being geeky... getting ready for some solitude

I love reading through these diagrams so I thought it would be fun to do my own. Im going on a 5 day trip to Myakka next week and this is the gear I am taking for the week.
1. most importantly, reading material.. this happens to be Kerouak's "On the Road"
2. Important documents, maps, writing material, and an Audubon Guide to Florida flora and fauna
3. light weight wicking shorts (swim gear, underwear, and sleep gear)
4. Hand knitted wool beanie, knitted by my friend Gladis, whom I think hates me
5. Go BULLS!
6. Marmot Trestles 15 degree bag
7. Princeton Tec Fuel LED head lamp, and a couple pencils, and a Burts Bees tube
8. Light weight wind/rain resistant pants
9. Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight .5 first aid kit
10. Silva compass
11. Mountain Hardwear Epic rain shell, great in the rain, also great as an outter layer.
12. (2) Nalgene(or otherwise) 32oz water bottles
13. Evernew Titanium cook pot, containing my MSR Whisper Light stove, and water-proof matches
14. Fuel, in a bright red MSR bottle
15. my "bathroom" bag.. soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, bug repellant(100% deet, this IS Florida), emergency mirror, shit paper
16. Pack Towel by MSR
17. about 10 yards of parachute cord, for hanging food
18. tent pegs and poles
19. inexspensive tripod
20. Therma-rest Ridge Rest... big but the lightest mat you can buy, and cost less than 15$
21. exactly 4 and a half days and 4 nights worth of food.. with e few extras, including trail mix
22. yes Im a wuss, thats my pillow.. stuffed tightly into that little bag
23. Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 tent
24. snacks :)
25. me shoes, columbia trail runners
26. Osprey Kestrel 48, in paprika, yes somehow all this shit fits in this thing
27. Canon EOS D1000 Rebel XS, wearing EFS 18-55IS, hood and polarlized lense filter
28. Canon EFS 55-150IS, I call it "the long sword", wearing UV Filter
29. my old camera bag, now used as a sheath for the long sword
30. Lowe Pro top loader camera case

missing from shot:
-Clothes to be worn
-fly rod... soon
-plastic grocery bags to pack out trash, as well as trash i may find on the trail

its like stamp collecting!

A Rebel with a cause!

New camera... SHIT this thing rocks! take a look at the shots I've taken so far! SLR spells FUN!

To get the full effect, double click the shots! Especially the broad winged hawk devouring that Morhen, I got that shot up on the Seminole SPC campus today, crawled about 10 feet on my elbows and toes to creep up on him. Hire me for your next event! ha ha!

New trails and a new sense of being

I found myself with an oppotunity to go mountain biking yesterday and I tagged along with Adam (from Bicycle Outfitters) and his gang of misfits. I took the Karate Monkey out to Boyette to ride the new trails that where opening. I also brought the camera along as is expected. We didnt make it out to the grand opening festivities that were rumored to have been going on but we certainly had the pleasure of riding some of the best new trails anyone could ask for. There are several miles of ridge line, tight, technical, and very fun trails. Most of these new trails just happen to be on the more difficult side, which I found very appealing. Here are a few pics of the madness and my first ride on the MTB in months. These new trails make boyette a serious destination trail and no longer will I consider it second fiddle to Alafia. Good work SWAMP!


Kevin Hofman I believe, giving me the "who the hell are you and why are you taking my picture" stink eye. Jon Lowe in tow.

7 years of parenthood, my greatest adventure yet

Another year gone by and my son has followed suit. Caleb turns 7 today, and with him my years of parenthood. As he gets older and smarter my priorities continue to change, and my role as a parent grows in intensity. Being a parent the way I have chosen is not just about saying the right things and giving him the right room to grow, but has changed my life completely. As my son gets older and more impressionable I have had to grow as a person myself to become the example I would choose him to follow. Parenthood for my has not been about discipline and providing a roof as my father would have had my brother and I believe, though that is part of it, parenthood for the relationship between my son and I has become about lifelong learnership, and learning to love knowledge. Caleb is a sponge and everything he does is a learning experience, I have had to learn not to take this for granted. As he grows I have had to learn to not let anything hold him back, to let him know that he is capable of ANYTHING, and that the expectations of the world will always let him down, that his own expectations, regardless of anyone elses beliefs, are that which will carry him through life. His own teachers seek to hold him back in the sense that they dont see him as I do. When I look at him I see the next President of the United States, I see the cure for cancer, I see a great literary genius, I see what no one else is willing to see, and I want him to see this too. I want him to understand that the world will never hold him to the expectations that he should hold for himself and that he should always strive for learning, to hunger and thirst for knowledge, and for the sake of his own intentions not to please anyone else, for no one else lives by his own standard. Another year has passed and a baby, a little boy, has turned into a ball of information. He has learned to read this year, one of the biggest steps along the trail to learning and I am trying to teach him to love it. This relationship has many years to come and I will never give up on teaching my son above all else to think for himself and to love knowledge. Happy birthday my son! Heres to another great year!

Tent living is the Life

I put in my first 100 mile week since the begining of last year this past week and it felt great. I have been commuting to school and work every day for the last 5 days rain or shine, though it was mostly rain. I learned really quickly that my "rain gear" was not suitable for anything more than a light drizzle. Better to learn now then when im out there and really need it. being wet sucks.

Caleb and I did a short hike to the front yard the other day to have a slumber party in the yard. It rained nearly all night and not a drop inside the Seedhouse. what a peaceful way to sleep. Another note... i slept without the mattress pad but brought a pillow from in the house and slept comfortably.. bigger camp pillow? perhaps a better stuffed dry sack? anyway..

So the final count is 95 miles on the bike and 10 miles by foot for the week. im going to try to do better than that for this week but we'll see. Was thinking of going to NC this spring break to do some hiking, but now I am contemplating shooting for Myakka River State Park... saving the big NC for this summer when its warmer and I wont need to buy long johns. Though i eventually hope to do some hiking(read potholing) in the winter. Another rad book read under my belt, i finished Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston... highly recomended. more thoughts later.