Yay, I finally got a chance to put together a little personal video about this summer's stand up paddling adventures! Check it out.[vimeo 58205844 w=500 h=281]
SUP High - Paddleboarding Colorado's high alpine lakes from Cedar House Cinema on Vimeo.
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This fall, I had the privilege of collaborating on a shoot with a few of my photographer friends. We styled a shoot based on the myth of Persephone and Hades, and our prints were displayed at a local coffee shop. So much fun! A special thanks to our lovely models (Taylor as Persephone and Alex as Hades), who made the shoot what it was.The myth of Persephone (loosely paraphrased) is that Persephone, the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Demeter, is seduced / kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld, using a poisoned pomegranate. She disappears to go live with Hades, and the world plunges into winter. Her mother, Demeter, comes to her rescue, and strikes a deal with Hades to let Persephone live above-ground for half of the year and then she'll return to the underworld for the other half of the year. This is one of many explanations for the changing seasons. For some reason, I've loved this myth ever since I was a kid. Cheers!
I also shot some video during this shoot, and I hope to be able to put it together soon!
This summer, Zach and Jenn (one of my best friends) and I had a conversation that went something like this:Jenn: "Paddleboarding! So much fun!"
Me: "Let's go soon!"
Zach: "We should! But little town lake is so boring."
Jenn: "I wish we lived closer to the ocean. We should do something cool."
Me: "Like Ptarmigan?"
Everyone: "Haha..."
Me: "No, really! Let's do it - that would be SO epic!"
Let me explain. Jenn is one of my favorite people, and works for Colorado Kayak Supply, the nation's awesomest purveyor of kayaks, paddleboards, and rafting gear. Paddleboarding, also called stand-up paddling or SUP, is one of my new favorite things ever. Ptarmigan Lake is one of my favorite high alpine lakes in the Collegiate Peaks - gorgeous scenery, fresh air, columbines and wildflowers everywhere, crystal clear water....oh yeah, and it sits at just over 12,000 feet, reachable either by a 6 or 7 mile hike (coming from one direction) or an hour or so of 4-wheeling and then a 1-2 mile hike (coming from the other direction). There are usually patches of snow year-round and frequently nobody else for miles and miles. What a recipe for awesomeness.
It was a gorgeous summer day in the mountains. So, we grabbed our boards, Jenn's daughter, and my three-legged dog, and headed up the back way, figuring we'd 4-wheel up most of the way and then hike the boards in just that last mile or two.
This is where we parked, inflated the boards, and started to hike in. What a view!
Not gonna lie, we got tired. The hike from the 4-wheel trail is really not that bad, but between the altitude (we're above timberline) and carrying the paddles and boards over our heads up the trail... we stopped frequently to catch our breath. Haha.
See our little truck in the distance?
Jenn and I, wondering what the hell we were thinking.
Then... we got there, and it was absolutely, totally worth it. Look at this place! Can you see why it's one of my favorite alpine lakes? Mt. Yale is in the background.
Let the awesomeness begin. While the rest of us were getting ready, Isabell geared up, beat us all to it, and jumped right in.
The water level there makes it feel like an infinity pool, looking out over the mountains. Plus, Ptarmigan Lake is a popular fishing spot, and the water is so clear that you can see large fish swimming below you :)
Jenn and Isabell and I napping in the middle of the lake :)
I have literally had dreams about this day... several times. We checked with some friends at CKS, and they hadn't heard of anyone SUPing Ptarmigan before, so I think we have a first ascent? Well, technically, Izzy does :) The next time we were back home in Buena Vista, we grabbed some more friends and headed up to Hancock Lake - another gorgeous alpine lake around 12,000 feet, but with much less hiking required. You can essentially 4-wheel right up to the water. Unfortunately it was a little chilly and grayer than our day at Ptarmigan, but still absolutely worth the adventure!
Stand up paddling is fun and mellow and so relaxing, and SUPing through high alpine lakes is surreal and makes you feel like you're floating through the sky and the mountains at the same time. As soon as the high lakes thaw in June-ish, we'll be right back up. Wanna come with us? Just get in touch! We know those back roads inside and out, and Jenn, Izzy, Zach and I all promise to take good care of you :)
I shot a bit of video during these two trips and hope to have a chance to put something together soon.
Happy New Year and fingers crossed for an early spring! Yay for Colorado adventures and thanks to our friends at CKS for the boards and paddles!
I made pasta for dinner last night. That, in and of itself, is totally fine, but when I caught myself in the kitchen this morning scarfing down half a box of crackers, a croissant, and starting to make some Ramen, I realized I had a problem. Why all this carbo-loading? I have a pretty serious case of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), and about this time every year, especially in the weeks just after daylight savings time, my body seriously freaks out. It hits so suddenly, too! Although I normally enjoy eating pretty healthily, right now I can hardly bring myself to eat any of the fresh fruit I just bought. I have trouble sleeping at night, and I have trouble staying focused and awake during the day. I eat as if I'm about to go into hibernation. As winter sets in more, I start to feel bleak and melancholy. I've dealt with your basic garden-variety depression for many years, but SAD is something different, and it throws me off a bit every time it starts to sink in. What do you mean, sunset is at 4:30??
I've felt this way ever since I was a kid; I remember my mom telling me stories about how I would start to cry whenever it snowed. Well, after dealing with this for so many years, there are a few things I've found that help me.
- Yoga. Absolutely. Just do it. Something about increased blood flow or natural energies... I dunno, it's just magic, okay?
- Sunlight. Whenever the sun's out, go soak it up. If it's totally frigid outside, find a patch of sunlight coming through the window and sit in that patch of sunlight on your carpet like a cat. I'm serious. I do it.
- Citrus seems to help me, either drinking orange juice, eating fruit, or even just smelling it. I grew up with grandparents who owned citrus ranches, and so at first, I thought it was just me being nostalgic, as citrus has always felt like a comfort food. Then, as I researched SAD a little bit more, I came across many articles stating the same thing. Weird!
- Leave. As often as possible, I try to get out of the mountains and take trips to warmer places. Thankfully, I have family in California, and I'm able to visit a few times a year. Seriously, once I have a CA trip lined up, I get a little desperate and start counting down the days. I also try to take road trips to the desert, either Santa Fe or Moab. As soon as I'm in that warm sunlight, my mood, and my outlook on life, instantly improve. Maybe one day, my dream of living on a citrus ranch in CA will come true :)
If any of you out there are affected by SAD as well, hope this helps! Please feel free to share your tips with me as well!
"My candle burns at both ends / It will not last the night; / But, ah, my foes, and oh, my friends- / It gives a lovely light!" - Edna St. Vincent Millay (one of my favorite poets)This last week has literally been one of the hardest weeks of my entire life, for personal reasons, in addition to being right in the midst of one of my busiest seasons ever (yay!). In trying to keep my head above water, I notice that I've become intensely honed in on the small, intimate moments of beauty that add together to make up a life. I see, I really see, the sun set on a cornfield on the drive home, and I am glad. I feel the warm summer night air start to take on a tinge of crispness, and I am glad. I am physically surrounded by books. I love the dusty sunlight that filters in through my tall windows. I love every sip of black coffee. I love the sound my phone makes to let me know a friend has texted me. I love the way water feels on my skin in the shower. I love the fuzz on the delicate leaves of the plants on my windowsill. I love the way my muscles feel drained from use at the gym.
My hope is that these small loves will add together to compose something bigger, something that is capable of sustaining me and filling in other, larger, emptinesses. Whatever joys I have earned, both small and large, have not come easily. They have been fought for, as in, tooth-and-nail, battle-axes-and-swords, sweat-and-tears, fought for. Choosing happiness has been one of the hardest decisions in my life, but one of the least regrettable. There is so much beauty in the world, and so much pain, and sometimes the two overlap, and sometimes they're the same, and sometimes I am overcome by both. If you believe in good vibes err whatever, send em my way. XOXO
“Let everything happen to you Beauty and terror Just keep going No feeling is final” ―Rainer Maria Rilke