In case you needed visuals.. :)

"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb." - Churchill

I'm so busy I've become a slacker

It's ironic that the whole reason I started to write was to fill people in on my busy life.. then I got to busy to fill people in. The past few months have been packed with opportunity, adventure, meditation, questions, and so much that I've wanted to write about.. so better late(r) then never. So here is my recap of the summer and fall in case you were wondering where I disappeared to for the last few months..

Back in May Drewbear introduced me to recreational activity known as trad climbing. Yes for the first time in a very long time I was in love.. with rock climbing! I signed up to take a rock climbing class and thought, "hey why not?"

But what I was not expecting was that this activity has become a big part of my life. Not just for the activity itself but what it has come to represent in my life journey. Rock climbing, for me, means trusting not only your own ability but the tools you have been handed to handle the risk of scaling 800 vertical feet. Well it's possible, and it's a lot of fun! When I began climbing I was so unsure of my own ability to climb and I did not like that all I had to rely on for backup should my own strength fail is a rope and some pro. Now, a few months later, my favorite spot to be is 800 feet up tied into an anchor that over looks the valleys and mountains, and hang on the cliff in the sun. Climbing was a mental strength I had to build before it was a physical strength for me. And with that, I have learned that that mentality used for climbing can be reused for almost everything in life. As I continue to pursue dreams I must continue to strengthen my mind and heart and body The tools I've been given and the abilities I have developed will get me to my destination. I just have to trust and push through. I've found that the time I'm the most filled with life, energy, and joy are the times that I'm being pushed beyond any limits set on myself either by me or others. It's truly a wonderful feelings of relief and power when you summit the top of the rock, three pitches later, and realize that you've just accomplished what most people wouldn't dare let alone dream of attempting. Much like an unbeaten path of life. Besides, trad is just rad!

Speaking of climbing out of comfort zones, I am officially half way through my first semester as a professor and I tell you.. there is nothing better then being an educator! I just absolutely LOVE teaching production and watching my students develop a passion for it. I get so pumped every Wednesday to talk for four hours about production and see them become inspired. They’re all so talented and unique and for that I am thankful for a great first semester with awesome students. Next semester I will teaching more classes including documentary film production and I am beyond excited! Is this a life long career path? Possibly. I'm not sure.

Speaking of more adventure.. a goal I had set for myself in June was to summit 15 14ers in three months. For you non-coloradians,14ers are mountains that are 14,000 ft or more. I especially wanted to tackle Longs Peak which is known to be one of the more challenging 14ers to summit in Colorado

Well mission accomplished! I officially hit the 16 fourteener mark for myself in September as my friend Hans and I took on Kelso Ridge. Most of the climbs we did were over night backpacking in and summating at sun rise. And yes, on my birthday I summited Longs Peak and beat everyone else's time by more then half ;) Each mountain was beautiful and challenging in it's own way, and the view at the summit stopped my heart every time, and forever will! And yes I even ran into some wild animals along the way, i.e. the goat! And I'm glad I lived through that attack and am now able to look back, laugh, and continue on in my plans to take on higher peaks and more technical climbs. But more importantly then just climbing up mountains, I think what I enjoyed the most of these adventures and still enjoy are the friends I've made along the way and have joined me all the way to the top. Some of the world's most wonderful young men and women have walked with me for miles and sat with me to inhale the views of the beautiful creation given to us.

Hmm.. what else can I fill you in on? Oh.. that's right my races! I began to run a lot more last spring when I was unemployed and well.. bored. But this summer I took running to the next level and ran my first 10 mile race then shortly after ran my first half marathon! (13 miles)

Well to wrap this up with my updates, although I could probably go on all day long.. and you'd be bored I am sure of it :) The last bit of news I'd like to share is that I moved into my first apartment a month or so ago with a wonderful roomie! Alison and I live in a town called Broomfield which is great, and has a wonderful mountain view :) So come out and visit, I have a place for you to stay.. and we'll go have adventures in the mountains because it's snowboarding season!

So that's my update, hope you feel better informed and have enjoyed reading of my ever moving, kind of exhausting, very fun and fulfilling life! I love that you're apart of it and each and every day I am so blessed to have your support and love! I promise to keep updating especially to tell you all about my current project to backpack through Nepal, trek 120 miles in the mountains and end in Thailand where I will be deep water soloing (rock climbing in the ocean!) Next May with my hiking buddy Elise. It's going to be the trip and experience of a life time and I'm going to document the life of sherpas I believe all the while breathing in the beauty of the Himalayas. My love for mountains doesn't stop in Colorado, I want to see them all! And be the first woman to summit K2 :) Oh it'll happen.. trust :) much love, AcB