TA's Weekly Update March 26, 2011

Hello All,

Here's to another big week...hope you all are well.

TA

A Season for Both Peaks and Valleys

For everything there is a season,

a time for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to cry and a time to laugh.

A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

A time to search and a time to quit searching.

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear and a time to mend.

A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate.

A time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3, 1-8

This was the first reading at Jeff's funeral mass this week. I'd chosen the same verses for my dad's funeral as well. As do many others, because I think, it reminds us that both peaks and valleys are necessarily a part of our lives. We have joy and we have grief. Times of quiet and times of great noise. Times to hold close and times to let go. A comforting reminder that in the hardest times, things will change–that everything, including this hard moment is impermanent. The verses also send a warning that we can't stay on the summit forever, that we will must come down to the valley again. And again.

I taught Jeff Galant in my winter outdoor activities class during the winter of 2009. He was about to graduate with his BPE and head off to the University of New Brunswick to pursue his education degree and play varsity volleyball. I enjoyed his great enthusiasm in my class–he was always the first to pick up a shovel and mound up the snow. Shortly after the course, I received an email from him, asking where he might pick up a copy of my book. I wrote back and learned he was in the hospital. I offered to deliver a copy to him. He had just been diagnosed with cancer and was looking for inspiration for the journey ahead.

I met his mom the day I visited and we all talked of climbing mountains, pushing hard for the summit, the power of competition and how much sports meant to Jeff. Over the past two years we kept in touch, Jeff fought hard–winning many games against the cancer but in the end, the disease took the series and Jeff died a few weeks past his 24th birthday. A gentle, athletic soul struck down well before his could give the world all of his talents and gifts–he would have been an excellent teacher.

After Jeff's funeral, I had an hour or so before I had to head off to the airport to fly back to St. John's. I wondered how best to honour Jeff's spirit with that time and realized that C.C. Loughlin School was just down from the cathedral. I decided to stop in and see if I could spend some time with some of the children I'd met the year before. I was nervous just showing up because such visits are usually organized well in advance but I took a deep breath and presented myself to the office. They welcomed me and took me to Patricia's classroom. She and her class were unavailable so I asked for the Grade Fours. I walked into a chorus of "TA!" and was instantly surrounded by the group. They were thrilled to see me and I took solace from my grief in their precious energy. We sat in a small circle and talked of explorers and exploring and what they were learning in social studies. When it was time to head to the other Grade Four class, the first group didn't want to let go so they came along to the next room to keep asking questions.

I had wondered if it were "appropriate" to go visit a school right after the funeral but I knew instantly as soon as I arrived in that first class, that it was. It was a time to laugh and a time to build up, a time to mend and a time to speak. Jeff would have loved the look on one Grade Three's face when she exclaimed, "I've never stood so close to a mountain climber before." I was teaching in that moment with Jeff firmly planted in my heart. Rest in peace Jeff.

Visual Soliloquy #151 Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome…

Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome. – Samuel Johnson

Snow Day: Skiing Downtown St. John's

My latest helmet cam adventure…Skiing Downtown St. John's on a snow day! The conditions were quite good except for where the snow plows had been!

Visual Soliloquy #150 There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day…

"There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day." – Alexander Woollcott

Visual Soliloquy #149 There are two ways to spread happiness; either be the light who shines it or be the mirror who reflects it…

"There are two ways to spread happiness; either be the light who shines it or be the mirror who reflects it." – Edith Wharton

Visual Soliloquy #148 If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it…

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. –Nhat Hanh

Visual Soliloquy # 147 Every choice you make has an end result…

Every choice you make has an end result. – Zig Ziglar

Visual Soliloquy #146 Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go…

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. – T. S. Elliot

You can view the full blog entries at
http://taloeffler.com/tas-blog/

You are receiving this email per your subscription. You can unsubscribe at
any time by clicking here and sending a message with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Thanks for following my adventures and remember that comments are always welcome.

******************************************************************************

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor

3M National Teaching Fellow

School of Human Kinetics and Recreation

Memorial University of Newfoundland

St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com

Phone: 709-864-8670

Fax: 709-864-3979

Office:  PE 2011A

Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca

Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.

Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.

Amelia Earhart

TA's Weekly Update March 14, 2011

Hi All,

Here is a partial view on this week's posting...as I was hosting a "What's TA climbing Next?" Contest, I was worried if I sent them all out, the email would be too big...so if you want to see all the clues, please visit my website at www.taloeffler.com

Take good care,

TA

Visual Soliloquy #139 Courage is knowing what not to fear…

Posted on March 14, 2011 by TA Loeffler

Courage is knowing what not to fear.
–Plato

Visual Soliloqut #138 Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony…

Posted on March 13, 2011 by TA Loeffler

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. – Mahatma Gandhi

What's TA Climbing Next? Hvannadalshnúkur, Yding-skovhoj, and Mont Blanc

Posted on March 12, 2011 by TA Loeffler

TA on the summit of Mount Elbrus in July 2009 (the last time I climbed in Europe)

Congrats to Trien…She's taken my set of wild clues and solved the puzzle. I'm climbing to three (no, actually four) country high points in the next few months. In April, Marian and I will be climbing Hvannadalshnúkur (the highest peak in Iceland). In July as part of an International Outdoor Education conference, I will venture to Yding-skovhoj (the highest point in Denmark.) After the conference, I'll head over to Chamonix to climb Mont Blanc (the highest peak in France and Italy). Mont Blanc has been on my list for many years and I'm using the proximity of the conference to make it happen. Both Mont Blanc and Hvannadalshnúkur have long summit days so I'll be stepping up the training over the next while. Trien wins a signed summit photo (from the most photogenic summit) for her efforts.

Visual Soliloquy #137 As we develop more love for others, we'll have more confidence in ourselves…

Posted on March 12, 2011 by TA Loeffler

As we develop more love for others, we'll have more confidence in ourselves; the more courage we have, the more relaxed and serene we'll be.
–Dalai Lama

What's TA Climbing Next II? Clue 9

Posted on March 11, 2011 by TA Loeffler

So put what's going on in this picture together with yesterday's clue and I'm hoping it will lead you to the first high point…what's on the go in this pic? Put on those thinking caps, put google to the test…bing until you bonk…what's the first high point I'm trying to reach next?

Visual Soliloquy #136 Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance…

Posted on March 11, 2011 by TA Loeffler

Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance. – Samuel Johnson

What's TA Climbing Next II? Clue 8

Posted on March 10, 2011 by TA Loeffler

Another clue for the first climb…glad folks have started to work together because this is being harder to crack than I imagined it would be…on the plus side, we're breaking records for site visitations left, right, and centre. I had a great time speaking at Roncalli Central High School today and training is going well. Was back on Signal Hill beginning the first of many ascents of the next six weeks…until climb number one, two, and three…keep guessing!

Visual Soliloquy #135 The most common way people give up their power…

Posted on March 10, 2011 by TA Loeffler

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.

- Alice Walker

What's TA Climbing Next II? Clue 7

Posted on March 9, 2011 by TA Loeffler

OK…thinking that I need to get a bit more concrete with the clues…here's a chance to put two and two together to come up with peak number two…or at least a significant clue towards peak/high point number two…guess away!

Visual Soliloquy #134 It is hard to fail, but it is worse never have tried to succeed…

Posted on March 9, 2011 by TA Loeffler

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never have tried to succeed. – Theodore Roosevelt

You can view the full blog entries at
http://taloeffler.com/tas-blog/

You are receiving this email per your subscription. You can unsubscribe at
any time by clicking here and sending a message with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Thanks for following my adventures and remember that comments are always welcome.

******************************************************************************

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor

3M National Teaching Fellow

School of Human Kinetics and Recreation

Memorial University of Newfoundland

St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com

Phone: 709-864-8670

Fax: 709-864-3979

Office:  PE 2011A

Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca

Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.

Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.

Amelia Earhart

Asleep in the cold

Asleep in the cold

In search of discipline? Borrow it | TheIndependent.ca

In search of discipline? Borrow it | TheIndependent.ca

Of Maps and Sweat Equity TA's Weekly Update 10-10-10

Happy 10.10.10 and Happy Thanksgiving,

 

I don't think I was all that clear last week when I announcing my new approach to weekly updates.  For those folks who've been receiving your updates via gmail, you don't need to join Facebook-sorry for any confusion.  You can just visit my website and click on TA's Blog and you'll see any updates I've posted there.  If you'd like to receive those updates as they are posted, you can subscribe on the site and chose to have them sent out to you daily, weekly or monthly.  My blog's web address is http://taloeffler.com/tas-blog/ (and for the next while, I'm keep sending out updates until I'm confident folks have found their feet with the new system...do visit the blog as it's loaded with photos and links that I can't send out in an email because it would  be too many megabytes).

 

I'm loving the new creative possibilities of my new site and have been celebrating for now with a daily post called "Visual Soliloquy" where I talk to myself with both words and pictures.  I'm working to organize my digital photo library into a more manageable scene-with over 25,000 images, I need a robust system that makes is easy to find images as well as back them up.  So along with revisiting much of the writing I've done over the past six years, I've been seeing images in all new ways and am enjoying sharing them.

 

I spent much of Monday hiking around the Tilton Barrens on Monday helping Marian and Nolan map out a new orienteering course.  I tagged along as photographer.  In the process, I remembered how much I love maps and how my relationship to a map changes once I have traversed the terrain it symbolizes.  Topographical maps contain such a wealth of information that it's hard to totally take in that bounty until you experience the place first hand.  In both my work and play, I've had the privilege of creating an intimate knowledge and relationship with so many landscapes.  In looking through so many images of late, I realize that I try to capture, explore, and share the nuances of those relationships through photography (and through words as well).

 

Thursday, Marian and I drove the Irish Loop along the Southern Shore to pay a visit to Jacinta McGrath and Stella Maris Academy in Trepassey.  During the spring of 2006, Jacinta (of Bachelor of Physical Education, Grand Canyon backpack and Everest base camp fame) invited me down to speak at her school.  She knew I was aiming for Everest the following year and wanted her students to learn about what it takes to attempt the world's highest peak.  It was the first school I spoke at in the province and had no idea, four years ago, that that engagement would lead me into sixty-five other schools in three different countries.  I often say that when we identify and take on our personal "Everests", we have no idea where they will lead us (and that's half the fun).

 

Jacinta's students sent me off both in 2006 and 2010 with hand drawn greeting cards that deliver mountains of inspiration to me to keep climbing and training hard.  Given my current phase of looking forward and back right now, I so appreciated the opportunity to come full circle and be back at Stella Maris.  In four years, their student numbers have almost dropped by half so I spoke to the entire K-12 school in one group.  Of course, after the presentation, most of the questions came from the elementary students (it's not "cool" for the older students to ask questions in an assembly.)  After the presentation, one of the kids who'd asked a number of questions said to Jacinta, "Miss, I think I got a puffer fish inside me, I want to be a top chef and cook really good food - I think I can!"  One "pufferfish" moment makes it ALL worth it!

Yesterday, Marian and I finished up our reclaimed wood deck project and then headed over the Hilary and Adrian's new house to attend a painting party.  Both Hilary and Adrian have been working incredibly hard all summer to renovate the house they bought last spring.  They invited friends and family to come help move the painting along in one big collective effort.  Seeing the transformation of both the entire house and the walls since I'd last been there, I thought a bunch about "sweat equity."  I suspect the hours and hours of work the new homeowners have put into their abode will deepen their relationship to the place/their place, (just as hiking through a landscape nurtures a different level of knowing and commitment than driving through it). 

 

It reminds me of why I define an expedition as starting the moment I commit to it–why I spent a year on Denali rather than just the month of the actual climb–that I recognize(d) the critical importance of the journey, of sweat equity, of the process being as much the goal (or perhaps much more than) the product/summit.

 

Have a great week.  I'm thankful to have you all cheering me on.  With much gratitude,

 

TA

Navigating the Landscape: TA's Weekly Update September 25, 2010

Happy Equinox,

 

Hard to believe that summer is over and we're heading for the darker part of the year.  I've always wanted the longest day of the year to be in August, not June.  That way, the loss of light would begin at the end of summer rather than in its midst.  But given the calendar was set long before I showed up, I'll just have to cope.

 

Last Saturday morning, we awoke in a lovely campsite about 30 metres above waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway in Gros Morne National Park.  We finished our Long Range Traverse a few days early so we decided to add a hike to the Green Gardens to our agenda.   We also awoke to gunshots.  Very strange for any morning in the backcountry but even more strange for a national park.  Two guys in a dory were shooting towards the headland from their small boat.  Curious.  Then we noticed that there were white dots on the hillside.  Sheep!  We'd seen their tracks the days before (as well as their poop) and now we saw them scurrying for their lives down the way.  (Locals grazed their sheep there for centuries before the park existed).  The hunters/herders didn't seem to hit any of them with their 20 odd shots but we wondering if they were just trying to harass or herd them.  Later in the day, the wardens thought it was as equally strange as we did but could offer no explanation.

 

The evening before we had a driftwood campfire on the beach.  It looked at first like an "ordinary" sunset of great ball of fire easing into the ocean would be served up but then with just minutes to go, clouds seemed to roar into place.  With their sculpture like shapes adorning the horizon, the sky was soon ablaze in a wash of deep orange and red.  It was probably one of the top five sunsets I've seen in my life.  We felt so lucky to be sitting on the beach basking in the glow of our fire and then to have our entire existence painted in the dancing light of that fire was incredible.

 

After waiting fourteen years to make it happen, the Long Range Traverse was incredible.  The hike out of the back of the gorge was a bit like a rock version of the Khumbu Icefall.  We surmounting the waterfall we had to haul ourselves up using branches to leverage ourselves up the very steep slope.  Up, over, around, with a few tight squeezes through some fallen boulders delivered us to one of the most photographed iconic views of Gros Morne National Park.  You can check out this view and other pictures from our trip here:  Gros Morne Picture Album

 

We camped at the top of the waterfall and wonder at the visual splendor that surrounded us.  The wind was cold and cutting so we cooked up dinner and tucked ourselves into our new MEC Gemini ES tent.  On my trip to Ontario earlier in the summer, we'd discovered that our old tent was leaky and not a strong enough shelter for the potential conditions of the Long Range.  It turned out to be a fine tent except for the door zippers, which drive me crazy and it sure looked good nestled above the waterfall in a rocky nook.

 

The next day brought more clear weather and we headed up for the top of the gorge.  The navigation was easier than expected and we moved along quite quickly and ended the day at Hardings Pond.  That part of the Long Range houses the source of the Humber River so I'm currently enthralled with the possibility of travelling the Humber from source to sea.  A moose came with the new neighbourhood and we enjoyed watching him graze through the early evening.

 

The third day brought the toughest navigation because it required the crossing of two barren plateaus where it was hard to pick out the shapes of individual ponds.  Other than that, I was surprised that the navigation wasn't more challenging.  We'd prepped well by bringing maps of different scales and kept a close tab on where we were and where we had to head to not be led astray but the multitude of game trails.  We didn't even have to bash through much tuckamore.  The last day began with a river crossing to ford the creek that drains Green Island Pond.  It was a cold start to the day, our only grey, rainy and cold one, but I love the picture of Marian halfway across the stream.  I had fun calling her my "Hardcore Mountain Woman." 

 

It was a foggy, low cloud day but we could still move by following the footpath left by others.  It's startling the impact that our collective footsteps can have.  The Traverse in open from July through September and by September, there really is a "trail" of sorts.  We'd brought along a GPS but were proud that we never needed to use it to fix our location.  I think of off-trail/backcountry navigation as moving from moments where you absolutely know where you are through times where you don't know exactly where you are (some might define this as lost) to times where you know exactly again.  It takes some experience to be tolerant with that state of unknowing.

 

I saw a connection to my life with this idea…there are times when I know that I am exactly on track–that my beliefs, actions, and passions are all in alignment and other times where I'm not sure what my path is.  I've gotten better at hanging out in the less grounded state and trusting that clarity about path and purpose will eventually reveal themselves and I don't have the push the timing/decision-making along.  Though with the passing of my birthday this year, I seem to be more aware than ever that the life list might not all fit in so I want to choose carefully what I direct my life force/energy towards.  I feeling like I'm in one of those "between knowing" spaces right now.

 

The fog and clouds rose just as we were getting close to Gros Morne mountain and I got to experience somewhat of the view that I missed out last September when Marian and I climbed it in a driving rain.  We descended the steep gully that led to Ferry Gulch, lunched, and headed down.  We stopped by the Visitor's Centre and got stoked about heading fro Green Gardens the next day.

 

Both before and after the trip, we enjoyed the hospitality of our Gros Morne "base camp", The Ocean View Hotel.  Once again Todd Wight and his staff succeeded in making us feel welcome and the luxury of packing in and packing out in such luxury was delightful.  Todd even bailed me out when I'd screwed up the dates in our reservation!  Thanks Todd!

 

I've entered a video in the MEC Video contest called "Cinnamon Roll Meditation."  It's about baking cinnamon rolls in the backcountry.  The video needs to finish in the top five in its category to go onto the final round.  The grand prize is $2500 worth of MEC gear…that would go along way towards equipping several upcoming expeditions (whatever they turn out to be).  Please vote for my video here: http://bit.ly/9kkyLo MEC promises not to abuse your email and voting closes October 6^th.

 

Thanks in advance and have a good week,

 

TA

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TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-864-8670
Fax: 709-864-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
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Summit Socks and Send-Offs: TA's Weekly Update March 7, 2010

Howdy to All,

 

March is here and the Everest Advent Calendar's doors are half open!  The remainder of the road trip went well with two presentations in Calgary and I've been busy since my return trying to take items off of the mountain-sized to do list and sneak a bit of training in as well.

 

A highlight of the week was receiving a care package from Madame Edwards Grade Three class at CC Loughlin School.  They sent along a sleeping bag and pillow for Flat Stanley as well as a bike for him to train on!  Each child in the class also sent along a greeting card and I loved Noah's interpretation on my name…he said TA's Totally Awesome and Trying Again!  Check out the covers of the cards at this URL: (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=394562&id=509940550&l=12068c83ca)

 

I knew I wanted to jump in hard to training this week so Natelle and I took to the hill on Thursday with tires in tow.  Neither of us had particularly checked the weather so when we found ourselves up high in the wind in the midst of freezing rain, we both declared, "We're a bit underdressed for this."  We kept ourselves warm by dropping off the crest of the hill as soon as we could and set a new record for a single pull of 27:22 and for doing four pulls!  The four pulls up and three pulls down amounted to 10.5 kilometers of pulling and nearly 2000 feet of elevation gain!  By the end, we were giddy with exhaustion and cold but very pleased to have pulled it off (ha, ha).

 

As it's taper time, I'm trying to maintain the intensity of training while dropping some of the volume, which is handy because there are a mountain of details to attend to over the next two weeks.  Like securing my summit socks…as I've confessed before I am a superstitious creature of habit: I always put on my left hockey skate first.  And I always buy a new pair of socks to wear on summit day.  This pair of socks is left unworn until the chosen day to swaddle my feet in new and fresh loops of merino wool (clean socks are warmer than dirty ones).  It's a ritual I've used on all my climbs and I'm not stopping now!

 

Summit socks and send-offs…I was chatting with a friend last week about send-off possibilities and realized that I was more interested in a welcome home party than a good-bye one (as Ed Viesturs so aptly put it, "The summit is optional, getting home mandatory).  So be prepared to party hard when we get back from Everest but in the meantime, I would like to invite you to a Signal Hill Send-Off of Sorts.  On March 20, we'll be doing our last big tire pull and then I'll be doing an additional five ascents (as per my tradition of doing ten ascents of Signal Hill before each climb).  We'll start around 9 am or so and be on the hill road for the next 5-6 hours.  We'll pull/trek up and use cars for the descents. 

 

Come join us for a hike up the hill-the tire ascents will be slower than the trekking ones and I'm sure the ascents will slow gradually over the day (so if you're worried about being slow-come later).  We'll be looking for folks who can spare a little time as drivers that day to help out the team with descents.  Come on out for a climb of the hill and then go log your accomplishment on the RNL Small Steps/Big Results Website as part of the Step Up to the Summit Challenge (http://www.recreationnl.com/smallstepsbigresults/).  It's an informal send-off and we won't have much ability to carry on conversation, as tire pulling is hard work but do come out, wish us well, honk your horn, walk along side, and get some exercise!

 

And if you're not in St. John's, please find a hill wherever you are and go for a walk up it on March 20 and drop me a line or a picture to celebrate with us!

 

Speaking of which, Signal Hill is calling me now to get off my butt, into my pack and walk uphill!  Have a good week!

 

TA

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Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to type the name of the award in the box.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
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