It was a humid and sunny day as I looked out over the largest bend in the Ohio River in hundreds of miles. If I took just a few steps forward and I'd fall eighty feet to my death, or I would have if I wasn't tied to a belay and two large trees behind me. Welcome to Van Buren Overlook in Otter Creek Park. "On Belay?" I asked.
My counselor grinned, "Belay is on."
I nervously stepped backwards to the edge and gulped. I could feel the wind blowing on my back and smell the pungent Ohio below. "On Rock?"
My counselor looked at me for a minute. "Rock on!"
The thing most people don't realize about rappelling is how hard it is to make that first step. For one thing, you can't actually see where you're going as you rappel backwards. Another thing is the knowledge that you're scores of feet above the earth when you do. I'd experienced this feeling before when I rappelled a smaller cliff in the park that was about thirty feet, but there is a big difference when you add those extra fifty.
I was with Camp Piomingo and it's important to mention that Van Buren is sort of a sacred place for any Piomingo veteran. Camp Piomingo is a residential camp in Otter Creek Park that offers eight sessions a summer of week-long stays. You're almost always told a story on your first night there called Lover's Leap, a Romeo and Juliet rip-off with an American Indian twist. When it comes time for the counselors acting as Romeo and Juliet to commit "suicide", they jump off the cliff onto a lower ledge that isn't visible when sitting on the top of the overlook. Thus Van Buren has a certain mythical quality to it.
It took a few steps to get adjusted to this new, horizontal world. The rock was slick enough to not provide traction to your shoes but rough enough that when I slipped and hit it, it had no trouble in bloodying my knee. I regained my footing, relaxed and continued. As I did, the adrenaline hit. A couple more steps and I was at an overhang where there was no footing, so I sat in the harness and lowered myself. After this, there was only a little wall left to walk before I hit ground.
I've got to tell you, it's an awesome feeling when you hit ground. I unhooked my carabiners from the belay rope, took off my harness, brushed the rope burn off my shirt and difficultly walked back up the trail to the top of the cliff. When my friends asked me how it was, I explained to them they had to try it. I sat down on VB and helped my friends go down. As we prepared to go to sleep back at our cabin, we each recounted the day's many minor injuries and awesome moments. We will share that experience as friends and fellow campers. The adrenaline, the happiness, the bruises and cuts. All ours.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Something scary... (Not for Halloween)
Considering I'm about to turn 15, my life is most likely about 1/5 completed. And that's if I die of natural causes at an average age. If I die before then, I'll have even less of my life to spend. You may be older, you may be younger. Heck, if you're a girl you will most likely have had more time than I will. Good for you.
My question is this: If our lives are so short, why do we spend our time sad or unhappy? Don't you realize there isn't enough time in life, much less enough time to be sad/unhappy?
It seems that other people have realized this and cleverly said CARPE DIEM, but I think it's kind of interesting to stop and think about how much time you have left to be happy and do what you want to do. Kind of morbid, too.
My question is this: If our lives are so short, why do we spend our time sad or unhappy? Don't you realize there isn't enough time in life, much less enough time to be sad/unhappy?
It seems that other people have realized this and cleverly said CARPE DIEM, but I think it's kind of interesting to stop and think about how much time you have left to be happy and do what you want to do. Kind of morbid, too.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
I've made a decision
I'm not weird. Everyone else is weird. I'm perfectly normal.
For one thing, I don't run around buying $80 jeans and $40 t-shirts. I wear warm, substantial clothing like army fatigues. I figure that if the army wears them, they must be durable, long-lasting and utilitarian. I don't feel the need to advertise companies for them (Abercrombie and Fitch, etc.) As a general rule, if I wear a shirt with a logo on it, the logo is for something I feel strongly about, like Camp Piomingo.
For another, I don't feel the need to be snotty and preppy. If I don't like someone, I don't hang around them. Sure, I've said mean things and been in a few fights, but I don't feel the need to verbally abuse anyone who isn't like me. I try and be straightforward and keep my mouth shut when what I'm thinking isn't something that should be verbalized.
Next, I have no temptation whatsoever to drink, smoke, use illicit substances, etc. I'm not gonna hate you if you do, but I may question your judgement and whether or not I trust you. Frankly, I can feel good about myself without doing these things. I like being in control of what I say. Going hiking in the woods or hanging out with my friends makes me feel good enough that I don't need to supplement my life with harmful substances.
As another rule, I don't listen to popular music unless I actually value the lyrics, the musical qualities or both. A ton of new music is just not good. I'd rather listen to music that I enjoy, like the blues, jazz, classic rock or funk. Also, it's not that I hate rap. I hate that culture that comes with it. I find many people of the rapper crowd to lack good manners and to be uneducated and, therefore, I do not particularly like this culture. I've got no problem with black people or, for that matter, any racial/ethnic/social class. I just don't like people who haven't got good manners and not a clue who fought in the revolutionary war.
Another thing I see lacking in many people is loyalty. People need to be willing to show what they think, who they support and who exactly they are. Many people are not loyal to themselves, groups or their country. You don't have to hero-worship anyone, but let others know what you think!
Lastly, why don't people care about their history? All the time I see people who don't know what I consider to be basic historical facts. It's ignorant, guys. EVERYTHING YOU KNOW AND BELIEVE IN WAS DETERMINED BY SOMEONE IN THE PAST. It's like a mountain, which you are the point of and which history makes up the main body. It's your job to leave the world in as good as shape as you found it, if not better. You only temporarily live here. Someday you will die and only your impact will be left.
For one thing, I don't run around buying $80 jeans and $40 t-shirts. I wear warm, substantial clothing like army fatigues. I figure that if the army wears them, they must be durable, long-lasting and utilitarian. I don't feel the need to advertise companies for them (Abercrombie and Fitch, etc.) As a general rule, if I wear a shirt with a logo on it, the logo is for something I feel strongly about, like Camp Piomingo.
For another, I don't feel the need to be snotty and preppy. If I don't like someone, I don't hang around them. Sure, I've said mean things and been in a few fights, but I don't feel the need to verbally abuse anyone who isn't like me. I try and be straightforward and keep my mouth shut when what I'm thinking isn't something that should be verbalized.
Next, I have no temptation whatsoever to drink, smoke, use illicit substances, etc. I'm not gonna hate you if you do, but I may question your judgement and whether or not I trust you. Frankly, I can feel good about myself without doing these things. I like being in control of what I say. Going hiking in the woods or hanging out with my friends makes me feel good enough that I don't need to supplement my life with harmful substances.
As another rule, I don't listen to popular music unless I actually value the lyrics, the musical qualities or both. A ton of new music is just not good. I'd rather listen to music that I enjoy, like the blues, jazz, classic rock or funk. Also, it's not that I hate rap. I hate that culture that comes with it. I find many people of the rapper crowd to lack good manners and to be uneducated and, therefore, I do not particularly like this culture. I've got no problem with black people or, for that matter, any racial/ethnic/social class. I just don't like people who haven't got good manners and not a clue who fought in the revolutionary war.
Another thing I see lacking in many people is loyalty. People need to be willing to show what they think, who they support and who exactly they are. Many people are not loyal to themselves, groups or their country. You don't have to hero-worship anyone, but let others know what you think!
Lastly, why don't people care about their history? All the time I see people who don't know what I consider to be basic historical facts. It's ignorant, guys. EVERYTHING YOU KNOW AND BELIEVE IN WAS DETERMINED BY SOMEONE IN THE PAST. It's like a mountain, which you are the point of and which history makes up the main body. It's your job to leave the world in as good as shape as you found it, if not better. You only temporarily live here. Someday you will die and only your impact will be left.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Obama.
Why is everyone so impressed with Obama? The reason he won is he used his race to gain support. A White man can't campaign to be president on the grounds that he is White, but Obama's skin color definitely played a major role in his getting elected. He was a better option than McCain, but why is it that so many people support him to the extent they do?
Obama has not closed down Guantanamo, although admittedly he has set a time-line for it. He hasn't ended the war in Iraq immediately as he said he would. I get that these are both hard things to do, but he acted like he could get them done promptly.
My point is that he hasn't lived up to the expectations he set and yet people still hero-worship him. I think he's doing a good job, but where is the "superhero" he claimed he'd be?
Obama has not closed down Guantanamo, although admittedly he has set a time-line for it. He hasn't ended the war in Iraq immediately as he said he would. I get that these are both hard things to do, but he acted like he could get them done promptly.
My point is that he hasn't lived up to the expectations he set and yet people still hero-worship him. I think he's doing a good job, but where is the "superhero" he claimed he'd be?
Friday, October 9, 2009
too many people
There are enough statistics and other articles on the internet for you to look at. Frankly, I don't feel like having to find all the exact numbers, anyway.
We have a big problem- human overpopulation. It's a sketchy and controversial subject, but anybody with a brain and eyes can tell that we have a problem somewhere. Maybe it isn't the number of people we have, maybe it's the way that these people manage the world.
At any rate, something must be done. We can't stand around and watch as more and more people come into this earth when we don't have any way of managing our waste and pollution output. How is it that we, one of the richest and greatest countries in the world, can't figure out a way to have less of an impact on our environment.
No, I do not advocate genocide or birth-control laws like those of China. I don't think "global warming" or "climate change" is as big of a problem as it is made out to be. At least not yet. I do think, however, that it is maddening when I go for a walk and there is trash everywhere or when I'm in the car and someone throws a cigarette out the window.
There are many environmental problems, most having to do with human impact. Whether you're a Christian and you believe man is the world's keeper, an atheist an have no particular reason to believe this, or one of the many other religions scattered across the world, think about it. This affects everyone: Democrat and Republican, young and old, male an female, native and foreigner. Let's set an example for the world. We have the capabilities to utilize solar power, geothermal heating and many other forms of alternative energy, so why aren't we doing it?!
We have a big problem- human overpopulation. It's a sketchy and controversial subject, but anybody with a brain and eyes can tell that we have a problem somewhere. Maybe it isn't the number of people we have, maybe it's the way that these people manage the world.
At any rate, something must be done. We can't stand around and watch as more and more people come into this earth when we don't have any way of managing our waste and pollution output. How is it that we, one of the richest and greatest countries in the world, can't figure out a way to have less of an impact on our environment.
No, I do not advocate genocide or birth-control laws like those of China. I don't think "global warming" or "climate change" is as big of a problem as it is made out to be. At least not yet. I do think, however, that it is maddening when I go for a walk and there is trash everywhere or when I'm in the car and someone throws a cigarette out the window.
There are many environmental problems, most having to do with human impact. Whether you're a Christian and you believe man is the world's keeper, an atheist an have no particular reason to believe this, or one of the many other religions scattered across the world, think about it. This affects everyone: Democrat and Republican, young and old, male an female, native and foreigner. Let's set an example for the world. We have the capabilities to utilize solar power, geothermal heating and many other forms of alternative energy, so why aren't we doing it?!
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