Beautiful White, Grey & Black - Thoughts from an airplane

Well, during December 2008 I was on 12 flights in about 3 weeks and by the time February 2nd arrives I will have been on an additional 8 flights... So, 20 flights in less than 2 months, that's just not right! Anyway, I'm not asking for sympathy, I know where I can find it, in the dictionary... it's between... Oops can't write that, this is a 'G' rated blog.

My latest sortie got changed from Bismarck, ND to Salt Lake City, UT... One of the guys that was in Bismarck this week told me that it was only -20F ambient and that I would have been disapointed with the weather since it was -56F last year with the wind chill but, I digress...

I have flown commercially so much in my 19 year career that I find it a real drag. To me it's like being on a Greyhound bus, it is a way to get from point to point. The upside to flying is that I can work, read or sleep... I mostly work but sometimes catch up on the latest mountain bike magazine or the occassional book. I always try to get an isle seat and avoid the dreaded middle and rarely find myself on the window.

Tuesdays flight to Salt Lake on Frontier Airlines was something different, the flight departed into a piercing blue sky, CAVU (Clear And Visually Unrestricted ) weather. We took off heading directly west... the flight was only about 30% full, I had an exit row to myself. With no MTN bike mag to read and not being able to use the computer until after take off I found myself in the window seat gazing out at the countryside which quickly slipped beneath us as we climbed to ~32,000'.

The flight path from DEN to SLC takes us just south of Longs Peak... I can see the City of Boulder, Fort Collins, Devils Back Bone and other prominent landmarks. I am now truly captivated by the topography, I'm staring down at Longs Peak, recalling a wildly cold night that my friend Sean and I spent in the Boulder Field at about 12,000' before doing the final winter assent of the Dove route in double boots, crampons & mittens... I recall an early Christmas day morning with my friend Chad when we attempted to climb Longs and the wind was blowing so hard that we couldn't stand up above tree line... that was cold too.

Further west I see Grand Lake which is close to where I usually ski and to the north Walden and the huge expanse of cold flat ground to the west of Walden all the way to Rabbit Ears Pass. Next I see Steamboat Springs, Hayden Station & Craig Station with their cooling tower plumes giving away their locations like light houses on a clear night.

A bit further west I spot the Colorado River where it heads down into the Flat Tops where Chad and I hunt elk... I think how funny it is that I can spot these things and am able to orientate myself so easily even with everything covered in ice and snow. I feel strangely and strongly attached to Colorado and the west not just for the tremendous views and rugged unforgiving landscape but also because of the people and characters that it attracts. I think how lucky I am to be here, to have a real sense of belonging and a sense of direction and purpose for my life.

My mind wanders, I remember that I am supposed to tell Chad if I can join him on a climb up Greys and Torries on Saturday this week. I also get a flood of memories of Denali, Aconcagua in the Andes, motorcycles rides, skiing, ice climbing and just hanging out in various cool places around the state and in the west. I feel the mental draggons of work & life trying to claw their way back into my thoughts I am able to stave them off and force myself to continue enjoying the scenery.

I finally realize just how much I'm enjoying the views from this flight and how the flight is a metaphoric parallel to my life. I've been on a laser straight trajectory of work, a bit of play here and there and for the past 10 years almost no time where I allowed myself to just soak in the sights and sounds on a regular basis. Sure, I've stopped to smell the roses but those quick stops have not been long enough to replenish the heart and soul, I am realizing that there is a void inside that needs to be refilled.

I think that it is interesting to know as humans our most acute sense is smell, I think that mine is sight. I realize that as I study the terrain below that the bitter cold and pristine white snow & ice that blankets the ground prompts me to think about the things that bring me warmth... my friends, family and business associates.... It seems that what was supposed to be another 'typical flight' has been a catalyst... the decision to climb Greys & Torries this weekend has been made for me.