I first met Jeff last summer at my boss Gary’s house. Jeff and Gary are old school Wasatch ski bum buddies. While Gary works hard these days with his restaurant all summer (but takes all winter off to ski), Jeff still lives a care-free lifestyle, passing the days between winter seasons mountain biking.
Our meeting was right about the time I was beginning to become obsessed with canyoneering. I literally walked, talked, ate and dreamt canyoneering. Then Jeff came around and for some reason thought I would be interested in listening to him talk about mountain biking. I listened a little and changed the subject to canyoneering as soon as possible. Jeff countered by talking about biking in canyons (wide sandy wash canyon- uck!). The conversation was beginning to become unbearable. All I wanted to talk about was canyoneering! How long would he be around for!?
So I decided that the only way to get him to stop talking mountain biking would be the same thing that made me care less if I ever rode my bike again- Canyoneering! (I’d keep my mountain bike in case I ever needed it for setting up a canyon shuttle of course, but otherwise had no regrets about neglecting my once well used bike.)
So I convinced Jeff to do a canyon with me. We did Middle Maidenwater. Jeff did great. He showed a natural talent at downclimbing, but knew his limits and asked for a rope when the look of a drop made him uncomfortable. When we got back to the car and headed for Torrey, Jeff was still jazzed and talked excitedly about canyoneering non-stop………… for about 10 minutes! Then back to mountain biking!
Well, it was a nice theory anyway.
A few more days of mountain biking- which on the Boulder and Thousand Lake Mountain trails means lots of carrying of the bike up and down cliff bans, and Jeff headed back for the smooth single track of the Wasatch. Ahhh, and I welcomed the peace and quiet of the Riviera Room once again.
What a winter I had canyoneering!
And back to Torrey this summer. Jeff made a visit right away in May. And this time he had a brand new harness and rappel device! Maidenwater had apparently left a lingering taste in his mouth that stewed and became more savory over the winter. He wanted more….
It was a busy weekend, but I found time to take him through Cassidy canyon. And the look that was in his eyes…. I heard hardly a peep out of his mouth for the rest of the weekend about mountain biking.
And a few weekends ago, he was back for more! Equipped with even more gear! He even mentioned that he almost left his moutain bike at home!
Alas, the weather was amiss a few days of the weekend. So we did canyons two of the four days, and he rode in the rain the other two. Still, the thrill of the beautiful overhanging awkward start rappel and difficult downclimbs in Wife 4 weren’t enough to push thoughts of biking up to Boulder Top out of his mind. But, he did admit that his gaze from the 11,000 plus viewpoint on the mountain was immediately drawn toward the cuts through the reef far below as he wondered which of those could be Burrow, Cottonwood and Fivemile canyons….
Slowly I think, the canyons are casting their enchanting spell on another fun loving, adventurous soul. This one named Jeff. But does he have room in his heart for another obsession?
-Malia
Ryan Lee
Gee M.T.C., after reading some of your other posts and scratching my head… your comment below just seems so out of place for such a “people person” like yourself…
I guided for 4 years/summers and when I finshed college I moved onto to greener pastures that now allow me to enjoy my outdoor pursuits on my terms and the terms of those whom I CHOOSE to venture out with…
Someone once said that nothing turns fun into work faster than getting paid to do it…
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “My T Canyoneer” wrote:
>>but nothing like schlepping paying customer to ruin the experience…
what a stupid thing to post. thank god I never hired you. ever consider > getting a different job? >
skunkman_mike
Maybe it’s a bit exaggerated – but I sure agreed with Ryan’s comment when I read it. It’s certainly not a controversial notion that making a career out of your passion is one sure way to cool your enthusiasm.
About 20 years ago I was fishing in the Gulf of Mexico every day I could and a fishing guide friend, who was running at capacity, asked if I wanted to take on his overflow. Heck yeah, I said – since I’m out there all the time I might as well get paid for it! So I got my captain’s license and started taking on paying customers. And from the very first charter, fishing was no longer the same experience I had grown to love so much – it was a job. Some days were fantastic, some were heinous. But the expereince was no longer about fishing – it was about entertaining tourists.
I imagine that Ryan enjoys his job and does it well. But it would be naive to imagine that rafting is every bit as magical for him when he’s taking out a group of people with their own set of expectations, as when the only expectations he needs to satisfy are his own.
Skunkman Mike / Nawlins
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “My T Canyoneer” wrote:
>but nothing like schlepping paying customer to ruin the experience…
> what a stupid thing to post. thank god I never hired you. ever consider > getting a different job?
My T Canyoneer
>>but nothing like schlepping paying customer to ruin the experience…
what a stupid thing to post. thank god I never hired you. ever consider getting a different job?
Ryan Lee
Great story – i too am a mountain bike and white water convert… still love white water more but nothing like schlepping paying customer to ruin the experience…
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “Malia” wrote:
I first met Jeff last summer at my boss Gary’s house. Jeff and Gary > are old school Wasatch ski bum buddies. While Gary works hard these > days with his restaurant all summer (but takes all winter off to > ski), Jeff still lives a care-free lifestyle, passing the days > between winter seasons mountain biking.
Our meeting was right about the time I was beginning to become > obsessed with canyoneering. I literally walked, talked, ate and > dreamt canyoneering. Then Jeff came around and for some reason > thought I would be interested in listening to him talk about > mountain biking. I listened a little and changed the subject to > canyoneering as soon as possible. Jeff countered by talking about > biking in canyons (wide sandy wash canyon- uck!). The conversation > was beginning to become unbearable. All I wanted to talk about was > canyoneering! How long would he be around for!?
So I decided that the only way to get him to stop talking mountain > biking would be the same thing that made me care less if I ever rode > my bike again- Canyoneering! (I’d keep my mountain bike in case I > ever needed it for setting up a canyon shuttle of course, but > otherwise had no regrets about neglecting my once well used bike.)
So I convinced Jeff to do a canyon with me. We did Middle > Maidenwater. Jeff did great. He showed a natural talent at > downclimbing, but knew his limits and asked for a rope when the > look of a drop made him uncomfortable. When we got back to the car > and headed for Torrey, Jeff was still jazzed and talked excitedly > about canyoneering non-stop………… for about 10 minutes! Then > back to mountain biking!
Well, it was a nice theory anyway.
A few more days of mountain biking- which on the Boulder and > Thousand Lake Mountain trails means lots of carrying of the bike up > and down cliff bans, and Jeff headed back for the smooth single > track of the Wasatch. Ahhh, and I welcomed the peace and quiet of > the Riviera Room once again.
What a winter I had canyoneering!
And back to Torrey this summer. Jeff made a visit right away in > May. And this time he had a brand new harness and rappel device! > Maidenwater had apparently left a lingering taste in his mouth that > stewed and became more savory over the winter. He wanted more….
It was a busy weekend, but I found time to take him through Cassidy > canyon. And the look that was in his eyes…. I heard hardly a > peep out of his mouth for the rest of the weekend about mountain > biking.
And a few weekends ago, he was back for more! Equipped with even > more gear! He even mentioned that he almost left his moutain bike > at home!
Alas, the weather was amiss a few days of the weekend. So we did > canyons two of the four days, and he rode in the rain the other > two. Still, the thrill of the beautiful overhanging awkward start > rappel and difficult downclimbs in Wife 4 weren’t enough to push > thoughts of biking up to Boulder Top out of his mind. But, he did > admit that his gaze from the 11,000 plus viewpoint on the mountain > was immediately drawn toward the cuts through the reef far below as > he wondered which of those could be Burrow, Cottonwood and Fivemile > canyons….
Slowly I think, the canyons are casting their enchanting spell on > another fun loving, adventurous soul. This one named Jeff. But > does he have room in his heart for another obsession?
-Malia >