Best wishes to you and yours this New Year. May it be filled with hope, joy, and magical moments of unanticipated wonder.
Sea Otter pup at Shi Shi Beach crying for mom.
December 31, 2010
New Year, New Adventures
We've just returned from a backpacking trip to Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park with my nephews where we came upon a very young sea otter pup. It seemed a fitting way to bring in the new year. Most otter pups don't survive their first winter, much less their first year. Face-to-face with the constant struggle to survive we were reminded of how well off we are - friends, family, all of the basic necessities, and a few luxuries as well. Hope for 2011 filled the air. Setbacks would occur. Triumphs would be lost in the bustle of modern life. But poignant reminders of who we are, what we value, and why we surround ourselves with people like you will be ever-present..if only we take the time to look.
Best wishes to you and yours this New Year. May it be filled with hope, joy, and magical moments of unanticipated wonder.
Sea Otter pup at Shi Shi Beach crying for mom.
Best wishes to you and yours this New Year. May it be filled with hope, joy, and magical moments of unanticipated wonder.
Sea Otter pup at Shi Shi Beach crying for mom.
May 13, 2010
Updates and News Flashes
Despite not actively blogging lately, Beyond Sea Level (BSL) has been quietly active. It's about time we bring that energy back to the blog! We'll begin with some updates and news flashes.
Updates:
Dale has fully recovered from January's week-long stay in the hospital following an emergency appendectomy. All that remains of the ordeal is a 3-inch scar across his lower abdomen, and the distasteful memory of an unfortunate experience with lime-green hospital jello.
We have settled in the Seattle area, and are excited for Beyond Sea Level to grow from sea level itself.
Speaking of growing...
BSL in the Press!
Check our our recent cover article in OutThere Monthly (OTM)!
Based out of Spokane, WA, OTM is a fun, high-energy, information-rich publication highlighting recreational opportunities in the Inland Northwest. Our article offers three weekend, or week-long backpacking experiences along the PNT.
Download a PDF version of OTM's current issue to read "Hiking and Camping on the Pacific Northwest Trail". Even better, if you live in the Inland Northwest, pick up a hard copy and support OTM!
BSL at REI!
If you're local to the Puget Sound area, join us for a presentation of our Pacific Northwest Trail experience at the REI Seattle Flagship store! We'll be presenting a talk entitled, "Gaining Perspective Along the Pacific Northwest Trail" on Thursday, May 27th at 7pm. Click the link above to get a description of the talk.
Things are moving forward in exciting and refreshing ways here at BSL. We're eager to share with you more of our perspectives from Beyond Sea Level. Keep checking back!
Callae and Dale
Updates:
Dale has fully recovered from January's week-long stay in the hospital following an emergency appendectomy. All that remains of the ordeal is a 3-inch scar across his lower abdomen, and the distasteful memory of an unfortunate experience with lime-green hospital jello.
We have settled in the Seattle area, and are excited for Beyond Sea Level to grow from sea level itself.
Speaking of growing...
BSL in the Press!
Check our our recent cover article in OutThere Monthly (OTM)!
Based out of Spokane, WA, OTM is a fun, high-energy, information-rich publication highlighting recreational opportunities in the Inland Northwest. Our article offers three weekend, or week-long backpacking experiences along the PNT.
Download a PDF version of OTM's current issue to read "Hiking and Camping on the Pacific Northwest Trail". Even better, if you live in the Inland Northwest, pick up a hard copy and support OTM!
BSL at REI!
If you're local to the Puget Sound area, join us for a presentation of our Pacific Northwest Trail experience at the REI Seattle Flagship store! We'll be presenting a talk entitled, "Gaining Perspective Along the Pacific Northwest Trail" on Thursday, May 27th at 7pm. Click the link above to get a description of the talk.
Things are moving forward in exciting and refreshing ways here at BSL. We're eager to share with you more of our perspectives from Beyond Sea Level. Keep checking back!
Callae and Dale
January 14, 2010
Bursting into the New Year!
You never know when something will occur that will put your long-discussed, well-laid plans on hold.
After completion of our PNT adventure in late October, Dale and I spent some much needed, much appreciated and enjoyable time with friends and family, both in the Northwest and in Colorado. For the first time in many years we found ourselves embraced by family for the fall and winter holidays. In Washington we carved pumpkins for Halloween, and gorged on delicious food during a boisterous Thanksgiving Dinner. In Colorado we experienced a wonderful, wintry Christmas and quietly rang in a chilly New Year playing card games.
As midnight faded into January first, we leaned into each other, gently kissed, and both felt a rising sense of excitement and eagerness for our 2010 goals. This is the year we plan to take Beyond Sea Level from blog to small business. This is the year we plan to use our passions and long-earned skills to develop an environmental outreach organization. A kind of "ecotourism for the mind", we envision offering a series of environmentally-themed courses for life-long learners who want to improve critical thinking skills regarding current and future environmental concerns. Through this effort participants will move beyond their own personal sea levels to gain perspective on how we impact and coexist with the ecosystems we live in. We want to raise the importance of the environment in the voting booth, and by doing so make positive change in the state of our natural world and the only planetary home we have. We will accomplish this through an unbiased, even-handed approach in which people are encouraged to draw their own conclusions regarding their environmental decisions. We want to make a positive difference in the world and we plan to begin in the Puget Sound area.
That being said, Dale and I set out for the Pacific Northwest in early January with a few simple goals in mind; 1) Find immediate employment that will 2) sustain ourselves (food and housing) while we 3) apply for grants and develop curriculum for the future of Beyond Sea Level (BSL).
Unfortunately, our plans have been temporarily put on hold. A minor set-back has slowed our blogging and our forward movement in Seattle. The culprit – a burst appendix - deep in Dale’s abdomen.
Okay, so many people experience appendicitis. (According to WebMD, appendicitis will effect one in fifteen U.S. citizens). For most folks, it’s not a big deal. However, if your appendix bursts two weeks before you have it removed…well that is a problem. Yes, you read that right. Two weeks. We honestly didn’t know. Dale was feeling discomfort in Colorado around Christmas that we attributed it to high-elevation (sleeping at 8,500 feet), flu symptoms or other common gastro-intestinal issues. Clearly, something more serious was going on - serious enough that I am posting this from the hospital, six long days after surgery.
The good news – we’re doing okay. Dale’s fine. He’s in discomfort, and annoyed by the setback, but more himself every day. Since the appendix had already ruptured, and formed a lovely pus-pocket in his gut, the hospital in-patient time is extended. There’s a concern about further infection, and we’ve learned a new term: paralytic ileus. An ileus could be called “frozen gut” and not in a fun, “I’ve had too much ice cream too fast” kind of way. No, instead your bowels basically go to sleep. Until they wake up and start working again you can’t leave the hospital. So essentially we’ve been sitting around for days and days waiting for Dale to pass gas. (Giggling is definitely allowed.)
If my discussion of bodily function does not exactly correspond with our loftier plans post-appendicitis-recovery, keep in mind we also spent 3.5 months on the trail when we dug cat holes to bury our waste, peed next to each other on the trail, and could easily sink into the realm of “body-function-jokes” to keep ourselves entertained on long hiking days. And it’s exactly these moments when humor becomes as healing as the happy-drugs they push for pain.
So I post this from the hospital where Dale is resting quietly and we wait for gas to pass. We’ve been warned that recovery from this kind of acute appendicitis can take a while. We plan to use that time to continue the job search, and move forward on making BSL a reality. We will continue to blog. And we will always be grateful this did not happen out on the trail in a wilderness area miles from a trail head.
What a way to burst into the New Year, eh?
After completion of our PNT adventure in late October, Dale and I spent some much needed, much appreciated and enjoyable time with friends and family, both in the Northwest and in Colorado. For the first time in many years we found ourselves embraced by family for the fall and winter holidays. In Washington we carved pumpkins for Halloween, and gorged on delicious food during a boisterous Thanksgiving Dinner. In Colorado we experienced a wonderful, wintry Christmas and quietly rang in a chilly New Year playing card games.
As midnight faded into January first, we leaned into each other, gently kissed, and both felt a rising sense of excitement and eagerness for our 2010 goals. This is the year we plan to take Beyond Sea Level from blog to small business. This is the year we plan to use our passions and long-earned skills to develop an environmental outreach organization. A kind of "ecotourism for the mind", we envision offering a series of environmentally-themed courses for life-long learners who want to improve critical thinking skills regarding current and future environmental concerns. Through this effort participants will move beyond their own personal sea levels to gain perspective on how we impact and coexist with the ecosystems we live in. We want to raise the importance of the environment in the voting booth, and by doing so make positive change in the state of our natural world and the only planetary home we have. We will accomplish this through an unbiased, even-handed approach in which people are encouraged to draw their own conclusions regarding their environmental decisions. We want to make a positive difference in the world and we plan to begin in the Puget Sound area.
That being said, Dale and I set out for the Pacific Northwest in early January with a few simple goals in mind; 1) Find immediate employment that will 2) sustain ourselves (food and housing) while we 3) apply for grants and develop curriculum for the future of Beyond Sea Level (BSL).
Unfortunately, our plans have been temporarily put on hold. A minor set-back has slowed our blogging and our forward movement in Seattle. The culprit – a burst appendix - deep in Dale’s abdomen.
Okay, so many people experience appendicitis. (According to WebMD, appendicitis will effect one in fifteen U.S. citizens). For most folks, it’s not a big deal. However, if your appendix bursts two weeks before you have it removed…well that is a problem. Yes, you read that right. Two weeks. We honestly didn’t know. Dale was feeling discomfort in Colorado around Christmas that we attributed it to high-elevation (sleeping at 8,500 feet), flu symptoms or other common gastro-intestinal issues. Clearly, something more serious was going on - serious enough that I am posting this from the hospital, six long days after surgery.
The good news – we’re doing okay. Dale’s fine. He’s in discomfort, and annoyed by the setback, but more himself every day. Since the appendix had already ruptured, and formed a lovely pus-pocket in his gut, the hospital in-patient time is extended. There’s a concern about further infection, and we’ve learned a new term: paralytic ileus. An ileus could be called “frozen gut” and not in a fun, “I’ve had too much ice cream too fast” kind of way. No, instead your bowels basically go to sleep. Until they wake up and start working again you can’t leave the hospital. So essentially we’ve been sitting around for days and days waiting for Dale to pass gas. (Giggling is definitely allowed.)
If my discussion of bodily function does not exactly correspond with our loftier plans post-appendicitis-recovery, keep in mind we also spent 3.5 months on the trail when we dug cat holes to bury our waste, peed next to each other on the trail, and could easily sink into the realm of “body-function-jokes” to keep ourselves entertained on long hiking days. And it’s exactly these moments when humor becomes as healing as the happy-drugs they push for pain.
So I post this from the hospital where Dale is resting quietly and we wait for gas to pass. We’ve been warned that recovery from this kind of acute appendicitis can take a while. We plan to use that time to continue the job search, and move forward on making BSL a reality. We will continue to blog. And we will always be grateful this did not happen out on the trail in a wilderness area miles from a trail head.
What a way to burst into the New Year, eh?
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