Celebrity Playlist: CFA

This is what I've been grooving to lately.

Gemini to Baby Lion's

Here's a few pictures from the weekend. We rode Gemini Bridges in the morning with snow at the trailhead, and rappelled in the afternoon with bitter winds. Never a bad day for adventure!

The crew at the bridges - Mick, Tyler, Arlee, Sterling, Jed, Mike, Chris, Chris.

Where are we? 

Jed was our shuttle driver, and at the trailhead he just decided to follow us. We had truck support on Gemini Bridges! At the end I suggested we ride with Jed through the flat and uphill. He dropped us off at the top and we bombed down to the parking. Sweet!

Chris just got a new static rope so we can go canyoneering. So Mick took us to the top of Baby Lion's Back in his Jeep to test out the new rope on the rappel up there.

Crotch shot

That night we were too tired to do anything, so we let Dumb and Dumber play while we napped on the couches.

This Time

This time last year I had a machine breathing for me
I was put in an induced coma so I could not move and possibly cause more damage to my lungs

I was on more drugs than you can count on two hands

For weeks no-one knew why my lungs were hemorrhaging
I was in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Mary's for 13 days

I regained consciousness a week after I was supposed to be running the Canyonlands Half Marathon. I couldn't sit up by myself and it took effort just to talk. I was 25 pounds lighter than I was one month before, in my peak physical condition. It took a long time to get my body back. "Taking it easy," "not overdoing it," physical therapy... I had to be reminded to be patient.

I could've died. Miraculously, I live without lasting impairments. Life means so much more now. My physical body is the greatest gift I've received.

Now, I have been training for months. I am ready to run the Half Marathon that I missed last year.

This time this year I ran the Canyonlands Half Marathon.

Banff Mountain Film Festival

Monday night I took Ivy to the Banff Film Fest here in Moab. After picking up the free posters and stickers from Petzl, we entered the auditorium and joined the crowds of adrenaline junkies waiting for the show. It started off with two sweaty-palm-inducing, on-the-edge films where you feared for the athelete's life. I got an rush just watching the incredible feats these people accomplish. Dean Potter was featured in the flim "Fly or Die," where he free BASED (climbing with no safety equipment besides a parachute) the north face of the Eiger, a 1,000 ft peak in Switzerland that more than 60 climbers have died on. After successfully topping-out, he leaped from a ledge and flew to safety.

Luckily for my adrenal glands not all the films were this intense. This was one of my favorite films they showed:

I hope someday I can grow a beard like that. After the show I felt like BASE jumping, or treking across a large desert, or something crazy like that. Sponsorships, anybody? Hmm, maybe I can get a camera crew and helicopter to document my float down the daily...

p-ANCA Vasculitis

Today marks the one-year anniversary of entering Allen Memorial Hospital for my illness. I had been coughing sputum with blood for about a week previous and was being treated for pneumonia. Finally I became bed-ridden for two days and it was apparent that the antibiotics weren't helping. I went to the ER and within 24 hours I was sedated and flown to St. Mary's in Grand Junction. Five days later I was tested positive for p-ANCA+ vasculitis. Only about 3 in 100,000 people have this condition.

What it is:
periferal-Anti Nuclear Cytoplasmic Antibody -- immune system attacks itself

Positive -- tested positive for p-ANCA

Vasculitis -- inflammatory destruction of blood vessels

with

Pulmonary -- lung

Hemorrhage -- heavy bleeding

In my case, the ANCA affected the large blood vessels in my lungs, but did not affect my kidneys. There is no known cause for this condition.


How I've been treated:
While I was hospitalized I was on and off too many drugs for me to keep track of. After I came home I was taking Predinsone (steriods) and Cytoxan (chemotherapy, which interferes with rapidly dividing cells that make antibodies), both immunosuppressive drugs to stop tissue destruction from attack by my antibodies. I took Bactrim to protect me from infections because my immune system is suppressed by the steriods and chemo. I see a nephrologist (kidney doctor) periodically to monitor my immune system to make sure it's not going haywire as my drug doses decrease. Kidney specialists tend to see more cases of vasculitis than lung doctors do, so this is why I'm under the care of a nephrologist.

What this means long-term:
Since I recovered from my hospitalization, I have been very active and suffer from no ill effects of this condition. If all goes well, I will be weaned off all medication soon. It is possible that I can have a recurrence, but this is improbable and can be treated quickly.

2010 Summer Times

With cold weather, sickness, and long days indoors, there's not much I've been able to do. Right now I live by watching movies, eating soft foods (wisdom teeth out last week), and summer memories. These are some of my favorite stories that happened during the river season at World Wide. (Names have been changed to protect the guilty)

The beginning of the season, James wrote down his goals for the summer and posted it on the warehouse wall. Item #4: Get a back massage from Kim. Now Kim is not at all the touchy type, let alone the back massage type. A late night upstairs in the warehouse after most people had gone to bed, a few of the guides tried to get Kim to give James (who was asleep) a back massage. We dared her to tip-toe to his bunk, stroke his back and whisper in his ear "James, will you carry me to the bug hut? I forgot my shoes and I don't want to walk across the yard barefoot." We offered her a hundred and thirty-three dollars! After all the begging, persuading, and promises of money, she would not do it.

We all knew Jason had a thing for Sam, but he always denied it when we teased him about her. He was really awkward and had no experience with the opposite sex; Sam had no interest in him other than just a friend. Jason would take her out, but emphatically explain that they were "outings," not dates. He took her on so-called outings to Sunset Grill, Burger King, The Brewery, and he even got her a pair of shorts for her birthday. Finally, they reached the apex of their relationship when I was with Sam on an overnight river trip. After a easy afternoon float from Dewey Bridge to Hittle Bottom campground (more than 30 minutes from Moab), the guides and I were preparing dinner for our passengers. Out of nowhere Jason drives up, hops out of his car, and blurts "Sam-I-need-you-to-sign-this." She asked what it was. "Basically, it means if I die, you get 60% of all my money." The rest of us guides stifled laughs inside the trailer as she signed the papers. The next "outing" they had, Jason confessed that he really liked her and he wanted something more than just friends, and she shut him down. I guess including someone in your will doesn't guarantee she'll be your girlfriend.

Another late night in the warehouse found us listening to Paul describe his first kiss with another guide, Sydney, last year. "I suggested that we hike the amphitheater loop in the moonlight and read scriptures at the top. We're talking about Sydney here, you know? So we hiked up there, finished our studying, and talked for a long time. Then I said, 'A Hershey's Chocolate factory makes millions of Kisses a day, but I'm only asking for one.' and she said 'Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?' and then it was like magic after that." The best part of that night was after Paul had told us all that story. Sydney came upstairs with her Book of Mormon in tow and asked, "Does anyone want to read scriptures?" We all laughed hysterically, except for Paul, who looked like he had just been slapped by a monkey. When she realized what was so funny, she gave Paul the dirtiest look a Sydney could and left.

One night camping on the river, another guide and I were up late talking. We all slept in the inflatable kayaks called duckies. Suddenly Megan looked up from her pillow and asked, "What time did we decide to decide to do the downhill?" We said, "Uh, eight." She replied, "Okay," and then conked out again. About an hour later, she propped herself up in her duckie and exclaimed, "There's water running under us as we speak!" In the morning we asked her if she remembered any of her dreams, but she had no idea what we were talking about. I love it when people sleep-talk.

On a rent-a-guide trip for Western, Ivy and I were helping Lee (Western guide) rig our boats for the next day. I finished strapping down a confusing mess of gear with Ivy's help and muttered, "Whatever, that's good enough." Lee said, "Good enough for the girls Chris dates!" Ivy and I looked at each other, looked at Lee, and we both charity chuckled. "Wait, are you dating someone? Oh, are you dating her?! Oh man, I have a big mouth..."

This is the summer how CFA remembers it.

To finish this post, here are two favorite videos from the summer:

Ice Fishing

Today some friends and I went fishing in the LaSals. We rode Josh's four-wheeler with tracks, so that made the three miles to Oowah real quick! (faster than snowshoeing at least)

The fishing was great - the company was better.

Snowshoeing Oowah

Chillin' in sunny LaSal

Last weekend Ivy and I borrowed snowshoes from our friends Brian and Angela and headed to the mountains! We parked on the LaSal loop road and hiked in to Oowah Lake. Three miles uphill in 2-3 ft of snow is grueling, with or without snowshoes. As our first time snowshoeing, it was hard to get used to (never try to walk backwards with those on!), but it was fun. There had only been two other people up there since it had snowed. It was cool to see how the mountains had changed from the last time I had been up there to the deep snow and green pines. Recharged with energy bars and fruit leather at the frozen-over lake, we breezed back down the trail just as the sun was disappearing. So excited for our snowshoe trip in February!

I'll be better with putting up photos...

Stay tuned for sweet action pictures.

Merry Christmas



Shorts and Chacos, baby.

 Another great family hike this year! The ugly weather opened a perfect sunny window for Christmas weekend, so we took advantage of it. We hiked the Moab Rim in almost-60 degree weather.

Highlining

Thanksgiving Highline Fest in Moab! There were six lines set up with two short practice lines nearby. Ryan Matson took me out there, and I leashed up to a short 35 ft "practice" line. Just to get myself used to the height I scooted across on my butt and kinda played around a bit. Safely on the other side, I tried to convince myself to start walking. I could step on the line, almost get two steps, and then freak myself out. It's hard to step off a cliff and hold balance! I practiced falling and catching the webbing a couple times, and was finally able to step out and balance for a while. My inability to do better was all in my head! If a slackline like that had been set up 3 ft off the ground, it would have been no problem. I need more practice and control of my fears, and next time, I will walk the line.

Holiday faves

• Colorful Christmas lights
• Peppermint hot chocolate
• Puffy coats and beanies
• Seasonal Clif Bars
• Hot spice punch
• Homemade toffee and peanut brittle
• Apple cider
• Pumpkin pie shakes (so bummed when The Diner was out the other day)
• Eggnog
• Smell of fresh snow
• Winter hikes
• Giving

Here's a little seasonal love. Share your traditions and favorites!

Challenges, stress, confidence, and success.

From the title of this post, you're probably thinking that I've had a rough spot in my life and I'm blogging about it, but this is about a less solemn subject: climbing. Climbing is like no other sport. It is physically demanding, mentally straining, and dangerous. It focuses your mind and sharpens your senses. It offers a challenge that if defeated, brings an incredible sensation of achievement.

"This one seems pretty doable." Kerri, Sterling, and I stood at the base of a route on Wall Street, a beautiful red slickrock wall with many climbs. It might've been the last good-weather day of the year, and we wanted to make the most of it. We looked up with our necks craned, assessing the rock and the difficulty of it. "The book says it's only a 5.8? Let's try it - I'll lead."

"Leading" is to climb a route first, place anchors as you go along, and clip your rope at the top. On most climbs there is a bolt in the rock every 5-10 feet, and if you are about to clip into one and you slip, you will fall twice the distance since your last anchor before your belayer can catch you. So if you climb 10 feet, almost reach the next bolt and slip!, then you're going to fall at least 20 feet. There's a lot of stress and motivation to not fall while you're lead climbing.

And leading was exactly what I was attempting to do. I tied a figure-eight to my harness, squeezed my feet into my shoes, and took off. A little scramble to the first bolt, and I felt sure I could top out. I kicked my brain into hyper speed, focusing on the rock so I could move smoothly and save energy. One... two... three bolts behind me... and then I stopped. I was on an exposed rock fin with the ground a mile away. There were no holds to my right, drop-off on my left, and a small hold above my head about 6 inches too high. I thought, "If I dyno (jump) to that hold, I'm probably going to fall. But I'll try it--it's all in my head, right?" I ran through my plan. Focus, energy to my legs, and... "doh-AH!" I made an involuntary sound with my throat as I fell and swung down on the rope. "I'm going to try again - be ready to catch me!" It took too many tries, and I got tired of gaining all that distance just to fall again. Kerri, my belayer, yelled up that she'd try it, so I came down.

On the ground and trading places, I described the tough spot to Kerri while I took off my shoes and pulled out my belay device. She climbed past the crux and finished, and seeing that it was possible, I tried again. After I had made the difficult move and finished, I realized why I couldn't do it before. I didn't have the confidence in myself to stick that move; I was sure I'd fall--and I did.

Climbing is not only about skill of movement on the rock; it requires concentration to solve difficult problems, determination, and confidence to overcome fear. The process is stressful, but the rewards are sweet: an incredible sense of accomplishment and a good dose of adrenaline. Climbing is something I can't quit, but I think it's a lot healthier than other addicting substances. Climbing is a passion.

Walking the line

I got the slackline from Emily! I've been practicing quite a bit, walking longer and longer lines. It's so much fun balancing and learning new tricks. Eventually I want to be able to highline.

Perfect weather... perfect weekend

It's been in the 70's all week! Perfectly beautiful fall weather. On Friday Ammon and I went sport climbing on Wall Street. After a couple disappointing attempts, we finally completed a route. Good practice, but I really need to work on forearm strength. In the afternoon Emily and Karen joined us to set up a slackline at the park. I hadn't slacklined since last year, but I worked and worked at it until I could walk it! It's amazing how much balance and technique it takes. Pretty soon I was jumping on the line and walking! I love it... and it's a cool social tool; so many people walking down the road came over and asked, "Hey, can I try your line?" It's great to learn from different people. I'm getting enough webbing to make my own line, and I'm planning on setting up some posts in my backyard so I can practice anytime.

Later that night, a few of us had a bonfire in rememberance of Guy Fawkes. We also blew up cans of gasoline and aerosol instead of fireworks. Enough said.

Ivy and the Whitewater Kayaking Club from BYU came Friday night, so Saturday morning we floated the daily. It was crazy to be on the river the beginning of November, so late in the year! It was really cool to be floating past yellow cottonwoods and see the fall wildlife. The water was so cold, but the outside air was great. I couldn't go in a whitewater kayak because I've never rolled, but I wanted to try something new besides a duckie. So I rented a sit-on-top kayak... dumb idea. It was huge and heavy, and basically the same as an inflatable duckie, which are easy to roll up and stow in a car. Oh well, I tried something new, and now I know I won't try it again.

After the daily the club ate at Fiesta Mexicana and left town (Ivy hitched a ride back to campus on Sunday with a visiting riverguide).We finished up the night with hot chocolate and "River Wild." Perfect weekend!

Logan to Moab... and everywhere in-between.

Last weekend my aunt Naomi picked me up to go to her place for a couple days! When we got to her place in Sugarhouse, Salt Lake, we dressed up for the Halloween party her roommates were having. It was fun, and I liked getting to know some of Naomi's friends. On Saturday morning Naomi and I met up with two other friends at the Olive Garden she used to work at and had an early lunch. Naomi brought the pictures she took in Italy (a trip that OG gives to outstanding employees) and we got to see all the stuff she did there. So cool. After that we saw "Red" at the Megaplex 12... wow, the theater in Moab is a joke! It was a great movie; perfect blend of action and comedy. Later we stopped at REI (picture right, like my stool?), In-n-Out, the climbing gym and then Naomi gave me a quick Haunted Salt Lake tour. It was really interesting to see the old buildings and hear the haunted stories. We drove to the cemetery above The Avenues and walked around some of the graves. Later in the evening we went to the haunted "Asylum 49" in Tooele. That was pretty intense--it was Naomi's fifth haunted house in two weeks, and she said it was the best yet.

Sunday morning we left early early and picked up my grandparents to go to my cousin's primary program in Logan. I love Logan, I can't wait to go to school there. And I haven't seen the Duerschs in so long! I got to sit next to Hannah and whisper with Austin in church, but that's all we could stay for. Back to Pleasant Grove! We had a quick lunch with Charlotte and Big Chris and then got on the road. On the way we stopped by Provo and talked with Ivy for a couple minutes! A big storm was rolling in, and the drive home was crazy; we got back pretty late.

It was a crazy-awesome weekend, and I loved everything we did. Thank you Nopey!

click to learn about the legend of  Emo's grave

Provo Round #2

This weekend I was lucky enough to be able to visit Ivy again! My Andrew aunts and uncles were celebrating my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary, so I asked to be just dropped off at BYU. I arrived just after Ivy had raced in the school's mini-triathlon, and had finished strong. We (she) recovered in her apartment in the Foreign Language Housing where she studies Spanish. 

Later in the afternoon we hiked up Rock Canyon, which is only a 15 min. walk from campus. The fall colors were pretty, and the cool air was perfect for a hike. There were several groups climbing and mountain biking, and we joined the many couples that were obviously hiking for a date. We explored the canyon, found a cool cave, and crossed the stream several times. Ivy told me about Squaw Peak that overlooks the canyon and times that she's climbed it. Pretty cool!

After we walked back into town, she showed me around campus and all the things that she does around there. We had dinner at the Ruby Thai restaurant and then watched a flick at the International Cinema. I invited her over to my grandparent's house for the night and the next day, and we stayed there with all my crazy wild cousins and family. Sunday we went to church and after lunch we dropped Ivy off and headed home to Moab (where my new climbing harness had arrived! Now I have all the gear I need to climb with my friends). What an awesome weekend.

Exploding colors in Rock Canyon

Klondike Bluffs

Sterling and I wanted an afternoon ride the other day, so we threw on the bikes and sped off to Klondike Bluffs. After saying goodbye to the trailhead, we began the 4.5 mile ascent to the lookout on the top, which views Arches Nat'l Park. Uphill wasn't too bad; just pop your bike into granny gear and cruise up. We stopped to check out the dinosaur tracks on the left of the trail and then helped out a couple who had bent a derailleur (helping others = good trail karma). After a nice hike at the overlook, we jumped back on and just bombed downhill. It made all that up really worth it! Klondike Bluffs is an awesome trail, and I'll definitely ride it again.

Good Times in Happy Valley

I got Saturday afternoon tickets to General Conference! It was an awesome double-date; I took Ivy and Jed took Kesha. It was my first time going to a session in the Conference Center, and it was pretty exciting to be completely surrounded by people who were all there for one purpose: to listen to the Prophet. After that session, we needed to get to my Andrew grandparent's house because we were going to stay there. It took us over an hour of driving to finally figure out where we were going (we drove a complete circle around the city of Murray). I almost always get lost in big cities, I hate it! Cities are nothing like a canyon or desert - those are easy to find your way, sheesh. Anyways, we stayed at my grandparent's house on Sunday and watched the rest of Conference there. What a crazy awesome weekend of friends, family, and Ivy!

Deso #3

Last week Karen, Kerri, Ammon and I did a three day Desolation Canyon trip. We actually did the whole thing in about 50 hours (Karen had to be back for a Cat trip), without a motor. Cooking on the boat, naps on the boat, grooving on the... no, just kidding! We rowed into the dark every night, and even floated Range Creek Rapid in the dark. Camp was always late, but we enjoyed it and the weather was beautiful. No rain, hardly any wind, and it was pretty warm. We stopped at the iron-prowed skiff, Rock Creek Ranch, the Three Canyons Bridge, Last Chance Rapid (in the dark!), and climbed up the cliff at Rattlesnake. Most of these places we don't stop when we're on commercial trips. And the wildlife was amazing! There were bald eagles, two herds of bighorn sheep, and lots of beavers. It's the best in the fall - I love guide trips.