I would like to share with you all the account of my recent trip, so I will be blogging and posting pictures from the excursion which went from late June 08-November 08. I will be doing this in several installments--hopefully it will entertain and amuse.

Pre Departure Meditations

Welcome to the twilight of human sanity. In the age of the utmost technological development we have seen an unprecedented rise in idiocy. Perhaps I over-reach by using the term ‘we’. Apparently a majority of the people on this spinning lump of sediment have deemed this to be progress. I must state from the outset that this is not a treatise on the evils of modern society nor is it the soapbox from which I plan to spew self righteous ideologies to condemn anyone whose lifestyle/opinions differ from my own; yet it is imperative to understand the background of any undertaking in order to fully appreciate its development and fruition. The unexamined life is not one worth living and thus it is that (for my sake at least) I take this moment of introspection.

While teetering on the edge of a “career” and “normalcy” I have clung to a hope that one day I would give in to my urges to bow out of a dance where I have been found to have two left feet and little in terms of grace; at the same time, what was the point of boiling life down to its essential parts?

Why quit the rat race if the alternative is nothing more than empty hubris? Having taken multiple hiking trips and practiced a bit of asceticism I in turn began to question if there was any point to my lifestyle.

Those questions still resound within me but I am no longer plagued by them. Perhaps that is the point- to strip away the façade and to look upon the inner machinations of reality- and be utterly baffled at your own insignificance in the grand scope of existence. Or it might just be that the outdoors are a “badass” place to get wasted and lighting small but festive forest fires for fun (alliteration anyone?) is the central theme in all of this.

To those of you who read this- I thank you for your kind attention to my thoughts and actions. I look forward to offering you the fruits of my travels via this forum. Please know that if you know me enough to care what I am up to then you have certainly shaped me and will be with me always, even if only in some corner of my thoughts and deeds.

Ok, quit blowing on the fur and get to the hide. I had no choice but to buy a bunch of new gear in anticipation for the trip. I have racked and re-racked my climbing gear twenty times, chafing to wear off the shine of all those nuts, cams and hexes- yes, I bought hexes, even though Tony, my climbing sensei forbade me from doing so… I have a weakness. What can I say. A bear canister has also found its way into my possession, an item I have never used before, but after seeing bears breaking into cars in Yosemite, I figured it might be a good investment. A Marmot Limelight 2p tent- at an exceptional price so I had to bite, and then guidebooks for the major climbing areas to which I will journey.

All that remains is to finish out the semester here at SUNY Orange before I set out to slake my thirst for adventure and experience. I have followed the omens this far and now as they lead away, I am anxious to follow the path further. There is nothing certain in life other than its finality- I have internalized this discovery -- it has given me wings.

Go East, Young Man:

Odd that those words rarely inspire...and continue in that fashion even today. Rather than just going west we packed up my pint-sized civic last Thursday and headed...east. Maybe it was because Stefanie has a sister who lives in Boston, or maybe because there are some pretty cool climbing destinations in New Hampshire and Maine respectively; more likely yet is that my neuroses took hold and prevented me from simply starting at an arbitrary point like...New York.

And thus began the "tag up" - heading east to go west.

In typical lackluster fashion, the plan soon changed from climbing in New England to playing Rock Band in New England and going to the beach. The beach actually worked out nicely, as the oceans will act as proverbial bookends containing the diaries of these wanderings...

I would like to briefly illuminate just WHY, when asked, wizened old men whose sage ruminations are held in high esteem would never direct aspiring adventurers to go east... In a sense, this brief leg of the excursion served to cement that fact for me, and that may prove valuable yet.

Imagine a place in your mind...you are looking over a vast sea-scape towards the rising sun. The smell of salt water is powerful but not overpowering; below you are magnificent cliffs which scream "climb me!". Behind, lie rolling hills propping up petite mountains; small by objective standards yet composed of sturdy and solid granitic rock. Breathe in the solitude. Breathe out the stress. Inhale the tranquility--and HOLD! You're in New England (at least according to the travel magazines and guidebooks)

If you cant take it anymore, go ahead an breathe it out but be prepared for the acrid stench of reality. Take the little slice of paradise you just were enjoying and now lets season it liberally with -- other people! Not axe murderers or vagrants. Just other normal people who read the same 3 magazines and are fully prepared to stake their claim on a world class vacation, weapons, er cell phones, atlases, family pets and children in tow. Add a dash of rude city drivers who feel entitled to doing a minimum of the speed limit +30 en route to a weekend spent taking pictures to post in their office cubicle. Keep in mind that Jersey Drivers will be mixed in with the other people. Stir in exorbitant fees for park entrances, and unbelievably high rates for a square of dirt on which to pitch a tent. Bake thoroughly in a crock of governmental hyper-regulation lined with miles of red tape.

And thats my impression of New England. Nice scenery at times-- lots of potential but you either have to pay a vault of money to do the one thing that ought to be free (enjoy solitude/nature)