Proud of my friend Kevin- Article on him in Backcountry: How An Endurance Athlete Overcame Addiction

Kevin is proof that you can overcome any obstacles in life if you keep at it.  Kevin and I have been friends for 5 years. We met in Salt Lake City, Utah when I was there to speak at a paranormal convention and we've kept in touch. Sometimes when you meet someone, you know you have a good connection. It was that way with Kevin. When I met him, he had great energy and is a warm-hearted guy.  I've watched him find love with his amazing partner- and couldn't be happier for him. I was, however, unaware of all of the struggles he endured in his past, and reading about them made me love and respect him even more.  Recently, he told his story to Back Country.com, and I'm sharing it here. It's a lesson for everyone. - Rob 

The Way Out Is Through: How An Endurance Athlete Overcame Addiction 

 Bacxkcountry.com -

Backcountry partners with the Utah Pride Center (UPC) to support our local LGBTQ+ community and raise awareness about the UPC’s work toward advancing mental health and inclusivity in the backcountry and beyond. In our OUTdoors Spotlight series, we’re sharing the stories of LGBTQ+ outdoor athletes.

They say the way out is through. That rings true for Backcountry Utah Fulfillment Center Manager Kevin. To achieve sobriety and a life rooted in endurance racing, he had to embark on a journey of grappling with his identity as a gay man and overcoming his alcohol addiction.

While getting outside ultimately helped him find his path in life, Kevin, who was raised in upstate New York, has always loved the outdoors. But growing up, he struggled with his identity: “I typically had a girlfriend, but would find myself thinking about men.” He “desperately hoped” he was bisexual because of his fear that his family would disown him.

After graduating high school, Kevin struggled to figure out what to do next. He found himself pulled between taking time off to travel and heading straight into higher education. Enter NOLS, The National Outdoor Leadership School. Kevin did two full semesters with the goal of becoming an outdoor guide. His education took him all over the world, from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, all the way down to New Zealand. “[NOLS] … lit a fire within me. At that point,” he says, “I felt like I had found my calling and wanted to become a guide.”

Around the age of 21, Kevin packed his car and headed west, and eventually landed in Breckenridge, CO, where he started a job as a line cook for a local restaurant. “The money was good, I enjoyed my coworkers, and we had a lot of fun … too much fun,” Kevin says, “I ended up getting a DUI, which sidelined any ambitions I had for guiding.” Kevin recalls that the years rolled by, with alcohol completely taking over his life.

“I was depressed and felt inauthentic… It had gotten to the point that I wasn’t skiing much or doing any of the things I had moved out west for.” And while he had friends, he hadn’t come out to any of them, which left him feeling inauthentic, the shame of it eating at him. “It was heavy,” Kevin remembers, “for a good chunk of my life, my long-term plan was just to … disappear. I often thought of how I would do it.” Knowing he needed a change, Kevin moved to New York to live and work with his older brother. Unfortunately, Kevin’s alcoholism only got worse. “All I did was work, go home, and drink. I started being unable to fall asleep at night,” he recalls.

(Kevin & Rob in 2016 in Salt Lake City, UT Cr: R.G))

After another sleepless night, Kevin called into work for the second day in a row, and realized it was the “day that [he] always knew would eventually come.” He spent the day preparing to kill himself but was interrupted when his older brother came home on his lunch break to check on him. Kevin ended up in the psychiatric ward that day—one of many treatment centers he would visit over the next couple of years while hiding his alcoholism from family members and therapists.

“I felt doomed and had settled deep into my depression.” Following numerous rock bottoms and intervention from his parents, Kevin found himself on a plane bound for Utah. “I spent 3 months in a treatment center in Orem and things started to click. Mostly,” he says, “because I was desperate.”

In his “broken down” state Kevin says he was finally able to be open and honest, and he “laid everything out on the table from day one”—including coming out to his family, despite the fear he carried since childhood.

“It was around that time that I was finally able to imagine a happy ending. I could believe that it was possible for me to fall in love and keep my family intact,” Kevin says.

As his treatment ended, Kevin struggled with where to start his life as a sober, gay man. Family and friends sold him on Salt Lake City, UT, where he moved into a sober living house. Kevin says he didn’t look for work right away, but instead focused on creating a healthy structure for his life, spending every day at the gym and focusing on rock climbing.

“It was around that time that I was finally able to imagine a happy ending.” He needed to purchase a harness and was referred to Backcountry—where he had been shopping for outdoor gear for most of his life. But he had no idea that Backcountry was based out of the city he now called home. “I went to get a harness and ended up applying for a job,” Kevin remembers.

Sobriety led Kevin back to his roots. “Way back when I moved out west to ski,” Kevin says. And now, he now not only has a life dedicated to the outdoors, with a number of ultra runs and ski mountaineering races under his belt—two WURLs(Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup), The Grand Traverse, the Chicago Marathon, and many more—but also has found a partner he loves.

“My coming out wasn’t pretty. It tore my family apart, but in the end, it brought us closer than ever before,” Kevin reflects. “Looking back, I wonder why I made such a big deal about it because nobody cared that much… They just wanted me to be happy.”

You can follow Kevin’s journey at @k.roo_what.it.do

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicide, addiction, or mental health, you can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. The Utah Pride Center also offers mental health services, including suicide prevention and mental health and crisis resources. >

Washington, DC Trip: Dinosaurs in the Museum of Natural History (Plus a Moai and Giant Gem)

Recently we went to Washington, DC to see the Christmas Trees and stopped by my favorite places- the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History! Since I first visited in the 1980s, I was captivated by the Dinosaur exhibit there.   Although we live within 20 miles of it, we haven't been there for years - and it has been totally updated!!  Today's blog will provide a few photos of the newly upgraded Dinosaur exhibit - including where oil comes from, amazing fossils and dinosaur extinction. -  Before we reached it, though we saw one of the giant heads from Easter Island, and a massive Quartz from Arkansas called the Berns Quartz.

NOTE: They've also added a full display explaining how the 7.5 mile in diameter asteroid that impacted the Gulf of Mexico at the end of the Cretaceous period helped cause the mass worldwide extinction of the dinosaurs. It features a great short film with archaeologists, climatologists and other scientists.

 I was like a kid in a candy store!! -  We didn't have a lot of time, so we'll go back, but this is the best-ever exhibit!!!- Rob 

BELOW: Entrance to the Dinosaur Exhibit! 

BELOW: A giant prehistoric plesiosaur that roamed ancient oceans. Look how big it is compared to the people standing in front of it! 

Fossil Skeleton of a Stegosaurus!

An Exhibit of Where Oil Comes from - This was a fascinating exhibit. I didn't know that ancient plankton is responsible for the development of oil deposits. Here's the exhibit. 

Below: The massive Quartz from Arkansas called the Berns Quartz

WHAT IS THE BERNS QUARTZ? - At 7 feet tall and more than 8,000 pounds in weight, the Berns Quartz is among the largest examples of quartz specimens on display in any museum in America. It took a team of experts to prepare the display in the front gallery, adjacent to the museum’s historic north entrance.

  

EASTER ISLAND MOAI (STONE FIGURE HEADS ) -Thousands of massive stone monuments, known as Moai, preside over Easter Island. The way they were carved, using only stone tools, seems unfathomable.  They are are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island in eastern Polynesia between the years 1250 and 1500.

  The production and transportation of the more than 900 statues is considered a remarkable creative and physical feat. The tallest moai erected, called Paro, was almost 10 metres (33 ft) high and weighed 82 tonnes (80.7 tons)

From: SECRETS: Eastern Island http://bit.ly/1veg4yr

VIDEO: How the heads were carved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8PyKKkDIzI&t=3s

Day Trip: Washington, DC: Holiday Decorated Hotel Lobbies

 Yesterday we took you on a tour of the National and State Christmas Trees on the Ellipse in front of the White House. While Tom, me and Jeff were in Washington, DC we decided we would check out some of the hotel lobbies in the city because they also decorate elaborately!  Here are photos from those lobbies of the Willard Hotel and the JW Marriott).  Jeff and I stopped for a quick pic on Pennsylvania Avenue with the Capitol behind us.  **We also stopped by the Famous Ford's Theatre (where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated).  Of course, we also worked in a Dunkin' Donuts coffee and iced tea break! 

(Photo in the Willard Hotel, Washington, DC)  

(Rob and Jeff on Pennsylvania Avenue with the Capitol in the far distance!)

BELOW: Photos of Ford's Theatre and the house where President Lincoln passed away. 

Day Trip: Washington DC - National and State Christmas Trees

 On Friday, December 24th, Tom and I and our friend Jeff ventured into Washington, DC via Metro (Subway) to check out the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse in front of the White House. 

What a difference a year makes!!  The tree is beautiful and is surrounded by a fenced in, self-guided area through smaller trees for each state. Each state contributed to decorations made by a school in the state, and depict things unique to the state or something famous in the state. We took photos of several of them, which you will find in today's blog.

PRESIDENT'S PARK RESTORED TO NORMAL!  -  As a side note, the park behind the White House no longer has a chain-linked fence keeping people out as it did during the dictator's (Trump) rule. Gone are the signs protesting that awful nightmare, and all of the trash. The park is restored to its full beauty. People once again can walk freely and openly without worry of being attacked by right-wing nuts. What a huge, huge difference - a return to peace and sanity!   (ABOUT PRESIDENT'S PARK: President's Park, located in Downtown Washington, D.C., encompasses the White House and includes the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Treasury Building, and grounds; the White House Visitor Center; Lafayette Square; and The Ellipse. President's Park was the original name of Lafayette Square.)

 Now, On with the Christmas trees!

When Were Ghost Stories Part of Christmas, Where?

 Although Andy Williams' "Most Wonderful Time of the Year" Christmas song talks about telling "scary ghost stories" at Christmas, Americans don't do that. But people in Victorian England did!  That's where the tradition started. Sadly, Americans were more skeptical about the existence of ghosts (yes, they exist), so it never caught on. But here's the background of the origin of them in England, according to History.com:  

 ( Image: Winslow Homer. Christmas—Gathering Evergreens and The Christmas-Tree. 1858. Wood engraving on paper, published by published by Harper’s Weekly. The Art Institute of Chicago.)

How Ghost Stories Became a Christmas Tradition in Victorian England 

Spooky stories featuring the supernatural were all the rage during the darkest time of the year. 

ELIZABETH YUKO, History.com

 

Towards the end of each year, as fireplaces are lit and hot cocoa is made, Americans have made it a tradition to revisit their favorite classic holiday books, movies and songs. And though ghost stories may seem out of place in present-day American holiday celebrations, they were once a Christmas staple, reaching their peak of popularity in Victorian England. 

 

A Dark, Spooky Time of Year Like most longstanding cultural customs, the precise origin of telling ghost stories at the end of the year is unknown, largely because it began as an oral tradition without written records. But, according to Sara Cleto, a folklorist specializing in British literature and co-founder of The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, the season around winter solstice, has been one of transition and change. “For a very, very, very long time, [the season] has provoked oral stories about spooky things in many different countries and cultures all over the world,” she says. 

(A Victorian Era Haunting: Credit: https://www.culturenorthernireland.org/) 

Furthermore, spooky storytelling gave people something to do during the long, dark evenings before electricity. “The long midwinter nights meant folks had to stop working early, and they spent their leisure hours huddled close to the fire,” says Tara Moore, an assistant professor of English at Elizabethtown College, author of Victorian Christmas in Print, and editor of The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories. “Plus, you didn’t need to be literate to retell the local ghost story.” 

Effects of the Industrialization Revolution It was in Victorian England that telling supernatural tales at the end of the year—specifically, during the Christmas season—went from an oral tradition to a timely trend. This was in part due to the development of the steam-powered printing press during the Industrial Revolution that made the written word more widely available. 

 MORE: https://www.history.com/news/christmas-tradition-ghost-stories

About The Christmas Legend of Krampus

Both St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) and Krampus originated in Europe. Everyone knows Santa Claus, but you may not know Krampus. He's a hafl-man, half-goat who assisted St. Nicholas and scared bad children. Here's the story: 

(Krampus – whose name is derived from the Old High German word krampen, which means “claw” – is said to be the son of Hel, the god of the underworld in Norse mythology.)

WHO IS KRAMPUS AROUND CHRISTMASTIME? 

Every year in early December, children in Austria get ready for St. Nicholas to visit them. If they’ve been good, he’ll reward them with presents and treats. But if they’ve been bad, they’ll get a lot more than a lump of coal—they’ll have to face Krampus.

Who’s Krampus, you ask? He’s the half-man, half-goat who comes around every year to chase naughty children and maybe even drag them to hell. European versions of St. Nicholas have long had scary counterparts like Belsnickle and Knecht Ruprecht who dole out punishment. Krampus is one such character who comes from folklore in Austria’s Alpine region, where he’s been frightening children and amusing adults for hundreds of years.

Krampus and St. Nick’s other bad boys have their origins in pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. Krampus – whose name is derived from the Old High German word krampen, which means “claw” – is said to be the son of Hel, the god of the underworld in Norse mythology. .Krampus carries a basket or a sack, a set of shackles, a whip and a bundle of branches for the purpose of swatting naughty children. Sometimes alongside Saint Nick and sometimes solo, Krampus visits the local homes and businesses, handing out lumps of coal and birch bundles – a sobering reminder of the dire results of being naughty. 

Later, they became part of Christian traditions in which St. Nicholas visited children to reward them on December 5 or 6.  Around that time, his menacing partner would also visit kids to punish them. In Alpine Austria and some parts of Germany, this day was known as Krampusnacht, or “Krampus night,” when adults might dress up as Krampus to frighten children at their homes.

Children might have also seen Krampus running through the street during a Krampuslauf—literally, a “Krampus run.” If Krampusnacht was a way to scare kids into behaving themselves, the Krampuslauf, which isn’t tied to a specific day, was a way for grown men to blow off steam while probably still scaring kids. Austrian men would get drunk and run through the streets dressed as the fearsome creature. Like Krampusnacht, the Krampuslauf tradition continues to the present day.

The introduction of mass visual media couldn’t help but sweep the charismatic Krampus up in its wave. When the postcard industry experienced a boom in Germany and Austria in the 1890s, it opened the way for Krampuskarten.

These holiday cards weren’t mean to make you feel warm and fuzzy. Ones marked “Gruss vom Krampus” (“Greetings from Krampus”) showed Krampus stuffing a distressed child into his satchel or preparing to hit one with his bundle of birch sticks. Many of these postcards depicted Krampus going after children with his sticks, leading them away in chains, or carrying them off in his bag.

Sources: History.com; and: https://www.chinadailyhk.com/articles/67/175/165/1576747407195.html

Happy Christmas from our house to yours!

 Wishing you and your family and friends a happy Christmastime from our house to yours. The first pic is our holiday card. Then there are pics from the season (getting a tree with our friend Dave, decorating our house, Tyler and Dash at the Christmas Tree and a special holiday dinner with the fully vaccinated Paranormal Group - because none of us want to be investigating any of those on the other side!