This may seem an odd photo to be featured in a blog about a sailing trip, but there is a point here - no pun intended. I am calling this photo "Extended Sailing Trip Preparation - Knee Drains and Cortisone."
Ned and I met in 1988 as instructors for the North Carolina Outward Bound School. We both lived and worked from the Table Rock Base Camp. At 30 years old, I was the old guy around base camp. Ned was the young'n. After finishing multi-week courses, instructors would follow their free-time passions. The paddlers would head to the rivers; the climbers to the crags.
It didn't take long for me to learn that Ned was a skilled rock climber. A couple years prior, I had made a trip to Yosemite and, awed by the height of El Capitan, decided that one day I would like to give it a try. Aside from training, I knew that the most important task would be to find the right climbing partner. I considered all the climbers I worked with before approaching Ned with a question, "So, have you ever thought about climbing El Cap?" Ned replied, "When do you want to do it?"
In 1992 we successfully completed a six-day ascent of El Cap. We went on to log a few more climbs over the next couple seasons, but eventually I settled back into the role of a public school teacher in Ohio while Ned continued to make a career out of adventuring, one way or another.
Now I'm 63 and retired. My knees aren't what they used to be. My climbing days are well behind me, but the craving to "feed the rat" never seems to go away.
A few years ago Ned and I talked to catch up. He mentioned that it was getting a bit harder to climb these days and that he had taken an interest in sailing. I told him how I had led a number of sailing trips with high school students in the Bahamas early in my career, and that I had always thought that someday I would like to sail from the Northwest to the Northeast of North America via the Panama Canal. Ned's response? "When do you want to do it?
It's comforting to know that some things don't change with age.
Perfect post! Looking forward to experiencing the trip with you both from afar ...
Looking forward to “watching” your adventure!