Day 29 - The Power of Less

The Power of Less, by Leo Babauta

I finished the book a few days ago, but I needed to also identify 3 things that I'm going to do with it so I took some extra time.

Some of the interesting quotes from the book include:

• Why must we rush through life?  Slow down and enjoy it more.  Life is a journey--make it a pleasant one.
• Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.
• Focus all your energy on creating that one habit.
• Limited focus is digging with that same shovel in one spot until you hit water.

I have identified tasks #10, #11, and #12:

• #10 Power of Less: Reduce and organize my Boy Scout materials 
• #11 Power of Less: Create a time for solitude, use it for 12 times 
• #12 Power of Less: list all my commitments, then make the short list

Another interesting thing with this book was that I used Amazon's Kindle application for the iPhone.  This was the first complete book that I've read using my iPhone.  The reading interface is rather small, obviously.  It was fun to always have a book at my side.  I enjoyed being able to annotate and highlight key points and then later have access to them from the web.

This concludes Item #9.  However, as the key to doing something about it, I now have tasks 10-12.

Day 27 - Into Thin Air

I completed "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer.  This is an account of the tragedy that unfolded on Mt. Everest in May, 1996.  The previous book, No Shortcuts to the Top, that I listened to was a trigger for me to pick this one up when I saw it at the library.

The interesting thing for me in this book is understanding limits, the difficult decisions that need to be made, and the careful eye towards how a number of little things can stack up and overall contribute to a horrible outcome.

I'll think back on these two books the next time I'm trudging up a hill or on a tough trail with my backpack on.  I'll consider that it's probably not as bad as being in the death zone at nearly 29,000 ft. in the jet stream where humans can barely survive.

Day 27 - Movie Night

I was in the movie store the other day and decided I should pick out a movie and start Item #31,   Watch 20 movies that were nominated for Academy Award "Best Picture."  This seemed like a very good idea, but I didn't already have some picked out.

A quick reference on the Academy Awards, I fairly quickly chose Crash.  It won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2006.  Good movie yet disturbing on so many levels. It really makes you think about where our culture has/hasn't come today.

Day 21 - Kip's Irish Pub

June 25, 2010 - Had a nice outing with my best friend at Kip's Irish Pub.  It was a quiet evening with only a few people in the pub.  There was live music by a Minnesota songwriter/musician Bettina Villamil with drums, guitar/violin, piano and singing.

I go out periodically with this friend, so it's only appropriate that he gets to be the first for the list item #18.  I only get to count him once for this!

Day 16 - A camping trip to Wild River State Park

On June 19-20, 2010 E. and I went camping at Wild River State Park.

K. already was way for the weekend at her first church camp and E. wanted something to do.  *She* chose to go camping.  So on a Friday evening on what was going to be a very good weather weekend in Minnesota, it's nearly impossible to find an open campsite for the next day.  We were lucky and found a site at Wild River State Park.  That was ideal, because it was over half-way to where we needed to pick up K. on early Sunday afternoon.




So on Saturday morning we finished packing and set out.  It's only a couple of hours away.  We found our site, set up the large tent, and then went off exploring.

My "family" tent is a circa-1985 Eureka! cabin tent.  It's heavy, is well constructed, and will probably last forever.  It's only so-so if it rains.  Compared to today's tents, it has very little coverage from the rain cover.  You can stand up in it and it fits two people with cots/lounge chairs nicely.  I have two lawn chairs that fold out flat.  They work OK as a cot.

In just about 24 hours, we hiked down to the St. Croix River twice, went to the visitor's/nature center twice, had s'mores twice, and went to a story time/campfire program.  Since it wasn't a drive-in camp site, we certainly went back-and-forth to the car more than twice! 


Here you'll see a picture of a near-perfect s'more.  The marshmallow was wonderfully toasted by E. and the chocolate bar was already slightly soft.  When all put together, I had to get a picture.  Enjoy!


The second round of s'mores was as the story time program hosted by the park.  They brought in an actor/story-teller who did an approximately hour-long program filled with history and stories as he acted the part of a lumber businessman in the St. Croix in the 1850's to 1890's.  Mixing in some Paul Bunyan stories made it quite fun!

The weather was a bit cloudy until around 8 PM Saturday and then cleared up nicely.  A mostly full moon, clear sky, and nearly the summer solstice, not to mention that it was Father's Day on Sunday.


K. had a good time at her camp, but she definitely wants to be a part of our next trip!

Day 2 - No Shortcuts to the Top (item #30)

I completed book #1 out of 12. 


No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks by Ed Viesturs with David Roberts 

"I've learned in climbing that you don't conquer anything. Mountains are not conquered and should be treated with respect and humility. If we take what the mountain gives, have patience, and desire, and are prepared, then the mountains will allow us to reach their highest peaks. I believe a lot of things are like that in life." --Ed Viesturs, from "No Shortcuts to the Top"  

I like that he uses the phrase "will allow us to reach." Allowing is very much different than conquering. Apparently, as a climber in the Himalaya, you have to be very patient, waiting many days to make the ascent at the right time when the mountain and the weather allows.


Why do you do it?  Ed writes, "The non-mountaineer watching my slide show sees mostly suffering, cold, risk, and even loss-of-life.  Simply by nature, I'm extremely goal-oriented and personally motivated.  I like things that aren't not too easy; that don't come to quickly. The mountains are a beautiful arena in which to face such challenges. On top of that you face them with a few carefully chosen friends who have similar goals, aspirations, and work ethics.  A great climb is a wonderful mixture of difficulty and intimacy.  The challenge is both physical and mental. Finally big-range mountaineering is addictive."


There are a number of interesting elements to this book that appeal to the outdoorsman in me.  However, it doesn't make me want to become a mountain climber!  It does however offer interesting thoughts for my outdoor travels.  Even beyond that though there are life-lessons.  It is a story of setting goals, overcoming obstacles both big and small, taking one step at a time, figuring out how to climb your mountain (your Annapurna) and ultimately achieving something that seems unfathomable when looked at in the whole. 

And so it begins

On your mark... get set... go.  All systems go.  We have lift-off.  The 40 Before has begun.

I took another critical look at my list this evening.  I wanted to make sure everything was in order.  I see a few that are tough and others that are easier.  After some consideration, I kept them as is.  I found a few spelling errors and such.  I also have a couple undisclosed items that would work well as alternates if I need to remove something and replace it.

Tomorrow I'll mark my first item off.