Went for a short hike Tuesday morning to iron out some details with a potential business partner. Like all things Colorado, we decided to skip the coffee shop and meet at 5 a.m. instead. Our destination was nothing more than a short hike through the Rockies. Needless to say the chat was successful on multiple levels.
Shots are from Indian Peaks. Enjoy.
Took yesterday to shoot b-roll in Rocky Mountain National Park for Backpacker magazine. Minus the rain it was one hell of a day.
From the past week of hiking.
Turned 26 yesterday and finally realized I no longer have anything more to look forward to. (Minus Social Security and being able to call myself a geezer.) Okay so It’s not all bad, but it was a day for reflection, mountain air, and some unseasonably warm November temperatures. Girl is a friend and ironman badass, so the day was experienced at a good clip, with lots of excellent refreshing conversation.
Gave up sleeping in on Saturday to head up to Rocky Mountain National Park and soak in the Aspens one last time this fall. Rumor has it a huge storm is headed our way and the leaves might not last past midweek. So please enjoy.
PS: The girl is Jessie — a good friend from DU who I love to explore the woods with.
Rob Haggart, the former Director of Photography for Men’s Journal and Outside Magazine, posted an interesting link today on his blog A Photo Editor. The link directs to Aurora Photos, a stock agency looking for a new way to highlight their already deep catalog and photographers. Take a moment and check it out if you have some time. The images are powerful to say the least.
From Their Website:
God I love this place. Saturday was a day of solitude, a day of inner conversations, working things out, and praying about what’s next. I woke at 4:45 am. and immediately cursed myself for dreaming up such an idea. Just short of an hour later I was at the trailhead, basking in early morning light, cinching up my boots and starting the GPS track. The first three miles were the worst, and more than once I almost turned back to watch TV, read and relax. But alas I didn’t. Here are some shots from my beautifully long day hike, which took me up, over, around, and through everything Rocky Mountain National Park has to offer.
Early morning light on the trail:
Sunrise:
Longs Peak shrouded in clouds:
Trail Sign:
The east face of Longs:
Elk in the distance:
Lush meadow:
Aspens:
From this weekends trip to Chicago Lakes.
Answer this: If you could drop everything, without consequence, and follow one dream, what would it be?
Now think about what is stopping you? The barriers that immediately shut down your idealism. Are they able to be breached? Are they materialistic? Are they family based? Are they rooted in fear?
My dream?
The Six Degrees of Separation Project
The Mission: America needs to remember its beauty – The idealism that has captivated millions to risk death just for a chance to succeed. To jump borders. Leave family. Drive a taxi by day, go to school at night. America needs to hear the stories of idealism beyond Disneyesque packaged prime time. The need to see the faces of struggling entrepreneurs. Stay-at-home mothers. Hourly wageworkers. Wall Street wonders. The project will link together, using the philosophy of six degrees of separation, the everyday fabric of our lives.
Execution: I would start out with one person, and listen to their story. That one person would then be responsible for introducing me to the next individual. I would then listen, learn, and document their story. The individual would then be responsible for introducing the next person. The catch, however, is the person cannot introduce me to a person the previous person knows. I also will need to spend at least one night with the selected individual, so I can accurately portray a sliver of their life.
Deliverables: By meshing my love for storytelling with technology, I will produce a variety of multimedia components: video, written word, photography, podcasting, GPS oriented content to name just a few. The project would be available via a website, and social networking tools.
The Crux: Before embarking I would compile a bucket list of goals: be a guest on the Tonight Show, run a marathon in a major city, help a kid learn how to throw a baseball, learn how to sail, and have dinner with the President. That I wish to complete during the trip.
Barriers: Capital. That’s it.
My Challenge to You: If you feel as though reaching your goal is out of reach, help me reach mine. I will make a promise to fulfill on this. All I need is a little help. This does not necessarily mean just cash, though that will put some gas in my tank. A simple introduction may be more than enough.
What would this take? Honestly, I’m not sure. Startup costs would be roughly 5K to get the appropriate equipment and website built. Then it’s a matter of gas, food, and enough cash so when I stay with a stranger I can cook them dinner, or take their kids out for ice cream. Ideally I would start in Colorado, and work east.
It is also important to note that I am not just asking for a handout to travel without risk to myself. I am willing to put my own capital behind this journey, as well as my personal name and time. Several people noted that “this seems a little strange,” and “I’m not sure what my first impressions are,” which is more than reasonable. I will work on answering these questions in a more detailed post shortly, but for now I wanted to just put the idea out there.
Think you can help? Let me know. If I can raise 20k I will hit the road and follow a life-long dream, which will hopefully change one persons life for the better.
Note: 20K is also equal to 200 folks taking a $100 chance. Broken up, anything is possible.
Please feel free to circulate this post to whomever you like.
If you don’t know me and would like to talk, please feel free to give me a ring at 303.406.1876 or email me directly at timshisler (at) gmail (.com) – I will be more than willing to answer any of your questions.
Forget Vegas, Colorado is where it’s at. This weekend was the typical go-until-I-can’t-go-anymore fiesta of 14ers, picturesque lakes, rugged trails and Cliff Bars.
We started innocently enough by driving. Once in Leadville, we camped out and drank Tequila awaiting an early morning wake-up call to climb Mt. Massive, 14,421-feet high and the second tallest peak in Colorado. (Read 3 a.m.) A few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches later we signed the register and took off. Nearly 4,500-feet of climbing later we summited to sweeping 100-mile views of rugged mountains. It looked as if God had reached down and pulled the earth upward with no symmetry or reason. Truly breathtaking to say the least.
Post-Massive coffee was enjoyed in Leadville, before we headed back to Boulder for some much needed rest. Of course that meant five minutes at home before heading up to Roosevelt National Forest for a night of camping and fly fishing.
Seven a.m. came way to early–my eyelids were still sealed shut and my head was throbbing–but the morning beckoned and so did Brainard Lake. A few intense hours climbing around the peaks ended with a spectacular storm system building up overhead and what was sure to be excellent get-your-ass-off-the-mountain weather.
All around nearly a perfect weekend.
3:25 a.m. beauty
Signing in
Early morning light (Jim)
View from the summit
Signing the register (Elisabeth)
Heading down (Elisabeth)
Coffee!
Day Two:
Stop!
Flowers
Indian Peaks
Brainard Lake
