The Columbia Expedition is an ambitious project to follow the Columbia river from the Canadian border to the Pacific Ocean by sail kayak. The Columbia is the life line of the Pacific Northwest and has been since the days of Lewis and Clark. With it's head waters originating in the Canadian Rockies the river runs through two countries, borders two states, and has over 12 hydroelectric dams. 

As we sail along we will encounter all of the diverse ecosystems of Washington State, barren desert, wind swept plains, lush rain-forest, marshlands, and the stubbled pine mountains of Northern Washington. The Columbia is more than just an essential provider or power and irrigation, it's banks are also home to various Native American tribes. It is a dark and powerful story that has been told for centuries pouring it's final lines into the Pacific Ocean.

Our objective is to:

Chart the Columbia and the many parks and sights along the way that make the state of Washington one of the finest places for outdoor recreation. 

Explore the untouched and wild parts of the river as well as the cities and towns that have grown up around it, drawing their history from it's waters.

Entertain as we follow the journey and misadventures of a father and son travel with their long-time family friend in sail kayaks. It's a race against the elements and a trial of will as we attempt to find shelter and safe passage along the rive.

Join us for the Expedition, launching May 27, 2011.

Captain & Clark have arrived!

 

Overcoming Obstacles

Tomorrow, Chris, Sarah Willey, Ed and I will be testing for our belts in Hapkido. Chris and I are both testing for our double greens, Ed for his first green, and Willey for her yellow. While the test itself isn't very challenging (it's review on everything that we've learned thus far), the whole atmosphere of the do-jang can be daunting. Our usually chipper Master Sim becomes serious and solemn. There isn't the usual hip-hop music playing in the background. In it's place is an austere silence. Our Master sets up a single table and chair and calls us up one-by-one. We have been practicing these moves and kicks for weeks, but for some reason whenever I get called up there, my legs start to shake and I second guess myself. I'm in a room among friends, but for those few minutes, I don't sense anyone else in the room. It's definitely a physical test, but it has proven to be mentally and emotionally challenging as well.

The last time I really pushed myself physically, emotionally, and mentally was the Kilimanjaro summit. Believe me when I say that it was simultaneously one of the best AND worst days of my life. Running on no sleep, in the pitch black of night while suffering from altitude sickness will test every possible emotion imaginable. Your body is pushed to its max, your legs are weak, your etremities are frozen, and your head is spinning. For me, my stomach couldn't handle having anything in it, and I quickly lost any food that I had ingested before we left basecamp. I learned that I couldn't handle liquids either. Immediately after I would take a sip I would become sick and wouldn't feel better until the water "resurfaced". For the rest of the climb I pretended to drink from my water bottle.

It felt like we were on that mountain forever. It was a climb of faith because you can't see the summit the entire time that you're climbing. Very few things went through my head. All I knew was that I needed to make it to the top. I WOULD make it to the top. How did I do it, you ask? I'm not proud, but I will confess the thoughts that provided the endurance I needed to continue on.

-FIRST- "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength". I repeated this phrase the whole way to the top. I kid you not. I prayed continually and whenever I felt weak I called on him to give me the strength I needed.

-SECOND- This trip cost WAY too much for me NOT to summit. How was I supposed to return home and tell my parents that I didn't summit. Their hard-earned money bought me a hike up part of Kili and I'll be paying off loans for half of a vacation. No thanks.

-THIRD- IN YOUR FACE EX-BOYFRIENDS!

-And LAST- It's a story. It's an adventure. It's something that not many people have the opportunity to do and this is most likely the only time that I'll have the opportunity. So, suck it up. Take it a step at a time (and boy I did).

To continue on this bout of honesty, I'd be lying if I said that upon arrival to the summit I immediately felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. That wasn't the case. I made it, touched the sign, took a picture, and then before I knew it, someone had thrown my backpack on me, shoved an apple in my mouth, and pointed me down the mountain. It wasn't until a couple days later that I could fully process all that I had accomplished.

What I'm really trying to say is that in all facets of life our endurance will be tested. I've learned that in order for me to overcome these tests I need to call on God and take them a step at a time.
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. -Helen Keller

Milestones!

Well the past couple of days have represented numerous landmarks for me. For one, Sunday marked the 6th month that we've been in Korea. It's so hard to believe that Chris and I have actually been here that long. At the same time, we've learned and experienced so much already. I kid you not when I say that we came to Korea knowing NOTHING. We didn't speak a lick of Korean. We laugh about it now, but we were also pretty ignorant when it came to anything Korean. We stocked up on clothes before we left because we weren't sure if we'd be able to find anything here, only to realize that Korean men and women alike are dressed years ahead of western fashion. (^Chris and I while on vacation in Jeju^)

Technology here is ridiculous. Eye-scanners, heated toilet seats, and cell phones that can pay your bills are a common sight. We also get to reap the benefits of Korean hand-me-downs. We've been informed that Korean people love having the latest and greatest when it comes to possessions. They don't like to buy used which is why used cars, clothes, and furniture are really cheap here. Chris and I were able to get a beautiful motorcycle for about $300.

Aside from celebrating our 6 month Korean anniversary, we now have only 30 days left until we leave for our Christmas vacation! I am bursting with anticipation. I have always wanted to visit the Middle East, places like Petra, Beirut, and Israel. While we are not currently able to make it to any of those places, we were able to find relatively cheap tickets to Dubai, U.A.E. I didn't think that our trip could get more exciting until one of Chris' close friends invited us to visit and stay with her and her family in Bahrain for a couple of days. We'll also have the pleasure of having some of our close friends come along with us on the journey. Sarah Willey, who I met at PLU (who is now living down the road from us), and our neighbor Ed. Both Willey and Ed take Hapkido with Chris and I so we see them at the very least three times a week.

I kind of took the wheel for this trip, and now have the responsibility to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as it can. It'll be a little hard to accomplish everything that we want to do, but since we're big kids I figure we can split up into groups if we need to. I'll continue to update as our launching date approaches. If we're lucky enough, we might even have a few spare hours to spend in Beijing =)

That's all for now, it's hard to post everything that I want to without the fear of boring everyone to death. Until next time.

My walk..

There are some days when it seems like I have so much to say. My inner thoughts want to burst out of my mouth and I want to scream them to the world. I have learned so much about myself in the few months that I have spent here. It seems that my characteristics and traits are amplified when I am taken out of my comfort zone. Self-realizations are a common occurrence and I've enjoyed all of them whether they reveal good or bad things about myself.

My faith has really taken shape while here. Over the years, I have come to realize that faith can come in all shapes and sizes. For most of my life I thought that I needed to regularly attend church, readily do my devotions, and pray in the morning, before bed, and whenever I felt I needed God. While all of these things are great, I've found that I can have a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God under different circumstances.

My faith has been tested many times in my life. I'd like to say that I passed with flying colors each time, but that's simply not true. Faith itself is a funny thing. Believing in something that cannot be proven and is constantly scrutinized is not easy. I'm currently in the middle of the book, 'Eat, Pray, Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert and I absolutely love her description of what faith is. She writes that, "Faith is a way of saying, 'Yes, I pre-accept the terms of the universe and I embrace in advance what I am presently incapable of understanding.'" I personally feel that faith is like trying to pin the tail on the donkey. You're blindfolded, spun and twisted, then pointed in one direction not knowing where you're aiming, when you'll get there, or if the donkey even exists. I think that's why people are so afraid of faith. They're scared they'll end up blind and confused, spinning in circles and looking ridiculous.

I've tried for so long to find the "cool faith". To be able to say that I believe in God and not be prematurely judged. Or to have people know that I have a relationship with God and think that it was cool. I tried for so long to please other people that it was no longer about God and I. I wanted to have my spiritual cake and eat it too.

The truth is, I no longer care about how I am viewed. My faith is not concrete. There are days when it can be shaken, but I still yearn that relationship with God. I want God to be ubiquitous. I want to find him everywhere in everything. My walk with J.C. has not been a quiet promenade through the park, more of a rocky hike up a bluff, but I've enjoyed it and learned so much on the way.

Let it begin

I must admit that when it comes to blogging I am absolutely terrible. Not only with the lack of eloquence and fluidity in my writing, but also in the fact that I'm extremely lazy. I find myself walking around with substantial thoughts in my head that I would love to share with everyone else, but when it comes time to actually sit down and write it out, I find myself easily distracted and bored.

I realize that this blog will be more for my family and friends who are interested in knowing how and where I am. After living in Korea for 6 months I have decided that it might be easier to update everyone if I do it all at the same time through a blog. I won't begin by recapping the last 6 months but instead reveal what I'm doing at the present time.

I invite all of you to enjoy this small glimpse of my life and would love to hear back from you.