It's Only When We Lose Everything That We Can Do
Anything.
The above paraphrased quote is from "Fight Club", but it
is also mentioned in this month's book of the month (See Right Panel).
"Between A Rock and A Hard Place" is a story I am sure
many are familiar with; boy goes climbing, boy gets arm trapped, and boy
cuts off arm to escape.
What I wanted to talk briefly about is not the extreme
spirit and determination this person possessed allowing him to overcome
the life or death task in front of him, but the decisions he made before
that day.
Our hero loved to climb and be outside. He was an
educated man, with a great job at Intel, but gave it all up to live
simply in Aspen, climbing, skiing and working at a mountaineering store.
Even after losing his arm, he still climbs and lives an incredibly happy
life.
Now, I am not standing on a soapbox telling everyone to
quit their job and have fun all day or else I will have no more
customers. Rather, remember, you are only here for a short while, and
you can't take anything with you, so make sure you do something cool
every once and a while. Whether that be climbing mountains, camping in
the woods, traveling to Italy, or volunteering in your community.
This leads me to the quote I started this section with.
As we separate ourselves from the cell phones, bluetooth, itunes, cars,
mortgages...even for a weekend, getting as raw as possible, we see what
is important and what we are truly capable of both physically and
mentally.
And if we don't, the, "the things you own, will end up
owning you." -Tyler Durden
All the best
_________________________
Olympic River Rafting in Tennessee
This trip was a small group of 5, all of whom went to school together
at LSU back in the day.
I decided to go in on Thursday to Chattanooga TN to check out some of
the natural scenery. I drove up Lookout Mt, which is a famous Civil War
landmark. After walking through gaps in boulders about 2 feet wide at
the top of this mountain, I came to an open area with a spectacular view
of the surrounding area. Reading a plaque along the railing, I came to
find that you were actually able to see 7 states from this ledge. I had
to take there word for it as none of the states were color-coded like
they are on the map. (That was a joke)
Anyway, when I got back to town, I was hoping the minor league
baseball team would be playing that weekend as the stadium was awesome,
but it was not to be. Long gone are the days of plywood centerfield
walls with outfielders running through them to catch a fly ball.
The guys got in Friday and we got some dinner and hit some bars.
Chattanooga is by no means a bustling metropolis, but as I like say, it
has enough spots to get into trouble for a weekend, but after that you
probably will get a little bored. We hit all the clubs and bars
and toasted the group before it was back to the hotel for an early rise
for rafting.
No problems getting everyone in the shuttle and out to Benton TN for
rafting on the Ocoee (pronounced O-KO-E). The views were great along the
river and afforded plenty of opportunities to jump out and float the
river. This river is actually the river that the Atlanta Olympic Games
held the Kayaking events. Many of the world-class kayakers train
here...but these guys were not ready for any Eskimo Rolls on this trip.
After finishing the trip we hung out, grabbed some pictures and
headed back to town. Although camping was an option, I think these guys
had a deep appreciation for a warm bed and indoor plumbing, which was
not a problem.
The group was really mellow and instantly made me feel as one of the
gang. I enjoyed the weekend and hope to be back soon.
Darren Hitz
Hitz Adventures
p:248.910.8152
f :480.393.4077
darren@hitzadventures.com
www.hitzadventures.com
WHAT'S NEW
Online Auctions
I recently started working with one of the major US airlines to
offer Adventure Weekends.
I was approached by this airline because they were looking for new
outlets for people to use their miles. As many of the fellow road
warriors know, we can rack up hundreds of thousands of miles, and only
spend a portion of them throughout the year. This airline now allows
customers to bid, in an ebay type format, on trips, services, products,
etc. This is why they came my way.
We kicked off on Father's Day by allowing people to redeem airline
miles for vacations instead of only future flights.
It went great as I booked a fly fishing trip in Georgia, rafting in
New York and kayaking in Cincinnati.
Below is a link to a snapshot of my first weekend auction.
Ralston's story is one of the most gut-wrenching and compelling
real-life adventures in recent years: in early 2003, the avid
rock-climber and outdoorsman became trapped in a Utah mountain
canyon when an 800-pound boulder pinned his right arm. He spent six
days there, fighting both the physical challenges of pain and
dehydration, and the psychological horror that eroded his hope and
energy.
Eventually, he amputated his own arm with his pocket knife
in order to gain his freedom. It's a truly remarkable story, and
hearing Ralston retell it is alternately fascinating and unbearable.
11-part BBC series is brilliantly narrated by Sir David
Attenborough and sensibly organized so that each 50-minute episode
covers a specific geographical region and/or wildlife habitat
(mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, seasonal forests, etc.)
until the entire planet has been magnificently represented by the
most astonishing sights and sounds you'll ever experience from the
comforts of home.
"Imagine a group of friends, people just like you,
about 200 thousand to be "exact", present in 210 countries and every
continent including Antarctica, that instead of staying at a hotel
or hostel when traveling, they stay at each other's homes. Hence
they "Surf Couches". What happens is that by entering each other's
circle of intimacy, someone else's home, usually there is a chance
to develop a friendship that would most likely not happen at a
different environment. There is a chance to share more stories and
observe each other's behavior, culture and history. The term social
intimacy travel is then born. Hospitality, long lost practice lost
to corporations and busy lifestyles, is re-instated and practiced,
while people expand their families and circle of friends to a global
level. Welcome to the CS Family, and why not stay in your place
tonight?"
