exhausting but completely worthwhile.  I walked out of each day overwhelmed with the potential we all have as visual communicators and a new drive to put everything I learned into practice.

There are stories around every corner and now we have a variety of new tools with which to tell them.  Why not adapt and evolve?  We have all seen the changes in the publishing world and though no one is completely sure what the new model will be, we should be working toward it.  Those are my two cents anyways.

This may seem like a far cry from my usual adventure story posts, but I disagree.  We are on the cusp of something very different, something very new and something nobody knows how to even describe.  I mean, what is multimedia?  That sounds like the makings of an adventure to me.

“Creativity without craftsmanship is like a million times zero.” 
-Dick Durrance (Aurora Multimedia Workshop Presenter)

“7 days of no kayaking makes one weak.”

This quote is from a bumper sticker that you can see going by on almost any rack-laden vehicle in the Reno area.  For me, it is a sight for sore eyes and I can’t think of a better way to describe this last week.

It all started with the annual Reno River Festival.  This year marked my fourth year in attendance, but was only my first year as a true spectator.  For one reason or another, I have always shot this event (mostly self-assigning), so it was a real treat to just hang out.  The camera was along for a few images but, for the most part, I just walked around and caught up with all of the kayakers that I have spent so much time traveling and shooting with in the past.


(Jackson Kayak team member Clay Wright during the Reno River Festival.)

We all did the whole story-swapping bit for most of the weekend, but it was also a great chance to talk with everyone about summer plans, future shooting and new ideas.  By the time it was all over, this week’s paddling and shooting thoughts were in motion and I was in full planning mode.

I had Monday to recover from the weekend, work through some logistics and make communications that would allow me to disconnect for a few days and wait for the call.  As it always does when it comes to kayaking, the plan literally came together at the eleventh hour.  It was eleven o’clock at night before I had a solid grasp on where people were going before all cell phone service would be lost in the northern Sierra.  I set my alarm for a 4:30 a.m. wakeup and I was set to go.

The next morning’s travel was just shy of epic with a random snowstorm slowing traffic on I-80, my limited knowledge of where I was going, last-minute grocery and equipment purchases along the way and a group of kayakers so large that we actually ended up with a convoy of nine station wagons, vans or trucks and one RV pulling it’s own shuttle car.  We were definitely a sight for each small town we passed through.  Oh, and the convoy basically started with individual vehicles in different places that all met up along the way.  To put it short, logistics were crazy.

As we closed in on our final destination, about an hour from any phone reception, you could feel the excitement growing.  I was especially psyched because I knew that instead of my usual two to four paddlers, I was going to have upwards of fifteen people to shoot.  Not only that, but we were all on a mission to be there because of this creek’s known “edge of the world” steepness.  All of the elements for a successful few days seemed to be present.

On top of all of that, I had an old college friend lined up to hang out and join us.  He had a great time, helped me out a ton (being the photographer, my logistics are usually harder than even the biggest group of paddlers) and even shot some images of me at work.  Thanks again Billy, I can’t wait until the next time we cross paths!


(Jackson Kayak team member Phil Boyer leaving the lip of one of the cleanest 50 ft falls on the planet.)

After using my first day mostly as a scouting trip, I realized that there was no way I would be able to get the image I really wanted by paddling.  My vision would require hiking all of my gear down to the river, then paddling across the river only feet above a 50 ft waterfall, then a burly bushwack of a climb up the other side of the gorge.  It seemed like a lot of work for one set of images, but that was the set I was after.  There was no question in my mind about whether or not to go for it.

I put in the time, the miles, the sweat, blood (no tears) and ensuing poison oak rash, but we got it.  The rapids lined up exactly how I had hoped they would and I was able to photograph one of the most impressive displays of athleticism and gumption I have ever seen.  It was beautiful.

It was so impactful for me to see this through my lens that I have decided to run this section of whitewater next spring.  I have some work to do before then, but I want someone out there to hold me to this.  I want to know what it is like to paddle up to the lip of this set of drops without any view of where it ends, and go anyways.

All of that aside, it was also just great to hang out with old friends and familiar faces on the water and in the woods.  After a few weeks of office work and a stomach virus, this last week really solidified why I do this.  I can’t imagine  any other life.

Now, it’s off to Downieville, California for a few more days of the same: paddling, camping, shooting and reveling in the state of being disconnected, even if only for a little while.


(Demshitz crew and Pyranha team member Jared Seiler styling "99 Problems".)


(Demshitz crew and Pyranha team members Jeremy Laucks and Graham Seiler doing a real man's portage.)


(Jackson Kayak team member Stephen Wright dropping in on 50 feet of free fall.)

This post is a part of a publishing experiment called A Steady Drip.  Go to the table of contents at www.asteadydrip.com to see more.

El Guapo (the van) and I have been on the road together for 733 days.

It all started with an epiphany explained a few posts down while I was splitting my time between South Lake Tahoe, California (SLT) and Reno, Nevada.  That epiphany snowballed into a master plan very quickly and here we are, back in the same area two years, 39,968 miles, hundreds of thousands of photos and countless experiences later.  Man it feels good to be back!

In no way is this a signing off post.  Guapo and I are still going strong with many plans for the future, but it really feels like we have arrived “home” after a long trip. This is something we can all relate to, but for a pair with no address, this “home” feeling does not come easily. 

There are a few other places I cherish the same, but professionally, it all started here.  This is the last place I lived, worked and shared a community of friends.  I love the people, the mountains, the rivers and lakes.  I am really happy that for the time being, the Reno / Tahoe area is “home”.

Last Saturday, April 17^th, 2010, was the official anniversary with Guapo.  It was on that day two years earlier that I flew from Reno to Santa Barbara to pick up the van and start a new life.  I have written at length in my posts about how that move and several others have added unforeseen value and experiences to my existence, so I won’t go into any more detail about the actual transition.  What I really want to commemorate is the fact that two years have passed and we are still rolling, still growing and still hungry for more.

So how did I spend the two-year anniversary?  I participated in a Boater-X event on Mt. Rose where about 20 of us geared up in a mix of skiing and kayaking equipment, sprayed Pam on the bottom of our kayaks and raced down a bobsled style course.  I definitely did not win, but it was fun to be around kayakers I have met, shot and traveled and paddled with along this two-year journey.


(Current World Champion Nick Troutman in first, Brian Tupper in second and me in third.  Many thanks to Reno local and photographer, kayaker and skier extraordinaire Scott Sady of TahoeLight.com for the image.)

Afterwards, I went straight to Downieville, one of my favorite towns in Northern California, to camp and kayak with some old friends.  I found them in a heap of wet gear on the side of Highway 49 after one long, failed attempt at hitchhiking the shuttle back to their car after paddling all afternoon.

I picked up the two stragglers and we caught up over a campfire by the river.  The sun was out the next morning, the coffee was strong and the water brisk.  We were all smiles as the day was spent dissecting rapids, taking in the scenery and talking and laughing about whatever we could think of.  It was the perfect transition into summer, and into being “home,” at least for a little while.

Here are a few photos of Guapo along the way these past two years.

This post is a part of the publishing experiment called A Steady Drip.  Go to the table of contents at www.asteadydrip.com to see more.

El Guapo (the van) pulled into a pretty special parking spot last night.  It is a spot that I first experienced with my older brother (Rush) four years ago.  We were unemployed, living in his Nissan Exterra and soaking in everything the winter west had to offer.  It was the first time either of us laid eyes on the Tetons and it was too overwhelming to keep going.  We parked, took some pictures, pretended like we were the characters in a Patagonia catalog and even went for a small (very small) backcountry ride on a nearby hill (fresh out of our Avy 1 course, we still had no clue so we didn’t take any chances).

When I woke up yesterday morning in Park City, Utah with the knowledge that my day would end in Jackson, Wyoming, I knew I had to go back to that initial parking spot.  I had to pay homage to that wonderful memory, and more importantly, that wonderful trip. 

  (Now you see why this parking spot is so great.  Reading and relaxing.)

It was a trip that changed our lives.  It taught us to trust our instincts and go after the things we want.  It was also the beginning of a few self-directed opportunities that snowballed into where we are today.  Rush is now married to the love of his life.  They have a house near the beach, a dog they love and jobs they look forward to.  In other words, they are psyched!

And you all know my deal.

Simply put, that trip was the first in a series of bold decisions for both of us.  Every turn we made and every lot we pulled into helped shape our future and the notion that we might have some control over it.  To others, we were just out being irresponsible and having a good time while we were young, but to us, we were learning very important lessons about the power of going and doing.  I can say with full confidence that it all started with that trip, for both of us.

Rush is busy with his life now and I am busy with mine.

Since my last post, I have been managing the usual responsibilities while also watching the weather, lining up athletes and shooting a lot of backcountry skiing.  I am working on a project that is taking me into a new field and testing every bit of resourcefulness I can come up with, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. 

This assignment has me shooting stills, video and learning about audio (really, I am learning about all three together).  Even better, it has me charging the backcountry to do so.

My legs have earned some elevation, but they will be resting a bit this week as I have another assignment that will have me shooting at Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee resorts all week; all chairlifts and no hiking.  Actually, I have only had one other day on my resort board this entire winter, so it is a welcome change.

The next few weeks will be really busy, and I will do my best to post updates as often as possible.  In the meantime, I will see if I can dig up some images from that first visit to this now infamous parking spot of mine.

            I will be 27 years old in two days.  It is my birthday and like all birthdays, it is special.  I am sure I will talk with my family and friends, and I am hoping to be out shooting (the ultimate present for me), but it is today that is the real celebration day.  Two years ago today I had my life changing moment; my epiphany, my realization, my shot of clarity.

            March 8^th, 2008.  It was a perfect Saturday afternoon in South Lake Tahoe.  I was relaxing in front of the gas stove in my cozy studio apartment after a blissful powder day with friends.  I was sipping a mug of hot tea and was completely content with the day and with my life in general.  I was pretty busy smiling from ear to ear when my stomach hit the floor.  I felt terrible and even a bit panicked.  My elation had turned into near depression and the toughest part was that deep down I knew why.

            The same reasons for my happiness were actually the root of my despair.  I realized that I was comfortable.  I was sitting in that grey area between doing something and talking about doing something.  I had moved to South Lake Tahoe to work, learn and grow, but now it was time to make a decision.  I could keep living a fun, enjoyable and stable existence or change everything and challenge myself to move forward into the unknown.  My sinking feeling came from within because I knew which choice I would make.

            Three days later I called my Dad and gave him the news: I needed to move on.  He was proud of where I was in life and I was afraid he would think I was spoiling a really good thing.  I kept waiting for the sound of disappointment in his voice, but he just took it in, thought about it and replied, “Okay, so where do we go from here?”  Shocked and stuttering, I hit him with the second, and most outrageous, aspect of my plan: I would move into a van.

Over the course of the next month and a half, I quit my jobs (photographer at local newspapers and Digital Asset Manager in another adventure photographer’s office), sold my car, moved out of my apartment and flew down to Ventura, CA to shakily hand over a check to my future.  It was a future on wheels and my ticket to adventure, freedom and above all else, my own career path.

It was by far the scariest move I have ever made, but looking back on my life and work since then, I know it was the best thing I could have done.  I am busier, happier and working harder than ever.  Ideas have become realities and previously distant thoughts are now on the calendar.  I am pitching stories, earning assignments and talking about projects far down the road.  This is it.  This is what I was envisioning two years ago on this day and I just can’t explain how powerful that is for me.

I want to thank my family and friends for their support from the start.  I know there must have been a point (maybe there still is) where you were all thinking, “Oh no, what is he getting himself into?”  You didn’t want to see me struggle or face more hardships. You were wondering when enough is enough, and whether or not this might be the right time to intervene, but nobody expressed any of this.

Instead of showing me fear and doubt, you all gave me encouragement. It sounded crazy on paper, but those who know me saw beyond the black and white description.  You saw a defining moment in my life and I know you were all scared because of the decision you knew I would make.  All I can say is thanks for sticking by me.  You may never know how much it really means to me.

            So on this anniversary, I want to send my greatest appreciation to all of those who supported me from the beginning and who support me today.  To my loving parents, siblings, relatives, friends and perfect strangers, I would not be here without you.  Thank you.

            Today is a special day.

***Sorry there are no photos in this post, but I wanted it to be more about the words.  If you would like to check out a few new images, just click on the “Latest Photos” block on the Homepage or “Latest” in the Portfolio Menu.***