Road Trip

“The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.” ~ Oliver W. Holmes I hit the road and drove across the country to CO. What an adventure! I love seeing new places, new lands, and new cultures. I have found it opens my eyes to the world and gives me a better understanding of those around me and most importantly it gives me a better understanding of myself! I began in PA drove through West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and at last came to arrive in Colorado! Many little towns, places, experiences along the way for which I will never forget. Driving gives you time to reflect, observe, and truly see what is around you, in the present, what you are longing for back home, and the anticipation for what is next to come in the future. Often times I feel I get caught up in the fervor of life, and though very happy, can loose perspective. For me I needed closure after finishing school a time to take a breath, explore, and have time to reflect and connect with myself. Removing yourself from where one is comfortable and stepping outside that box can knock you off center, but I have found that with time and deep reflection one seems to discover a deeper center a place where you can sense where you belong and who you want to be. “We are not born with maps; we have to make them, and the making requires effort. The more effort we make to appreciate and perceive reality, the larger and more accurate our maps will be. But many do not want to make this effort. Their maps are small and sketchy, their views of the world narrow and misleading.” ~ M.S Peck So explore yourself, the world, whatever makes you happy, open your eyes to new cultures, new places, new lands, different people, in doing so not only does your map grow larger, but you learn more about yourself the more you explore what is important for you. As I am out here, I long for home, for the comforts of those who I love, for the life I love and miss, but I do know this… I will love it that much more upon my return because not only has my map of reality expanded but my understanding of myself has grown and found a higher sense of peace within myself. “Peace is to be found only within, and unless one finds it there, he or she will never find it at all. Peace lies not in the external world. It lies within one’s own soul.” ~ R.W. Trine Venture On ~ Alisa

2010 In a Nut Shell!

So it has been a while since I have posted on my blog. Not because there has been a lack of adventure in my life quite the contrary, as many hours were put into finishing my research to graduate I have not had the time to write my many great ventures of 2010. Ski patrol season ended which is always a transition; however, it brings us that much closer to the start of a new winter season, with many wonderful moments and ventures to be enjoyed along the way. Spring quickly turned into summer and I spent a good majority of my time with my horse, and at the farm, fishing, galloping, and enjoying its rhythm. The summer brought great wonderful adventures that took me up into western PA where I have the privilege of being the Director of American Adventure Sports Junior Adventure Programs at University of Pittsburg at Johnstown, to Yellow Creek Trout Club, and Camp Harmony. The summer came to a close and I hit the ground running to finish my last semester at Towson University. I dove into my research and spent my spare time at the farm riding and trying to make it to some OEC classes at Liberty. In September, I drove down to North Carolina for the Black Beard Adventure Race. For my birthday weekend in October, a group of us got together for some adventure race training and the Warrior Dash which I highly recommend if you like getting muddy! AWESOME!!! Later in October I ventured back to western PA to be part of the first aid support for USARA 24hr Nationals. Fall was coming to a close, and winter was ramping up, we were back at Liberty Patrolling, I took my last exam at Towson and I was finally done! We are now coming into spring, Liberty is closed, and the warm weather is on its way. So like any ski nut I packed up my bags and decided to take a road trip to CO to extend my season! Something I had planned on doing for a long time after I graduated! So here I am in CO! I made it! Venture On ~ Alisa

An Epic Day!

There are moments in your life which are not merely passing memories but imprints that dwell in your psyche and will remain with you for a lifetime. In a skiers life there are but a handful of truly Epic days in which others will forever be compared. What makes these moments Epic? Perfect, Light Powder? Abundant Snow? A Perfect Line? Epic does not just mean having a perfect line, abundant snow, or light powder, for we have all had many of those, and though Epic can possess these wonderful elements it is much more than that. Epic is defined by a sequence of events that fall so elegantly into a rhythm which then creates a woven pattern, a tapestry of moments that only Mother Nature could so miraculously create.
In 20 years it is impossible for me to count the plentiful number of powder days, perfect lines, or incredible, sunny days, but on one hand I CAN count the number of days, those beautiful and rare moments worthy of the word EPIC. I was blessed early this holiday season with what I would define as an Epic moment.
This past weekend December 19-20th at a small resort in Pa we all awoke to bountiful snow and a sky of white, which continued to lay abundant amounts of Mother Natures white stuff upon our little mountain throughout the day. By that night we had reached 24 inches and by morning the entire mountain was covered in snow. As I road up the lift I reached the top just in time to see the sun rise over the valley. A blue sky powder day before Christmas on the East Coast what more could we ask for….?
Well… to our surprise the groomers had not seen the updated trail report and neglected to groom two of our trails. So as patrollers, naturally, we seized the opportunity to become self groomers and ski the trails and pull the tape opening the entire mountain for our customers before Christmas. On this blue sky, powder day at a small mountain in PA we all took delight in sharing what we knew would be a rare cherished day one worthy of the word EPIC, a weekend which I will never forget.

Venture On ~ Alisa

Up Coming Winter Ventures!

The snow is falling in blankets in the Rockies, and I just bought my ticket to CO and my summit pass for the 2010 season. With anticipation in the air, I cannot wait to feel my lungs burning in the thin, dry, cold, winter Colorado air. Until January I will just have to dream and hope for cold weather here on the East Coast until I arrive in the Rockies in search of some new lines. Until then pray for cool weather and an epic season.

Venture On ~ Alisa

Fall Training!!!

Fall has arrived with a cool brisk air which is so nicely situated adjacent to my favorite season WINTER. As the days shorten and the leaves are turning vibrant colors I find myself in transition evolving my training for the up-coming season.
Most of my days have been spent up on the mountain training for our winter season. As patrollers we begin our preparations for the winter season well before we are blessed with snow. I find myself these days doing our routine training from early morning until later afternoon, back-boarding, splinting, and making preparations for yet another season so what better place to train than the mountain. As the sun sets and we finish for the day I put on my running shoes and head up the mountain climbing and descending hills that in but a few weeks will be covered in winter’s holy white matter. It is one step closer to my favorite season which makes me run just that much harder because soon I will be putting on my ski boots and strapping my skis on my back and hiking to the top for winter training.
Halloween weekend we spent our time at the mountain. Waking up in the morning to do yoga before the sun rises, training, and running till it sets was wonderful. We celebrated Halloween night at Top Duty with a campfire, cookout, and camping. I spent Saturday night camping in the toboggan shed in my hammock and waking up to watch the sunrise over the valley knowing that soon the view will be a blanket of white.
When I am not on the mountain I began my fall lifting for ski season. Being that fall is a glorious time to be outdoors I make riding my morning ritual. There is nothing more wonderful than riding your horse on a brisk fall morning and watching the sun rise over the fields. Fall is a time of transition a wonderful time to seize the opportunity and change up my training routine. Soon winter will be here, but until then I am loving the season and the anticipation of what is soon to come.

Venture On ~ Alisa

A Tribute to Our Friend the Horse and Their Magnificent Spirits.

"The horse, the horse! The symbol of surging potency and power of movement of action in man."
~ D. H. Lawrence
My love for horses and the equestrian art runs deep in my blood. To me their spirits have allowed me to find peace and face my fears, for a rider must have not fear nor anger. Horses have this enormous capacity to love, to trust, to make you laugh, cry, and to find deep truth that lies within yourself. The relationships between horse and rider, equine and human are unique, beautiful, and cannot be truly put into words; however, J. Edward Chamberlin discribes the relationship eloquently in his book Horse.
"Great trainers become famous not because their horses win this or that race, nor because they gentle this or that giant - though they often do both - but because they cross the line between the human and the non-human. This is no more mysterious than a foreign language when we first see it or hear it. But it can transform us; and as we learn the new language we find ourselves thinking and feeling differently without even realizing it."
"A good trainer can hear a horse speak to him.
A great trainer can hear him whisper. "
~ Monty Roberts
"Anybody who has spent much time around horses including those who talk about how horses heal us has stories like this. Horses give us a lot of bruises and broken bones, and nobody who has worked with horses underestimates their capacity to cripple us. So their power to heal us sometimes seems only fair... they do seem to save us from ourselves, not by offering us New Age medicine but by demanding a kind of old-fashioned concentration, similar to that practiced by meditative regimes throughout the world, and with the same stages: composing ourselves in the place we find ourselves in, surrendering our ego, and seeking a moment - no more - of sudden rightness. This takes us into a company of the first person to watch a horse and to wonder at its power and its presence. Its holy ground. It is also dangerous territory.
John Jennings talks about how the moment of suspension is the moment that matters on horseback, the moment between gathering in and moving out, between the rhythms of the horse's movement and your own, between the earth and the air. The great rodeo cowboys say the same thing.
This is the language of meditation... Whatever language we use, it's there in the movement of horse and rider, both concentrated and cavalier (symbolized by the mandatory one hand waiving in a rodeo ride), bringing together the clarity of a flying change of leads with the mystery of how it happened, and hovering between surrender and control."
~ Horse J. Edward Chamberlin

" To practice the Equestrian art is to establish a conversation on a higher level with the horse; a dialogue of courtesy and finesse."
~ Nano Oliveria

I got bit by the AR bug.

I have been a life long adventurer and outdoor enthusiast for as long as I can remember, so when I got bit by the AR bug two years ago it was no surprise. How did I stumble upon this amazingly addictive sport? Well, here is my story in brief.
In 2007 I transferred to Towson University. I was looking to meet some new people so I became involved in the new cycling club at Towson. Still itching for change I joined the Safety Patrol Team at Liberty Mountain in December. In late January, a Towson student walked into one of our bike club meetings. He introduced himself and explained that he was an Adventure Racer who needed a female race partner for the Sprint Collegiate Adventure Racing National Championships in Texas that May. Adventure racing what was that? I certainly wanted to find out so I volunteered. We spent all spring training and I immersed myself in bricks, lifting, and preparing for the race, and in May we flew to Texas to race.
We landed in Texas on Friday afternoon and put our bikes together at Lance’s Bike Shop incase anything was damaged from the flight. Then we were off again to go pick up our race packets and check in. That night we stuffed ourselves on pasta at a local restaurant and hit the pillow early to get a good night sleep.
The morning came rather quickly and we pulled in early to set up our transition area and refine the nuances of our race strategy. The race began and we were off. The run went rather quickly and we transitioned to the bike. The mountain bike course was a blast tight single track not too technical and a few rolling hills (as much as you can have in Texas). We flew through the transition area again and onto the road to the paddle.
The paddle went fast until we came to the end where we pulled the inflatable kayak up onto a muddy embankment and then carefully up a 20 foot ladder. Once we reached the top we started trucking and a mile later crossed the finish line with boat, paddles and all.
We had no idea we had won until someone told us. We were so elated from our race already this was just the icing on the cake. And so this, so called one time endeavor, snuck up and bit me hard. This was the day I was officially bit by the AR bug and I have been addicted ever since. I have learned that sometimes those planned one time life experiences change your life in ways you never expected. It is important to live in the moment and know that life’s plans always have the potential to change.
Lawrence K. Fish once said “Find life experiences and swallow them whole. Travel. Meet many people. Go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. Try everything. Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life.”

Venture On ~ Alisa