Perceptual Interpretation, Ecology and Mountaineering

       As he filled his 85 liter pack with climbing gear such as: mountaineering boots, base layers, hand warmers, extra socks and gloves, food and a couple of Nalgene bottles, he realized that redundancy would keep him alive during the harshest of conditions spent on top of a mountain.  His stomach was tied in knots at the thought of summiting the tallest peak in the continental United States.  It was a healthy concoction of excitement and anxiety.  Staring up toward the peak exceeding 14k feet, the thought rushed into his mind, "How will I do this? There's so much to climb. Will I have energy? How will my lungs withstand the lower atmospheric pressure?" As he pondered these questions due to sheer nervousness, he noticed a patch of purple flowers nearby.  He bent down to observe this natural beauty and stillness.  The climber became appreciative toward the plant and how it decided to defy gravity by growing vertical, reaching its pedals toward the sun.  The lesson taught to him was to live in the present and observe the small things.  After all, looking up at the summit may have caused unnecessary intimidation, whereas focusing downward and noticing the small would have gotten him to the top more steadily and confidently.

      This story I completely made up has some relevance to life. Do not focus on the entire picture, but take a piece at a time by noticing the small and being grateful for it.  How is it possible to show gratitude toward the small? Consider your perceptual interpretations.  What is it like to listen to yours rhythmic breaths, much like an ocean side, before bed?  What does the air feel like as it drifts across the salt flats of your arid skin?  What are the scents infiltrating your nostrils and how do you determine one from the other?  What does an apply really taste like and its texture feel like moving along the top of your tongue?  When you see a tree move due to wind, what does it look like?  Perceptual interpretation of the real, not the illusory. Our senses are consistently masked by illusions created to stimulate us to make us feel good inside.  When this occurs, our natural senses of the small become numb.  We lose the conviviality of our animal senses.  What is it like to reach out your hand and feel the texture of the bark on a tree?  When you touch its waxy, green leaf what do your senses tell you?  Have you thought that perhaps the leaf felt your touch and perhaps through a series of chemical reactions it was also sensing the texture of you?

       I believe when we shut off the distractions in life such as: social media, cable TV, ads, radio, etc. we are free to be human again.  By becoming aware of our perceptual interpretations, we become aware of nature again. Nature. Something humankind has progressively lost connection with due to progress.  And, with human progress and advancement comes a penalty and the penalty is against the natural world. Our real home. Mansions, sports cars, fancy dining, excessive consumption is all illusion. It's an illusion of luxury because that's what separates us from being cold, naked and trying to survive.  But, this too has turned us more into machines.  Before the discovery of fossil fuel utilization for energy, humankind was the master of reciprocity.  A gentle exchange and mutual connection with the environment.  Unfortunately, this has been perverted and distorted into what seems to be an unstoppable military-industrial complex.  Let's take a step back to our senses.  If we can revert to becoming more aware of ourselves, we then have the capability of being more grateful and compassionate toward what nature has to offer.  Let us remember, we are not the only inhabitants of Earth.  We share it with a multitude of amazing species that also have perceptual interpretations, like us.  This ties us together as earthlings, as family, and reminds humans of becoming more animal again.

        My training for Mt. Rainier is going rather well.  I train about 5-6 days a week consisting mostly of 25-30% incline walking with a 50 lb pack.  Some other exercises I perform consist of TRX suspension training, many many pullups, running, breath holding, etc.  The climb is in late February, so I'm hoping to be in the best shape of my life for this climb.  I'll be doing some practice climbs in Colorado prior to the big one!


Regards,

X

Dream Bigger. Act Faster.

As I stood there staring into the black horizon, a feeling of calmness and serenity swept over my body, mind and penetrated my heart.  Blackness and calmness from bow to stern, port to starboard, from the star-scattered sky to the deep abyss below me; the thoughts of what ghosts still lurk upon these seas flooded my head.  The only illumination available were the hundreds of thousands of stars that reflected off of the glassy sea.  It was this moment I realized, my heart belongs here. Forever. 

       I won't go into great detail about everything that happened in Alaska.  A minor injury did occur that caused me to make a decision to forfeit the duration of the trip; However, it was still a great experience.  If anything, it caused me to hone in on what I'm most passionate about.  The sea and all of its diverse, marine species.  When I arrived home from Alaska, I decided to complete my open water scuba instructor training.  I was able to successfully accomplish the five part test consisting of dive theory, physiology, equipment, etc., two part exam about the standards and ethics of diving, confined water presentation(s), classroom presentation and open water presentation(s)/rescue scenario.  I earned my way into the rank of scuba instructor which has been a five year goal of mine.  The thing with scuba diving is that it takes time and experience to get to leadership roles.  I couldn't be happier about this decision. 
      
       Since my IE (Instructor Exam), I have traveled to the Bahamas (The reef shark posted above was taken in the Exumas by Andrea Carlson).  I traveled alone, like most of my adventures and met many wonderful people from South Africa, Canada and New York.  The highlight of this trip was the shark feed.  Although I have well over one hundred dives, I never saw a shark until this dive.  Coming face to face, by what society would call a monster, was the best experience of my life.  Locking eyes with this primitive species and putting my trust in 350 million years of instinct and evolution was an intense moment, but necessary by proving to myself and others that Condrichthyes are harmless to humans.

       Ever since I became certified to dive in 2008, it caused me to consider my actions toward the environment.  Becoming a conservationist was a necessary lifestyle change and also a reponsible one.  For any human living in this epoch (Anthropocene), it would be irresponsible to not consider the natural world. It is well known that people protect what they love.  You love your children, pets, materials, so you may take necessary action to protect them from those who want to impose harm; Therefore, you are an activist in that manner.  But, let's go a little deeper into this thought.  At this moment, on average, you have inhaled/exhaled about 30-40 times at 12 breaths per minute.  Where does the gas that sustains life come from as you inhale 21% oxygen and exhale 16% oxygen?  20% of it is provided by the Amazon rainforest while the remainder is provided by other various sources (e.g. ocean, wetlands, forests, etc.).  This can become very detailed, so I'm purposely keeping it basic at this moment.  My point is, if people can be educated about the interactions of species in their environment, it would create a better understanding, thus instilling a love for the environment; Therefore, causing them to protect it.  This is a great hypothesis, but to cause a mass of people to become passionate about it would take a little more than education. 

       Due to my passion of the natural world and scuba diving, it has led me to the point to pursue more than a B.S. in biology.  In the near future, I will be scoping out graduate programs in the field of either ecology, or marine biology.  This summer, I will be taking part in an exciting opportunity in Utila, Honduras.  This opportunity will give more experience as a dive instructor and also train me as a biologist, since I will be working directly with a conservation group consisting of researchers and ecologists.  I will continue to write more frequently about my progress and conservation of the natural world.

-Jonathan