Lost at Sea

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Seven Boaters

"I guess we're all one phone call from our knees."

I heard that line in a song recently and felt a lump in my stomach thinking about the reality of it.  Only a few days later I got a true taste of the bitterness.

I woke up yesterday morning, came downstairs to relax, started making a cup of hot tea ... turned my cell phone on to see ...

Voicemail

Mom and Dad 4:29 AM

Mom and Dad 6:12 AM

Mom and Dad 7:49 AM

I could have easily thrown up at that point.  

Fortunate for me, my agony began and ended within 90 seconds.

Sort of summarized below ... Mom's voice ...

VM#1 - You need to call me.

VM#2 - Jody and Xander are missing.  Their boat sank.

VM#3 - They have been found.

The waves of emotion that I felt during those few minutes are enough to bring tears to my eyes right now.  Just the thought of them in the ocean for 20 hours makes my heart ache.  I can't imagine being in that situation and I'm an adventure/suffering/survival junkie.  Thinking about it terrifies me ... for myself. The thought of Xander being in that situation is excruciating for me and I'm not even his mother.  

Crystal knew something was wrong when she didn't hear from Jody that evening.  They had been off the coast of Charleston, SC fishing with Jody's family that day.  She got a call at midnight saying that they had not returned to shore as planned.  Listening to her tell the story is quite an amazing thing.  I assumed that she lost her mind at that point, but she didn't.  She said that she got down on her knees and started praying ... praying ... praying ... and God told her that they were okay.  At that point, she got off of her knees and got into bed ... and slept until 5:00 AM.  She got the news at 6:00 AM that they had been found and that they were alive.  People say why don't miracles happen anymore?  I say they do happen -every day.

Seven boaters were on board that day (Jody, Xander, Roger, Rex, Rodney, Caleb, and Tyler ... Boy's Day Fishing).  They were approximately 30 miles offshore when the boat was hit by a 20 foot wave on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM.  It started taking on water and began to sink.  They swam away from the boat - afraid that the water would drag them if the boat plunged to the bottom of the ocean.  However, the boat never completely submerged. They eventually swam back to the boat and tied themselves off to it.  "One of our rescue flight mechanics had noticed something at the surface of the sea that looked something like a debris field. The only light he had to assist him in the search was the moonlight," Evanson said Sunday.  Thank God for the moon.

It's so simple.  I love Xander with all of me.  I think about him and his days more than anybody could possibly imagine.  I am incredibly proud of him and excited about his future.  The thought of his life ending is crushing for me. I pray for him often.  I pray that God will protect him ... because he is a little adventure junkie too ;).  

Naturally, we pray when things are going bad.  I find joy in thanking God for the good things.

"Thank you Lord for protecting my sister's family".

Labor Day Weekend 2010

(CNN) -- Seven people, including three children, who were missing since Saturday night were rescued Sunday morning about 25 miles off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

"They were cold, they were tired, but most importantly, they were alive," said Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Evanson of the Coast Guard station in Jacksonville, Florida.

All seven were aboard a 38-foot powerboat that sank after the engine compartment flooded, the Coast Guard said in a statement. All were wearing life jackets.

Evanson told CNN Radio that airborne search crews were running low on fuel and were "getting ready to call it a night" when something was spotted in the moonlit water.

Video: Seven survive 20 hours in sea

RELATED TOPICS

• Charleston (South Carolina)
• U.S. Coast Guard
• Accidents and Disasters

"One of our rescue flight mechanics had noticed something at the surface of the sea that looked something like a debris field. The only light he had to assist him in the search was the moonlight," Evanson said Sunday.

"He notified the flight commander and they made a turn and they approached that area where the debris field was and it turned out to be the swimmers, all seven of them floating, actually clinging to a cooler, floating in the water."

That all seven were wearing life jackets "was a major factor in the fact that we were able to save their lives," Evanson said. "It could have been much different had they not had life jackets."

Searchers were first alerted to the situation after the wife of one person on the boat contacted authorities to say the seven hadn't come home on time. Rescue crews located the missing boaters at 6:02 a.m. Sunday.

Evanson said those on the boat "made the decision to abandon ship" after the engine compartment started to flood but he said they were unable to call for help because they had no emergency communications equipment.

"They didn't have a VHF radio. They didn't have an emergency position indicating radio beacon ... that can pinpoint the location of a distress when a boat sinks. There was no signaling flares, nothing," Evanson said.

"It's a very fortunate situation ... that the rescue crew was able to identify these individuals utilizing just the moonlight."

7 boaters saved in moonlight rescue off South Carolina coast 

Longs Peak

Posted October 4th 2009
Colorado to do list:
Summit Longs Peak
Summit Mount of the Holy Cross
Denver Broncos game
Hut trip
Colorado's Triple Bypass
Iron Horse Bicycle Classic
Concert at Red Rocks


I've stared/admired/feared/adored this peak every day for almost 2 years.  I heard stories about the physical torture.  I (of course) read ALL about the route.  I KNEW what it would feel like.  I was born and raised at sea level.  My body was upset about being above 10,000' for 10+ hours.  More like ... my body HATED me for taking it up there.  I usually suffer from altitude sickness, but normally I'm only above tree line for a couple of hours.  I thought for sure I would toss my cookies (actually my "Jeremy's Granola Bars") on the summit.  I was pretty miserable.  It was the most difficult 14er that either one of us has climbed so far.  I'm pretty sure the Oskar Blues waitress probably thought we were on drugs when we collapsed into our chairs for dinner at 5:00 PM.  The more time that passes ... the more fun I THINK I had.  By this time next year, you might hear me say, "Longs Peak?  I loved Longs Peak!"  But, don't ask me anytime soon ;)


Let's see ... I'm thinking "Concert at Red Rocks" or "Denver Broncos Game" is sounding like a good challenge.

Difficulty: Class 3 
Summit Elevation: 14,255 feet 
Elevation Gain: 5100` 
Round-trip Length: 14 miles 
Trailhead: Longs Peak TH 

2:00 AM Awake 
4:00 AM Start Hiking 
11:00 AM Summit Longs Peak 
4:00 PM Back at Trailhead 

Date Ascended: 8/14/10 
Roundtrip: 12 hours 
Temperature: 30's/40's/50's/60's

Been hiking for a couple of hours ...

Good Morning

I love Colorado

Diamonds are Forever

The Keyhole

The Homestretch

14er #9

The Boulder Field (Evil)

Campers in the Boulder Field

Wow

Deb + Sweet Waterfall

Longs Peak ... Appropriately Named

Lookin At Lucky

1.  Lookin At Lucky (foaled May 27, 2007 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and winner of the 2010 Preakness Stakes.
or

2.  Lookin At Lucky (foaled January 18, 1972 in North Carolina) is a very happy young lady counting her many blessings these days.

I saw/fell in love with the name "Lookin at Lucky" back in May during the Kentucky Derby ... when my life wasn't really going as planned.  I decided then and there - WHEN my luck turns around ... I'm going to use that as a Blog Title.  Well, here it is.  You are looking at lucky.

So many great things happened in July.  I thank God frequently for blessing me beyond what I deserve.  I struggled through many months of not being happy in my career.  Subsequently, it felt like everything around me was all wrong.  I was definitely "in the hole".  Most days I tried to talk myself into believing that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  I understand that all life ebbs and flows.  It just seemed like if it could go wrong, it did go wrong in my world.  My spirits rose and fell like tidal waves.  Then - BOOM!  Little things starting going right again and I knew my stars were lining up again.  I have always felt like I'm walking a well laid path and I'm reminded often that it's certainly true.

JULY

14erWorld

I LOVE climbing 14ers.  There's just something about it that thrills my soul.  In the month of July I summited three peaks (Handies Peak, Wetterhorn Peak, Torreys Peak).  I went well out of my personal comfort zone to summit Wetterhorn and Torreys.  Each experience is spiritual in it's own way.  It's weird and hard to explain ... but it's a special feeling.

Torreys Peak/Kelso Ridge Route/Class 3 (14er #8)

Family Vacation

My family came to Colorado.  WOW.  I think about that time and realize how lucky I am.  We had so much fun together.  I love spending time with all of them.  I have so many memories that make me laugh and smile.  

Airports, Cheyenne, driving, Estes Park, YMCA, rain, bacon-eggs-biscuits, puzzles, Rocky Mountain National Park, marMOTs, graupel, 37 degrees in July, "you ain't too happy that this is not going good" - XG, foosball, ping pong, rain, gardening gloves, constipation, ELK, driving, "but it IS WINTER" - XG, rain, pronghorn antelope, Salida, a scary fast breathing animal in the dark night, deer, magnet rocks, "captus", trout fishing, Uno, Mutton Bustin', Who Let the Cows Out?, Moma wearing ski gloves and toboggan at the rodeo, "BETTER YET, I'll put you a real nice trailer with wheels on top of that mountain you love" - XG, Cottonwood Lake, rain, picnic at the Whitewater Park, putt-putt, Moma's spaghetti, Backgammon, whitewater rafting, mountain goats, driving AGAIN, rain, Arvada, home, Atlanta overnight, back to NC ... that about sums it up. :)

Alpine Visitor's Center (RMNP)

YMCA - Estes Park

Xander (loving the gardening gloves)

Salida, Colorado

- Crystal

Salida, CO (14ers in the Background)

Jody & Daddy

Xander (Mutton Bustin')

Buena Vista, Colorado

Collegiate Peaks Stampede Rodeo

Buena Vista, Colorado

Cowboy from NC

Salida, Colorado

Arkansas River

The Numbers

Class IV/V

Array BioPharma

Written in February 2008 ... while still living in NC

The Flatirons/Boulder

"I finally visited Boulder and I fell in love with it. There's a small pharmaceutical company called Array Biopharma there. Every time something rocks my world ... I say "I'm $%*#X##F moving to Colorado and working at Array". You know you've heard me say it.. probably sick of hearing it. In my heart, I THINK it's exactly what I NEED TO DO. However, I'm always afraid I'll miss my family and friends... and I never actually take steps to move."

I fell in love with that company years ago.  I left GSK ... moved to Colorado ... worked at Gilead (met an angel there) ... was unemployed for a month ... worked at the University of Colorado for 5 months and VOILA - I am now working at Array BioPharma ... and happier than I have been at work since leaving Oncology at GSK in 2005.  I love the science and I love the people and of course - I love Boulder.  My path has detours - but no doubt - there's a destination.  I'm thankful for that.

I can't say it often ... but I will say it for now.

Lookin At Lucky :)

From Every Mountainside: Let Freedom Ring!

WOW ... what a peak. People say this is a fun mountain and it is SO true. The hike is in relatively mild (by 14er standards) and the scramble to the top is pure joy. I am Chiken-Little and scared to death of heights. So, needless to say hearing the mention of "ropes the last 85 feet" had my full attention. 

We stopped right above the easily recognized "yellow sand" and had lunch before starting the real scrambling. I opted to leave my pack and poles at this point based on advice from a fellow 14er buddy. It was the right decision because it certainly made climbing easier for me ... HOWEVER ... my "Snickers/PB&J/Gatorade/Cheese Its" flavored pole handles made a delicious snack for some lucky Mo-Fo-Marmot (I USED to think they were cute ... now they are all just sneaky robbers/vandals/thieves in my eyes).


The route finding from in this section was a little tricky for us. This was our first Class 3 route and we picked some wrong cairns at one point. We ended up traversing some VERY loose sand on the right side (made me very nervous) and spit out at the Ship`s Prow staring back at a well-marked trail. How the hell did that happen? Oh well, so at this point some real 4-point scrambling starts. I was shaking in my boots. Deb is a former free climber and shot up the wall like Spider woMan.


I was impressed ... and depressed. I felt so slow. I guess I tested every hand and foot hold 3 times each. I abruptly stopped about half way up and said, "I`ll never be able to climb all of the 14ers". I was so worried about the last section that people rope on ... then all of the sudden ... WHAM! I see a big FAT CAIRN and seconds later I was standing on the summit. SWEET HEAVEN - I made it! We were greeted with the Most Absolute Perfect July 4th Summit Day EVER ... warm and no wind. I never dreamed it possible ... but it happened. 

I celebrated my successful Class 3 climb all of 5 minutes before I started worrying about down-climbing ... because I heard at an REI Seminar that some people have a horrible time going down ... but it turns out that I LOVE to down climb. It seemed so much easier to me than coming up. I think it`s because I have the perfect ass for going down. What EXACTLY does the perfect down-climbing ass look like, you might ask? 

Some helpful things that I`d want to know: 
1. The 4WD road above the Matterhorn TH sign is NOT bad. We parked at the bottom and walked this section. HOWEVER, a 4WD vehicle would have NO problem and it`d knock off some extra hiking (UNLESS, of course, you want do some EXTRA hiking). 

2. We did notice the white "slime" on the rocks and would never consider drinking water up there. 

3. If you`re comfortable sleeping in the middle of nowhere ... the dispersed camping along the Alpine Loop Trail ... where you turn to the Matterhorn Creek TH ... is gorgeous. 

4. If you`re scared sleeping in the middle of nowhere ... stay at Wupperman`s Campground. Pat and Cecil Mitchell ... good Texas people running the show there ... they will take care of you for $15/night. 

5. Lake City ... is a sweet little place. Good burgers at Packer`s Saloon ... FANTASTIC ice cream at the San Juan Soda Shop. 

6. If you trout fish ... carry a pole ... and hook a fish or two (like me!).

The Trout Slayer