a little help

all smiles at fishtop, after two clean (albeit not-so-fast) green race runs:

photo by b a roberts

good afternoon blog fans. during my trip last fall to nepal, i fell into the upper seti river. not a life shattering event, but unfortunately my camera was in my hands as it happened.
as a result, i have been relying on my friends for photo content.

i plan on expanding this post as soon as i can get my hands on additional content.

for now, enjoy the available eye candy:

enjoying the fall foliage on the eastern escarpment

photo by daniel windham

don't get distracted by the color. sending it down the trail at kitsuma:

photo by daniel windham

embarrassing liza at a party:

photo by karen peerson

the leaves have turned and been blown off all the trees now; so the seasons have changed. it's hard to believe that i have been posted-up in asheville for a year straight. time flies...

all the best for now. back with more soon...

get it together

welcome, welcome to another view inside my exciting life and times here in the blue ridge. asheville has been so good to me, and i have neglected to share photos and stories of all the happenings for a couple months now. for that i apologize.
with my nikon out of commission, i have been recording blog content with a digital point-and-shoot that i happened upon on the side of the road in norway, summer 2008.

the author in some typical hometown action to get things started off:

photo by chris roberts

i left my last post with a parting photo from my truck-totalling trip to chicago. while in the windy city, i had the pleasure of joining forces with my friend john 'bubba' roeder.

photo by mw

bubba and i spent a memorable two days in his hometown exploring this big city in ways i never could have imagined.
stand-up paddle board surfing lake michigan:

photo by mw

visiting famous culinary landmarks:

photo by john roeder

the most memorable part of the trip involved touring downtown in a 10foot zodiac:

photo by mw

running through downtown, the chicago river plays host to a number of pretenders in the tourist boat game:

photo by mw

john "bubba" roeder is by far and away the only considerable choice in boat captains:

photo by mw

literally providing you with water-level views of the city

photo by mw


photo by mw


photo by mw

continuing on in the buddy theme, in july i teamed-up with my cousin bryan monier for a surf and turf adventure tour. having bryan in town was a pleasure, and we wasted no time getting out and about. i even picked him up at the airport, bikes on the car, and drove us straight to the trails of pisgah national forest.

photo by mw

bryan and i spent four straight days two-wheeling around pisgah.

photo by mw

enjoying the flora, blooming mountain laurels:

photo by mw

and fauna, diamond back rattle snake:

photo by mw

for the second half of the week, we outfitted bryan in some borrowed kayaking gear and surfed our way down the ocoee river

photo by mw

mr. b was all smiles

photo by mw

let's see, i have also visited west-by-god virginia with my good friend polk:

photo by mw

where i watched a couple demonstrate the truest form of trust in a relationship on the upper gauley river:


photos by mw

on my birthday i visited a pristine mountain stream: the big east fork

photo by shane benedict

where i found myself in over my head

photo by shane benedict

on more than one occasion

photo by shane benedict


photo by shane benedict

all in all, i would say the summer has been a swashbuckling good time

photo by john roeder

stay out of sword fights blog fans, and i will see you here next time.

enjoy the slide show or click on it to visit the photo gallery

red hot in the blue ridge

hello, hello all you blog fans. i apologize for leaving you without any exciting tales or photos for the last six months. there has been no lull in activity, however; so i certainly have much to share.

lining it up in the heart of the kayaking leg during this year's baddle:

photo by james ewel brown hall
taking those big, long boats down the river is quite exciting. this spot here, the notch, is the entrance to the biggest rapid on the run, gorilla; so the level of excitement in this photo is peaking.
i don't even remember seeing jeb, who took the photo above, or anyone else in and around gorilla, as tunnel vision was in full effect.

i am very excited to announce that i won the jerry's baddle this april. after finishing 4th in 2007, 2nd in 2008, i am the 2009 champ. a dream come true and a result i trained very hard for.
i spent so many mornings, afternoons, and evenings on my bike high on the parkway or down at the french broad river training in the sun, rain, and snow.
it all paid off:

photo by melissa markis

the event involves two legs: kayaking down the narrows section of the green river followed by a 26-mile loop on a road bike.
my favorite part of this whole event is the feeling at the start line, immediately after the starter has finished counting down from 10. "go" hits your ears and the realization of all that you have in-front of you is fully realized. a solo river run negotiating heart of the green river's steepness, some grovelling through a long flat-water stretch, all before reaching your bicycle.

kayak the green, check. now to the bicycle:

photo by melissa markis

once out of the water, it's hammer time:


photos by shane benedict
the temperature and humidity on race day was intense, oppressive even. just a mile and a half into the race course, riders make their way up and out of the green river gorge via a steep, switch-backed road. that's where the helmet came off, but at the top it goes right back on as the speed picks up quickly.
here's a profile of the race course along the road ride:

getting a majority of the climbing out of the way early in the race is a relief. the switchbacks out of the gorge are daunting, while the descents on the backside of the course are fast, furious, with a couple tight and technical turns mixed within.
such a fun event. until next year...


in other news:
after many road rides together, my good friend tim koerber and i hatched the idea that we should ride round-trip from my house just outside downtown asheville to the summit of mount mitchell, the highest point east of the rocky mountains. mt. mitchell's summit sits at 6,200 ft, 4,000 vertical feet above our starting point.

photo by mw

tim met me at my house in the morning, where i was serving up egg sandwiches. neither tim nor i had ever done this ride, i had never even been to mt mitchell; so we were both anxious to get this bold undertaking started. we kept a good pace on the way to the top, hovering right at the top end of our comfort zone. the excitement of our mission did a lot to keep us focused.
at craggy gardens visitor center, with the majority of the climbing completed, we rolled along the ridge that takes you to the summit road. the road to the summit was 6 miles of sweating and suffering, matched only by the emotional boost of reaching the top.

i brought along the little point and shoot digital i found on the side of the road in norway to document our journey:

three hours of riding to the top:

photo by mw

photo by mw
barely half that time to get back down.

photo by mw

other than that, life has been pretty typical:


stay tuned. same blog time, same blog channel for more exciting adventures, and as always be sure to visit the photo gallery for more by clicking here:

a big one

photo by mw

i have been back from my most recent trip for more than three weeks now. after summer work in norway dried up, instead of flying west across the atlantic towards home, i made my way east into asia to a small country famous for big mountains and big rivers.
i have been wanting to share all my photos and stories with you blog fans out there but am just now taking the time to blog it all out.

before i get into the trip itself, i want to extend my deepest gratitude to miss elizabeth duncan. all of you blog fans are well acquainted with this photogenic, young woman who has contributed generously to para la familia both in front of and behind the camera.

photo by steve coffman
liza unselfishly put aside her own plans and desires and offered me tremendous support before and after my trip. thank you so much liza.

now let us take a trip to a far away place:

photo by mw

nepal

my journey begins in the country's largest city, kathmandu:

photo by mw
just the name, kathmandu, makes me think of adjectives like mystical, mysterious, and exotic.

photo by mw
after visiting, i remember: dirty, busy, and jaw-dropping. the hustle and bustle of the city, it's constant noise, the touristy quarters full of white faces, the english language, ultra discounted shops with every thing from outdoor equipment to the latest movies on dvd, and any type of western food imaginable all felt like the transit lounge with the real nepal ready and waiting outside the valley to be breathed in.

the transit lounge does have some perks, however, like garden cafes:

photo by maxi kneiwasser

my first peak at a himalayan river, the real reason behind my travels here:

photo by mw
early season sun kosi at a high flow

my first three and a half weeks were divided between two classic river trips: first on the sun kosi river then the karnali. i joined two commercial rafting trips run by ultimate rivers. this year is ultimate's 20th anniversary to be running rafting trips in nepal, and i was fortunate enough to sneak on the celebratory trips.
i also had the unique pleasure of going kayaking with my uncle lincoln, in one of his old stomping grounds no less.
here we are, uncle and nephew, feeling small amongst the high flows on an early season sun kosi river:

photo by maxi

traveling down these rivers with rafts in support to carry your food, beverages, and camping equipment is true luxury. the sun kosi trip took seven days, the karnali ten. you feel like part of a real (to steal my dad's term) floatilla of fun.

photo by mw

spend a beautiful and exciting day on the river, camp each night on the beach, eat a delicious meal, drink by the fire, fall asleep under the stars. i could go on and on. even after being burnt out on raft guiding and safety kayaking all summer, i truly enjoyed these trips.
a wonderfully cool, misty morning while tens of thousands of cubic feet of water go by every second

photo by mw

feeling small again at another sandy beach campsite, sun kosi river:

photo by mw

such enjoyable trips, especially the whitewater.
the author, sneaking in some extra paddling on the tamur kosi, a tributary of the sun kosi

photo by maxi

a rest day for the rafters, an dose of extra excitement for us kayakers

photo by mw

here's maxi on the karnali:

photo by mw

and myself on the karnali, tucking into a "haystack" wave:

photo by maxi

mud huts, thatched roofs, and rice patties:

photo by mw
using the river as your means of travel allows you to see so much of nepal and the beautiful people who carve a life out of this rugged landscape. people who may live many, many miles from the nearest road. people who may only eat one meal (dal bhat) their entire lives. people who despite living entirely without most of the conveniences of modern life are as happy and handsome as any i have ever encountered.

photo by mw


photo by mw


photo by mw


at the end of the sun kosi then karnali river trip, three weeks of multi-day big water under my belt and with my belongings coated completely in sand

photo by mw
i was ready to move on to the second phase of my adventures: pure kayaking pleasure. mmmmmmm....the goods:

photo by maxi
with friends from three different continents, i moved from the big, brown rivers to the crystal creeks under the annapurnas, the promise land, and a more classic view-scape of the highest mountains of the world:

photo by mw

from the modhe kola to the marsayandi, in and out of chisapani and birethanti. i enjoyed the company of new and old paddling friends on rivers and creeks well deserving of the "classic" label.
our first rapid on the modhe khola:

photo by mw

jj enjoying himself on the modhe khola:

photo by mw

mefford on some more modhe:

photo by maxi

more mefford, with sam sutton looking on from below:

photo by maxi

maxi, looking back at some classic scenery:

photo by mw

earning our turns on the marsyandi and nagdi:

photo by maxi

a great way to start the day. our first rapid on the nagdi khola, a tributary to the marsyandi:

photo by maxi

and a great way to end it. with a delicious home cooked meal made of only the freshest naturally organic ingredients with no artificial colors or flavors.
shawn and the author digging in:

photo by maxi

a trip of a lifetime only begins to sum up my experiences in nepal. i left norway heading east already longing for home to the west, challenging me to stay in the moment throughout a longer and farther trip from home.
but my time away was priceless and reuniting with family and friends all the more precious. i enjoy my relationships with family and friends all the more after my extended absence.

thanks again to all you blog fans for staying tuned out there in internet land. be sure to join us again for more adventures from the north american continent. same blog time. same blog channel.