The Book of the month (see right panel) is Jon Krakauer's,
"Into Thin Air." Out this month is the movie based on another Krakauer book featured in an earlier newsletter, "Into The Wild."
If you are unfamiliar, it documents the life of Chris
McCandless, a young men who goes off into the Alaskan wilderness to
experience his own version of Thoreau's "Walden."
It made for a cool book, and hope the move will do it
justice. If you get the chance, I suggest you check out this story of a
restless youth. Below is a often quoted statement from McCandless...enjoy:
So many people live within unhappy circumstances and
yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they
are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all
of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality, nothing
is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure
future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for
adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new
experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly
changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different Sun."
All the best
_________________________
Rafting in The Shadows of Mt. Hood
This month's feature is a recent trip to Oregon for rafting on the
Deschutes river with some guys from Washington, California and Chicago.
I was eager to make the trip out West as it had been a while since my
last visit. I read somewhere a quote, "Once you live West of the
Mississippi, you will never go back East." I think that should be
adjusted a little further west to the Eastern border of Colorado, but I
definitely agree. Which is why I live in Detroit...?
The trip started in Portland, a very cool city tucked between the
mountains. Portland is a pretty liberal city, not as fashionably
alternative as Seattle, more raw and natural. Mt. Hood makes an
incredible backdrop for the skyline.
The guys started streaming in Friday afternoon. After checking into
Hotel Monaco we made our way over to a bar at the top of Portland's
tallest building. It made for a great sunset view and atmosphere for the
guys to catch up on each other's recent exploits. After drinks we
polished off some meat and a nearby steakhouse. Portland's bars are all
crammed within a 2 block radius, which is ideal for bar hopping.
Portland is famous for their beer and music, and the group sampled both.
Morning came way too early as we had a 2 hour drive East to Maupin,
Oregon for the rafting. I rallied the troops and loaded them in the van.
After a quick stop at McDonalds we rounded the foothills of Mt Hood and
arrived at base camp. The setup was pretty cool, as the rafting company
had invested some serious coin to build a first class lodging and event
center to surround their river operations. A far cry from a
barn with some rafts and a couple showers in the woods.
We got them on the water right away. We were the only ones on the
river and that made it a pretty cool experience as many times you are
herded down the river like cattle. The water was freezing. I am usually
ok in cold water, but this was above my threshold. We swam one rapid and
that was enough of the macho stuff for me.
After rafting everyone picked a room at the lodge, each with a
different theme (fishing, trains, etc). Guys walked up the road for
dinner and drinks before coming back to the fire. I grabbed my sleeping
bag and found a spot along the river under a bridge, for a night under
the stars.
I woke up early and took a swim in the river...stronger than any
Starbucks blend. After breakfast we took the shuttle back to town along
the Gorge...another picturesque view. I dropped the guys off at the
airport and boarded my flight back to Michigan.
The majority of the crew were lawyers, but don't hold that against
them as they were good people and good friends who appreciated a weekend
of outdoor adventure
Darren Hitz
Hitz Adventures
p:248.910.8152
f :480.393.4077
darren@hitzadventures.com
www.hitzadventures.com
WHAT'S NEW
Our First Cover
I recently had the pleasure of doing an quite extensive interview
with an entrepreneurial-type magazine out of Texas. I like them because
they focus on more random people than cookie-cutter business-types.
I am trying to shy away from these pieces as there is enough mass
commercialism in our world (this newsletter for example), but I thought
I would throw a link to the article out there if anyone was interested
in reading about how I started this operation and what has been going on
for the last year. As always feel free to call me anytime if you would
like to discuss.
In 1996, on a magazine assignment, Krakauer joined an expedition
up Mount Everest led by the New Zealand climber Rob Hall. He arrived
at the summit just before a blizzard struck in which Hall and nine
other climbers were killed.
Though 'Into Thin Air' comes less than a year after that trip,
it hasn't weakened Krakauer's reporting skills. He's scrupulously
fair and honest about his co-climbers and guides. He records acts of
selfishness and foolishness as well as acts of bravery, sometimes
all from the same person. When the worst comes, it's from the
recognizably human combination of honest mistakes, carelessness,
refusal to consider the worst and sheer bad luck.
In 1943, the Germans opened Stalag Luft North, a
maximum-security prisoner-of-war camp, designed tohold even the
craftiest escape artists. In doing so, however, the Nazis
unwittingly assembled the finest escape team in military
history brilliantly portrayed here by Steve McQueen, James Garner,
Charles Bronson and James Coburnwho worked on what became the
largest prison breakout ever attempted. One of the most ingenious
and suspenseful adventure films of all time
