tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49564704649445494222024-02-18T21:53:07.636-08:00Luke's Bloggie BlogA blog from Durango, Colorado's Luke Mehall. He has four books available from Benighted Publications: Graduating From College Me, American Climber, Climbing Out of Bed and The Great American Dirtbags. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-15534228526885560792016-12-07T08:38:00.002-08:002016-12-07T08:38:42.528-08:00This is The End <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
No, I'm not being dramatic, though that wouldn't be uncalled for the aftermath of the election. I've expanded beyond the Blogger format, with my own website<a href="http://www.lukemehall.com/" target="_blank">, www.lukemehall.com </a>. Thanks for the years of reading, and go visit the new site for the latest work. peace and love, Luke. (photo by Bonnie McIntyre)<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-30058126795651305092016-11-17T22:04:00.003-08:002016-11-17T22:06:47.310-08:00The Sensitive Climber Guy (The Opposite of the Pussy Grabber)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Times are
scary, and common sense decency seems to quickly be fading from day to day
life. We’ve got a presidential candidate that freely talks about “grabbing
pussys” and many people seem to accept that as okay. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But this is not a political article;
this is just a statement, an offering of hope, especially if you are an
outdoorsy woman who is just looking a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. My friends, there
is a type. There is a guy. He is called The Sensitive Climber Guy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In my thirty-eight years of life
I’ve never come across a more ethical group of human beings that my fellow
outdoorsy people. Time in nature demands respect, patience, and knowledge.
Holding your fellow human beings life in your hands on the other end of the
rope molds one into something different. The further you take the risks, the
more you understand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This Sensitive Climber Guy will not
be hard to spot, but he may be hard to find. He may be overly polite. He may
start the fire, cook you dinner, and offer you his warm puffy should it be cold
around the campfire. He will lead some pitches, but he will offer your own
lead. He’ll check your knot, your harness, and your helmet. He’ll give you the
last bite of the clif bar. He will pick you flowers on the trail. He may even
write you a poem or sing you a song. He will listen, that is the mark right
there—see if he listens. Because even if he’s not talented in the realm of song
or writing, you are his muse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There’s a surplus of these single
guys — many of them spend so much time outside for work and play that their
dating life suffers. They don’t know how else to live though. Many lament that
they don’t meet any women — polite as they are — while the “bad hombres” like Trump
run the world with such alarming masochism our instinct is to cover our
children’s ears when he speaks. We’ll never call you “our bitch” and we’ll
never grab your p****—well not until you ask us too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ll never understand what it’s like
to be a woman. Your burden is greater than mine. I can only imagine a rational
women’s fear of this monster that is rising to power. I’m sure for many women
that have been abused and treated unfairly by men, he is a constant reminder of
fear and pain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There can’t really be a solid
conclusion for this little blog piece. I just wanted you to know we’re out
there. I just wanted to say something sweet to as many ladies as I could reach.
There are monsters in this world, many of them, with Trump at the top of the
list. But away from the cruel world, on the fringes, in nature, there are good
men—surely not all of them, but many of them. I just wanted you to know. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank">My memoir American Climber is now available in e-book format and print.</a></i></b></span><br />
<span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0H8J6qtElKjPcFut7hBQvxZXpbcIXNNlXkX5Hh9UQKWkb7BB32cjVUlhGvIY9MIakHRJ36_hSkMWV55k4BjDi_gb_1CPyBwf2czaBYh0ERANpDAcjBZfek-srZy_seR-8rwyVuyXjR4/s1600/AmericanClimber_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: times; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: 48px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0H8J6qtElKjPcFut7hBQvxZXpbcIXNNlXkX5Hh9UQKWkb7BB32cjVUlhGvIY9MIakHRJ36_hSkMWV55k4BjDi_gb_1CPyBwf2czaBYh0ERANpDAcjBZfek-srZy_seR-8rwyVuyXjR4/s400/AmericanClimber_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="258" /></a></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-7730847204349874682016-11-11T08:40:00.002-08:002016-11-11T08:42:56.880-08:00The New Book: Graduating From College Me <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKPrBtsuaV8HTVwSdr8Ron9IFZ7eB-U5EEE03ccuorEODKWjYsUwo5sdie7A_AhVaIe29QG6g9oz84hqN8w56harFryLummPLfIVvJYB23QaRm8qVkQHRBjulqbYRqHKxQqNjssmGei0/s1600/Luke_College_Cover+Jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKPrBtsuaV8HTVwSdr8Ron9IFZ7eB-U5EEE03ccuorEODKWjYsUwo5sdie7A_AhVaIe29QG6g9oz84hqN8w56harFryLummPLfIVvJYB23QaRm8qVkQHRBjulqbYRqHKxQqNjssmGei0/s400/Luke_College_Cover+Jpg.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When I was 33 I set a goal to write five books by the time I was
forty—for a while it was a nice thing to say at a party or on a date, but then,
damn, I had to do the writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 18.0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 18.0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So, I’ve been writing,
ferociously. Fortunately the writing gods have blessed my work with
productivity—writing is kinda like climbing mountains, you can blah-blah-blah
about it all you want, but the proof is in the doing. But I’ve sat down every
morning I’m at my home office and written. Nothing crazy, just solid consistent
effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 18.0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 18.0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Another book?” is the response
I’ve been getting a lot when I’ve been telling people about<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Graduating-College-Dirtbag-Climber-Grows/dp/1539124673" target="_blank"><b>Graduating From College Me, A Dirtbag Climber Grows Up</b></a>. I get it, I just came out with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall/dp/0692667687/" target="_blank"><b>my memoir, American Climber</b></a></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><u><b> </b></u></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;">less than six months ago, and I don’t exactly
have the reputation as an excessively productive writer. But, you gotta make
hay when the sun is shining, and lately, well, the sun has been shining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 18.0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 18.0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;">About the book—it is a collection
of short stories, vignettes, and poetry—and to me it is the rawest writing I’ve
ever done. The premise of the book is to write about life lessons I’ve learned
since I graduated college a decade ago. The book has more poetry than I’ve ever
published in a book, as well as a heavy focus on the American southwest desert
that has captivated my soul so much since moving to Durango six years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As with anything raw in nature some of the writing in this book
is embarrassing to me. There are chapters about love I’ll never read aloud to
an audience. When I skim over them they surprise me by how honest I was, which
is exactly what my job is to the author—to deliver honest writing. So, instead
of hiding them away somewhere, I decided to go on and publish them, with hopes
they might help someone else relate to my own struggles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 18.0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In addition to writing about
love, I’ve realized how much I love climbing. These words, from the final
series of vignettes in the book about Indian Creek sum up where I’m at with my
climbing these days, trying to keep it personal, to break through my own
ceilings, and in the end, realizing when climbing is done for the love of it,
it is the best. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 18.0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 18.0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Climbing is this yin and yang
thing. Knowing when to fight and when to back off can be the difference between
life and death, success and failure. And, never forget that the best climbing
moments kinda feel like floating anyways, a profound act of trying without
trying. Just doing. Like love. Becoming one with something else.</span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></em>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Graduating-College-Dirtbag-Climber-Grows/dp/1539124673" style="font-family: 'adobe caslon pro'; font-size: 16px;" target="_blank"><b>Graduating From College Me, A Dirtbag Climber Grows Up</b></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 16px;">.</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-13399550861757836922016-11-11T08:22:00.001-08:002016-11-11T08:25:32.790-08:00The Weight Or Not My President <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">I
could feel the weight of what was happening a hundred feet from the door of the
Powerhouse, a sort of instinctual dread. The air was thick, he was winning, and
his lead was growing. What many thought would never happening was happening:
Donald Trump was becoming our next president. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I initially started the night off at
a local pub, my head on a swivel as I turned from my phone to the TV; trying to
make sense of what was happening. There were four split screens with different
channels, and each had a separate count for the electoral vote. I was with my
friend Jennaye, she’s my go-to when I need a drink and a smile; my BFPF (best
female platonic friend). But this would not be a night with very many smiles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The tension was already building
around that table of friends and new friends I just met, and we decided we
needed to go be with the Democrats as they gathered in the Powerhouse Science
Center. I’ve never really considered myself a Democrat, more of an Independent,
but I was rooting for Hilary Clinton to win. The state of our nation depended
on it, I thought. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The night started with pleasantries
and beers, but quickly I became anxious and fixated on the results. Nothing was
making sense, I knew Hilary needed a certain amount of electoral votes, but I
didn’t understand exactly what states she needed to win. I knew my roommate and
friend Micha would know, and she was at the Powerhouse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cutting through the air of anxiety
and despair I found her—we might lose—was the jist of it. My heart sank. Was
America really about to elect an openly racist, misogynistic, liar to the
presidency?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The night carried on. I was too
nervous to even drink another beer. I knew it wouldn’t help. I already had a
splitting headache because I’d been in the desert for several days before, and
didn’t drink enough water during the day for proper recovery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The vibes in the air got worse, and
I went into writer mode. I knew this was going to be a moment in history I’d
remember for as long as I live and I wanted to crystalize it in my brain. I
studied the expressions on people’s faces. Some cried, others were transfixed
on their phones following other races in the Senate and House. My phone died. I
don’t know what use I really had for my phone at that point anyways. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I wasn’t the first to leave, and I
wasn’t the last. By the time I left though I was no longer surrounded by
friends. Everyone seemed to need to grieve on their own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I slumped out of there, and rode my
bike slower than ever before as I contemplated what had happened. I felt
sadness, but for what? For whom? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If I am being truly honest, and as a
journalist and poet at heart that is my job, I was sad for myself. For the last
eight years I’ve felt as though Barack Obama truly represented my interests and
values. I was proud to have a black president who was full of integrity. I
thought America was headed in the right direction of everyone finally having a
voice. I feel like Hilary represented many of my values as well. Sure, I wasn’t
as excited about her as Obama, but I knew she would be a continuation of his
vision. So, I was sad because who I wanted to win did not win. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There’s a deeper sinking feeling past
that, and that hit home as I sat in front of the computer screen and constantly
refreshed the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i> website.
The financial market was already crashing. I understood that the anxiety of
women, people of color, Muslims, recent immigrants and hopeful immigrants, were
feeling, but I did not feel it myself as much as they are. I realized I am the
privileged, educated, Middle Class white man. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I feel asleep with my computer still
on in my bed and then was wide-awake at five in the morning. Normally a good
sleeper, I knew I couldn’t go back to bed because I was again ridden with
anxiety. I wondered if I would get out of bed all day. I checked all the news
sites. I cried a little. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I avoided checking Facebook, I knew
there would be anger from my friends, and voicing anger on Facebook is kinda
like shouting at the wind. I had my own anger—mostly for the white populous
that voted for Trump and their ignorant ways. I felt pure hatred for a minute. Instead of sending away all our immigrants and Muslims why
don’t we just send the miseducated angry white people away? I hear Mars is
looking for residents. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Eventually after hours of depressing
news stories, I found my way to Facebook. Of course there were some angry
posts. A lot of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Through the anger and the hate there
were some voices of love and truth. Many people expressed their desire to leave
the country, but then realized how much America needs people who want to accept
everyone and love everyone regardless of their skin color, religion, or sexual
orientation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One voice, one voice rang out over
all. It was from Andrea Stanley, a Native American woman, whose perspective I
have appreciated since meeting her this past summer. The post read, “</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Good Morning! It's a
good day to be Indigenous! Remember, this is nothing new when we think of what
our ancestors endured for us to exist today. This country is founded on stolen
land, genocide, colonization, and slavery. I appreciate honesty in any form and
now it's proven to y'all who didn't already believe that we live in a white
supremacist country. We will continue to fight for mother earth and the sacred.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>More and more, I am reminded of the
privilege that being white and male means in America. It looks like for the
next four years those of us who appreciate and honor diversity will be on the
defense in the political arena. No matter how much I fight though I will still
be white and male—the ideal skin color and gender for the world Trump hopes to
create. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I finally found the courage to get
out of bed. I had to write, I had to. It’s what I was born to do. Then, I heard
crying outside of my bedroom. It was Micha. I figured I’d just let her have a
cry, get it out of her system. But she just kept weeping. So, I went out and
talked to her. She was crying for all the energy she put into the election that
now seemed like a waste. (Just yesterday after knocking on doors all day, she
practically collapsed next to her bed saying, “why won’t people just vote?”)
She cried for women, and what a misogynistic leader like Trump means to all
women. She was exhausted and frustrated. I just listened, and realized I was
not as sad as her, or many people, because his presidency will not affect me as
it does other people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like many, I have thoughts of
leaving. I have friends in Mexico and Canada. I’m still contemplating it, but
again, it is a privilege to be able to consider it. And again, I’m going to
leave you with words from someone else, from Durango writer Page Buono, and her
post this morning, “</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">For hours now, roughly twelve of them, I've been plagued by
the intense desire to leave, to find some other place to call a home, because
certainly in the wake of last night's results, this does not feel like my home.
Where else can I land? A deep forest, a lonely canyon, another county? But I
realize that the desire and genuine opportunity to leave is a product of my
privilege. For so many, there is no other country, no other home. This is it.
Our task now is to carve out our place in it and hold firm to the welcoming
spaces we craft. There is nowhere else to go. We have to turn toward each other
and keep fighting to make this a space we are proud to call our own.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">This piece was originally published in this week's Durango Telegraph. </span><br />
<span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank">My memoir American Climber is now available in e-book format and print.</a></i></b></span><br />
<span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0H8J6qtElKjPcFut7hBQvxZXpbcIXNNlXkX5Hh9UQKWkb7BB32cjVUlhGvIY9MIakHRJ36_hSkMWV55k4BjDi_gb_1CPyBwf2czaBYh0ERANpDAcjBZfek-srZy_seR-8rwyVuyXjR4/s1600/AmericanClimber_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: times; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: 48px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0H8J6qtElKjPcFut7hBQvxZXpbcIXNNlXkX5Hh9UQKWkb7BB32cjVUlhGvIY9MIakHRJ36_hSkMWV55k4BjDi_gb_1CPyBwf2czaBYh0ERANpDAcjBZfek-srZy_seR-8rwyVuyXjR4/s400/AmericanClimber_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="258" /></a></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-2500944490434885332016-10-11T12:03:00.002-07:002016-10-11T12:08:29.380-07:00I'm with (common sense) <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">The other week
when the fall colors were poppin and the leaf peepers were a peepin, I drove
over up to Telluride, and then up to Gunnison. I had a book tour event in
T-ride and then a wedding in Gunnison. As I witnessed the amazement of the
changing of seasons and the colors that accompany it, I was startled by
something else as well, the amount of Trump-Pence signs off the side of the
road. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">My urge when I
see those signs reminds me of my teenager anger, I wanted to throw eggs at them,
or spit on them, or tear them down. And, I would, but, well, I’m an adult. The
pen ain’t mightier than the sword, but I can still remind each and every Trump
supporter that you are un-American, and you are a disgrace to our country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">It’s time to go
somewhere else if you think that he is a proper leader for the most powerful
nation in the world. You are a sucker and a damn fool if you think that man is
a decent human being. Hilary Clinton isn’t perfect, but she is exponentially
more qualified than a man who (among other things) taunts and insults the
parents of a dead U.S. solider. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">This whole
piece could be a rant against Trump supporters, but I’m fairly certain most of
you don’t read above the second grade level, so why bother. (Please prove me
wrong and write an intelligent letter to the editor of why he is a qualified
candidate.) I want to riff on something else as well, someone that Trump has
clearly paved the way for: Kanye West. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfgexnKU0qpVAdaFxO3kWvcCf1vJt90ubeB26YMcB5_upPT7T_-e2VVx587Y5F4VYz_9q3PCn9XgmVNqjH1f3i2wxa9ioYJzt7hzueWRmK-hsmJ9ZnMpj-kXVrnkfU3a-MHNprjYV3vA/s1600/kayne+2020+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfgexnKU0qpVAdaFxO3kWvcCf1vJt90ubeB26YMcB5_upPT7T_-e2VVx587Y5F4VYz_9q3PCn9XgmVNqjH1f3i2wxa9ioYJzt7hzueWRmK-hsmJ9ZnMpj-kXVrnkfU3a-MHNprjYV3vA/s320/kayne+2020+.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Last year at
the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye aka Yeezy, announced that he was going to run
for president in 2020. Of course, everyone kinda viewed that as a joke, even
Obama himself made fun of him, but now that Trump has risen to power, we have
to look at Yeezy a little differently. I mean think about it: two men with
insanely large egos, who say the most outlandish things just to get reactions
out of people, and in turn get a ton of publicity for it. They both say they are
geniuses. The difference is that Kanye actually is a genius, a musical genius
that is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Of course,
Kanye would have to be a Democrat. You can’t be hip-hop and Republican. You
just can’t. We believe Obama when he says he has Jay Z on his iPod. If Bush had
said that we never would have believed him. (Side note, even Bernie Sanders has
a little hip-hop in him, and teamed up with rapper Killer Mike during his
campaign.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Oh, but maybe
this is the problem here. Republicans aren’t adapting and changing with the
times. Please don’t think this is a rant against all Republicans, I know some
of you are good and moral people, and right now with this presidential race, I
feel sorry for you. Perhaps the good and moral Republicans are simply not in
the majority anymore. The racist, ignorant, misogynistic, hate mongers seem to
be in charge these days. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">I know Hilary
Clinton is favored to win this race, and you can be damn sure she’s getting my
vote, but let’s say something happens, and the Russians hack our voting system
and god forbid, Donald Trump is our next president. This sets the stage for a
battle. Trump versus Yeezy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And maybe in
2020 if our country still even exists, and Trump didn’t get impeached for doing
something highly illegal, we will change the presidential debates into rap
battles. (Trump’s style is more suited towards a rap battle than a presidential
debate anyways.) Note: if you don’t know what a rap battle is get on YouTube
and come back to this article. Or, watch 8 Mile with Eminem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Basically in a
rap battle practically nothing is off-limits. You can diss the opponent’s
mother, their wife, their offspring, anything. It would be PERFECT for him.
It’s just his style. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">They would
argue whose penis is bigger. They would argue whose wife is hotter. They might
even mention killing their opponents. The sad reality is that in his own way
Trump has already done all of these things. Trump is more suited for a rap
battle than the presidency, and so is Kanye. But I bet Kanye would tear Trump a
new one if they battled, just like Eminem did to his opponents in 8 Mile. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">At this point
in the conversation a lot of folks are bringing up the third party vote,
especially the die hard Bernie folks. They don’t like Hilary and they don’t
trust her. I’m not going to try to sway anyone from voting from who they think
should be the president, after all this is a free(ish) country. But, you know
what, Bernie wants you to vote for Hilary, so does Obama. As a country we need
to ensure Obama’s legacy, we are in much better of a place now than when George
W. left office. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Most
importantly we need a leader who embraces the diversity of the United States,
and knows how to operate within the world of foreign policy. Building a wall is
not a solution. The position of commander in chief is a job, not a reality
television show. There is only one person who is qualified. In the words of the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Atlantic</i>, who recently made their
third endorsement for president in their 159 year history, “</span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Trump is
not a man of ideas. He is a demagogue, a xenophobe, a sexist, a know-nothing,
and a liar. He is spectacularly unfit for office, and voters—the statesmen and
thinkers of the ballot box—should act in defense of American democracy and
elect his opponent.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><i>This article is published in today's Durango Telegraph.</i></b></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-78718041335440729522016-07-24T07:25:00.001-07:002016-07-24T07:29:29.641-07:00Wyoming Summertime <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33V2_kclNpPwi3QwvfOyhXykLQu664OzL9fAs1Thk6uMUWg-lnMPqB8ki7GdJ_F-s6ubKpQqMpGlOXchJOiWFX-zZhRCrjfWd-BeavBe-6_o1Oglh4xDVQkC8ShJG0ijR5Tc14E6ZcvI/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33V2_kclNpPwi3QwvfOyhXykLQu664OzL9fAs1Thk6uMUWg-lnMPqB8ki7GdJ_F-s6ubKpQqMpGlOXchJOiWFX-zZhRCrjfWd-BeavBe-6_o1Oglh4xDVQkC8ShJG0ijR5Tc14E6ZcvI/s400/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Haystack, Wind Rivers, Wyoming. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">If
you recall three months ago I wrote about a friends wedding down in Baja.
Today, as I write this, creeping up on deadline, the groom from the wedding,
Shaun and I are driving back Wyoming, having just emerged from the Wind River
wilderness. My story is already late, and Shaun is signing papers for his new
house in Gunnison in less than 24 hours. (Yeah, his wife is really cool for
letting him go.) You could say we’re both cutting it close. And, yes, I am
writing this from the back of my Subaru, while Shaun drives, and our homey
Keith rides shotgun. We’ll see how this goes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve fallen in love with Wyoming over the last week. We
were up in Lander for the International Climbers Festival, promoting my books
and zines, drinking as much beer as possible, and also climbing and recreating
to the fullest. Lander is a charming little town, and possesses the kind of
friendliness many Colorado mountain towns must have had before they got too
busy, and disgusting second home mansions started getting built. Everyone in
Lander wants to chit chat. At first you think they have an agenda, but they are
just nice. A little niceness goes a long way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lander is perfect for the climbing bum in the summer.
There’s free camping, friendly faces, and endless rock. These days too, there
are groups of women in the climbing world, a thrilling new development. In
short, for the last week, there’s everything in the world I need in Lander, and
it was a work trip! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the festival
closed, and we woke up with hangovers from partying four days straight, we had
about one full day to play before we bee-lined in back home. Keith and Shaun
suggested that we blaze into the wilderness for a quick alpine climb. I’ve
always wanted to see the Wind River Range, so naturally I obliged. Plus, I
figured it would be good to sweat out some toxins before the 11 hour drive back
home to Durango. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I am not much of an alpine climber. I like being the
mountains, but I don’t really care for rock climbing in the mountains. I like
Yosemite style climbing, and most of all, I like the sandstone of the desert. I
go with what speaks to me, and unlike my homey John Muir, the mountains do not
call, and so I don’t go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Once in a blue moon my friends will suggest an idea and
I’m stupid enough to accept it. Last time it was hiking in the Cascades for 17
miles just to climb two hundred feet of dangerous rock. I always feel like
death and doom are one move away in the mountains. I can only hide my Midwest
roots so much, at a certain point I cling to comfort and security. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, haggard and weary late Sunday evening we stumbled
into the wilderness. Last minute stops before heading in included water
treatment tablets and bug nets for our faces. Bug nets for our faces, I asked?
You’ll see, they said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We hiked in at a brisk pace, and the week of intense
socialization and partying faded into the peace and calm of the wilderness.
Pine trees stood all abound, until we reached a series of alpine lakes and
craggy granite faces. Small ripples appeared everywhere in the lakes, with fish
jumping out of the water; happy hour in the mountains. We lamented the fact
that we didn’t bring a fishing pole. It was good to be there. A full moon rose
between two peaks. The stars came out and we went to bed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The shit show that is me in the mountains began in the
morning. Sleep deprived and disoriented I stuffed instant oatmeal into my face,
and wondered in my head how I would operate all day on this sugary junk of a
breakfast. Soon we were standing below a thousand foot granite face called the
Haystack, which from camp was more pointy than horizontal. It looked pretty,
and the guidebook fully endorsed the route, calling it one of the best of its
kind around. It wasn’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We started the day by getting off-route on the very first
pitch. Keith climbed up a hundred feet of loose, insecure rock in a dihedral
before we realized we’d missed the correct start of the climb. He nervously
climbed back down, risking big falls on less than ideal terrain. I’m sure his
mind was brought back to a major fall he took on The Diamond on Long’s Peak
years ago when he fell 70 feet, broke his wrist and punctured a lung, leading
to a helicopter rescue. Soon we found the correct start to the climb, and Keith
started up again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Quickly he passed the leading to me, and I managed to get
off route. Soon, I found myself, falling out of a crack, the rope quickly
catching my fall. I was safe, but I was rattled. I wanted off this damn rock,
and we were only a hundred feet up. I passed the baton of leading to Shaun, who
at the moment was the only one left with a positive attitude. Shaun quickly
took the role of leader, launching off into the unknown, wanting nothing more
than us to have a successful climb in the mountains. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Soon, we saw an object flying through the sky. It was a
shoe. One of Shaun’s hiking shoes had came unclipped from a carabiner and we
watched it bounce off the rock and land on the ground next to a small patch of
snow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Shaun had motored us up the wall, past the point of
retreat, we’d have to make it to the top. Shortly after I started leading again
a storm started to roll in, thunderclouds building, and winds a whipping like
they do in Wyoming. I wished I was anywhere in the world but on this stupid
rock. This was not a climb worth risking dying for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The storm finally broke a little when we were on the
summit, but only one lone clap of thunder. When we hiked off the summit and
were back at camp the experience already seemed fun, but I announced to the
team that I was officially retiring from alpine climbing. I’d stick to the
crags around Durango, and the Moab desert. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As we walked out amongst the pristine beauty of the
wilderness, one of the finest things that the United States has to offer, I
knew my retirement would only last a year or two, after all beauty always calls
you back, and that call is a hard one not to pick up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b>This piece was originally published in the Durango Telegraph on July 21st. </b></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-14709955803127819892016-06-22T10:00:00.003-07:002016-06-22T10:06:35.266-07:00You Can Call Me Lube <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">She was my first love, and she slipped
away. I know exactly when it was. You know those moments when everything is
coming together; you see your life shaping up, creating that foundation where
all that comes from here will be built upon from here. Then something happened,
a downward spiral of sequential events. We went our separate ways; I went down
to Durango and figured I’d never create with her again. It would be okay;
poetry and I had a good run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9CIIQz5nZieUsjfESLqPQh6EHRMoEpi65Q00kONAH9UOaqVnTcDQQdxsqDlrWYnCOGWCgoxkrV-tIEsBC9xRUqi9BJ9FU8cQRjSUjBcdj2mOcUTgcM617tMuj7XOkAaQDomP0iLYG9I/s1600/IMG_0356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9CIIQz5nZieUsjfESLqPQh6EHRMoEpi65Q00kONAH9UOaqVnTcDQQdxsqDlrWYnCOGWCgoxkrV-tIEsBC9xRUqi9BJ9FU8cQRjSUjBcdj2mOcUTgcM617tMuj7XOkAaQDomP0iLYG9I/s320/IMG_0356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I lived in Gunnison, before I
was anything I was a poet. It was the first kind of writing I enjoyed. It wrote
itself. It was always for love, never for money. The open mic nights and poetry
slams in Gunny were some of the best, most pure nights of expression in my
life. Why is it I could say anything to anyone in poetry, even if I kept an
armor around my heart the rest of the time. It was her freedom, her accepting,
open nature that led me back time and time again. She helped me find myself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It was always a quirky love affair,
one I was almost ashamed of, how much I liked her. She was weird, and never
really cool. But who wants to be cool anyways? The cool kids from my high
school seemed to peak right at 18 anyways, too soon to peak for sure. The “too
soon” poetry always got me into trouble. At 21 I was the over eager poet, just
dying to have a crush so I could write her poetry or make her a mixtape. It
didn’t always go as planned, but when I found a girl who did like the poetry,
well, yeah, that was the right one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I moved down here to Durango I was
surprised, even overwhelmed by how many writers there are here. I find
connecting with writers to be an art of sorts. Many of us write because we
express ourselves better in writing than we do in conversation. I mean I say
stupid things all the time, but when I write something stupid I at least have
the chance to go back and edit it. So connecting with other writers is an art
in itself. We are a weird bunch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With all the writers around I
figured it would only be a matter of time before I saw a flyer for a spoken
word storytelling event or a poetry slam. When a couple years went by and I
never heard about anything, I figured I’d just start something of my own. Then
I realized how difficult that actually is. I teamed up with a couple people and
had some false starts, and then got busy writing and publishing books. But the
hunger was still there, and the void of not creating poetry was very much
there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the last couple months in Durango
it all came together. First, with the “Raven Narratives”, the powerful and
moving storytelling event that Tom Yoder and Sarah Syverson created, and then
with last weekend’s “Be Heard” poetry slam that Ashley Merchant and the local
United Way chapter put on. All that was missing from Durango for me, a place
I’ve very much been falling in love with over the last five years, was coming
alive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I also feel like spoken word poetry
is coming of age again, even in the mainstream. The famous rapper, Kendrick
Lamar, has a flair of spoken word that the hip-hop world has not seen in a long
time, with a political activism that makes it even more poignant. Same goes for
Beyoncé’s recent “Lemonade” film she made to accompany to her album of the same
name. There’s so much spoken word poetry in there. And damn if Beyoncé isn’t
becoming more and more of a true artist, revealing the depths of her soul in
such an honest, raw way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oh man, the week leading up to last
Saturday’s poetry slam at the Durango Arts Center I had the butterflies one can
only have with the matters of the heart. It had been many years since I’d
performed something I’d memorized. That feeling, the process, what a trip. I’m
always afraid I’m going to be on stage in the middle of the poem and my mind
will go blank. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So I practiced my poem every free
moment I had to myself. It started to become a part of me. Even when I rode my
bike over that evening I practiced it three times. At that point when you’re so
wired into the words its just time to breathe, relax, try to enjoy the night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The night kicked off on a somber
note when the emcee for the evening, Ben Fisher, asked for a moment of silence
for Orlando. That was followed by a poem that local high school student Amy
Leonard performed, with her thoughts on the tragedy and what it means to be a
gay American. I feel like I’ve become so numb to all the shootings in America;
Amy made it all so real, and I thank her for that. That girl’s got some serious
passion and talent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Being a first time event the poetry
slam had a raw feeling that was so enjoyable. Many of the poets simply read
their word in an open mic style, ranging from high school students to the
charming older man who read a little vignette about Jackie Robinson. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There were many missteps made by the
emcee, and he graciously and hilariously all of them, charmingly. When he
pulled my name out of the hat, Ben, said well that’s an interesting one, “Is
there a Lube in the audience?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It was the perfect introduction. I
felt my nervousness melt away as he said it again, “Lube, are you out there?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After telling Ben my name was
actually Luke, I performed my poem without pause or panic, it was ingrained
into my brain and nothing would stop me now. It’s a weird feeling though, the closest
I’ve ever felt to an out of body experience. You practice something alone, over
and over again, and now you’re anything but alone, there’s an audience and
energy out there, and they are finally interacting with your words. Then in an
instant you’re done. They clapped. They liked it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I was glad I went early in the round
so I could just stop and enjoy everyone else’s poetry. There were so many
moving poems; it’s even now a little mind bending to contemplate. It was such a
fun night, and it made me feel more at home in Durango than ever before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Amy Leonard was the champion, and
did she deserve it. Gretchen Groenke of Mancos was the runner up and she
deserved it too. Both of these women motivated me to step up my game as a
performer; they were so polished, poetic, and passionate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The night was capped off by some
impromptu beat boxing from Ben, followed by a very moving dance performance
from Natalie Benally from Dancing Earth, an interpretive piece aimed at
creating awareness for the alarming high rates of sexual abuse that Native
American women face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Afterwards, still riding the high I
was over at Steamworks for a beer and a bite. As I was walking across the bar
to go to the bathroom, a couple of women stopped me, and said, “Good job
tonight, Lube!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So yeah, I guess now all my new
poetry friends will be calling me Lube. Thanks a lot Ben!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>This piece is published in this week's Durango Telegraph. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank">My new memoir, American Climber, is now available. </a></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
</div>
<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-32582061488922175062016-06-10T08:26:00.001-07:002016-06-10T08:30:08.417-07:00The Year of Vulnerability (a poem) <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
Did you know?<br />
<br />
2016 is the year of vulnerability?<br />
That no matter what<br />
It's cool to be the real you<br />
And the real me<br />
That's vulnerability<br />
<br />
No more: frontin-fakin-takin<br />
from your real self<br />
its time for feeling-loving-opening<br />
To your real self<br />
<br />
Cause we're fucking tired of<br />
your Facebook self<br />
your selfie self<br />
your real self<br />
is what we crave<br />
<br />
Tell your selfie stick<br />
It can suck my ----<br />
<br />
Lick. That envelope<br />
and write yourself a letter<br />
tell yourself your heart wants better<br />
<br />
Vulnerability.<br />
I'll look at me.<br />
And realize I ain't as cool<br />
As I said I was last year<br />
Or even that last beer<br />
<br />
This year<br />
I'll write with tears<br />
I'll be unafraid<br />
of my beating heart<br />
Telling my brain to<br />
Listen to that pain<br />
<br />
The space between the heart and the brain<br />
Imagine the possibility<br />
Imagine the vulnerability<br />
<br />
It aint 2004 no more though<br />
Its 2016, all fresh and so clean<br />
<br />
The cool you is the real you<br />
You know that Andre 3000 you<br />
the cool you is the real you<br />
even if its the you who loves Ja Rule you<br />
<br />
We all want to see it<br />
Let that mutherfucker go<br />
You can do it slow<br />
or fast<br />
<br />
Let that open hearted you<br />
do some writing<br />
or some poetry reciting<br />
We wouldn't all be here tonight<br />
if the possibility of real<br />
wasn't so exciting<br />
so inviting<br />
so enlightening<br />
<br />
We would all be at the mall<br />
Or backs up against the wall<br />
at a bar<br />
<br />
Everyone wants that real you<br />
That always says something true you<br />
That walking with with swagger<br />
of zero cool you<br />
<br />
That you anyone can talk to<br />
<br />
That vulnerable you<br />
<br />
That's the you I want to be introduced to. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-2453265851733008402016-05-26T08:02:00.002-07:002016-05-26T08:04:55.905-07:00A Teary Narrative <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhBz2Y5i4mTIeuntunCGyNjx-p77xoe1LZD45fcB8ExaXHhzl9DfIc4hS4cHmhDfPbeheYKmduvDfCIGygG-lzmgI3WUuWaWEhSnsCXqwOREOji41jVE0XCTeFLnd6RZ_LOGQ7EzO68E/s1600/IMG_0258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhBz2Y5i4mTIeuntunCGyNjx-p77xoe1LZD45fcB8ExaXHhzl9DfIc4hS4cHmhDfPbeheYKmduvDfCIGygG-lzmgI3WUuWaWEhSnsCXqwOREOji41jVE0XCTeFLnd6RZ_LOGQ7EzO68E/s320/IMG_0258.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All you need is hugs </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">“I almost started crying,” my friend Brittney
told me after last weekend’s Raven Narratives storytelling event at the Durango
Arts Center. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Shit,
I cried tears during most of those stories, I thought to myself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">I’ll
admit, I tend to cry a lot in certain situations. You could say I’m cry-y. That
doesn’t read that well, but you get it, there are times when I just know I’m
going to cry. Oftentimes it’s alone in my car listening to some epic Bob Dylan
love song but it also happens in the form of stories, real stories. I rarely
cry in the movies, but read me a touching true story, some poetry or a love
song, and there I go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">This
last weekend I cried a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">This
was the first weekend this spring that I wasn’t in the desert or in Durango
working. I had my friends Brian and Brittney in town so I vowed we would have a
very Durango weekend. I just didn’t exactly know what that would entail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Brian
and I both love Seinfeld, so when he walked into my work on Friday and got in
line to get some food, I immediately told him, “No soup for you!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">That
night we stayed up until one in the morning watching Seinfeld, and then in the
morning we headed over to my favorite breakfast joint, the College Drive Café.
It was predictably tasty and the wait staff friendly. The day was off to a good
start. Naturally, we headed over to the farmer’s market afterward, to see who
we could see and pick up some fresh greens. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Then
I got a text from Brittney’s husband Dave: Bunt got hurt kayaking and broke his
femur in five spots. (For those who keep up on the FB or the paper, yes, he was
that kayaker. The one who was rescued from Vallecito on Friday.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Evan
Bunt is a friend from a long time ago. I met him when he was a young crusher in
his high school days up in Gunnison. He is a very Colorado kinda guy, a badass
in so many outdoor activities it’s hard to put him into a category of what he
is best at – whether it be skiing, biking, climbing or kayaking. He’s also one
of the most polite, friendly human beings you’ll ever meet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">These
kinds of messages delivering news of an accident are too routine for us lovers
of outdoor sports. They are part of the deal. Going big in wild places usually
provides us with the best days of our lives, but occasionally they deliver the
worst days as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">A
broken femur is way better than a lost life though. I held thoughts of Evan
close to my heart that day as we continued our tour of Durango. A mountain bike
ride through Test Tracks, over to Horse Gulch, a quick stop into Ska, and a
nice dinner led up to The Raven Narratives at the Arts Center. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">I’d
been excited about this ever since I first met the charming and passionate Sarah
Syverson, who along with Tom Yoder created the storytelling event. It was made
up of all local storytellers, and the theme for this series was “baggage.”
Needless to say, it got deep. There were stories of love lost, parents lost,
hearts found, identities rediscovered, addiction, bribery and even a tale of
two lambs rescued on the side of a highway. To say I was impressed would be a
major understatement. I cried a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">The
following morning, Brittney rallied me to visit Evan in the hospital. He’d just
had surgery, complete with a titanium rod. The minute we walked in, Evan looked
at us, said our names and started crying. “Thank you, I love you guys,” he
said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">We
told him we loved him, too. His parents were there by his side. There was a
deep feeling of intimacy, seeing our friend at his lowest. Yet, his spirit was strong;
there was a feeling of power coming from his third eye, and his soul. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">He
told us what happened, he wasn’t even in his boat; he’d slipped off a cliff and
landed on a rock in the water. His kayaking partner cared for him in the cold
water for five hours until help arrived and got him out of there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">When
he was done telling us his story, a nurse came in and performed a Reiki-like
ceremony. She asked us to help, gently putting our hands on his leg and sending
him healing energy. Sometimes, we forget how much we rely on the energy of our
friends and family and how essential that support is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">When
the nurse left, she put on a recording with some positive mantras, and we all
sat there absorbing the words, and sending Evan healing energy. Then after a
few rounds, Evan slowly moved up and turned it off. We talked a bit longer
before the doctor came in and we learned of the milestones for the day: getting
the catheter out, peeing on his own, and perhaps taking a shower. In a couple
days, he’d be released. The mood seemed heavy, but Evan was optimistic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Then,
just as we were getting ready to leave, his buddy Dan and his family showed up.
Right away Dan lightened the mood, “So … I hear you’re getting back into
kayaking.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">We
left with a logistically awkward but important hospital bed hug. I felt deeply
moved by Evan’s spirit and humility. My day was changed for the better, and for
the second time in as many days, I was moved to tears. But beyond that, I felt
a connectedness to Evan, his parents, my friends and family – the realization
we are nothing without the people in our lives who love us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">When
I was younger and friends got get hurt, or even worse, killed, I contemplated
if I would continue these risky activities. These days, I don’t go through that
anymore. Everything in life has a certain risk to it, and we just have to
accept that. I won’t quit adventuring in the wild, and I doubt Evan will
either. Some of us just have it wired into who we are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Later
that day we went climbing. Even there, I realized the gift Evan had given me –
to appreciate the moment and my surroundings. And, on the rock, at one point I
closed my eyes and saw Evan’s face: positive, strong and encouraging. I felt
his energy, and I hope he felt mine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Then
I thought about how powerful the weekend was, I thought it was just going to be
a chill weekend at home, but through the tears that I cried I realized I’d seen
things in a different light. And I feel closer than every to this community,
and the people who also call it home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i>This piece was originally published in today's Durango Telegraph. </i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"></span><br />
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank"><br /></a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank">My new memoir, American Climber, is now available. </a></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-27128984966849101412016-05-19T22:15:00.003-07:002016-05-19T22:16:15.510-07:00The Moth meets The Raven<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoruEzR485ub8Kl3i2B4k6BbTvozrxEYdY-x-YoF9ERG-DZLFz-W3kzahRtVXmj-qpqWXW3dt8Prm3YdUkMQ7ONT_mBaubvkrO4qJEnx8ropdZGHej5DXdOjRYG4f7nM2_lP2IxSyyVU/s1600/raven+narratives+may+final+draft+w-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoruEzR485ub8Kl3i2B4k6BbTvozrxEYdY-x-YoF9ERG-DZLFz-W3kzahRtVXmj-qpqWXW3dt8Prm3YdUkMQ7ONT_mBaubvkrO4qJEnx8ropdZGHej5DXdOjRYG4f7nM2_lP2IxSyyVU/s640/raven+narratives+may+final+draft+w-logo.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">It was a story
of the wolf re-introduction to Yellowstone National Park that wholeheartedly
confirmed Sarah Syverson’s notion that starting the Raven Narratives was a good
idea. Syverson, who along with Tom Yoder, started the storytelling event
earlier this year; this weekend they will host two performances on Friday and
Saturday, in Cortez and Durango respectively. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Syverson’s face becomes illuminated
when she recalls Steve Underwood’s story from the inaugural Raven Narratives
event about the wolves in Yellowstone. Underwood, who is currently the fire
chief at Mesa Verde National Park, was part of the crew who facilitated the
controversial reintroduction of the wolf in Yellowstone in the mid-nineties. It
was so contentious they shipped the wolves in during the nighttime had a decoy
vehicle to ploy angry ranchers who might try to disrupt the process. Later, as
the wolves were transported into a truck they realized the alpha wolf had
chewed through the bombproof cage, and had escaped. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s these sort of stories Syverson
and Yoder knew were out there in the residents of our Four Corners region, they
just needed to provide a platform. Both longtime fans of The Moth, a
storytelling event and podcast based out of New York City, the inspiration came
a little closer to home when Yoder attended a Moth event at last year’s
Telluride Mountainfilm. After that Yoder knew he wanted to start something and
quickly turned to Syverson and together they created the Raven Narratives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The format is simple: a quarterly
event, with eight people telling stories around ten minutes each, told without
notes, and each time there’s a different them. This time the theme is baggage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Syverson, a playwright and director,
who lives in Mancos, was more than pleased with the inaugural events, which
were hosted at the Sunflower Theatre in Cortez and the Durango Arts Center here
in town. “They were so powerful, I just can’t get over it,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Syverson is also a huge fan of The
Moth, but what she loves about the Raven Narratives is the local flavor and the
fact that many of the stories are set in wild places, something that sets their
event apart from The Moth. “There’s a different flavor in the stories set in
wilderness versus urban environments,” she said. “There’s a beauty that comes
along with our landscape that really translates well into stories.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Something both Yoder and Syverson
recognize is the desire for an authentic, human story told in person. “This is
a commonality that is in the DNA of the human being,” Yoder said. “It runs
really deep, we have been telling stories in front of campfires for as long as
humanity has existed.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yoder himself will be one of eight
storytellers this weekend, and he’s mentally preparing for the piece, which
involves exposing some baggage from events that happened in his childhood. He
wants to understand the process of telling the story so that he can help others
with their own at events in the future. He also wants to embrace the sort of
vulnerability he likes to see out of a good story, something not always found
in the modern day-to-day existence. “That is where our commonality is as human
beings,” he said. “But I’m also going through this oh-my-God moment that I’m
about to put this story out there. It takes courage. The intimacy of this event
is a big part of why it’s so appealing.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even though the inaugural weekend
was sold out, the Raven Narratives kept the same, intimate venues for the
follow up. Keeping the crowd small and close is a big part of why it was so
successful the first time around. “I don’t know if it would really work with
hundreds and hundreds of people,” Yoder said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Each event is turned into a podcast
available afterwards on iTunes, Soundcloud and other free media outlets. The
radio station, KSJD out of Cortez, where Yoder works as a Program Director also
provides essential resources. Ticket sales help offset some of the costs, but
overall the Raven Narratives is a labor of love for our community. “The
storytelling creates a true sense of connection for the community. That kind of
thing is priceless.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For this event there’s a lineup of
eight local storytellers, some of whom are likely going through the emotions of
feeling vulnerable, excited, nervous and eager to tell their stories. Yoder is
very ready to tell his story to the world, and is comforted that the crowd will
be his neighbors and community members. “I’m pretty nervous, but I know after I
get through it, there’s going to be this weight that will be lifted. Stories
want to be told, and have lives of their own. Once a story is told its
relieved. A lot of us carry around stories we are scared to tell. But there’s a
transformative power to storytelling.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Syverson herself couldn’t be more
excited about the weekend, “This is my favorite medium of live performance. These
simple acts get to the core of what we really care about as a community.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She also encourages everyone in the
community who is interested to consider telling a story, “everyone has a story
to tell and sometimes those who don’t think they are storytellers are the best ones”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><a href="http://www.ravennarratives.org/" target="_blank"><b><br /></b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><a href="http://www.ravennarratives.org/" target="_blank"><b>Check out the Raven Narratives</b></a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i>This piece was originally published in today's Durango Telegraph. </i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank"><br /></a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank">My new memoir, American Climber, is now available. </a></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0H8J6qtElKjPcFut7hBQvxZXpbcIXNNlXkX5Hh9UQKWkb7BB32cjVUlhGvIY9MIakHRJ36_hSkMWV55k4BjDi_gb_1CPyBwf2czaBYh0ERANpDAcjBZfek-srZy_seR-8rwyVuyXjR4/s1600/AmericanClimber_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0H8J6qtElKjPcFut7hBQvxZXpbcIXNNlXkX5Hh9UQKWkb7BB32cjVUlhGvIY9MIakHRJ36_hSkMWV55k4BjDi_gb_1CPyBwf2czaBYh0ERANpDAcjBZfek-srZy_seR-8rwyVuyXjR4/s400/AmericanClimber_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><br /></b></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-72827818966739030032016-05-18T15:45:00.001-07:002016-05-18T15:45:54.737-07:00I HEART The Firebrand <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Zx0ung5COYajSj3uNHU6SRknnKJBmriylUPzO4xpwiTANCKbUePkDxfS1Sv1Br4_lHAuj7WJAP3dD56ut74DJ7Vc1CwBFHavmMknBB4mHoyBVEvWo7QIiAxbSWH_YvnlrjAILEpLjWQ/s1600/13268220_10206952066652671_3674242936488721142_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Zx0ung5COYajSj3uNHU6SRknnKJBmriylUPzO4xpwiTANCKbUePkDxfS1Sv1Br4_lHAuj7WJAP3dD56ut74DJ7Vc1CwBFHavmMknBB4mHoyBVEvWo7QIiAxbSWH_YvnlrjAILEpLjWQ/s320/13268220_10206952066652671_3674242936488721142_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a aria-describedby="js_10" aria-haspopup="true" aria-owns="js_z" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1055692487&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/george.sibley.73" id="js_11" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">George Sibley</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> just wrote me an email and he's working on a piece about </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=120596027952555&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/FirebrandDelicatessen/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Firebrand Delicatessen</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> for the </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=260846108710&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/GunnisonCountryTimes/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Gunnison Country Times</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">. He asked me to write a couple paragraphs on what the place means to me...I couldn't do it, but this is what I wrote: </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">What does the Firebrand mean to me in a couple paragraphs? That’s like asking Bob Dylan to write about what Woody Guthrie meant to him in a couple paragrap</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">hs, but I’ll try to keep in concise.<br /><br />When I think about the Firebrand I go back to the year of 2001 when I was living in a tent out at Hartmans. I sure was a rough and raw character; I was a full on hippie who was almost always unshowered and unshaven. Like a hobo with a purpose to climb. This was when I got into writing for the first time, and I would literally go to The Firebrand and write poetry on napkins. Sometimes I would transcribe these onto a computer to send off to the college newspaper, others are forever lost in the ether.<br /><br />A person like myself could have been written off as a vagabond cheapskate but at The Firebrand <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1454659722&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/hcmagnus" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Heidi Magnus</a> took a liking to me, and started offering pleasantries, like the simple act of giving me a reusable tea container and trusting I would not throw it away.<br /><br />I loved the “feel” of The Firebrand, the Polaroid pictures on the wall, and the sense of community in this very Gunny gathering place. In a way it was a home more than anything I had in those vagabond days. Hartmans could get lonely all out there by myself, but I knew I always had The Firebrand whenever I didn’t want to be alone anymore.<br /><br />As the years went by and I become more of a writer I would journal in notebooks instead of on napkins. I loved being at The Firebrand and writing. I would inevitably run into someone I knew there, and have to put the pen down eventually, but that was part of the magic of The Firebrand. And, it was a time period when we weren’t always consumed by our phones. I love the fact that there’s still no WiFi there, hell the place doesn’t even accept a damn credit card.<br /><br />I grew up but there was always that constant of Heidi and Kate. Sure, the employees always changed, such is the nature of the restaurant industry, but always Heidi was up front and Kate was in the back. I always liked it best when it was slow because I got to have a quality conversation with Heidi as I ordered my meal.<br /><br />The Firebrand hosted musical events and poetry a lot too over the years. Man, I loved that poetry community in Gunnison. Tell me poetry is dead and I’ll tell you its alive in Gunnison, Colorado. My favorite era was just after I moved away from Gunnison for the 11th time. I’d scored a writing gig at the college, and had returned to Gunny, my home, forever. There were some amazing poets, and a couple of them worked at The Firebrand, Jake Danna and Evan Bennett, being the two I remember. They were the new generation and kept the torch of poetry alive. It was an amazing era.<br /><br />By then I was wearing a collared shirt and slacks, and hardly resembled the guy who was living out of a tent at Hartmans. But you know what nothing ever changed of how Heidi and Kate treated me. It was always an acceptance rooted in love, no matter what I looked like, or how much money I had in my pocket. When I started up a zine they offered to sell it, and proudly displayed it on the front counter. Now, eight years after that, my zines still get front space on that counter!<br /><br />Eventually I realized I wasn’t cut out for the 9-5 life, and right around that time I had a relationship end. I’d taken my life in Gunny as far as it could go, and I needed a fresh start in a new place to reinvent myself as a writer. I had a farewell breakfast at The Firebrand, and then I was gone, off to Durango, where I still live.<br /><br />I get to the Firebrand a handful of times a year. It’s still the same as much as anything else can be the same. The thing that changes in Gunny, a place where things don’t seem to change as quickly as they do anywhere else, is there’s just a little more grey hair on my peers, and certainly within my own hair.<br /><br />But you know what, the feeling, walking in that door, is as if I could just grab a napkin and start writing some poetry, and I would have cup of hot tea and a breakfast special and everything would be right in my world. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-67200180481940245752016-05-13T08:29:00.002-07:002016-05-13T08:30:47.104-07:00Those Who Wait - Shaun and Amy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "constantia";">I talk too much. I know
I do, and I know its something I try to work on, but its one of those faults
I’ve kind of just accepted. If I have something to say I’m going to say it. But
about six months ago I received a phone call that left me without a single word
to say. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSx3qPLs4X5m9Nopd7BHq5N-OKY_5CXHKF0evZ0d2SKRvBVTY8IGMvx3w174NB6P8zKdadfxglSoVw7VqikequM-9WPGYGV1mJnj3CtGKnsZwz1M9bKQs-FjEcdzxvj2gj4JonMtooZ6Y/s1600/IMG_0205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSx3qPLs4X5m9Nopd7BHq5N-OKY_5CXHKF0evZ0d2SKRvBVTY8IGMvx3w174NB6P8zKdadfxglSoVw7VqikequM-9WPGYGV1mJnj3CtGKnsZwz1M9bKQs-FjEcdzxvj2gj4JonMtooZ6Y/s320/IMG_0205.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself (right) and the lucky couple.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Shaun and Amy got engaged at the end of the last summer.
He told me he was going to propose to her in the wee hours of a late night after
partying in Salt Lake City. They’d been together so long I was hardly
surprised. You know that feeling. It’s more of an “its about time” sort of
feeling, than “oh my God I can’t believe it”. Of course I acted excited—I mean
I was excited, I just wasn’t surprised. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What happened next did surprise me. They called me this
winter, with both of them on the line, which I thought was a little weird. Then
they asked me a question I thought no one would ever ask me, “Will you marry
us?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Silence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A long silence. Followed by an, “of course I will” and
then an internal panic of sorts. Am I really qualified to marry someone? Why
me? Why did they ask me? I just said yes, but is it too late to back out? I
hung up the phone after some slightly awkward matter-of-fact conversation, and
then began to process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love love and I
love stories, and of course I love love stories. Shaun and Amy’s is my absolute
favorite. In 1999 in Gunnison at Western State the two were assigned to live in
the very same dorm building. They had the same group of friends. They both
loved the outdoors and did the same activities. Shaun claims they even made out
one drunken night. Amy refuses to acknowledge that ever happened. Shaun was a
hippy and had a pony tail. Amy wasn’t into hippy guys, or pony tails. So, they
never dated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In their post collegiate days they both travelled
extensively through Central America. Their paths hardly crossed even they both
visited some of the same countries. Eventually Amy bought a house in Gunnison
and opened up a hostel there. Shaun took an event-planning job in New York
City. They both seemed destined for separate lives in two places that could not
be more opposite than one another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then Shaun got tired of the big city life. He wanted to
return to the mountains. So, he did. Amy was there. And Shaun no longer had a
pony tail. They started spending some time together, but everyone wrote it off
as old friends hanging out—after all they’d known each other for ten years and
never kissed (according to Amy). Even Amy wasn’t aware that this man could be
the one of her dreams. She went so far as setting Shaun up with one of her
girlfriends. Then Amy’s Mom got involved. She suggested to Amy that maybe <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she </i>should go out on a date with Shaun.
So she did. And Amy’s Mom was there. They watched a movie. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then, in classic mountain town fashion Shaun left on a
month like bicycle tour of the West coast. But, this time he kept Amy close to
his heart. He asked her if she wanted to go to Thailand with “a group of
friends” after the trip was over. She said yes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When it came down to it the “group of friends” were
nowhere to be found. They were headed to Thailand—alone—on a second date, with
a foundation of ten years of friendship. Amy was in charge of booking the room.
Ever sweet and innocent, she still wasn’t sure what Shaun’s intentions were. I
mean the guy was playing it slow. She arranged for a room with two twin beds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That night Shaun and Amy drank every drop of liquor in
the hotel mini-fridge. You can fill in the blanks for yourself from there, but
its safe to say, from that point on they never got a room with two twin beds
ever again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I told this story during the ceremony, which was held on
the beach in a small town north of Cabo in Baja, Mexico. Their wedding was
completely unconventional, I stood barefoot on the sand as I married them.
People told stories about them as part of the ceremony. I don’t think you’re supposed
to cry when you officiate a wedding, but I tell you I cried like a baby. It was
hardly nerve racking, it was a beautiful moment in life, to be so close to two
people who are in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together. The
feeling was one of those feelings where you’re like this, this is what matters
in life, and everything else is just secondary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then they wed, and we partied. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "constantia";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i>This piece was originally published in today's Durango Telegraph. </i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "constantia";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank"><br /></a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank">My new memoir, American Climber, is now available. </a></i></b></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-15340462104100173012016-04-07T22:53:00.001-07:002016-04-07T22:57:05.389-07:00At The End of Your Rope<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">I love the
magic of the printed word. The last “La Vida” I wrote, titled “Two Front Teeth”
about my friend Lucas really reminded me of that—it was the most popular piece
I’ve ever written for the Telegraph. How do I know that? Comments. And, not
comments on a Facebook post, real life feedback from people in real life, you
know, the original social media: talking to people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A little background on that piece—I
wrote it in Joshua Tree while I was on a climbing trip. It was a very
sentimental piece about a bad thing happening to a good man, and I felt more
comfortable writing those sentimentalities knowing I wouldn’t be in Durango
when it was published. I was planning on being on the road for a while, and I
liked the idea of not being around when it was published. Why? I don’t know,
but maybe we’ll get to that. Part of writing is discovering personal truths. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But then, my piece got bumped, and I
ended up being in Durango when it was published. In the end I was glad I was
because so many people were psyched on it. And I learned an important lesson:
don’t be afraid to write from the heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This last year I’ve been trying to
write directly from the heart. I finally got my life story on paper—and
finished a memoir I’ve wanted to write for years, called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Climber</i>. I’m celebrating the release of it Monday at
Maria’s. While writing the book I realized something else I should celebrate:
the fact that I’m alive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You see when I was 20 years old I
was depressed and suicidal. Without exercise and positive energy I naturally
lean towards depression, and at the time I was addicted to a whole cocktail of
substances, which created a mindset of delusion and hopelessness. One night I
snuck out of my parent’s home and ran away from Illinois, leaving behind a
trail of notes, and I’m sure a lot of tears from my loved ones. They probably
thought there was a chance they’d never see me again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>No one heard from me for nearly a
month. I drove all around the United States, looking for a former girlfriend
who I thought would be my salvation. This was 1999, pre-cell phones,
pre-checking the Internet 100 times a day, and I never found her. I fell asleep
at the wheel more than once, and only narrowly escaped death. I punched my
dashboard in anger countless times and smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. I
wanted to die. I had nothing to live for and thought I never would be happy
again. My great-Grandfather killed himself, so I guess there’s part of that
running through my blood. Other family members have suffered from depression. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And that’s the state of which I arrived
to Colorado. I never found the girl, and it would be many years before I
climbed out of that existential depression. But, I found Colorado. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My healing began with nature. I got
into climbing and found something that provided a high that wasn’t a drug. I
found an amazing community in Gunnison. I discovered that life was worth
living. The day I first arrived in Gunny I stopped thinking about suicide and I
started thinking about living life again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing was though I never told anyone my
story. Even my parents never realized how depressed I really was. For a decade
plus I kept that secret in the deepest place of my soul. Then, one day, it
wanted out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It came out in the form of a short
story, which later became the foundation for the start of my memoir. It felt
very therapeutic to write it all out, and share my story with other people who
it might help. One day my dad finally read it and told me he had no idea how
bad it was for me during that time. It was also therapeutic to share that with
my family, but now I’ve wondered why I kept it in so long, and what permanent
damage to my psyche it inflicted. Holding onto pain makes pain much more
severe, like a boulder constantly pressing down on the heart. I wonder how much
pain I passed onto women I was in relationships with because my heart was not
free.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So I’ve been talking about it. I’ve
been writing about it. I feel much more free, and every time I face the pain of
the past I try to sit with it, acknowledge it, and learn from it. Now, it’s my
time to share. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Nothing breaks my heart more than
when I read about a young person who has committed suicide. It happens all the
time, and it is always a permanent solution for a temporary problem. I know what
it’s like to live without happiness, but I also know what it’s like to live
with it. Since my dark days I’ve had so many complete moments of joy—whether
that be in the embrace of a lover, high up on a cliff with a great friend, or
even just sharing food and drink with loved ones. Martin Luther King Jr. once
said, “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">I
just hope every depressed person knows that it IS temporary. Once you get
through the darkness there’s a whole lot of light, energy, and hope on the
other side. Depression is often just a sign that you need to change some things
in your life. Though I lived with severe depression for an entire year, and
subsequently suffered from it for another decade, I honestly rarely get
depressed anymore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I don’t think there’s any sort of
formula for a depressed person to find happiness. I do think it starts with
telling someone how you’re feeling. Then there are little choices, like going
outside for some fresh air and some exercise, or picking up your substances of
choice—there’s so many evil drugs out there these days. None of these decisions
are easy. I know people have suffered much more deeply than I ever did. Most of
them suffer quietly. Depressed people can be professionals at hiding what is
really going on. Trust me, I know. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s the greatest lesson I’ve
learned through my own personal journey—keeping pain and depression inside is
the worst thing you can do. Set it free, life is beautiful, and worth living,
especially here in the junction of the mountains and the desert. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i>This piece was originally published in today's Durango Telegraph. </i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank"><br /></a></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Climber-Luke-Mehall-ebook/dp/B01CVCF36U" target="_blank">My new memoir, American Climber, is now available. </a></i></b></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-84996312892540282872016-03-23T10:59:00.000-07:002016-03-23T10:59:50.730-07:00American Climber - Kickstarter Launched<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
After a decade of writing, and re-writing, my memoir, American Climber is finally complete. It is a 75,000 word tale about my life experiences with climbing—a sport that saved my life—coupled with reflections on the dirtbag climbing lifestyle.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVW5Tn0DjQu9Byhfw7VxEMvTFGb2VwvGtUGwcb1eTqYoYO5qNfYy2iIwU4TyUawWLNjYZcFWpWnIoxA8Nn8N9mSTqpVTfEjFfGKZhAsNiL6uVoHg20YtpFFJj2eFEHyp4gpDCPeVgpRg/s1600/AmericanClimber_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVW5Tn0DjQu9Byhfw7VxEMvTFGb2VwvGtUGwcb1eTqYoYO5qNfYy2iIwU4TyUawWLNjYZcFWpWnIoxA8Nn8N9mSTqpVTfEjFfGKZhAsNiL6uVoHg20YtpFFJj2eFEHyp4gpDCPeVgpRg/s320/AmericanClimber_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
The hard part—the writing—is done, and now the challenge is very simple: get the word out about my book. The best way any reader can help with that is by supporting the <a data-mce-href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1647333523/american-climber-a-memoir" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1647333523/american-climber-a-memoir"><b>Kickstarter campaign</b></a>. Rewards are affordable, starting at $10.<b> <a data-mce-href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1647333523/american-climber-a-memoir" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1647333523/american-climber-a-memoir">An advance copy of the book is $25.</a></b></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
Thanks in advance for your support, and I hope you're living the dream.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1647333523/american-climber-a-memoir" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1647333523/american-climber-a-memoir"><b>Watch the video on Kickstarter. </b></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<br />
<a data-mce-href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1647333523/american-climber-a-memoir" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1647333523/american-climber-a-memoir">peace,</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1647333523/american-climber-a-memoir" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1647333523/american-climber-a-memoir">Luke</a></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-81273075323574558312016-03-22T09:46:00.001-07:002016-03-22T09:47:13.408-07:00If These Walls Could Talk (a poem)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_oplsofdHjIC6SJcH59yfuWUaMRav4M3nIhMPeCQLud6lGpZnjQKce2JMWPzEd7AhmTLjf0fn8biekHTtYGoIIEZi-y5Fzlzc6PA76yKZZZJyvYv0JfAIsCc5Vit5u0WCXQz0VXsaEk/s1600/spiderline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_oplsofdHjIC6SJcH59yfuWUaMRav4M3nIhMPeCQLud6lGpZnjQKce2JMWPzEd7AhmTLjf0fn8biekHTtYGoIIEZi-y5Fzlzc6PA76yKZZZJyvYv0JfAIsCc5Vit5u0WCXQz0VXsaEk/s640/spiderline.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
(note: this piece is part of a poetry collection in the works. it's been a while since I've written much poetry, but recently after meeting another climbing-poet I've been inspired.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">You could say
the Joshua Trees <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Planted all the
seeds for the dreams<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Unwilling to be
the same<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Unwilling to
play the game<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And isn’t that
the way community should be?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Isn’t this the
place they call the land of the free?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Just fucking
close your eyes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And watch the
sunrise<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Just forget
that this <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">World is full
of shit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">If these domes
could speak<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">We would get a
sneak peak<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Of what it
would have been like<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">To solo the
walls with such balls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">That a rope
could be —<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">A forget me
knot<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And not just
high balls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Climbing it all
—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Like Michael
Reardon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">A light shining
as bright<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">As his hair —<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Blond and right
on<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Like a comet
shooting through space<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">If these
boulders could whisper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">What would they
deliver?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">A four page
letter about the better<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Things in life:
shared food, drink, and laughter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">After all what
the fuck else do you need?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Fucking? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Oh yeah, that
too<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">But if these
walls could talk <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">They’d prefer
making love<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Because there’s
enough fucking fucking<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Going on in
this goddamn world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Yeah the love
that has been made<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">That’s the shit
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">That’s the IT<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">That what make
the J Trees<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Get their
swerve on <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Leaning towards
the infinite<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">If the Cyclops
could talk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">It might
reminisce over you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And the
thousands of others<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">That looked
through its eye<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And saw the
light, the hope<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">If Course and
Buggy could speak<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">It would teach<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">The way Peter
Croft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Practiced his
craft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And found the
oneness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">The Buddha
would have been proud of<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">If these
boulders could whisper <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">They would
surely deliver<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Stories of
lovers like puzzles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Two pieces
locked together<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And rocked the
boat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">All night long<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And then looked
to the stars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">For dessert <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">If Hidden
Valley could rally <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Back twenty
years ago <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">To a young Dean
Potter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And meet the
necessity of his invention<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Of his
perplexing desire to fly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">But of course
the first man to fly, had to die<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">But that can’t
stop the tears from my eye<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Just like the
first people to climb<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">On ropes made
of twine and hemp<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Ate up so much
danger they either became <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Full of fear or
fearless<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">But less is
more and its more likely<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Their
consciousness carried a touch of grey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">So let’s take
it there <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">While urban contemporaries
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Write that the
dirtbag is dead<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">On their apple
computers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Made of
precious metals<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Here in J Tree
there are ten and twenty<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Women and men<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Living out of
bags<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">In the dirt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">It’s that
simple<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">The dirtbag is
alive<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">If these walls
could talk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">They would tell
us<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">No one ever
complained <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Back in the day<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">No one ever had
the luxury<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">To hate the un-forgiveness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Of slabby
granite mixed with sweat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">After all it
was all that existed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Before climbing
went sport<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Before climbing
went plastic <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">J Tree just
brings the truth to life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">And some people
don’t like<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">What they see
when they look into <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">The reflection
of direction <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">That a Joshua
Tree points to <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Some people
don’t like it <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">All these<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Come back to
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Come back to
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Come back to
the skeleton<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Get away from
four walls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And listen to the walls </span><!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b>If you'd like to support Mehall's writing you can make a <a href="http://paypal.me/LukeMehall" target="_blank">contribution here</a>. </b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "garamond";">My books, The Great American Dirtbags and Climbing Out of Bed are both available online,<a href="http://climbingzine.com/store/" target="_blank"> at the Zine site, </a>and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JEWGTQY/" target="_blank">on Amazon. </a></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmX3EuJKoWOv_2cdfmWUHEQMfiYH20oSEXrvtgFgz1vAvwOOUe6Wn5Lt-d5m2noJMgXQ5BYXpYmtX2-rS3dWO2jDgA4p6Trk9yA2NASEp720LBCxi5jb6U8T9edSoVbKLZeENZswmjZ6U/s1600/TGAD.Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmX3EuJKoWOv_2cdfmWUHEQMfiYH20oSEXrvtgFgz1vAvwOOUe6Wn5Lt-d5m2noJMgXQ5BYXpYmtX2-rS3dWO2jDgA4p6Trk9yA2NASEp720LBCxi5jb6U8T9edSoVbKLZeENZswmjZ6U/s320/TGAD.Cover.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b><a href="http://climbingzine.com/store/" target="_blank">My third book, a memoir, American Climber will be published on April 11th. </a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-17440221784765269132016-03-10T18:49:00.001-08:002016-03-17T09:59:46.833-07:00Two Front Teeth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtFzcNPc1taC4bVAexiOF1wElDkPtmg34bPIMi0ItGgzOu_kDxluOd1Csnvrwmt5p3vQwai9sdtY06BhxRGyQc_dfERwwM6OaTKfieR9CfzhCpMtsBKv9MMhu1huZZtONx12bWinmFHM/s1600/lucas+thumbs+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtFzcNPc1taC4bVAexiOF1wElDkPtmg34bPIMi0ItGgzOu_kDxluOd1Csnvrwmt5p3vQwai9sdtY06BhxRGyQc_dfERwwM6OaTKfieR9CfzhCpMtsBKv9MMhu1huZZtONx12bWinmFHM/s320/lucas+thumbs+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">who loves Colorado? This guy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">All Lucas wanted for
Christmas was his two front teeth. At least that’s how the story goes. On
Halloween, he was dressed up like a Storm Trooper from Star Wars, having a
banner night at a local bar, and proudly showing off his costume that took
months to make. Then, something happened, the kind of thing you never want to
happen on your favorite night of the year: he got sucker punched right the
middle of the face. The drunken attacker ran off, and before anyone had a
chance to catch him, he disappeared into the night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpgAzqKZ_LP6rSZV7N1BtaRIoRimKqNNYNAgFjitjY6MU9qa-Yu6zTzvbKJfD3LtMV0p5ZogmhvgPlTSWtYrHOENXh9P9grvLwbAk0duINml1ug2etW5d98Ctnll9PL8WI0vNu5Nv4jI/s1600/12189599_10156177451280641_5547754989524416259_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpgAzqKZ_LP6rSZV7N1BtaRIoRimKqNNYNAgFjitjY6MU9qa-Yu6zTzvbKJfD3LtMV0p5ZogmhvgPlTSWtYrHOENXh9P9grvLwbAk0duINml1ug2etW5d98Ctnll9PL8WI0vNu5Nv4jI/s320/12189599_10156177451280641_5547754989524416259_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo stolen from Lucas's Facebook page</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I found this information out a couple days after
Halloween. The last couple years I’ve snuck away to the desert, I love
Halloween and costumes and all the fun that comes along with it, but the bar
scene isn’t really my thing anymore, so instead I prefer to party down under
the light of the moon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I ran into Lucas at the grocery store shortly after
finding out. I felt bad for him and I felt that awkward kind of guilt when bad
things happen to good people. He didn’t have any replacement teeth yet so he
spoke with a lisp. One of the first things he said after finding out I already
knew what happened was, “I probably had a huge smile on my face when it
happened.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s the kind of guy Lucas is. He finds the positive
when the worst happens, always looking for the silver lining, even amidst a
touch of grey. I’ve gotten to know Lucas well because he’s my co-worker. We
work in a busy restaurant together. I’ve worked in the food industry now for
twenty-one years, off-and-on, but mostly on. Something I’ve noticed is that you
see someone’s true character when they are under stress. And, with Lucas he
never fails to suck it up and get the job done, even when he’s running around
like a chicken with his head cut off, like we often are at work. I’m always
happy when we work the same days, because I know he always steps up to the
plate and gives his best. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas and I also have the same name. Sometimes he goes by
Lucas, and sometimes Luke, but he seems to prefer Luke. He told me when he
started there he really wanted to go by Luke. But, I was already there, and my
Mom named me Luke because she didn’t want me to go by and abbreviated name. So
graciously he conceded and let me be the Luke. That’s the type of guy he is.
Always thinking of others first. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It didn’t take long for me to understand why Lucas was in
Durango. He’d just graduated from CU in Boulder, and wanted to do the thing
that many of us do in Durango — get a job in the service industry, buy some
time to decide what’s next, and most importantly have time to get outside and
recreate in this beautiful place. For him it’s skiing, fishing, and hunting. I
don’t really do any of these activities, but I respect his passion, and I think
all outdoor people can relate to each other. When he comes back from an
adventure, telling me that he woke up at like three in the morning to hunt
ducks, or fish, I’m always impressed by his dedication to his passion. Without
passionate people, life isn’t worth living. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the meantime I’ve watched him become fully engaged in
the culture of Durango. He loves each and every holiday that involves costumes,
and spends countless hours constructing his own outfits, like the Storm Trooper
one he sported for Halloween last year. But after getting his teeth knocked out
Lucas started to lose faith in the community of Durango. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My fellow co-workers all were concerned about his
situation, especially after we learned that his expenses were totaling up to be
thousands and thousands of dollars. I thought it would be cool to have a little
poker night fundraiser. Lucas and I always talk about poker but we both rarely
ever have the same night off, so we never get to play together. I told my boss,
Cody, about this and he suggested we start a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/gkavxv2k" target="_blank"><b>Go Fund Me campaign.</b></a> I’d never
started one, but the very next day after our conversation, Cody started the
page, and tagged me in a post on Facebook. I shared it, and so did several
other friends and co-workers. In the blink of an eye a thousand dollars had
been raised. Then another. In a week it was already almost five thousand
dollars! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then came the poker night. It was inspiring how many
people wanted to help out. My friend and poker mentor Travis, who had never met
Lucas, offered to help organize the event. We decided to make the night a
surprise, and my bosses arranged for both of us to have the night off — a
rarity considering we are both night managers. My other boss Mike, ended up
working that night, and arranged for a pony keg and free food. His girlfriend
told him they would be having a date night, and somehow, he never found out
that we’d been secretly planning the evening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Everyone came over an hour before he was supposed to
arrive. It was a cool and quirky mix of Durango folk: his friends and family
(two of his cousins live here), our co-workers, my poker friends, and my
climber friends. There were many people there that didn’t even know Lucas, but
when they found out what happened quickly decided to come over and support the
cause. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>His girlfriend Liz decided to blindfold him, and he
watched as he hilariously walked across my icy driveway, and then up my stairs.
When Liz took the blindfold off of him he was stunned. The first thing he said
in a very endearing voice was, “You guys are ridiculous”, which was quickly
followed by, “Wait, who is at work right now?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The poker game was epic, 15 some people playing into the
wee hours of the night. During the break in the middle, Lucas told me about how
he was losing faith in the community of Durango during this whole thing, but
then all of that went away once the fundraiser started and people rallied to
support him. Later he would tell me what a cool assortment of people showed up.
I thought about that for a minute. I thought maybe it was his group of people,
or maybe it was mine. But, then I realized that it was bigger than that — it is
the community of Durango that is so awesome and supportive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not to dismiss the problems we have — there’s more than
one evil person running around committing acts of violence — and it’s not just
violence, its drugs and homelessness and 99 other problems that ail of
community and our larger society as a whole. But, if we are strong enough to
support people when something bad happens, even people we don’t know, then
that’s a start, and that’s the essence of community, a common unity. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b>If you'd like to support Mehall's writing you can make a <a href="http://paypal.me/LukeMehall" target="_blank">contribution here</a>. </b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">This piece is published in today's <a href="http://www.durangotelegraph.com/" target="_blank">Durango Telegraph</a>. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">My books, The Great American Dirtbags and Climbing Out of Bed are both available online,<a href="http://climbingzine.com/store/" target="_blank"> at the Zine site, </a>and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JEWGTQY/" target="_blank">on Amazon. </a></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmX3EuJKoWOv_2cdfmWUHEQMfiYH20oSEXrvtgFgz1vAvwOOUe6Wn5Lt-d5m2noJMgXQ5BYXpYmtX2-rS3dWO2jDgA4p6Trk9yA2NASEp720LBCxi5jb6U8T9edSoVbKLZeENZswmjZ6U/s1600/TGAD.Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmX3EuJKoWOv_2cdfmWUHEQMfiYH20oSEXrvtgFgz1vAvwOOUe6Wn5Lt-d5m2noJMgXQ5BYXpYmtX2-rS3dWO2jDgA4p6Trk9yA2NASEp720LBCxi5jb6U8T9edSoVbKLZeENZswmjZ6U/s320/TGAD.Cover.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b><a href="http://climbingzine.com/store/" target="_blank">My third book, a memoir, American Climber will be published on April 11th. </a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9rqgpnpbo3qY2vOj1PjSs8F4BFnZnP19Pcfm6K4hyphenhyphen9dF6LcLVzxV_FCWLzXQpV9p55yPxPkw0lPxYiIS-xn9fne6jYwc8iJQLGynJniYwYzZRn8fDk8awFjSI7IpRWCSachpQTWVhtY/s1600/AmericanClimber_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9rqgpnpbo3qY2vOj1PjSs8F4BFnZnP19Pcfm6K4hyphenhyphen9dF6LcLVzxV_FCWLzXQpV9p55yPxPkw0lPxYiIS-xn9fne6jYwc8iJQLGynJniYwYzZRn8fDk8awFjSI7IpRWCSachpQTWVhtY/s320/AmericanClimber_Cover+%25281%2529.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-50884332424894039322016-02-03T10:41:00.001-08:002016-03-17T09:52:06.152-07:00Passing The Torch <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Let me start
off by saying how much I enjoyed <a href="http://www.durangotelegraph.com/index.cfm/news1/remembering-ed/" target="_blank"><b>last week’s “La Vida” by Burt Baldwin</b></a> in the Durango Telegraph. When my editor, Missy
wrote me saying that there was a guest contributor that wanted to write about
his old friend, Ed Abbey, and requesting my usual contribution could be delayed
a week I was more than happy to oblige. I consider myself a student of Abbey’s,
and to picture him hanging out downtown, for a book presentation at Maria’s,
followed by a couple beers a local bar brings him into my life in a very real
way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlW4zsrKMYYnl6b721rgjqesXk6McUQ6FBnKJhyY2Zs__E-6iWmj3ACPWObWbC5x7z_NGFKTzO7uegyixk7ulty1p1q6bnP6uH2qRaZXqPxY48IgIqS_Y4pNYd-xqYiW-MioCq3v5vpM/s1600/ed-abbey-tv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlW4zsrKMYYnl6b721rgjqesXk6McUQ6FBnKJhyY2Zs__E-6iWmj3ACPWObWbC5x7z_NGFKTzO7uegyixk7ulty1p1q6bnP6uH2qRaZXqPxY48IgIqS_Y4pNYd-xqYiW-MioCq3v5vpM/s400/ed-abbey-tv.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I was too young to meet Abbey in the
flesh, but I know his soul, because of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desert
Solitaire</i>. That book, oh that book, well, you could fall in love with the
desert without ever having visited the place. If you’ve spent any time there in
the Moab red rock desert, and it speaks to you (it doesn’t speak to everyone)
well, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desert Solitaire</i>, confirms all
those notions of beauty, and it motivates the reader, if she or he is able, to
fight for those places, and protect those places from the very real evil forces
that want to develop it, or take the land away from the public. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In my college days, up in Gunnison,
I was spoon fed Abbey, and took semesters off, living in a tent and content
with living in nature. These were back in the post 9-11, George W Bush days. I
considered Bush, The Second Most Evil Person In The World, right after Osama
Bin Laden. He was evil because he was dumb and powerful, and he had so much
ignoramus gusto. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>His misquote of the “fool me once” aphorism,
which was recently brought back to life from the rapper J.Cole by sampling it
on his 2014 Forest Hills album, summed it all up, he was the stupidest person
alive and he was the leader of the free world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">I
hated Bush. So, me, living in a tent with nearly nothing to my name, saw the
world in a very black and white way. I wrote editorials nearly every week about
politics, and got in fights with the other conservative writers who were
backing Bush and his vision for revenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After I graduated college I realized
the world is more full of grey than black and white. That solider going to the
war, well, he’s just a guy with a job and a family to provide for, and the coal
miner just over the hills, same thing, just another person trying to provide
and put food on the table. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, post-college, twelve years now, and I
haven’t really known where to put my energies to fight the good fight. I try to
write for everyone, not just those I share the same spiritual and political
beliefs with. I am the child of a mom who usually leans Democratic and a dad
that leans Republican. Yet, my parents get along better than any other couple
I’ve ever met. Perhaps, what I learned in all my fighting and arguing is that
I’d rather find a common ground with people than focus on where we disagree.
And, where is the place for that in modern America?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Something is happening now that
makes me want to get involved again, and not just be the happy medium guy, but
to actually fight the good fight against greed and evil. It’s death. Those
environmental leaders, born of the social movements in the late 1960s are
dying. People like Doug Tompkins, the founder of The North Face, who spent the
majority of the last phase of his life protecting wild lands down in Patagonia,
who passed away last December. The last quote of his in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i> article written about his
life particularly spoke to me, “We want to do something good, but you’ve got to
be very naïve and out to lunch to think certain sectors of society are not
going to put up resistance. If you’re not willing to take the political heat,
then you shouldn’t get into the game of land conservation.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I was in college and angry at
this troubled world and our leaders I thought my passion would help lead me to
getting involved in environmental and social change. Now that I’m older I
realize that money and power are two other essential elements; Tompkins, and
his peer Yvon Chouinard, founder of the clothing company Patagonia, have been
able to make significant contributions to the environmental movement because
they have the money to put behind it. Guys, who once lived with little money,
in the dirt and on the rock walls, became millionaires, and their deep
connection to nature inspired them to give back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Last week, late at night, I was
thinking about Tompkins and Chouinard, and feeling something, I’m not sure
what, but some obligation to follow in their footsteps. I wrote out my thoughts
and concerns to my friend Stacy Bare, a climber and veteran, who works for the
Sierra Club. Bare is getting to be a bit of celebrity in the outdoor world, he
recently did a trip with Alex Honnold to Angola, with a film crew from Vice
Sports, built solar panels and of course, did some climbing. This was the first
of his travels for adventure to countries where he served in the military, or
in the case of Angola, cleared land mines. The project is called “Make
Adventure Not War”. (I should add Honnold’s passion for activism and his
Foundation are just as impressive as his free solo climbing.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A couple days before his new baby
girl, Wilder, was born into the world, he wrote me these words in an email, “</span><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a way the torch doesn't get passed does it? We
just have to pick it up when others fall and charge ahead. My friend and I were
talking about that when it came to the passing of Doug Tompkins, and you
wonder, how do we replace those guys?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
all these thoughts were swirling around my brain something happened: Republican
Congressman Rob Bishop of Utah, released his Utah Public Lands Initiative
(PLI). </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">In
short, the proposal directs a lot of interest to energy development, grazing,
and motorized sports, without taking into account the incredible climbing and
recreation resources in the area. What that means for lovers of the red rock
desert is that viewsheds could be impacted by development, motorized use
would take precedence over human-powered activities, and it would be a
challenge to get Land and Water Conservation funding to improve trails or
conserve additional places. There’s no surprise that conservation and
recreation groups, including the Access Fund, American Alpine Club, and Outdoor
Alliance are rallying to fight the initiative.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
what is the answer of where to place energy to fight this terrible proposal?
Part of it is legitimizing the recreational benefits of the land by writing the
White House, and the Center for Environmental Equality and expressing how
important these areas are. There are other, better ideas of how to use the
land, like the Inter-Tribal Bear’s Ears National Monument proposal, that
President Obama could potentially designate before he leaves office. (However,
the current draft is not exactly specific on the policies of climbing and other
recreational activities on the land.) Additionally the Bureau of Land
Management is working on their own strategy of how to manage this land, with
their Master Leasing Plan (MLP) that they put together every 25 years. One
thing is for sure, change in the way our red rock desert we recreationists love
so much is managed, is feeling inevitable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like
always, there’s more to the story but alas I’m out of space, and now all that
swirls in my head is how Abbey closed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desert
Solitaire</i>, “The desert will still be here in the spring. And then comes
another thought. When I return will I be the same? Will anything ever be quite
the same again? If I return.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><b>This piece was originally published in the <a href="http://www.durangotelegraph.com/" target="_blank">Durango Telegraph</a>. </b></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b>If you'd like to support Mehall's writing you can make a <a href="http://paypal.me/LukeMehall" target="_blank">contribution here</a>. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-American-Dirtbags-Climbing/dp/0615981291/" target="_blank">My books are available to buy online at Amazon. </a></b></i></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-36121673611979736872015-12-30T08:48:00.000-08:002016-03-17T09:52:31.085-07:00Adult Party Hour <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">There’s no
denying the hands of time. Regardless of your own personal beliefs of where we
go after this life, we are all on a crash collision course to meet our makers
in a precious number of years, and no one’s getting out alive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-vupGL-8yZOjh5gb4Rh5PFrdAsr50i-LorCVyFjxh0fnuFNnEQgcRy9yk2uJNyt5s_Lh04Ek2O1ptuGAn-ggB-j0Vk0XRMBtxpkVYJuech2KNRe9l00jjf3mFj5PLeVMzBcq4lkq13E/s1600/Keith+smile+and+beer+photo+by+Braden+Gunem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-vupGL-8yZOjh5gb4Rh5PFrdAsr50i-LorCVyFjxh0fnuFNnEQgcRy9yk2uJNyt5s_Lh04Ek2O1ptuGAn-ggB-j0Vk0XRMBtxpkVYJuech2KNRe9l00jjf3mFj5PLeVMzBcq4lkq13E/s400/Keith+smile+and+beer+photo+by+Braden+Gunem.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith Brett kicking off an "adult party hour" in Indian Creek. Photo: Braden Gunem</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With each passing birthday this reality hits
me a little bit more, and this one, turning 37 a couple weeks ago, really felt
big. There was just something about that number; I couldn’t get it out of my
head. It didn’t feel old, I don’t feel old, in fact I feel better at 37 than I
did when I was 21. Probably because when I was 21 I partied too much and didn’t
take care of myself. And, maybe I just feel better now because I restrict most
of my partying to the “adult party hour”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I didn’t start doing this on
purpose. Just a couple years ago it wasn’t that odd for me to stay out until
two or three in the morning, stumbling in and out of a local dive bar in the
wee hours of the night, and waking up with a hangover that would define the
day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At some point in our lives you just
have to stop behavior that isn’t serving you anymore, I think an old yoga
teacher of mine told me that, and sort of naturally my days of partying into
the wee hours of the night for no real reason have faded. However, I still like
to party. I like to have a beer or three on occasion, and hit the peace pipe
now and again. Thus, “adult party hour” was born. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Every other week or so I start a
text thread with my friend Jennaye. (Yes, Jennaye of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Durango</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Telegraph</i> fame.)
It goes something like this: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Happy Hour
drink? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Sure <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">The usual <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Yes <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So we meet at the usual spot, and
one of us is always late because neither of us are ever anywhere exactly on
time. We understand one another on the level that we aren’t reliably punctual
and thus we forgive each other. Understanding and forgiveness are good bases
for any friendship, and we are good friends. In fact Jennaye is my best female
plutonic friend in Durango (bfff?) and we always have good conversation. She’s
able to cater to my never-ending ADD tendencies while I deal with her social
awkwardness when external people enter the conversation. We’re also both
single, and dating, which of course provide an endless well of things to talk
about. She called me the “Jerry Seinfeld of Durango” recently, referring to my
endless particularities with life and women, which was pretty much the nicest
thing anyone has ever said to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you’ve never met Jennaye she is
charmingly awkward, not the kind of get me the hell away from this person
awkward. The kind of person that could insult you two seconds after meeting
you, but you still like. For example at my recent birthday party, which of
course started at six o’clock and ended at ten o’clock, she met my new roommate
for the first time, and promptly blurted out, “Hi, new girl!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I apologized on behalf of Jennaye
(she was definitely getting her “adult party hour” on) but my roommate still liked
her. Recently Jennaye wrote this hilarious essay about dating, which I
constantly bug her about publishing, but as of yet she hasn’t. Here’s a little
excerpt: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m
learning quickly, and over time, that it’s pretty impossible to make
conversation and banter with that drunk guy at the bar. You also can’t really
get to know a person with your own beer goggles on. Sparks usually don’t fly
waiting in line at the post office, the bank, or waiting for the stop light to
turn green. In fact, I, and seemingly others are usually at their worst in
these situations proving that waiting in lines suck, patience is outdated,
honking and waving is weird, and flipping the bird will not get you a date. Or,
in this fine town, sometimes you meet a cute boy by way of their best
friend—your former boyfriend. Other times it’s through a great conversation
leading to him casually letting you know he’s taken. “Yeah, and my girlfriend
likes puppies, too!” F***in puppies.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hanging out with Jennaye basically
ensures this sort of witty banter, and of course if she gets disillusioned with
being single I give her a pep talk that all good friends should always give.
And then I’ll tell her some story like the one about my last girlfriend who was
23 and told me she thought I was too old because she wanted to have kids
someday and when she did want to have kids I would be old, and she didn’t want
to have her partner be some old guy, which was pretty brutal, and all I could
think about was how much older Jay Z is than Beyoncé, and that seems to be
working out just fine, but of course I’m no Jay Z. Then Jennaye will make fun
of me for thinking I could date a 23 year old, and maybe we’ll order another
round if we’re really feeling it, but the likelihood is that we’ll order some
food because Happy Hour is ending and bedtime is just a few hours away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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than feel good late at night. Besides the conversation at “adult happy hour” is
much better than trying to yell into someone’s ear late night at a dive bar. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure our regular “adult party hours” will
cease to happen as regularly as they do now, Jennaye will get a boyfriend and
I’ll get a girlfriend, and conversation topic of being single will dry up, and
we’ll spend our happy hours with our significant others. It’s also untrue to
say I don’t stay out late anymore, its just I don’t stay out late for no real
reason. I might make it to midnight on New Year’s Eve, I usually do, but you
can be damn sure just after the clock strikes midnight I’ll be ghosting out of
the party to my warm bed, with the goal of starting off the new year only
mildly hungover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><i><b>This piece is published in today's <a href="http://www.durangotelegraph.com/" target="_blank">Durango Telegraph</a>. </b></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b>If you'd like to support Mehall's writing you can make a <a href="http://paypal.me/LukeMehall" target="_blank">contribution here</a>. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b><br /></b></span>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-American-Dirtbags-Climbing/dp/0615981291" style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';" target="_blank"><b>Check out my books, Climbing Out of Bed, and The Great American Dirtbags</b></a></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-5128957413366480462015-11-22T21:32:00.002-08:002015-11-22T21:32:23.918-08:00Five (years) On It<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">“Do you think
Durango is the final stop for you?” my co-worker turned friend, Peyton asked
me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She was telling me about her plans
to move up to the Front Range after she graduated college, and wondered what I
would be doing after she left. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I think so,” I said. “Durango is
perfect for me.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m nervous about the move,” she
said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“All great things in life should
make you at least a little nervous,” I gently suggested.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Recently the machine that is
Facebook reminded me it was exactly five years ago that I moved here to
Durango. It showed me the jalopy I packed full of every possession I owned, and
I could practically taste the fear. I was 32 and after ten years in the little
icebox that is Gunnison, Colorado, I needed a new start. Problem was I was
terrified of starting over. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3ljRxMYyQttZLnk7M16dYcbpUENNgZ0dx3VPiGVdgf4NHnDJw-3xl8OpvyQcxqZTmArkctKCIHgYZo_6Pg-J0N98zi4SLPPeag9zbA911DOvd-2HnrSO3xQYVTbTFUrNGLCIwTZpFqw/s1600/jalopy+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3ljRxMYyQttZLnk7M16dYcbpUENNgZ0dx3VPiGVdgf4NHnDJw-3xl8OpvyQcxqZTmArkctKCIHgYZo_6Pg-J0N98zi4SLPPeag9zbA911DOvd-2HnrSO3xQYVTbTFUrNGLCIwTZpFqw/s320/jalopy+and+me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I remember when I moved here I knew
I had a limited amount of time of grocery store anonymity, and other things
that come along with small mountain town living. I liked that for a second - in
Gunnison everyone knows everyone and it can be confining at times, especially
in the dating world - but after a while of flirting with Durango as a place to
live I knew I wanted to become a member of this community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Durango was tough at first. I moved
here just after the economic crash and work was scarce. I’d spent years honing
my writing skills and was hoping to quickly find a good paying gig. When that
didn’t happen I went back to my other profession of working in the food
industry, and started a publishing business on the side. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I first moved here I had all
the time in the world to do whatever I wanted. I had a couple bucks saved from
my old 9-5 and a plush housesitting gig up in Durango West 2. I used to run
along the Animas River almost every day. One day I picked a spot just past the
Main Ave. Bridge and sat there and meditated on what I really wanted out of
life. The river was especially peaceful and lush there with trees gently
overhanging over the green water. It came to me - all I wanted was to build my
life with love in this little town where the mountains meet the desert, perhaps
until I die. Day after day I would stop at that spot and reflect on my vision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Slowly the anxiety of starting over
started to fade. Grocery store conversations started happening. I became
friends with some of the baristas where I holed up and wrote and read for hours
on end, like the answers to dreams are in stories (they are). I remember the
feverish week when I read “Love In the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel
Garcia-Marquez and my heart travelled a thousand miles all while sitting there
drinking coffee. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fortunately the economy did bounce
back and these days I’ve got more work than I have time. My leisure days of
being a stranger and losing myself in books in coffeeshops for hours on end are
gone. Each and every minute seems valuable and precious these days. Daydreaming
has to lead to action, after all dreams are realized with work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Work, dreams, and the landscape we
live within are all nice things, essential to the modern person, but I think
what has made me love Durango the most in the community, transient as it can
be. The modern world is full of illusionary connections, like we’ll immediately
fall in love with someone we meet on Tinder, or we think we know what our friends’
lives are like based on their Instagram photos. Starting over in your thirties
is hard, and the fact that I truly feel like I have a real community of friends
in five short years here in Durango says something really powerful about this
place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So this brings us back to my friend
Peyton. We started work together the same week three and a half years ago. She
was 20 and just started at Fort Lewis. At first she seemed very shy, but over
the years we got to know one another; working in a busy restaurant kind of
guarantees you’ll get to know your co-workers, and you gravitate to those
people you get along with best. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After a couple years we ended up
living on the same street, and in the summer we would both ride our bikes to
work. We jokingly formed a bike gang, and during those summer nights riding
home we would tell each other about our lives (mostly our love lives). It was
like the conversations I had in my mind with the Animas River, but with my
friend. Saying a dream aloud keeps the dream alive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Summer nights always pass by don’t
they, and life moves on. Peyton moved to a different apartment, and right
around that time she started dating someone. Now they are planning to move to
the Front Range together. When she told me that it really hit me how fast life
is flying by. Just yesterday it seemed like I was the new kid on the block in
Durango, and now I’m seeing good friends move away to follow their dreams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I first heard the news of
Peyton and her boyfriend leaving (he is a good friend and co-worker of mine as
well) I lamented that they would no longer be in my day-to-day life here in
Durango. More than anything though I think we should want our friends and family
to be happy and follow their own dreams. My dreams took me to Durango, and I
was scared as shit that they would never come true. You know what though, they
did, and my life is more balanced and happy than it was before. Friends come
and go, but really they are always with you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And since its Thanksgiving, I’ll end
the piece by saying this: to the people of Durango I’m thankful for you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>This piece was published in the Thanksgiving issue of the Durango Telegraph. </i></b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-44151126849789396882015-10-28T09:43:00.000-07:002015-10-28T09:45:24.239-07:00Dirtbag in The Big Apple <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';">As a writer it’s
impossible not to have a literary, even romantic notion of New York City. Jack
Kerouac called it, “the place where paper America is born.” He was my first
writing guy. I would say hero, but Kerouac’s life was too sad for him to be a
hero to anyone. (Like many great writers before him he relied a little too much
on drugs and alcohol, and died a young death.) He simply had the prose that
made me fall in love with the written, printed word, so much that I decided one
day I would become a writer myself.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So now I write. I write to you. What
a strange job it is to be a creative writer, especially writing columns like
this one. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Telegraph</i> gives you
these words for free, and asks for nothing in return. I try my hardest, once a
month, to entertain you with a short story. In turn I get a modest check -
enough for a trip to the desert.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">The
brevity might be easy for the modern blogger, but it’s a challenge for me to
keep it to a thousand words for a piece, I like to go long; if this is the era
of short attentions spans, thinking beauty can be summed up in the caption of
an Instagram post, I’m old school, like Kerouac waxing for thousands and
thousands of words, trying to put into words that magical feeling life
sometimes provides, and finding meaning even when it doesn’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve seen a little magic in New York
City, but when I was there last week, I was not looking for a muse, I was just
on book tour, and visiting my brother, Clint and sister in law, Kelly, who
recently moved from Manhattan to the suburbs just over in New Jersey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’ve
been traveling and doing presentations for a couple years now. Sometimes I get
an eager audience, a packed house that will pay attention to every word in a
story. Other times attendance is sparse, especially when the host doesn’t
promote the reading properly. The difference is striking, when people show up
I’m energized and confident, when they don’t I feel defeated. I believe in my
dream though, and I’m willing to follow it wherever it may lead me. Plus, I
don’t drown my sorrow in booze or let my highs and lows get too extreme. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We started the trip off by driving
to New Paltz, a quaint little village on the edge of the most famous climbing
area in the East Coast: The Gunks. We were accompanied by Lizzy, their tiny
little adorable dog, a greyhound-chihuahua mix. Usually I don’t like little
dogs, especially the ‘yipper’ ones who bark at everything, stuck in their
Napoleon complexes and afraid of the world. This dog, that they rescued from a
shelter, is different. She rarely barks, and is cute and sweet as could be.
Even her incessant licking is endearing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLz9fQx0OgPeCswymKfOlumpI3CRpp3p7vIox_xXlk79bJwXtfx_kp71Q7gN6dIdtVKbTXq726U1ENp8Y-bSiytyt0bXHvA6Rmlr0SmhxjZkgmHIPlJKGmOoDy8OWelAx3si0U505Op9Q/s1600/Luke+and+Lizzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLz9fQx0OgPeCswymKfOlumpI3CRpp3p7vIox_xXlk79bJwXtfx_kp71Q7gN6dIdtVKbTXq726U1ENp8Y-bSiytyt0bXHvA6Rmlr0SmhxjZkgmHIPlJKGmOoDy8OWelAx3si0U505Op9Q/s320/Luke+and+Lizzy.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She’s also tough, and smart. Clint
once lost her in Central Park, about a mile from their apartment complex. He
panicked, a tiny little 12-pound dog lost amongst the hustle and bustle of New
York. An hour went by and he couldn’t find her. She could be anywhere he
thought, in the massive expanse of Central Park, or lost on the busy streets of
Manhattan. This was their beloved dog and she could be gone, forever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While Clint was frantically looking
for Lizzy, she decided that she wanted to return home, and she did, running
through Central Park crisscrossing Manhattan traffic to the apartment, somehow
finding someone to let her in, and climbing up six flights of stairs to their
doorstop. Oh, the places you’ll go Lizzy! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So the place we’re going, The Gunks,
is well loved and appreciated and the small village of New Paltz is
picturesque. Plus, our timing is perfect; the leaves on the trees have cascaded
into an epic variety of yellow, red, and orange. The air is crisp, and the
nostalgic fall unfolding. Forget climbing, all I want to do is drink pumpkin
beer, huddle up by a fire, and listen to Frank Sinatra. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After a little bit of climbing, some
leaf peeping, and a couple pumpkin beers we roll into downtown for my
presentation at the local gear shop, Rock and Snow. There’s a packed house, and
the vibe is high. I show the premier a Beatnik inspired short climbing film
I’ve been working on, and it’s well received. To be so warmly welcomed so far
away from home feels all warm and fuzzy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The next day we drive through horrendous
traffic back to Jersey, and I get a taste of that aggressive driving they are
well known for. Luckily, Clint and Kelly live close to a train station, so our
commutes into the city our less dramatic than wondering if I’ll die at the hand
of some agro-Jersey motorist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s nice to have some chill time
with my brother; life stretches us apart in this modern world, doesn’t it? We
walk around some parks, go shopping for Halloween costumes, and get a drink at
a well-lighted place. That night we plan to see if we can get into the Comedy
Cellar, the famous comedy joint in Manhattan. I’d been there years before, with
the whole family: mom, dad, grandma, aunt, and even some cousins. Now, I come
from a conservative, Midwestern family and the material on a Saturday night at
‘The Cellar’ is profane to say the least. The famous comedian Louis C.K.
happened to be on stage that night, and while he ranted about the grooming of
pubic hair, amongst other things, I tried to block it out of my head that my
dear grandmother was sitting right next to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You never know who is going to show
up at this club, after all its New York City, and I’m secretly hoping maybe
like I’ll get to see Dave Chappelle or Jerry Seinfeld. This night, however,
we’re waiting standby behind thirty other people, and we don’t even get in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our backup plan turns into a delicious sushi
dinner. Later I learn from Clint and Kelly that you can openly drink on the
train ride back home. That sure beats fighting traffic! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The next day I have a presentation
at a climbing gym in Brooklyn. Clint and I walk the streets beforehand, and
stroll through a park. I’ve heard so much about Brooklyn, my favorite musicians
hail from there, and in my opinion the hip-hop that came out of Brooklyn in the
1990s is the best rap that has ever been created. As they say, Brooklyn goes
hard! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I get a modest turnout at the
presentation, and a warm reception. Another success. Later, I learned that Jay
Z and Beyoncé were playing just a few blocks away at the Barclay’s Center.
While I usually would have lamented missing two incredible artists and being so
close, arena shows aren’t exactly my thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The next day was a marathon travel
day, flying back to Albuquerque, and then driving back here. I did get to catch
the sunset in New Mexico, a pink and orange cascade that just seemed to keep
going with me, as the Subaru drove into the sky, back home in time for a few
more weeks of this nostalgic, stunning autumn. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Adobe Caslon Pro;"><b><i>This article is published in today's Durango Telegraph.</i></b></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-76349378687467818802015-09-29T07:54:00.002-07:002015-09-29T07:59:09.926-07:00Hit Me Up On My Pager Yo! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFqHfKPDV6CPpE-VVqCtCaER32sQyhuhQ_AbtUx4R56vKuO-5hws2jPl0YVZYeIpz_eHAKwrYHQbGoh2D8m6_fHsRxlvRqVgE8wFYUPEYftPBVYbtoxCHCnpI3AZ4yCMq3hN1VI1IVbk/s1600/pager.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFqHfKPDV6CPpE-VVqCtCaER32sQyhuhQ_AbtUx4R56vKuO-5hws2jPl0YVZYeIpz_eHAKwrYHQbGoh2D8m6_fHsRxlvRqVgE8wFYUPEYftPBVYbtoxCHCnpI3AZ4yCMq3hN1VI1IVbk/s1600/pager.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">“What is this
photo of you doing jello shots?” my Mother asked me at a family gathering last
year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">She was scrolling through my
Facebook photos on her trusty iPad and happened to come by some shots of my
recent birthday party. In my mid-thirties I’m well past the stage of trying to
hide anything from my Mom, but I felt the need to offer some context. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">“Well, my friend Gala, who has the
same birthday as me found out that I’d never done a jello shot and she
basically forced me to do one,” I explained to my dearest Mother. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">What I didn’t explain is that I was
scared of Gala. Yes, I’m a grown man and I’m scared of a woman. Once on
Halloween I was dressed in a woman’s sexy kitten outfit, and Gala was dressed
as a zebra. Gala often gets quite aggressive when she’s drunk, and I was easy
prey. While doing some moves on the dance floor Zebra Gala ended up kicking me
in the face, leading me to the bathroom for ten minutes while I tried to stop a
profusely bleeding lip. So when she found out I’d never done a jello shot
before and insisted I do one, I didn’t try to argue with her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">Sometimes I miss the days before
every little single moment was recorded on social media. I come from the last
generation who went to college before the social media revolution took off.
Which is good, because college is for making mistakes, and realizing what type
of mistakes you don’t want to keep making for the rest of your life. Having my
college career on the interwebs for a future employer to see would have
probably ensured I would have never gotten a job after graduating. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I also come from the first “screen
generation”. One of the most thrilling moments of my childhood is when my
parents gave in and bought my brother and me a Nintendo. We were obsessed with
it, playing Super Mario Brothers and Zelda until our parents cut us off.
Luckily, we were also into sports, and we had some exercise regiment to combat
the stagnant lifestyle that often comes along with video games. Computers came
along later, but up until smart phones and social media were invented they
didn’t dominate our lives like they do now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">Yes, I come from the last generation
of phone callers and note passers. The generation that remembers calling a
girl’s house and the accompanying fear that her parents might answer. And
making mixtapes for a girl, poring thought into each and every song. When the
only way to access adult entertainment was stealing a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Playboy</i> from someone’s Dad, and hope to God you didn’t get caught.
When people had pagers, and often used pay phones, and if you were lucky enough
you would get a page that read: *69, which means you were going to get some
action. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">But I had no game then, I didn’t
really know how to talk to girls until I was in my early twenties; I was as
scared of them as I’m as scared of Gala in a zebra outfit now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I did have pager, though. A couple
of my friends, who were selling dirty brown brick weed, had pagers and I wanted
to be cool and have money like them and sell weed. Problem was my Mom. She
found the pager and freaked out. “Drug dealers use pagers,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';">I thought about trying to angle
saying I was just hoping for a “star 69” but that wouldn’t work, and I lost the
privilege of a pager.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwd3z08H8gXAdDSUTj68xm1Dmiaz187dLHXFzGzuCBd4ECljz4cbyjvI7pF0ZH5krUxON_lkr4kUFkcuD7L07IYWNgfn4TbTd30Q_zM-fbRT3EFT4eDeGXTVl8NHl9ZVODx4a94IYne78/s1600/tupac+and+biggie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwd3z08H8gXAdDSUTj68xm1Dmiaz187dLHXFzGzuCBd4ECljz4cbyjvI7pF0ZH5krUxON_lkr4kUFkcuD7L07IYWNgfn4TbTd30Q_zM-fbRT3EFT4eDeGXTVl8NHl9ZVODx4a94IYne78/s320/tupac+and+biggie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';">Part of growing up in my generation
means that I was alive when 2 Pac and Biggie were alive; these two rappers were
both murdered in their twenties and to this day still remain cultural icons. (Their
murders are still unsolved as well. WTF?) Just the other day a 20 year old I
work with at my night gig at a local restaurant told me, “Dude that’s so cool,
you were, like, around when Biggie was alive, what was that like?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">That could have made me feel old,
but I guess I’m too young to feel old just yet. I think its cool that hip-hop
is now the oldies, and the original living hip-hop pioneers are now graying and
becoming grandfathers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';">I
do feel blessed that the obsessive recording of every single minute event
wasn’t going on when I was young. I don’t need to see what you had for lunch on
my Instagram. Speaking of Instagram, this same 20 year old, bless his heart,
recently got busted at work for taking shirtless selfies in the bathroom during
his shift. When another co-worker, a 16 year old, whose maturity pretty much is
the same as the 20 year olds, noticed the photos on his Instagram feed when he
was eating his shift meal, he made fun of him (as he should). He also called
him out for taking the photo at work. The 20 year old tried to deny it, but the
16 year old called him out, “You’re wearing those same pants and the background
is our bathroom,” he said. Busted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’ve never understood the compulsive
urge to take a selfie, that’s where my generation and the current generation
differ, but I can relate to being young and still figuring things out. Lately
I’ve been hearing this idea that the decision making part of your brain does
not fully develop for a man until around 23 years old (slightly earlier for
women). This makes such perfect sense as I get older, and look back on how I
lived my life during my first years of so-called adulthood. What a shame this
is! We are forced to make many important life decisions before our frontal lobe
in our brain fully develops. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">These days there are so many more
ways to get in trouble than when I was nurturing my young brain in all the
wrong ways. Still, I managed to mostly come unscathed, my mind fully intact,
and most of the photos of my college mistakes are tucked away in a cardboard
box up in my attic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I can’t say I’m all that different
than some of these kids who didn’t know a pre-Facebook world. I like being
liked, right swiped, favorited, re-tweeted, endorsed, and tagged. I just also
remember the romance when you had to put yourself out there a little bit more,
but I doubt any of the girls I made mixtapes for are still holding onto them.
It’s an ephemeral existence we are living. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';">I
think the main problem with all this new media and technology is thinking that
Instagram photo is more important than the actual moment at hand. My best
moments are when I’m away from a cell signal, and thank God those places still
exist. Someday they might not. Or maybe some giant crash will happen and we’ll
have to go back to the old ways of living. I think the years before cell phones
were more romantic anyways. Either way, I’m damn sure I’ll never do another
jello shot…unless Gala forces me to!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro';"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-American-Dirtbags-Climbing/dp/0615981291" target="_blank"><b>Check out my books, Climbing Out of Bed, and The Great American Dirtbags</b></a></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-71987902298210586642015-09-11T08:32:00.000-07:002015-09-11T08:36:28.865-07:00Squamish poetry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Poetry is my first true love in writing. I wrote poetry before I thought of myself as a writer, and poetry readings are some of my favorite events to go to. Here's some random lines I wrote in my journal in Squamish this past summer:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-USxXDa-Urx2FAHt30osqdgHLHuF_rNEgShDOsSdh2e7rBy5HmM2N1VbegN7SICoj5B9MW94OgiIbC_JEkRQV4o8I26vf_KFkWBIdmc-LaAdIBJFwjfPIqqfBmT3U2jzl-r_rYl5UcM/s1600/IMG_8905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-USxXDa-Urx2FAHt30osqdgHLHuF_rNEgShDOsSdh2e7rBy5HmM2N1VbegN7SICoj5B9MW94OgiIbC_JEkRQV4o8I26vf_KFkWBIdmc-LaAdIBJFwjfPIqqfBmT3U2jzl-r_rYl5UcM/s400/IMG_8905.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Blackberry bushes beneath<br />
Days planned<br />
Rarely do they go<br />
according to plan<br />
<br />
Slabs say trust me<br />
but dont trust me<br />
trust yourself<br />
<br />
Filling our futures with follies and fantasies<br />
knowing there will be falls on walls<br />
whippers runouts fear and failure<br />
and being okay with it<br />
<br />
Climbing is my daily bread<br />
Like water it keeps me going<br />
Keeps the mind sharp<br />
the muscles moving<br />
but, why? why?<br />
have i give so much to it?<br />
<br />
Squamish steals my heart<br />
Where the granite meets the sea<br />
and i see myself for many summers<br />
but you can only have one summer<br />
at a time<br />
<br />
Fit women wander with wanderlust<br />
and I wonder what women will meet my lust<br />
next<br />
and i've been blessed to have so many<br />
but I only want one<br />
<br />
I gotta keep pushing and striving<br />
in every way to try harder<br />
in climbing<br />
The investment would be a waste<br />
if I did not do that<br />
<br />
And am I adept at adjectives?<br />
Writing on a stomach full of hope?<br />
Nine pitches led on a Thursday<br />
After going out on a Tuesday<br />
<br />
The best things happen to a climber<br />
Right around ten' in the morning<br />
Or right around right now<br />
at nine in the evening<br />
In Squamish<br />
watching the sun set into the sea.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-12843673947710359602015-09-04T09:14:00.002-07:002015-09-04T09:14:50.338-07:00Simple Man - Climber's Version<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’m just a
simple man<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like pretty
things<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’m just a
simple man really<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’m just a
simple man<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like pretty
climbs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like pretty
girls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’m just a
simple man<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like my
cracks as handcracks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like big
holds, jugs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like crimps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I don’t like
pimpin’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I just like
crimpin’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like hip-hop<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like rice and
beans<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’m just a
simple man really<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like Colorado<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like green
things<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like pretty
things<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’m just a
simple man<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like bouldering
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like free
climbing <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like big
walls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like girls with
chalk on their hands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like girls
with chalk on their nose<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I like girls
with chalk on their clothes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">There’s a
chance this might never catch on<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">But my friends
like my poems <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">And I like my
poems<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’m just a
simple man <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">Adapted from "Simple Man" a cool rap song by The Grouch, a cool rapper</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-39198514791581186262015-09-03T08:47:00.002-07:002015-09-03T08:49:37.059-07:00Straight Outta Squampton <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfG_IabYcNSZ-oh04HVcooX2llXET80CXDbmUb70yB_C2uNDAS9Z1ZIjz9LvabW9FeLKD-JFuFWlo8IBA4FpreyVTLq68PeMryse7vAv2sX8_6Kc37OBT8q-rdWTBXcbLYnrkB3RmdPPQ/s1600/straight+outta+squampton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfG_IabYcNSZ-oh04HVcooX2llXET80CXDbmUb70yB_C2uNDAS9Z1ZIjz9LvabW9FeLKD-JFuFWlo8IBA4FpreyVTLq68PeMryse7vAv2sX8_6Kc37OBT8q-rdWTBXcbLYnrkB3RmdPPQ/s320/straight+outta+squampton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’ve got a
confession to make people: I haven’t’ seen “Straight Outta Compton” yet. Like
many hip-hop fans I’ve been excited about this movie since the project was
announced, but when it was released I was up north in the land of Drake, not
Dr. Dre. That also means I was out of town for the Gold King mine accident here in Durango, and
watched from afar as the rest of the world did; the wrath of the Old West still
affecting us in these modern times. Thanks a lot Teddy Roosevelt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I can’t recall the last time I was
this excited about a movie, something about hip-hop and the role that N.W.A.
played in the development of the music, as well as bringing a larger awareness
to what was happening in Compton, and other urban areas in the United States.
Yes, N.W.A. kept it real before that was a phrase. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">While the hip-hop fans of the United
States were turning out by the millions to see “Straight Outta Compton” I was
in Squamish, up in British Columbia, Canada, otherwise known as Squampton. I
don’t really know where the name came from, Squamish is a far cry from Compton,
and at this point I’m way too close to deadline to do any sort of research.
Maybe the people of Squamish just are big hip-hop fans too. After all the night
we arrived was at the end of a three day music festival, in which no other than
Drake himself headlined, the Canada born star of the rap world at the moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I’d made a trip up to Squamish last
summer, and after only three days got rained out, forcing us back down south to
the States. We did some magnificent climbing on that trip in Washington and
Idaho, but nothing was as good as Squamish. For the last year I was Squampton
dreaming, and made sure my summer travels included a visit to our friendly
neighbors up north. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">That’s a good place to start with
descriptions, there’s something about friendly people that is both welcoming
and contagious. (Plus their accents are just so damn cute with their “ehs”,
“abuuts”, and “soarries”, and their money: loonies and toonies, are you kidding
me?) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I can see why they are in such a
good mood, for a brief stretch every summer the rain typically slows down and
the place is basically a paradise. Seemingly every good looking woman across
Canada descends upon Squamish, the temperatures never get too hot or too cold,
there’s enough trails, mountains and rocks for everyone, and The Chief the
massive granite buttress overlooks the Howe Sound, the ocean meeting granite
cliffs that dominate the skyline. Blackberry bushes are everywhere and the
salmon are plentiful and cheap, really cheap if you’re patient enough with a
fishing pole (I’m not). Those few sentences are just the beginning of the
beauty that unfolds, and to be a part of it is transformational to say the
least. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">Now I’m just a simple man with an
average athletic prowess, but beautiful places like this stir a yearning and
desire deep in my soul. All of the sudden I don’t fully appreciate my days
unless I give a hundred percent effort into what I’m doing, and all I was there
to do was climb. It’s a simple equation, but your desires must align with
someone else’s, because climbing tall walls is a team sport. Luckily we
assembled a small posse of Colorado climbers there in the campground and lived
out our days on the walls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">To this dirtbag lifestyle, for me,
there’s this constant boiling and simmering. The intense effort and fear
coupled with the aftermath: hardcore chillin’. Each day in Squamish begins with
a mellow start, one in a hundred climbers get up before 8:00 am and, and every
day ends at the communal picnic tables, where there’s an international
representation, people from all over the world getting together to cook simple
meals and share drink and smoke. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">With so many people living out in
the open there’s bound to be problems, and the main issue in Squampton is
theft. At least one car was stolen when we were there, a result of a big city,
Vancouver, being so close. Though I imagine they would be polite if you caught
them stealing your car. I did have one weird encounter there, while walking the
streets one day I really had to go to the bathroom, and I spotted one at a
nearby at a city park. I opened up the door to the men’s room, and what did I
find but a woman, who was clearly using drugs; she had sores on her face and
looked like a creeper similar to the ones who lurk around sketchy hotels at
night. Without hesitation, she said, “Oh I’m so sorry, come on in.” I took one
look at this chick, who was probably an extra in “Breaking Bad”, and ran away
as quickly as I could. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">The climbing, the trails, the
people, there was so much that was so sweet about Squamish, as sweet as the
perfectly ripe blackberries that you can greedily eat without guilt because
there’s more than enough for everyone, but I’m only given so many words here,
so I gotta wrap it up with just one more Squampton bit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">We had one big party night, as one
friend was arriving and another was set to leave. Somewhere in the midst of
delicious sushi and drinks, we met some climbers and learned of a karaoke night
at the local dive bar. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">The karaoke DJ was an energetic
short and stout woman who had bleached blonde hair and sang 1990s hits at the
top of her lungs in between patrons taking their turns at hits from the good
ol’ United States pop charts. It was the perfect mixture of talent and
hilarity; everyone in the bar was having a great time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">I did my old standby of “You Can’t
Touch This” by MC Hammer and as the drinks flowed and I got more and more
buzzed I signed myself and my buddy Shaun up for “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe
Cocker. At the last minute I realized we were going to be “those people” at
karaoke, drunk and missing all the right notes. In a strange twist of fate we
got up to the stage and they had “It Was A Good Day” by Ice Cube of N.W.A. fame
queued up. Shaun and I both knew the words well, and we went into karaoke hero
mode on the microphone. A good day indeed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro'; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro'; text-indent: 0.5in;">Thinking
about that, I think it’s time to get out and go see “Straight Outta Compton”
tonight, while it’s still in theaters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro'; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro'; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>This article is from today's Durango Telegraph (September 3, 2015)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro'; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Caslon Pro'; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><a href="http://climbingzine.com/the-great-american-dirtbags-by-luke-mehall/" target="_blank">My most recent book is called <b>The Great American Dirtbags</b></a>. Two other book projects, including a novel, American Climber are in the works. </i></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956470464944549422.post-66083376485538763292015-08-03T22:18:00.001-07:002015-08-03T22:21:19.629-07:00A love letter to this juxtaposition of mountains and desert <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">Durango, I’m
about to leave you now for a little while, and when I think about leaving I
think about how much I love you, and how I don’t even really feel like I need
to leave. That’s the key I think, live somewhere you love so much that when
your travelling is done you couldn’t be happier to come back.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRh3P-SYwYZdZ7Y2dypVt6Z3D80QiORzc-uCAHDtJmx5Ck_OXSQHW142vRIb9WopHDJMPoDKCNnrPXuN6HBN8hp99ayCyFkj7Xx7T6zFU1MjrWJ6QBXFUE63pX0QWZpoeeDU3wnXyol-U/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRh3P-SYwYZdZ7Y2dypVt6Z3D80QiORzc-uCAHDtJmx5Ck_OXSQHW142vRIb9WopHDJMPoDKCNnrPXuN6HBN8hp99ayCyFkj7Xx7T6zFU1MjrWJ6QBXFUE63pX0QWZpoeeDU3wnXyol-U/s320/IMG_0384.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s been tough love, as if you put
me in a boxing ring with my dreams, and told me to get ready for a good fight.
But you never told me, I just should have assumed: chasing dreams is hard work.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I used to chase my dreams on the
road, creating my own Kerouac-like triangle between Colorado, Mexico and
California, and then I learned the type of dreams that I had in my heart would
never be satisfied by the road alone, I needed a home. And I learned that my
man Kerouac died by the bottle, and that was never a death I wanted to live. I
couldn’t sit around and feel sorry for myself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Durango, I found you five years ago
in the midst of an inner turmoil, at the same time when our country was going
through a financial turmoil. I took the blind leap here, packed up everything I
owned in a graffiti-ed red, white, and blue, car called The Freedom Mobile,
which I estimated to be worth about five hundred dollars. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Work was scarce when I first
arrived, and I was told “no” to jobs you can usually slip into in mountain
towns, because people are always leaving in mountain towns, and then I learned
Durango is the mountain town where people stay, no matter how tough it is to
make it here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But you gotta keep knocking on doors
until someone says yes, and you gotta keep believing in your dreams, because
your dreams are your keys to love, and all we really have is love. I took
whatever odd jobs I could get; I shoveled horseshit, and watched over farms
with mischievous sheep and roosters. I ate the eggs from chickens, and greens
from the gardens I was the temporary landlord for. Finally, I found a gig that
would work with my dreams to write and climb. Then I could start to appreciate
you Durango, this juxtaposition of mountains and desert. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Community, the common unity, happens
with time. I remember telling the Animas River my dreams, and sharing my
prayers with it. I remember the coincidence of my best friend Tim moving here,
in his own inner turmoil with the bottle, of which he was finally able to free
himself of. And that freed me as well, that someone could seem so hopelessly
addicted and headed towards death, and then turn it around and build a
wonderful life for himself in his new home of Durango. Then Tim introduced me
to Andrew, a quiet genius handyman-mechanic, who has the rare combination of
intelligence and humility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">We
became great friends, and he worked on the “Freedom Mobile” when I was poor and
had little money. Then we would play poker and I would meet Travis, my Southern
gentlemen of a friend, who I could talk to for hours on end, because he’s got
that right kind of Southern in him, that infinitely polite and engaging
personality that makes you feel like you’ve got a friend for life, which you
do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And through those poker games I
found Jonathan again, I’d met him climbing in Las Vegas years before, but never
saw him in Durango til late one winter night we met again at the poker table of
all places. We became good friends and have climbed hundreds of days now
together. I’d just lost a dear friend to an avalanche when we re-met. New
friends helped with that pain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Still we pray to those same
mountains that have taken away some of our loved ones. The passage of each year
makes me feel more humble, and the more mountains I see makes me realize I’ll
never see all the mountains. It’s taken five years just to get a glimpse of the
mountains, canyons, rivers, valleys, and crags of this land. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The mountains don’t change like we
do. Everything happens so fast in the human life. I’ve heard life is a bitch,
but time seems to be the bitch. Life is a beautiful woman, and beautiful women
make beautiful babies, and it’s been a trip to watch my friends have families.
Talk about hard work, and most of you do it with such grace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The vantage point of five years
leaves a complete confidence in my decision to move here. When I made the
decision though I was full of doubt and anxiety. The only way to know yourself
though is to face those insecurities, and the only way to find yourself is to
go there, wherever -there- may be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My writing mentor and former professor George
Sibley, of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mountain Gazette</i> fame,
used to say have this saying about Crested Butte, “Someone is always arriving
saying this is the greatest places they’ve ever found, and someone is always
leaving saying the place is doomed.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 1.1in;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I think you could say something
similar about Durango. We’re constantly being mentioned in those bullshit <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Outside </i>magazine type stories: “Top 5
Places to Move To Right Now” or “Top 5 Undiscovered Mountain Towns”. The truth
is that our town is gritty, and we have our share of issues and problems, not
unlike any other place. We are far from a utopia, as my man J.J. Anderson
eloquently covered in his piece about our homelessness issue in his guest “La
Vida” last week. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We got problems, even 99 of them,
but there’s something about this place that makes me feel like it’s the perfect
place for an artist, for someone who thrives on creativity. There’s so much
inspiration and beauty here in makes me wish I had an outlet for it - I with I
could sing, I wish I could dance, I wish I could sit by the mountains and paint
their beauty. I’m not a religious man, but I am spiritual, and I know for sure
we all are given certain gifts. I don’t know if writing is a gift, or if you
just have to work hard at it, I just know it’s the only outlet I have to share
with my community, and I know there’s no other place in the world I’d rather by
than Durango to spend my days typing away in my cave with the hopes I might
create something that means something to someone. And there’s no other place
I’d rather go to a coffeeshop and try to get work done when I’m tired of my
home office, but then get distracted by my dear friend, Jennaye, who likes
analyzing weird human traits as much as I do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’m giddy right now as I finish
this, I’ve saved enough to take some time off to visit a chunk of heaven in
Squamish in British Columbia, where the granite meets the sea, and I can live
out of a tent for a couple weeks, and wish life was always that satisfying and
simple. Or, it will rain and I’ll be dreaming about Durango, and the upcoming
Indian Creek season. You never know, but if you don’t go, you really never
know. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">This article is published in today's Durango Telegraph (August 6th, 2015)</span></div>
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