Turn and Face the Strange, Changes

The underlying purpose of this trip through America was to decompress from Army life, do some soul searching and figure out who exactly I am, where I belong in this world, and where that will take me next. This has been the experience of a lifetime and I am very grateful for all the amazing people I have met as well as all the amazing places that I have seen along the way.

Hiking on the AT with Beebs

Sweepy BB

This past September while Dan and I were in Anchorage Alaska, we were Google searching for a climbing gym so we could try and get some climbing in while it was raining. Our options were slim but a curious result popped up on my phone screen: Mountain Training School. I clicked on their website (mountainguideschool.com) and before I knew it I had spent 2 hours reading through their guide on how to become a mountain guide. Multiple times throughout the trip Dan and I discussed how we could perpetually live on the road, make a living, and climb full time: winning the lottery and becoming a climbing guide are both pretty high on the list. I had no idea that there were actually schools out there that train, shape, and mold mountain and climbing guides so now my curiosity is overflowing and I decided to give them a call to see what this was all about. Turns out that Jaya, one of the school directors, had just flown in to Anchorage from Patagonia and was available to sit down for some coffee. We spoke for about an hour and after learning that the school is accepted by the Veterans Affairs and that my GI Bill benefit would foot the bill, the deal was basically sealed before we even said goodbye; it sounded too good to be true. I am the kind of guy that jumps into things head first and I had to exhibit some extreme self-control to not just jump right in then and there; the trip was only half over at that point and I had set out goals that I wanted to accomplish before committing to something new. Besides, what would happen to BB and Bertha? After talking it over with Dan I decided to give it some thought and would contact them down the road after I figured my life out.

Last morning with BB :(

Fast forward to February while I was in Arizona; I had been climbing solo for over 2 months and solo life on the road was really starting to wear on me. I had minimal direction and was just looking forward to winter being over and completing my road trip full circle. I decided I needed a new goal to set for myself and that I wanted my life to have slightly more focus but still be able to travel and climb. I decided it was time to contact Mountain Training School (MTS) again. This time I was ready to commit and pulled the trigger. It became official: I was the newest MTS student and would start my first class in Alaska in June.

Chillin' like a villain

April: My one year anniversary of separating from the Army was quickly approaching. Charlie and I decided it was time to start heading northeast; Charlie had to get back home to New York and I wanted to swing by New Jersey to see my family and sort out the next chapter of this journey. So we said goodbye to all our friends in Kentucky and began the haul to Harrisburg, PA to see my sister and her family. We spent a relaxing week in the rolling hills of PA and I said my goodbyes to Charlie as well as my sister and took off for New Jersey.

One year down: Celebrating with a new do

The biggest issues to figure out with starting school were to decide what to do with BB and Bertha. I threw around the idea of selling Bertha but with limited time and feeling that I would probably regret that decision, decided to stash it in my Mom’s backyard. I was worried that by the time I would return for her that she would be rusted to pieces but it was the only reasonable choice. What to do with BB was a much harder decision. Realistically I would be away at school for 3-5 years and I began to accept the fact that if I wanted to attend school, BB was going to need to find a new family. I struggled hard with this and wanted to find the best possible home for her. I tossed the idea out to Dan and Lexi but they were both too far away and could not accept BB as much as they wanted to. In the end I think I found the perfect family: my sister decided she would watch her while I am away. They already have one dog, Molly, who needed a buddy plus they live on a big farm so BB could run around free to her hearts content and lastly of course, I would get to see her every time I come home!

Transformation complete

BB's new best friend Molly

So, with all big issues sorted out, all that was left to do was kill time and wait for my flight to AK. What better way to kill time then to attend some amazing concerts? As it turns out, my deadheadness has started to wear on my best friend Alex and he jumped at the opportunity to go to the Dear Jerry show in Maryland with me. All of the remaining members of the Grateful Dead appeared as well as tons of very well-known artists in the Jam band world. Alex and I would attend two more shows together before I left: Death Cab For Cutie in Camden, NJ and best of all, Eric Clapton’s 70th birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden. This was both our first times seeing Clapton and he did not disappoint. He even brought out some superstar friends including John Mayer and Derek Trucks! Wow, what a night! The last hurrah before heading out would be Jam on the River in Philadelphia featuring Lotus AND Papadosio (yes that’s like 6 times in under 4 months but who’s counting?). We had some torrential downpours during JOTR but the bands waited it out and still put on amazing, albeit soaking wet, sets.

Just slackin’ off

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