A Summer Recap

Bonsai After surviving a harsh winter down by the French River on our property, the three white spruce (picea glauca) trees that I salvaged as leftover seedlings from last year's tree planting emerged in good condition. I was also inspired by the natural dwarfing and pruning done by the deer on our property of my sole cedar tree (thuja occidentalis) that I took for planting. The deer had considerably nipped off the top shoots of the white cedar tree, while the spruce trees had candles on all new buds. I pruned back the new growth extending from the tips, and tried to get a sense for the styling. From there, the basic idea was to develop a consistent watering schedule and experiment with the shade and sun requirements of each tree. These three spruce trees and the cedar tree proved to be my inspiration for quickly acquiring a litany of new and diverse trees. This white pine (pinus strobus) I found clinging to life on the side of the road near my mailbox. It had been pruned back by county mowings and hard living on the side of the road. With a great, age-implying bend in the tree this pine made a great centerpiece for all of the other trees.

Seattle, WA and Squamish, BC

My younger brother Cam and I were able to take a trip that rivals many I have done in my young trip-taking lifetime, the ostensible journey to the West Coast. It followed the same script as many do: two young men, stuck (at an age where mobility may be considered paramount) at home and looking for an adventure, fueled by the prospect of making a net gain in the pocketbook.

I won't go into great detail about the trip. It's all in a manuscript somewhere and since I'm writing this as a "summer recap" I need to keep my own thoughts brief in order for them to be creative. I've already flipped back to this line and off again as my attention span is ever brief. But I think this is due in part to some of the experiences that Cam and I had out on the Coast. Fleeting memories and fleeting pocketbooks when you touchdown in SeaTac and immediately feel the effects of something. I attribute it now to the bike ride Gus, Grant, Cam, and I took the day before up the North Shore...or the equally immune-system busting sleep in the ATO basement before we headed out the next morning. Driving into Federal Way from the airport was a struggle- the air temp in Seattle was a beautiful 68 degrees but I couldn't function without keeping my Synchilla Fleece on. Bleah. I immediately crashed into bed and didn't leave for the next day and half. Early swine flu? So I was already down one day of work on our host's metal roofing project. $300, or more. Poof. Too sick to function. Slowly I began to feel better and regain my appetite. We made a trip up to Marymoor Park on Saturday (flying in Thursday) to climb on their outdoor wall, which was fun and the first experience with some easy (real easy-5.10?) sport climbing.

Started gaining momentum back as it turned to Sunday and Monday. Did some work on the church, trying to get the window details done. Here is a picture of [the Church] where Cam and I stayed. Well, where I stayed. Cam slept in the sauna. And sauna. Dirtbaggin's got it's price, right? So we get some work done. Do some slacklining on the Sound in the midst of a wedding photo shoot.

I tell myself I'm feeling better--0r at least well enough not to let the main goal of the trip-Squamish--from happening. So we gas up the Vanagon. Traffick on I5--just brutal- or is it? What do a couple of Minnesotans know about I5? Too much traffic for us and the van to take. So...nav man checks the map. Cam and I pull off in Everett, WA. Scenic route. One of the best choices we make. Mt.Baker on our right as we drive up Highway 9. Absolutely gorgeous, less the clearcutting in the Cascades.

We make it through Customs and into British Columbia. Absolute elation. Surreal, almost. Our hunger gets the best of us, America, quick! McDonalds comes to the resuce. So expensive though! We keep our weekend and two days of food to under $80. Should be lower; what can a climber do? Off-days and naps can only be filled in with a leisurely lunch, breakfast, and dinner. A quick check of the oil and fluids ("Most of these VW's blow up-fluids!! Check them!" at the MEC and we keep heading. North, north. Along Hwy 99- The Sea-t0-Sky-Highway. Review the pictures: did this actually happen?

A few more klicks and we're in Squamish...Canada's Camp 4. Cam and I, now, at time of writing, aren't the rookies we pulled in as. But when we did: absolutely no wherewithal of the camp culture and method. Three or four different slacklines were set up, right underneath the high-voltage power line. Literally, the entire camp is situated underneath a brain-meltin', climber-unsuspecting spot. Hopefully I'm not the only one's who has noticed? A few bouldering and dirtbagging (i.e, van living) pictures. Cam and I worked ourselves up to attemping V4/V5 stuff. My favorites were the slabs, I sent a V3 after working off of some microedges. Sloppy Poppy, of course.

"Chris Sharma Shit Here 8/12/98" Slacklining

Slacklining is blowing up. The fraternity scene has it now, which means that the secret is no longer kept. You will be seeing much more slacklining in the future-the popularity is growing, the access to equipment, and the ability to learn so quickly makes slacklining a great social sport.

If there were such a thing as a certified slackline instructor, consider me it. Here I'm teaching Tyler Pedersen the correct weighting and unweighting needed to get a feel for the line. I revealed the slackline to Tyler and two others on a camping trip this August. They had no idea what to expect when I took it out of my Duluth Pack, figuring it's purpose lie in ascending a tree, and not being tied between two of them.

An instructor can only get a person so far in slackline-it is finding the inner balance we are all born with- that is harder for some people to do. Falling is required to find that balance. Once you do find it, things develop incredibly quickly. I've seen people who've never stepped on the slackline (a spry 60 year old man, to be exact) be able to get up with "training wheels" (friends), get a feel for the line, lose the wheels, lose faith.

Then get back on, have that first instance of successful balancing. The aha! moment. Self-correction and teaching is what makes slackline so much fun to learn and teach. Fischer got up and as per the goal of six steps I outlined for him, was able to walk consecutively before we took off.

Now, properly recapped, we move forward!