Wow, its already September and the last few weeks of summer flew by in a blur. In late August I enjoyed hosting fellow graduates Kyle Long and Nate Mullendore for a week each in Gardiner. We had some great adventures between rafting, rock climbing, discovering unknown hot springs and caves, and eating homemade bison burgers. Following that I had a high school friend, Dave, stop in town for several days as well. It was amazing to catch up with so many friends and expose them to the laid back but adventure fueled Montana life style, however, at the end of those three weeks I was exhausted and ready for some down time.

I got the down time I needed when September rolled in and the rafting season began to slow down significantly. Whereas in July our company would typically take 15-20 boats the cooling temperatures, the start of school, and the wind down of tourist season left us with 2-3 boats a day. There were only 5 guides left a this point, a skeleton crew, so we split up the boats as best we could and finished out the end of the season. I took my final boat on September 7th. The families I took were a joy and it was a positive ending to a long summer. I had never been in Gardiner that late in the season before, previously I'd always had to return to school mid-August; without school work on my mind watching the transition out of summer became a relaxing experience. The slow pace of the town as fall set in paralleled the slowing seasons and seemed to foretell the hibernation that awaits the world in winter.

As I enjoyed the transition of the seasons my life began to mimic the vast changes taking place and I faced a drastic life change in the end of a two year relationship. Splitting apart two years of shared life and common experience can be tough to deal with, but it can also become an incredible opportunity for growth. The past several weeks have provided me with plenty of chances for growth both emotionally and physically.

One of the most significant events that comes to mind was the invitation I received to climb the Grand Teton in Northern Wyoming. Realizing that I was going through a trying time my rock climbing buddies and fellow raft guides Wyatt and Andy suggest that I join their for their ascent up the Grand. Although I had only two days to prepare I jumped at the chance. The Grand is a 13770 ft. mountain and is regarded by many as one of the top 5 climbs in the U.S. We took two days to complete the climb, first hiking 8 miles into a saddle 3000 ft. below the summit. Our campsite that night provided one of the most beautiful sunsets ever and an abundance of shooting stars (8 in 5 minutes was our best count!). After a sleepless night caused by the relentless wind rattling our tent we woke at 5:30 to begin our ascent. Our timing was a bit late in season which led to a difficult and icy ascent. I had previous experience rock climbing, but this was by far my most challenging climb to date. Although we were roped in I was still frightened by the 10ft. hand traverse we made with 1500ft. of nothing below us. Upon summiting the peak I broke out into laughter - sheer joy in my accomplishment. The view was unbelievable, stretching nearly 50 miles in every direction. However, as the saying goes "what goes up must come down," and accordingly the descent proved to be as exhilarating and challenging as the ascent. The descent involved two rappelling sections (lowering oneself down a rock face with a harness and a rope), and I undertook the first rappel of my life on a 100 ft. hanging rappel! Had I known ahead of time what was in store I likely would have psyched myself out, but I had made it, and reaching the car after the 10 mile hike out I was incredibly overwhelmed by the intensity of feeling yielded by summiting such a massive mountain.

Climbing the Grand also gave me time to think over my next step. I had plans to travel to Ecuador for three months, but those plans went out the window with the recent dissolution of my dating relationship. I was still jonesing for an adventure hoping to keep my body busy and mind occupied so I decided to meet up with my buddy Nate, and let him host me for a while on Whidbey Island, just off the coast off Seattle. I had never seen the Pacific Northwest and Nate was a great friend who I knew I could count on in tough times. So off I went to Whidbey. I also arranged a flight from Seattle to Indy and am currently back in Crawfordsville writing this account from a second floor room in the Lilly Library overlooking the mall. Being back on campus has been a great comfort, and catching up with old friends and professors helps me to remember the importance of support systems in times of change. I plan to go home to Carmel and spend a week with my family before flying back to Seattle. I'm open to a lot of possibilities and excited to see where the next couple months lead me. Lifes an adventure, I'm doing my best to live it well.

Nic