Navigation

The Journey

NOYB, NV

Friday, February 19, 2010

(Mike Colpo getting first dibs.)
         Do you know that feeling of being exactly where you need to be at one specific moment in time?  It is a strange sensation, and you can’t force it, explain it or expect it, so when it happens it’s best to just sit back and take it in with a smile.

            I was able to embrace that feeling a few times last week and it really made me think about the people and places with which we share our lives.  I connect people with places because I experience both through each other.  The two combine to leave an impression (or feeling) of that geography on me and I end up with an association of emotion and human connection to that place.

            I move between geographies and groups of people almost as often as I fill the gas tank, so a connection to place helps me know a little about where I am headed.  Meeting new people and traveling to new areas is all part of the adventure, but it is always a real pleasure when I get to repeat a trip or enjoy an area with the same people I experienced it with previously. 

Last weekend, President’s Day weekend (yes, and Valentine’s Day), marked the annual None of Yo Bizniss, Nevada trip (NOYB).  Every year on this holiday weekend a special group of folks from Chico, CA, Reno, NV and Salt Lake City, UT (and a van) meet in the middle of nowhere, Nevada and put everything aside for a few disconnected and meaningful days in the mountains.

            We are all there for the same reasons: snow, camaraderie and wilderness.  I know this place for it’s remote beauty, but I mostly know it for the somewhat random group of friends that reconvene in this one spot on the same weekend every year.  It is my connection of people to place and it is a constant.

            The eight-mile skin / hike in is punishing and the cabin we stay in is not exactly your mountain chalet, but we laugh and affectionately call it the Hanta Hut (for obvious reasons) or the Deer Slayer (because 60 year old deer heads and framed hunting pictures adorn all usable wall space).  There is no running water or electricity.  It is simple, remote and beautiful.

            We hike, ski (or ride), eat BIG elaborate meals (seriously, Tartiflette is served), laugh, sleep and do it all over again in that order.  Life is simple and without distractions so we just hang out, enjoy the feeling and take it in with a smile.  It’s that feeling of being exactly where you need to be at one specific moment in time and it is wonderful.

            Thanks again to the NOYB ’10 crew.  I had a great time and can’t wait for next year!



 (When in the middle of nowhere, have your Apres party in the middle of the highway.)

            On a side note, an image of mine was recently featured alongside other fellow Aurora photographers in Life Books ’09; Life with Dogs.  Check out the Aurora Photos Blog for the full story!


Friends and Wind

Friday, February 05, 2010

(My 10,000 ft parking lot / home for the week.)

            Just as I said I would in my last post, I finally put myself on a mountain, and have actually stayed there all week.  I have been hanging around Skyline (Mt. Pleasant), Utah, home to some of the country’s best snowkiting conditions, watching, learning and waiting for the right time put everything into motion.  I have been planning this stop for well over a year, and have a few goals in mind, but the main two are to make some unique images and get out on my board and kite myself.

(Brian Schenck of  Kite Utah  in the office, teaching a future snowkiter.)

Having learned kiting basics on the water last summer, I have been itching to combine that with my snowboarding and backcountry skills. It has been a long wait, but it was well worth it.

Yesterday was my first day snowkiting, and the experience could not have been any better.  The skies cleared up to near bluebird, the wind was strong and steady, the snow was soft and there were only two other riders out, both of whom I had already met and were willing to keep an eye on the newbie. 

Precautions in place, my transition to snow went really well and I didn’t need any help or supervision after all.  Not to say that I am ready to go charging the backcountry, but for my first time out, I was self-sufficient and under control.  And if that wasn’t enough, riding uphill on snow at 15-20 mph was a truly unique experience, and one that I will continue to seek.

Before dropping in on the folks here in Mt. Pleasant, I had the great fortune of spending the weekend with two groups of friends in Park City, eating sushi, checking out the Sundance Film Festival, snowboarding, relaxing, sitting next to a fire in a log cabin, hanging out on an organic farm and overall, just catching up.  It was great, and exactly what I needed.  As usual, it was a quick visit, but I am hoping to make it back for another few days sometime this month.

Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate the warm hospitality and quality time.

(Bolt playing in the snow while my pal Ben skate skies home from his chores on the organic farm.)


 (Waxing skies in the kitchen.  I would do the same if they were my transportation to and from work.)


On a side note, this image was recently published in the first issue of Standup Paddler as a double page spread.  It all came about while hanging out and shooting with Luke Hopkins for a few days last fall.  We were both short on time, but we managed to put some strokes on the water and in the end, I am really glad we did.  Congratulations to Standup Paddler for its inaugural issue and thanks again to Luke and Stride Stand Up Paddleboards for a great few days!


Dedicated, passionate and adventurous. Learn more