********* by Gina Bégin

AVENTURA THE

07.15

VOL 1

JOURNAL FOR ADVENTURE

OUTDOOR WOMEN'S ALLIANCE

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THIS IS OUR "WHY" ENQUIRE TODAY

FALL ISSUE

BEGINNNGS

CONTENT SOURCED FROM INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS

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THIS IS OUR "WHY" ENQUIRE TODAY

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CONTENT SOURCED FROM INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

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THIS IS OUR "WHY" ENQUIRE TODAY

by Catherine DiSanto

y m t a n y w e o h d t k e c o i o t l o I n . d o n o t a , s g d n n i l a b h m e r t e ar

t was our third attempt together, spanning a period of seven years. This time an autumn push meant that Teewinot, the "many pinnacled" peak that was our objective, was virtually free of snow. It etched a jaw-like silhouette in the sky northeast of the Grand Teton.

We pretend it is a nostakes climb. Setting out in

the dark, our headlamps catch golden glints of aspen leaves in the gentle, predawn light. We pretend that there isn't an emotional component, that every step doesn't ring of Katie's past failed attempts. But Teewinot is a merciless climb. It gains 5,600 feet of elevation in a breathless two-and-a-half miles. There is no break from the

upward hike aside from a small meadow that is quickly crossed in the time it takes our legs to warm up. From the meadow, unforgiving switchbacks stretch to the treeline until a faint climber's trail spiderwebs to a knifeedge ridge and, finally, a perfectly triangular

summit.

Every decision â&#x20AC;&#x201D; "Do we go left or right?" "No, the turn is there under the dark band of rock." â&#x20AC;&#x201D; leaves a whisper of doubt in its wake. Couloirs and chimneys stretch high, almost unidentifiable from this angle. We crane our necks skyward, trying to see the next leg of the exposed scramble. Isn't this where we messed up last time; got cliffed out? Isn't this where Katie had to turn around on our first attempt and the rest of us continued without her? The day becomes bright and crisp; we smile at the September T-shirt weather. A group of men with familiar faces pass us at the apex. We make small talk, downplaying our summit fever. "No big deal," we convey. "Just out for a hike."

This isn't fun for me. The small talk stops and our feet continue on. The summit notch remains out of sight. It's higher still, across a precarious ridge and to the right. I can picture our journey forward; Katie cannot, having never stood on the summit. After a sketchy move that leaves Katie exposed and spread like a starfish across the cool granite, she says it. "This isn't fun for me." I look down at my hands and notice they are trembling, too. I squint back at her. "Listen," I say. "This is your climb. We have made it so far. I don't need to cling to the summit block. What do you want to do?" ...

Back on the valley floor, I gaze at the mountain. We lounge on the rocky shore of Jenny Lake, soaking our swollen feet. Our route is clear; I can pinpoint exactly where we messed up in 2007, where Katie had to turn around in 2008, and where we sat eating Clif Bars on a small tussock of grass just a few hours ago, resigned to the mountain's victory once again. Katie looks over at me and smiles. This is definitely more fun. ... Recently, my boyfriend and I were in the backcountry, pursuing a distant line that he was familiar with and that I had never skied. I was three days into a regimen of antibiotics for a raging sinus infection that had blossomed after two miserable weeks of post-holiday illness. We reached the second-to-last ridge and the stiff wind blew my sunglasses off my head. The sinus pressure in my face and jaw throbbed with every beat of my pumping heart. "Do you actually want to ski this, or do you just want to ski it to prove something?" he asked me. I took a deep breath as the wind whipped groppel into my face, burning the skin of my cheeks. "This isn't fun for me anymore," I say. "Let's call it." ... To experience life in the mountains is to experience a constant call for self-examination, assessment, and skill. But it's humility, above all else, that the mountains teach. Know when to "call it." Know when to be honest with the mountains in front of you and with the partner by your side. Those who can't be honest with both may never get another chance to attempt their objective.

Catherine DiSanto is a trail runner and backcountry skier based in Jackson, Wyoming. You can find her online at: Instagram: @catdisanto Vscocam: catdisanto.vsco.co Tumblr: highmountainmuse.tumblr.com Pinterest: pinterest.com/catdisanto

FROM FLATLANDER

The Journey TO MOUNTAINEER

What does it take for a Texas flatlander to follow the mountaineering dream? A little reset on expectations and determination to face the odds.

TIFFINY COSTELLO I've always had a mildly acute case of "I-need-to-move-to-themountains." During any return to my Texas home after a mountain road trip, my heart always emptied as the horizon became more linear, slowly smoothing out the rugged and impossibly huge silhouettes of the magical, mysterious peaks I had just visited. In Texas, we do have mountains. From where I lived, it'll take you nine hours of driving to get to them — but we do have them. They stretch up to Guadalupe Peak, which rises to a "cute" (by my current standards) 8,749 feet, with around 3,000 feet of elevation gain over eight miles. I hiked to the summit, making it my first peak to bag, and simultaneously igniting a thirst I did not know I had.

That thirst overwhelmed me. Peak bagging became a new obsession, and with it came the desire to move to Colorado and tackle mountaineering head on. “But you’re from Texas, a flatlander, and you’re 28," people would comment when I revealed my plans. "Too old and too inexperienced to start something like mountaineering.” I disagreed. I still do. You are never too old to start something new — never. So, to put it simply, I moved to Colorado and devised a plan to become a mountaineer. Even with a plan, I remained incredibly intimidated. There were people who were born at the feet of the mountains; who grew up learning how to love, enjoy and respect them. But there are two innate qualities a person must have when they choose to learn something daunting like mountaineering: passion and

fearlessness. Having passion will drive you and being fearless will help you keep pushing for another try even if (and when) you fail. Obviously, with mountaineering, there are skills and safety knowledge that are also a must to have on hand, but all that is learnable. While I am incredibly eager, I also want to remain humble and selfaware. After moving to Colorado. some of my expectations were met, some were reset, and then there were the challenges I had no idea existed. When I decided I wanted to work toward becoming a mountaineer, what I knew of the activity was what I had seen on social media, outdoor websites, books, and movies. I expected long hikes. I expected snow. I expected mental and physical challenges. I invited it all. There are also a few things that have taken me by surprise, like the way training for mountaineering is changing my body. There are muscles where there used to

be softness and an upper-body strength I never had before. I’ve had to start wearing insoles and walking on the balls of my feet at work due to the stress hiking is starting to put on my knees. And I've learned some mountain jargon along the way as well. I know about traversing and scrambling, why scree is really obnoxious, what exactly an “approach,” is, and how important it is, in certain seasons, to be off the summit before the afternoon when mountain storms roll in. To date, I have hiked 10 of the 14ers here in Colorado. Two of them are technically unclassified, which means they are either too close to another 14er, or they do not have an elevation gain of 3,000 feet. They are still 14ers to me, and they still count. Remember that: Just because others have set rules on what counts and what does not — no matter what pursuit you're after — doesn’t mean they have to be your rules. Pushing toward goals is what counts. Right now, my goals are the views from the the summits of the gorgeous Rocky Mountains and what I learn on the journey there and back. It is my intention to demonstrate that whatever goal or dream you wish to achieve, you can start from the ground and work your way up. Do not let anyone tell you that you are too old, too young, are doing it wrong. Be you, follow your intuition, and get close to others who support your endeavors.

12 BOARD SHORTS WETSUITS TEES SINGLET

SURF .

QUIVER

BOARDING RIDING COMPANY

GEAR .

2ND LEVEL BEACH WHARF MALL KARTIKA PLAZA ST . KUTA - BALI

BOARDS WAX PACKS DRYBAGS

LIFESTYLE PERFORMANCE ACTIVE WEAR YOUTH

SHOP .

quiver . com

01: Beginnings A PHOTO GALLERY OF FIRSTS KAT CARNEY My friend Rachel learning to surf. She has always been a little freaked out by waves. Instead of avoiding them altogether, she wants to learn how to stand up on them.

02: KAT CARNEY As a photographer, this image exemplifies "beginnings" to me. It was one of the first outdoor images I made that set me on the path to being an outdoor photographer. Taken in Lower Navajo Canyon, Arizona in 2008.

03: KAT CARNEY This is from the beginning of a week-long trip in Zion National Park. My friends and I gathered at the start of the approach to the "Subway," but rain was in the forecast. We made it to the drop in of the canyon when it began to rain, forcing us to retreat. We did return and complete this canyon later in the trip.

Tips | Getting into Adventure

Ease into Adventure "I'll never be able to do that. She's fearless!"

Has that thought run through your head? Ignore it. Get started. Here's how. Jennifer Snyder

Start Small

Take Lessons

Try it Once

Let's say you wanted to run an ultra, but never tried running. Would you get out to the start on race day and just start running? Probably not; instead, you would train in small doses, then sign up for shorter races to get the feel for longdistance running.

Fear creates stagnancy. Being afraid of falling & getting hurt kept me from trying things; it may be doing the same to you.

My parents always told me that I would never know if I liked a sport or activity unless I gave it a shot. As much as it pains me to admit: they were right. Participating in a new activity will help you understand your desires, goals & passions. You might end up completely hooked or you might decide that a particular sport isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for you. Either way, trying adventure on for size is the only way to find out.

Though there were 5year-olds passing me up, in one hour I learned more from a lesson than I had in years of going it alone. When it came to Taking a challenge & tackling a new outdoor breaking it up into biteadventure, learning from sized pieces can really a pro hurt much less than help train your body & the countless falls from mind for the task at hand. trying to teach myself.

solo adventure

She's hitting the road. Alone. Madeline Pickering, winner of the American Alpine Club & The North Face "Live Your Dream" grant, preps to live in her car & climb cross-country. "At least get a BB gun, just don't take it into Canada." I nodded but didn't say anything, taking a large gulp of my drink. "Better get a real gun. But don't actually shoot it, " someone else chimed in. A dozen of my climbing buddies and I sat at a large u-shaped restaurant table. The conversation had uncontrollably veered towards my need for weaponry on my upcoming nine-month road trip. A gun? I'm not going into battle, I thought. In fact, I'm not even planning on staying at any truck stops or Walmarts.

M A D E L I N EP I C K E R I N G

solo adventure

"Pull quote"

Madeline Pickering, winner of the American Alpine Club & The North Face "Live Your Dream" grant, preps to live in her car & climb cross-country.

"At least get a BB gun, just don't take it into Canada."

I nodded but didn't say anything, taking a large gulp of my drink.

"Better get a real gun. But don't actually shoot it, " someone else chimed in.

A dozen of my climbing buddies and I sat at a large u-shaped restaurant table. The conversation had uncontrollably veered towards my need for weaponry on my upcoming nine-month road trip.

A gun? I'm not going into battle, I thought. In fact, I'm not even planning on staying at any truck stops or Walmarts.

solo adventure

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THE GUIDE TO THE ENDANGERED

Wild& Saving the

Friends

TRAINING TIPS Want to run an ultra but can't even walk up that hill without stopping for air? Get to the summit with speed using these training tips.

RUNNING UPHILL CAROLYN HIGHLAND

a few notes

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