A Beard of Bees & Two Wooden Arms

I cannot believe the summer has already come and gone. The wind currently howls outside my bedroom window and there is a coolness in the evening that can only mean autumn. Summer turned out to indeed be a busy one! Filled with an average of 65-75 hour work weeks for the first month and a half, I felt completely enveloped in work, work, work, work, work. With right reason too. From about 5am to midnight, my days were filled with the commute to work on bicycle, two jobs in one day, and the cycle commute home; leaving barely any room to eat, think, let alone relax. Come early August, I was fed up. I ended up quitting my part time job at CHOW and instead, decided to focus strictly on Deschutes Brewery and my internship at Central Oregon Locavore. A good decision that was! My days since have been filled with full time work, if not more, and lots more time for me.

On time off, I enjoyed hiking a ton. This summer was filled with two bagged summits. One of South Sister in early July and the other of Broken Top Mountain in early August in celebration of my twentieth year alive with a good friend, Bailey. In between mountain peaks, I explored the Three Sisters Wilderness area heavily along with the Mt. Jefferson area. I found solace in the alpine quiet and damn near enlightenment in the constant breath and beat of boot tramping. There is something so sacred and so intimate about the mountains to me. I ache to be in the presence of the pines, exposed to the elements, covered in sweat, and crying out in happiness at the sheer, raw beauty. If not hiking or climbing mountains, I was usually found in my kayak on some high lake. Surrounded by mountainscapes and the croak of frogs and chirp of crickets, I would sit there-- completely silent, completely still; observing the ospreys above or the fresh water salmon below. Packing usually a couple beers, a bar of dark chocolate, and some kind of fruit; I would set off for my grand kayaking adventures.

Paired with lots of exploring has been lots of cycling! Carless for the summer, my bike has been my mode of transportation and how close we truly have become... Just today, I decided to flip my hub to convert my single speed to a fixed gear and am stoked on embarking on this new riding style... all the same, very nervous too. I think I will be wearing long sleeves and jeans for the first couple rides. :-)

Currently reading: Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas, physics text.
Currently jamming on: Volcano Choirs new album, Isles, Mandolin Orange, Van Morrison, Joey Bada$$, Shakey Graves, and Led Zeppelin (always).
Currently stoked on: School, oddly.

Sunrise from South Sister summit at 4AM

Backcountry moments. Green Lakes, Oregon

Alpine flowers take over Mt, Jefferson area

Smoke ring for my halo

Forage

Bachelor from South Sister at sunset

Mt. Jefferson

Sunset

Sunrise hike up Black Butte

Broken Top summit

Bailey on Sparks Lake

Trail views

One way to wake up in the morning... South Sister summit

Blue Moon rise

Well Spring term has come and gone once again and this time a little quicker than expected! This term has been less focused on school and more focused on my general well being. I'm still working on balancing the life of academia with happiness. Either way, this term taught me a lot other than vector calculus, aldol reactions, etc. and instead what it means to be alive again. I feel like I've been living a life of brute force and constant go, go, go motion in hopes to drown the yesterdays in the bliss of ignorance through continuous action the last two years. This term was the first time in a long time that I was actually able to breathe easy on my own two feet. I taught myself how to let thoughts slide in the woods, make a couple mean meals, give back to those less fortunate for no reason at all, and to fall in love with just the slight curve of a smile. I feel rejuvenated but still searching for something I think maybe has always been missing. No longer do I feel I am playing catch up with my own heart but rather ready to tackle the questions I've always been seeking answers for. I feel pure, strong, and independent. Ready to figure out what the fuck I've been searching for in the warmth of bed sheets, in the dead of night at 3AM, in the chaos. And the best part is, I don't think I'm going to find it. Ha! But as Whitman stated, "I am this mystery, here we stand," with a follow up from Sean Pean, "the truth is in the mystery." I like mystery. This summer will be a busy one again out of the pure necessity to make money. I'll be working both at Deschutes Brewery and Chow- a local, sustainable restaurant who grows their herbs in the side yard and only carries produce, meats, and baked goods from surrounding local farms and bakeries. Along with the work, I will be involved in designing a program for Central Oregon Locavore called Edible Adventure Club that revolves around gleaning surplus harvest from local farms, foraging in surrounding areas of Central Oregon, and holding preservation workshops. I feel so fortunate to be able to work for two businesses I have pride in along with learning something aside from hard math and science with an internship involving sustainable food systems and community outreach. With the summer, I will be carless (nearly two and half years now!) so will be commuting on my new baby, a vintage Schwinn single-speed/fixie. I'm also focused on trying to spend more time at the local rock gym and getting back into climbing routes that have long been touched. I believe this summer will be a good one. Filled with work, physical health, and a couple mountain summits with a reward of a backpacking trip around Mt. Hood at the end of the summer. The adventures of this term are pictures below. The highlight trek was up to Jawbone Flats, Oregon again where we were able to complete the entire loop and what a beautiful adventure filled with beautiful, beautiful people that was! Along with Jawbone, I really enjoyed my 10K trail running course this term and will be taking it again in the fall with a spew of other engineering courses.

Happy summer!