I am one month away from starting what promises to be one of the most challenging journeys of my life. Excitement abounds, never mind that my "plan" is still pretty unclear.  I've successfully found an amazing life for Zooey, sold half my possessions, rented my house, and finalized a personal leave from office life.  However, with one month to spare I'm lacking a plane ticket, a visa, and a mission.  I'm very fortunate to have made some great contacts so I'm feeling confident that life, while things may not go perfectly smooth, will eventually work out.  Fortunately, Catherine will have assistance finding housing and getting settled.  After I float down a river and she finishes orientation I will head down a week or so after her.  Ecuador here we come!

I am feeling extremely lucky to have been allowed such a great opportunity, and hopefully I will be able to use the opportunity to share my fortune.  Time will be devoted to learning the language and culture at first.  Then the road is a bit more uncertain.  I am passionate about protecting American waterways, and may have the opportunity to join Ecuadorian River Institute to do the same in Ecuador.  Or I may stumble upon other opportunities.  The possibilities are endless.  One thing that I feel assured of is that I will live my life simply, generously, and without reserve.  I think I can sum it up very simply:

Do more with less.

The idea of this page should be pretty clear.  I want to catalogue and share my thoughts, experiences, and life lessons for anyone who may care to read and look.  Plus it is something I have always wanted to try.  I am going to dedicate the rest of this post to the amazing people and experiences over the past few months.  We are so lucky to live in a place where these things are possible.

What little snow we had this winter started melting off really early so I kicked off my river season in March with a self support kayak trip on the Yampa and Green River in Dinosaur National Monument.  This was my first time on a multi-day river trip where we had no support from rafts.  We paddled what is usually a 5-6 day trip in 3 days, and I experienced what it is like to paddle in a dust storm.

Entering the canyon

Storm coming

Entering Split Mountain.  Little did we know....

In the month of April Catherine and I did three raft trips.  San Juan, Westwater, and San Juan again.  Fun. 

River House on the San Juan

40 person dual permit party on Westwater 

The McCutchen Family on the San Juan

Mullets and quicksand

Our little 9.5 Trib after a mud fight

In May I went on a six day 220 mile self-support kayak trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon and the Main Salmon River with 12 other boaters.  These two sections of river are usually done separately as six day trips each.  We had what is considered higher flows so we were in for some fun.  Unfortunately I broke my hand on the first day, but soothed it with ice cold river water and vitamin I.  I was able to make it work, and the relaxing hot springs most days didn't hurt either.

Everything needed for six days

Camp

The group at lunch

The last new river for me was the Gates of Lodore section of the Green River.  The Yampa flows in to the Green about half way so I repeated a little of the trip from March, but I was happy to do so.  

Group at camp on night one

Looking upstream at Rippling Brook camp

Rigging boats

The group

Winds at Split Mountain.  Again!  This time is wasn't so bad once we entered the canyon.  The rain was welcome too.

That raps up a really fun river season.  I am really going to miss living in Durango, but am only looking forward to the future.  I'll hopefully keep this going shortly after we move and get settled.