Liquid Militia Productions

My head is in the Southern Hemisphere right now…and maybe my heart is too. It’s hard knowing that there is some heavy lifting, transporting of beakers and gear, and bad jokes in the hangar going on down there, all without me. I miss Ali and the aircraft and the salty-ass pilots, and playing music with the Phatass Bluegrass Band and gazing at Mount Erebus every time I head off in the left seat to anywhere. I miss everything Antarctic – well, maybe not the food. I hear they miss me too. I mean, who’s making Scotty freeze his balls off while they open the window of the aircraft to take photos every 10 minutes? Or littering the huey with trail mix? Yeah, of course they miss me.

Brian and I just moved to Steamboat Springs and it is sure to be a good winter. While the Front Range got whomped, we got a heckuva windstorm and a few teeny tiny snowflakes blowing around in the freezing air. But it got me stoked for winter and now I’m ready. I don’t really have any friends here and I’m not flying or studying right now so I seem to have a little time on my hands that I am not used to having. Got ski boots on the way, and hopefully some snow too, and right now all I want to do is hike and get strong. Well, and pick on that banjar a little. Maybe that means a few blog posts are on the horizon, more than I’ve had time for in the recent past.

You know, I’m what you would call ‘a planner’. I don’t much like surprises, I tend to have my shit all planned out and a clear path ahead. I’ve found myself in this unfamiliar place where things have changed fairly quickly and the road ahead is a new one…and maybe I can’t even find my road map. The unknown. Yeah, well, bring it on, I say. I’m ready for some positive changes, so let the path unfold as it will. And hello Steamboat! Meet yer new neighbor.

You may think I am far away, but rest assured that my friends and I are watching you.

I have my eye on you

*All for a good cause

*Gotten lots of good stories out of this one

*Next year we’ll do better

Thanks to everyone who showed up!!!

The Poudre Puffs are at it again. We are partaking in the Vertical Challenge and intend to kick ass! Vertical Challenge is a month long boat-a-thon that raises money for First Descents, and so far we are doing pretty well.    

To learn more about First Descents. Visit the site here. I’ve posted a promo video that will turn your rocky heart to mush. To quickly summarize, First Descents sends young adults with cancer to camp to learn how to kayak, teach them strength-building skills, and let them forget that they have cancer for a short time.    

Help us kick ass! Make your contributions here. Find the Poudre Puffs in the women’s division. We are half way through the competition, so please make your donations before June 15th!    

We Thank You! Time to get on the water…

Team Poudre Puff

Holley Gardel, Sarah Dentoni, La Baker, Laurie Goodrich, Crystal Young (who is killin’ it!)

In pursuit of white snow west of Utah Alix, Jefe, and I, molpatrol, load up the suby for the non-stop drive to Mt. Shasta, CA.  Sleep, not necessary. We arrived in the tiny town of Mt. Shasta at 7am, waited till Fifth Season Outdoor store opened, gathered beta, last minute gear, permits, and the infamous poo bags. We headed for base camp #1 at Horse Camp on the south side of Mt. Shasta.  On our skin up, we got a stern warning from the “10th Mountain Division” that wet slide danger was high. “We want to be just like them.”

Three am start was the recommendation but six thirty was the reality.  An amazing climb up Casaval ridge put us atop West Face Gully looking at a daunting 2 hours more to reach the summit.  The warm temperatures where heating up last weeks fresh foot of slop, made us question going forward for fear of the dangerous wet slides. So we opted for the next best thing, “Lets Ski,” we cried! The sweet 5500′ vert back to whiskey and snacks made us forget our sadness upon not summiting.  Mandatory emptying of the flask before returning to the suby made split skiing my Voile with a 50lb pack very amusing!  Repack, resupply, and reroute to the north face with the Bolam glacier happily teasing our thoughts.  Four thirty am came early with only 500′ up on skins until crampons and ice axe were a must.  Roping up after reviewing glacier travel and crevasse rescue was a long awaited treat but, unfortunately, 70 mph winds forced usto  retreat.  Rippin’ and clickin’ on belay was a first for me.  As conditions improve I ask myself, “Will shredding 4000′ of corn ever lose it’s appeal?”

 Our six foot wind walls didn’t do shit for our second night on the north side.  Six am, summit fever gone, freezing rain arrives, we decide to bail.  Bummed and butt hurt we solicit at any coffee shop who’ll have our stinky company looking for hot springs, movies, a nap or just about anything.  Our spirits our lightened as we learn from the Ranger Stations that the storm may disappear by noon Friday.  

One day left, we opt for a 2 am wake, cold sausage on a cream cheese begal breakfast and weather check. Yahoo!  It’s clear out and we blast up the Avalanche Gulch route, parking lot to peak and back in one morning, all the while, trying to forget about my “little” 300′ slide for life, earlier that morning.  oops.  Alix and Jefe put new meaning to “skiing from the peak” because, according to them, one patch of snow within a steep screed peak is not only acceptable but mandatory.  Like that wasn’t enough, the next 1000′ of skiing rime ice was a new experience on my list of accomplishments. But from then on it was smooth sailing 6000′ to the car.  Climbing and skiing Mt. Shasta is definitely one answer to many of life’s questions.

Yes, after a full year, I finally have a blog post! Ok, I can take it… Call me a slacker, but now I can say that I am a slacker with a PhD.

Starting to write the final paragraphs of this chapter in Colorado, requires a few deep breaths. Literally, surfing the wave in Glenwood is hard work. Super fun, but full on. I’m here for the next week getting in some training rides for the US Freestyle kayaking Team Trials. Riding the high of finishing my Doctorate has led me to Team Trials. It’s going to take some serious focus and hard work, but after the last few months, I can confidently say that I’m ready to go for it!

The folks from the Southeast are starting to flood into Colorado with the melting snow and whitewater events nearly every weekend. Having worked and kayaked in Tennessee for the past 3 summers, it is great to see all the familiar faces. These events used to intimidate the hell out of me, but this time I am not only driven, but confident that I can hold my own out there with front and back blunts. The wave is not very retentive, but still a blast. Here is a photo from 2 weeks ago. It’s even bigger now, so stay tuned!

Wow, writing something non-technical is fun.

I like it here.  After a spectacular trip down the Grand Canyon in March, I find myself in North River, NY hanging out with my new canyon friends and exploring new rivers.   Small towns, nice people,  lots of trees, paddling in all directions, great surf, couldn’t ask for more.

We did an overnighter on the Upper Hudson and camped at the confluence of the Cedar River.  Kababs over an open flame, birthday cake, wild dogs, we had it all.  Day two, while guiding one the tougher rapids on the Hudson, a helicopter came ripping up the river bed and banked a turn, almost taking off our heads.  So fucking cool.  Second time he came back we got the bottle rockets out and ready in case he fired.

I participated in a River God’s Race, where I came in flying colors dead last.  We figured our only hope was to go big in the rapids to gain some speed, only to be capsized (everyone was required to use flat water canoes).  We blamed our swim on the 60 pound dummy named Johnny as the culprit, not our lack of canoe experience.  Here I am with my skilled canoe partner.

One must acquire a guide license in New York to guide commercial raft trips, so after blood draws, DNA sampling, piles of paperwork, a 3 hour test, and some pulled strings I now have my license and have had a couple commercial trips.  The companies out here are more like circus acts than raft companies.  Perfect.   I like it here.

in the strangest of places if you look at it right… This is so true.  All this time we’ve all been up to such great adventures… Susan’s been dominating.. Worlds (snowboard world championships in Vernier), Hol’s been decompressing from being in Antarctica for five months, and rocking a play boat straight off of shoulder surgery( damn rock star) , La’s still running like the wind and guiding some where on the east coast as we speak, Sarah D’s been trying to keep all of us, and our loose ass brain waves, together (while biking, rowing, surfing the tar out of Mexico for several weeks, and … well flat out controlling and governing.  Me…. I’m on my last 24 hours in Colorado after a butt kicking semester of Vet school, and ready to take on another.  Amazing what a little time in the Colorado trees, on the river, and in the dirt does for ones soul.  I am deeply remorseful though for being absent in my friends and families lives right now.  I have children in my life that are growing up without me being there, I have friends going through trials and tribulations without me helping or being there, and I know how important it is to be there.  I feel absent.  I promise you all I will finish this school stuff and be back  home so so soon.  It’s amazing how much time I spend sitting in one position in the library trying to learn, verses when I  come home, get on the river, and learn in every breath, movement, turn, and kind word of my friends.  You can’t even equate it.  Five days on the Yampa river taught me more than four months of studying.  Wish my science came through as clear as Sarah’s rowing directions did.  So here are some pics from our Yampa trip.  Smiles all around and a good time was had by all.  I have to say I started this trip out a bit discouraged.  I left Cayman after scuba diving and ran right to Crested butte to tour with Susan and for the very first time in my life I couldn’t finish a tour.  Yes me at the age of 35, learned that even the jennneral has a  breaking pt.  I started the tour on the axtel in CB strong at 5:45am but I just plain didn’t have it in me and once my skins fell off my split board (despite the duck tape and electrical tape), I was done about 500 ft from the top.  Yes the crux.  So I decided to boot pack it, so as not to ruin the skin trail.  That lasted about 200 ft and no go … I just didn’t have it in me… A first for the jenneral mighty mouse. 

So with my tail between my legs I resided to calling myself old and out of shape and ran to t ride to prepare for a yampa trip of not so consequential water…. Didn’t stop me from swimming twice in the flat water.. I blame alcohol and Holley of course.  I did learn that I no longer can drink like I use too, I no longer can paddle like I use to, but  I know this…….. The distance between my ability level and where I use to perform at, it’s not so far… I have to see life in the long haul……. I’ll take my slack time now a bit.. I’ll catch up when I get done with my DVm….  THANK FUCKIN GOD I HAVE SUCH GOOD SISTERS AND FRIENDS TO HELP ME PICK UP THE PIECES AND MAKE THEM FLOW LIKE THEY USE TOO….

I spend a lot of time watching the sun rise and set here in Cayman.  Studying takes up 90% of my time now and I feel more ignorant every day.  This is suppose to be the case I’m told, it means I’m getting the big picture and believe me it’s big.  I miss home and boarding and can’t wait for boating season.  Mom nature was good to me while I was home for Christmas, and I managed to squeeze in powder days every time I put my equipment on.(even when I put on someone else’s equipment thanks again La, Mike Tim, and Laurie for putting all your gear together and hooking me up).  No doubt mom nature loves me and I her and I look forward to the water running when I get home on April 17th so plan your calendars, it’s gonna be a hot fast running spring.  Here is what I get when I look to Colorado from my world now.  Much love.

The glue arrived in CO around Christmas bringing snow and good energy.  Which, by the way jenneralk, it hasn’t snowed since you left.  WTF?