FORGIVENESS

As I grow older and have more and more years of various experiences under my belt, I'm realizing that one of the most difficult things we as humans have to do is live in harmony with one another. It's not easy! We're all completely unique and different due to genetics, upbringing and all those things that happen in life called experiences. Being so very different, there's no way that we're all going to have the same opinions, values or morals. It can be hard to get along! In my life, I've been hurt many times and in return, I've probably caused pain and hurt to others. This past year has been a crazy one and I've had quite a few disagreements with various individuals. It's part of human nature yet sometimes it's very hard to let go of those hurts.

This blog post comes from a very real place that I have recently experienced, a place of real, true forgiveness. I was sitting at a bar with my boyfriend drinking a few pints. Out of nowhere, I felt the urge to reach out to a few friends that I have had differences and grown apart from over the past year. I expressed my love, my willingness to forgive and move on. I wasn't thinking about the response I would get from them. Rather, I was thinking about how reaching out to them made me feel. I felt so relieved, so empowered and so happy in that moment. I was somehow, and I'm still not sure how, hit with the knowledge that yes, we're all very different, but at the same time we are at the same. We're all human beings and we all do make mistakes. We hurt one another either intentionally or unintentionally, but holding onto those hurts only suppresses our ability to thrive and reach our own personal potentials. They bog us down. Letting go of the anger, bitterness and pain that has built up over a span of 26 years has freed me from the chains that were binding me. It's time for me to put that energy somewhere else, perhaps into spreading love, kindness, and letting my own light shine.

I've always been a fan of Wayne Dyer, a spiritual teacher of sorts, and I found a video of him speaking about the topic of forgiveness. I've shared it here with you because he explains the act of forgiveness in such a beautiful way. I have always looked up to him and aspired to reach his level of awareness and ability to love. Having reached a point where I've felt what it's like to forgive and to love the human race as a whole, I feel like I'm finally getting there.



More on Wayne Dyer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRAewRQl_ZY

"Atlantis"

Before heading to Pheonix for the holidays, my boyfriend and I (and the dogs) went out for some highlining. There's a really cool place one of my good friends discovered that has a beautiful view of the Green River and multiple highline set-ups at different lengths. I had been out there once before and wanted to go back to rig another one of the lines. I really wanted to challenge myself more than usual so I rigged it with threaded tubular webbing, which is a lot heavier and more dynamic than many other webbings out there. This means that the lines will be a lot more difficult to control, loose, and wobbly. It's a lot scarier being out on the line when it takes a lot of work to control it! The line was about 80 feet long and I fell on the first couple of attempts, but then once I got in the groove I was able to walk it multiple times. It was so nice to feel challenged and scared; when you get good at something sometimes the thrill goes away. I love getting to the other side after feeling terffified, it's so relieving and exhilarating! Mark gave it a bunch of attempts and struggled. He hasn't had too much practice on highline's and this line was particularly difficult, so I told him not to be too hard on himself. It takes a lot  of courage to even get out there! Overall it was a great day of rigging, playing out on the line, watching the dogs enjoy the outdoors and exploring the area!

Putting on my Chacos, or rather, "Sockos" for the cold weather :)

Rigging! Gear by Balance Community Slackline Outfitters

First walk! Such a gorgeous place, one of my favorite highline spots.

Busting out some tricks

Chacos on the line! 

"Double drop knee"

Loving my Oakley Women winter clothes! 

Mark getting ready to give it a try

Go  Mark!! It takes a lot to get out there, I mean it!

One of my favorite shots from the day.

Mark Solper Loves to Fly

My boyfriend Mark is in LOVE with all things flying. Anything having to do with it and he starts acting like a little kid on christmas morning, so excited to uncover what is under the wrapping paper. It's very rare that I see anyone this passionate about anything, but he truly is in love with the art of human flight. It comes as no surprise considering both of his parents are pilots and he grew up surrounded by it. But really, truly....Mark loves to fly.




He's been skydiving since he was 18 (he started without his parents knowledge at the local drop zone and they found out by seeing the charges on his bank statement). Since then he has gotten into Wingsuiting (or what people sometimes call flying in a "Squirrel Suit") and for about 4 years now he's been BASE jumping (jumping off of cliff's, buildings, or other structures with a parachute). Thankfully for me, he moved here to Moab from Phoenix, Arizona in the beginning of 2012 to experience all that Moab has to offer him.

So far, Mark has done about 300 BASE jumps both in Phoenix and Moab and I am so grateful to have been able to watch him live out his passion. I just had to share this video of one of his recent jumps because it's just too beautiful not to. This video is from his point of view while he does a layed out gainer off the the "Tombstone", a well known jump within the BASE community and also a well known and very difficult trad climb. This cliff is approximately 400 feet high and I am the little black speck down below in what looks like a parking area (well, the black speck is my car, but you know what I mean).


I hope you enjoy this as much as I do and if you'd like to learn more about Mark, check out his blog:


www.marksolper.com 

Everything Has Changed

For four years now, my life has revolved around the sport of slacklining. What is slacklining, anyway? It's an activity similar to tight rope walking. I found it at a climbing gym in California and quickly became obsessed with the challenge. I learned how to walk, tried walking my first highlines and started taking weekend trips for it all over California with new friends. Three months after I found the sport, I became the fourth woman in the world to walk one of the worlds most famous highlines, The Lost Arrow Spire. I was shocked and so excited about what I had found: a sport that challenges me both mentally and physically. A sport I can learn more and more about and become better and better at! And I did get better. I got to the point where people were labeling me "one of the best female slackliners in the world". How exciting! I had never been the BEST at something before. I mean, I have always been athletic, but had I found my calling?

About a year after I found the sport I started working for a slackline company called Gibbon, traveling the country teaching people how to slackline and promoting the company's products. For two years I lived out of a van and in hotel rooms with my boyfriend at the time, Mike Payton, a very talented and well known slackliner himself. We appeared on TV shows, news stations and magazine articles all to promote Gibbon Slacklines. Gibbon had come up with a metal structure to set-up slacklines so that we could provide demos indoors or in places with no trees to rig off of. The lines I was walking for demonstrations weren't what I loved anymore: they were short, extremely tight 2-inch lines on metal structures inside of buildings. It didn't feel like the sport I had fallen in love with. I  had fallen in love with slacklining not "tightlining". Mike and I would provide demos, sometimes daily, at retail stores like REI or Easter Mountain Sports. We would set up the structure and walk on it in the store, waiting for people to walk by and want to try it out (and then hopefully, buy one). Sometimes, the store would be empty but we had to stay there until our shift was over. Sometimes, I felt humiliated. It seemed that I had become a representative for a company that didn't understand the whole reason for the sport in the first place. Slacklining is an outdoor activity to participate in with friends. These weren't slacklines and this wasn't slacklining. It was about money now, not personal growth or challenge. I was living in a van, I wasn't able to push myself because I was always on the road working and I grew increasingly frustrated and yes, a little depressed.

After two years I quit working for Gibbon and I was able to really, truly slackline again. I walked long, loose slacklines in the park, highlined with friends and got side jobs to pay the bills. I wasn't stuck promoting something I didn't stand for anymore and that felt like an huge weight was lifted from me. Meanwhile, my mind was always elsewhere. How could I make this work? How could I make myself a success in this sport that is so small and still technically "underground"?  I got a few new sponsors that help me out with gear and promotion. I started promoting myself hard, writing more blog posts and making sure to get pictures and videos every time I went out. My mind was always running and imagining what it would be like to have "made it". I was actually considered for a handful of jobs involving slacklining (that Volvo commercial with a female highliner walking between two trucks, a highline job in France for a computer company, and a job on the Disney Channel). All of those jobs chose somebody else. I started to wonder what was wrong with me. Maybe I wasn't cut-throat enough, or attractive enough? I'm one of the top females in the world, what was the deal?

In every sport is a "community" and slacklining is no exception. Over the years, I became quite well known within the slackline community and received (and still receive) quite a bit of support, which I am so very grateful for. But like anyone in the limelight I also felt a lot of pressure to be something I wasn't. In my athletics I have always chosen to be safe and protect myself and my life over everything else. The "leaders" of the sport as of right now are pushing the limits in ways that I never could by free soloing lines (wearing no harness) or BASE jumping off of them. Although I have gotten so much support over the years, I have also gotten quite a bit of negativity and hate because I am not the most risky or daring highliner. Getting into the sport, I never wanted to participate in the "rat race" of the sports world, actually I avoid the rat race in my daily life. But, the nature of my pursuits sucked me into it like a hurricane and spit me out with a bitterness that I am having a hard time shaking.

Over the past 6 months I decided to take a long break from slacklining to clear my head and during that time period I had a lot of time to work things out. I started climbing a lot more, hiking, hanging out with my dogs, listening to music (which yes, sometimes includes Taylor Swift), working on my new relationship, and started an EMT course. Taking a step back I was able to see that I had been completely blinded by ONE thing. There is so much more to life than slacklining and I had been so immersed that I didn't see that for a long, long time. I'm not sure that I can turn my passion into my job and still maintain the love for it; the love I had in the beginning. Honestly, I miss the beginning. I miss what it felt like to walk a line I'd been working on for a long while: no pictures, no videos, nobody else around. THAT'S what I loved. I loved what it felt like to conquer a challenge even if nobody saw it.  Sometimes, I actually loved watching someone else walk more than I loved walking myself.

My dreams and goals have changed. I don't think that I can pursue highlining in the same way that I have in the past without losing the reason I do it in the first place. Ego gets in the way and takes over (and yes, we all have an Ego...even me). Sure, I'll continue to challenge myself, I can't live life without that. And if I get recognition I want it to be not only for my highlining skills and safe practices, but for my positive outlook and drive to be a better person overall. Over the years I've come across quite a few people would would push people down on their way to the top and it should never come to that. Is reaching the top ever more important than another human being? These adventure sports, there's a reason people do them. It's a phenomenal way to challenge the human body and mind and it feels euphoric to "cross the line" or "make it to the top". But when the reason we're doing it changes, so does that feeling.

My photo feature in Outside Magazine - The Details

When I met Krystle Wright, I never would have imagined that her photos of me would be dispersed around the world in multiple publications such as The London Times, Russian Photo Magazine, The Red Bulletin, and most recently Outside Magazine. I have been highlining for about 4 years now and until this point had only dreamed of having such exposure. This blog post is a HUGE thank you to Krystle (www.wrightfoto.com.au) for supporting me and being such an inspiration to me. Krystle follows her own path pursuing adventure photography and along the way is an amazing friend and overall fantastic person.

The photo below, featured in Outside Magazine - November Issue 2012, was shot outside of Moab, Utah in an Arch that I'd rather not share the location of. In the past, other slackliners/highliners have gotten upset when Krystle, or other photographers, shared even the name of the particular canyon the highline was in for fear that others would find it too easily, or that they could somehow get in trouble for rigging a line there.

This particular line was first established/found by another highliner but for this photo I did all of the rigging and walking, one of my most proud accomplishments yet. Half of the line was set up on traditional climbing gear (camelots and nuts) and the other side was 2 equalized bolts. To set it up, I rappelled down on each side to set up the anchors and as for the line, I had friends down below attach each end to a rope and I pulled the line up while sitting at the anchors. It was a bit of a tricky rig and a line that I wouldn't allow anyone else to step onto because I didn't want anyone to take a "whipper" on it (a fall onto the leash system). There was potential abrasion (the line rubbing against the rock) and lines set on traditional gear aren't designed to take large loads. At this point, I'm very solid on lines of this length and was confident I wouldn't overload the system with a fall. Overall, I am so proud and happy with the outcome and am excited to work with Krystle again.

For the online version of this, visit: 

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/Exposure-2012.html#gallery-photo-2


Caption:

"Apparently, Arch Highlines are hard to find," says Wright, who declined to reveal the precise location of this span between the legs of a 150-foot tall natural arch outside Moab, Utah. "The last time I told the press where I shot a slackliner, people got so ticked", says Wright. Despite the indiscretion, Emily Sukiennik, of Concord, New Hampshire, invited the Australia-based photographer to join her on a sunset slacklining trip during which Sukiennik traversed this 50 foot rope more than 20 times without falling."

Riverlining in Moab!

Gearing up to get on the line in my favorite Oakley's.

Since it's been so hot here in Moab (100 degrees almost everyday!) me and some friends have been rigging lines over the river when it cools down in the evening. It's such a nice place to rig long lines and work them! Recently my buddy Richard Webb and I rigged a 177 footer and a 200 footer (single Mantra webbing sold by Balance Community) and I was able to walk both of those which felt great. We are able to rig these lines without a backup because it's over the river and the consequences aren't deadly (which is a little easier on the mind as well). I love highlining with Richard because it's nothing but positive energy with that guy! He's really into highlining but is also an experienced skydiver, wingsuiter, BASE jumper and pilot. I'm super inspired by Rich and we are able to root each other on despite the fact that we are at different levels in the game. Rich is great.

Although I am feeling really solid on longer lines these days we rigged a 150 footer with double Mantra to train with the extra weight. On a typical highline rig, you always have a backup line so I want to get used to it and start feeling just as solid with it as I do without it. It adds such a different dynamic to the line which takes some getting used to. I walked the 150 six times and am so excited to take the lengths further and further. It's really difficult to describe the feeling of getting across such a long line after fighting so hard but I think it's a  combination of exhaustion, accomplishment, and pride that keeps me coming back for more.

On my first walk across the 150 I felt super stable and confident pretty much the whole way across, until I got to about 15 feet from the end. At that point, the tension of the line immediately shifts from the looseness of the middle to an extremely tight end. My body was really struggling to adjust and I was making a lot of larger corrections (throwing my arms around to save it). I happened to throw my arm in just the right way that I knocked my Oakley's off my head and into the river! The distraction caused me to fall. I couldn't seem to figure out which was more disappointing, losing my favorite sunglasses or falling 15 feet from the end! Ahhhh, I could hear Rich yelling from the other end, "Awwww Em......WHY!?"

Another great session with great company, so excited to keep at this quest for longer and longer lengths.

On my first walk, felt so solid until.....

Made it!! But notice my sunglasses are gone :(

Rich tying in and getting ready for his attempts. Look at that hippie! :-P

Rich fighting for it! 

My feature in The Times - London!

I was recently featured in The Times - London!! A photo of me highlining an Arch here in Moab by Krystle Wright made a half page appearance and I am so excited :-D Krystle is a 25 year old Adventure Sports Photographer that made a stop here in Moab and we made a point to get some excellent shots during her short stay. Check out the feature as well as the original photo. She's got some skills!! Stay tuned for more from Krystle and I and be sure to check out her website: www.wrightfoto.com.au

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Introducing Emily Sukiennik

Here is my ambassador profile on Oakley's Perform Beautifully Collective! :-D STOKED!!
Introducing Emily Sukiennik

Oakley Women's Retreat : Napa Valley, CA

I've had a wonderful beginning to my July! I recently won an ambassadorship with Oakley through their Perform Beautifully Contest and I was invited to attend their annual Women's Retreat in Napa Valley, California. I got to meet all of the new ambassadors for 2012 that also won the competition, some 2011 ambassadors and so many other inspirational women involved with the company. I learned a lot more about the brand, their products and what they stand for. I am so excited to be involved with a company that supports SO many different walks of life and ways of staying active. There are so many amazing women in the world and Oakley is doing a great job at representing them.

The retreat was UNREAL. I didn't really know what to expect before I got there, but it was out of this  world. Held at a resort right in the heart of Napa Valley, we each had our own suite. We were SHOWERED with Oakley gear, brand new Asics running shoes, a new Garmin wrist watch with GPS capabilities, a package from Fitness Magazine, and lots of other odds and ends. We ran a 5K, biked through Napa while stopping at 3 separate wineries for tasting, hiked, ate tons of great food, got to know each other and made some amazing new connections. I never really thought I'd be so lucky, but it looks like I've found an extremely supportive community of women!


Below is a video of the weekend that Oakley put together and some pics as well! All pics are by Shawn Parkin

           

Welcome to Napa!

The 5K at Trefethen Family Vineyards

Some of us on our TREK bikes before the bike ride/wine tour :)

A whole bunch of Oakley Women overtaking Napa!

Me and two of my fellow ambassadors, Page Spicer Williams and Christine Donaldson. Check out their sites!

On the hike

Beautiful ambassador ladies!

The 2012 Oakley Women Ambassadors
Page Spicer Williams, Fitz Koehler, Charlotte Neitzel, Natalia Maldonado, Carly Swanson, Maria Romaine, AJ Govoni, Me, Christine Donaldson and Cari Shoemate

I think I fell in love with road biking on this trip

New 2012 Oakley Women's Ambassadors

Here are the new 2012 Oakley Women Ambassadors! I'm so excited to be a part of the team and am inspired by you all. Gonna be a great year!
New 2012 Oakley Women's Ambassadors

Homeless by Choice

So yes, I am homeless by choice. I never imagined as a child that I would someday wish to be homeless, but here I am. There are many reasons for my choice and I've been getting a lot of questions lately about WHY I wouldn't want to just rent a place in Moab? Well....I've realized that I am very prone to getting into bad  "routines",  meaning that I tend to get lazy and stay inside a lot of the time when I have a comfortable place to live. Sounds strange for someone as outdoorsy as me, but sometimes I just get stuck inside and I don't really like that about myself. To remedy this tendency I've decided to live outside for a while and to be honest, it's extremely fun! I spend the day either working or playing outside in some manner....and as night falls I drive into the desert to find a place to rest my head. It's so beautiful being in the great wide open under the stars. I've never had so much time to ponder the cosmos, meditate, relax, breathe.....and each morning I get to witness the sunrise, something I've rarely witnessed in my lifetime.

I've come to the conclusion that no material item will ever matter as much as how I feel and living outside has made me feel ALIVE. Yes, it can be scary....but the more you do anything the more comfortable you become with it. I'm starting to feel comfortable without a home and a lot more comfortable with myself as a whole. Sometimes a drastic change is necessary in order to progress, and it's about time I made some major changes in my life.

Stay tuned for more revelations and self discovery. Thanks for following!!

Embarking on my own journey

I feel like I am finally ready to embark on my own personal journey. For the longest time I feel like I have been waiting for the right moment to take off, explore and do things for ME. If you follow me, it may seem like I have been doing just that; but, I haven't truly let go of the things that hold me back. Often times I feel myself tied down by finances, friends, a boyfriend, or worst of all: fear. Three years ago, I remember having this dream as I sat at my job in California: I imagined myself packing up my things into my car and taking off all alone to camp/live out of my car and experience the world through my own eyes. There's something about camping and living outside that brings me back to the basics of what life is really all about. For so long I've been living inside, spending too much time on the computer and dreaming about what it would be like to take off on my own. Back then I was terrified just thinking about doing something like this all alone! Today, I am finally at a point where I feel like I'm truly ready to do it. I want to learn how to live life only for myself and specifically, not depending on anyone else for my happiness. Being 25, almost 26, I feel like it's finally time to step up and learn what it means to truly live. This is really exciting for me and I'm going to be writing a lot along the way. My first stop is going to be Moab where I will be working as a waitress/bartender and camping/living out of my car to save money, climb, highline adventure as much as possible. I hope to save up enough money to do some traveling amongst other things. Here is a quote from one of my favorite books of all time, "Eay, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert, that sums up how I feel about what I'm about to do. 

“I've come to believe that there exists in the universe something I call "The Physics of The Quest"- a force of nature governed by laws as real as the laws gravity or momentum. And the rule of Quest Physics maybe goes like this: 

If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared - most of all -to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself....then truth will not be withheld from you." Or so I've come to believe.”  ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

GEAR REVIEWS MARCH 2012

I've decided to share some of my favorite outdoor gear lately. There is so much stuff on the market, but the following are what I've found to be the best of the best. Thanks to Mountain Hardwear, Balance Community, Chaco, Gregory Packs and Brooks-Range Mountaineering for providing me with some of this gear: it's been tremendously helpful!!

Nitrous Jacket by Mountain Hardwear

This is the women's Nitrous Jacket by Mountain Hardwear. I love it. It's super light, packs down nicely, comes in some amazing colors and is soft and cozy. It's perfect for mild temperatures but you can also layer underneath or over the top. It's definitely my favorite puffy right now! It also comes in men's or with a hood.

Women's Lomasi 60 Liter Pack by Mountain Hardwear

This is the women's Lomasi 60 liter pack by Mountain Hardwear. I am not sure I can say enough about it. It's the best 60 liter pack I've ever used and here's why. First of all, it has a removable brain and underneath that brain is a permanent "mini brain" to substitute if you are carrying lighter loads. It's super comfy and disperses weight very well. It also has an adjustable back for different body types. There is a waterproof compartment in the "mini brain" that's perfect for storing electronics or other items that should't get wet. There are many compartments on this pack, which I love, and it also has front access to the body.The zippers are high quality and I haven't had any trouble with them; I like that they are reinforced with plastic tubes which make them easier to zip open and closed. I love the "sinches"; the design makes it really easy to tighten and loosen. I haven't had a design like that before and I really like it. Because it's so adjustable, I feel like this pack is great for many different uses: day hikes, climbing trips, backpacking, overnights....I am recommending it to my friends!

Women's Epic Jacket by Mountain Hardwear

A fantastic hard shell for rainy or windy conditions, the women's Epic Jacket by Mountain Hardwear is such a pretty blue! Waterproof and with breathable material it allows for a very dry experience :-P There are also pit zips for extra breathability, an adjustable hood, and mesh pockets. YES!

Petit Dru Pro 85 Liter Pack by Gregory

This is the women's Petit Dru Pro 85 liter pack by Gregory. I am beyond excited to have this pack: it fits ALL of my highline gear (and that's a TON of gear) and it's also perfect for overnights. It has super durable material, reinforced gear loops, front access, a removable brain that becomes a "fanny pack" and has what they call the "Flo Form 2" waist belt which is SUPER comfortable. It's a squishy type material that feels really good against the skin and doesn't itch or scratch as you walk. I am in love with this pack and will be using it for all of my trips where a ton of gear is necessary. Thanks Gregory for supporting my lifestyle!

Women's Torlan Shoe by Chaco

Chaco just came out with a new spring line and this is one of their new approach shoes! It's called the Torlan for women (also available in men's) and is a great addition to their product line. It's a very versatile shoe that I've been wearing for hanging around, going to work, and approaching climbs/highlines. It's lace up, has Vibram rubber on the bottom which is nice and grippy and has a wider footbed for extra room. Love, love, love!

Updraft Sandal by Chaco

This is the new women's Updraft Sandal by Chaco! It has a new "TPU frame" with ergonomic support posts for light-weight fit (different than their original frame), it's vegan, and has a non-marking sole. Chacos are just the best for so many things! Everywhere I go, I see Chacos. Thanks Chaco for inviting me to be on your Ambassador Team! Here's a link to their recent blog post about the new team:

CHACOS NEW AMBASSADOR TEAM

1 inch threaded "Slack-Spec" webbing by Balance Community

This is my favorite webbing in the WORLD. I love tubular webbing to begin with, but when it's threaded it reduces sharpness of the line, distributes weight and therefore increases the life of your webbing. I love it for tricklining. When you're doing butt bounces, jumps, chest bounces it's much more forgiving than any Gibbon line. You get a lot more air time and therefore have more time in the air to adjust your body positions. I also like it for highlining anywhere from 20 - 60 feet. I like training tricklining on highlines with this webbing because it's so much softer on my body. It's the softest, bounciest, more special line ever.

SMC 3" Double Pulley sold by Balance Community

These are my favorite pulley's for slacklining by far. They are ball bearing so are super smooth and paired up they create a 5:1 pulley system tensioning lines up to ~300 feet. If you use 4 of them, you will have a 9:1 system allowing you to tension even longer lines. I love them for tricklining, longlining and highlining. My favorite for sure! I bring them on every slackline adventure. Thanks Balance Community for providing such high quality slackine gear and having me on the Pro Team! I am so grateful to be involved with such a professional and high quality gear provider.

BALANCE COMMUNITY PRO TEAM

Black Mountain Soft Shell by Brooks Range Mountaineering

Last but not least, this is the Black Mountain Soft Shell by Brooks Range Mountaineering. It's such a high quality soft shell I feel lucky that I get to wear it. It is a water-resistant and breathable material with a fleece lining for ultra comfort. It zips up high, covering your chin but also has a zipper chin guard. The hood is helmet compatable which I love and it is very warm by itself without any layering. Brooks Range is also coming out with a waterproof down jacket, so check out their website! www.brooks-range.com

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of these reviews and if there is anything else you would like to see on here.

My life: How did I get here?

When I was young I remember wanting to be so many things when I grew up.  Actually, one particular memory comes to mind.  In 5th grade I got an assignment in english class: What do you want to be when you grow up? My best friend Jenelle and I worked REALLY hard on coming up with our answers which ending up being: a Fairy and a Princess. Now, I don't think I've made it to Princess just yet but I'm pretty sure I'm getting close!

Jenelle and I being dorky 5th graders. This is kind of embarrassing but I just had to post it. Can't you imagine us as fairies and princesses?

When Jenelle and I turned 18 we got matching tattoos.  They mean "strength" and to me it's always meant "inner strength".  I got this before I started slacklining, but it's kind of perfect.

After all these years we've remained close friends. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding.

But in seriousness, what I really remember wanting to be the most was an Athlete. I remember watching the Olympic Games in my living room in North Tonawanda, New York and being astounded and inspired by what I saw. I'm not really sure why but I've always had an interested in athletics; I think I get it from my Dad who was always encouraging me to be active. At one time, I was very interested in gymnastics (inspired by the olympics) and began having neighborhood "competitions" that my father would judge. Who had the best cartwheel? The best round-off? Dad would always say "Remember to point your toes, girls!" I loved being outside and practicing with my sister and the neighborhood kids; it was one of my favorite things. I remember it so fondly that I sometimes wonder why I didn't persue gymnastics further. Instead, I played almost every team sport under the sun: baseball, softball, soccer, ice hockey, lacrosse, track and field and most importantly I ran cross country. Sophomore year of high school my friend Melanie was on the Cross Country team. I couldn't understand why she would want to put herself through torture running for no apparent reason. By some miracle, she convinced me to join the team (I'm still not sure how she did it). The first few weeks were some of the most challenging and grueling of my life. I still remember approaching my coach, Barb Higgins, and saying that I just didn't think I could do it. But Barb being the coach that she was just wasn't going to have it. She basically dismissed me saying that I had no business talking to her about quitting. I pushed through a few more weeks of practice and soon I started to feel like running might be possible. When I joined the team I was running a 28 minute 5K and by my senior year my best time was 23 minutes. I made it into the "Top 12" out of about 90 girls on the team and I will never forget the feeling of accomplishing something I thought was impossible. For the first time in my life I had pushed myself to my limit and ever since then I've had a bit of an obsession with that.

My Dad, introducing me to sports from the beginning.

As a kid, Dominique Moceanu was my hero. I wanted to be just like her.

Me as an itty bitty ice hockey player. Thanks Dad for putting me on an all boys team, I don't think I'd be as strong as I am today without you pushing me like you did.

Here's me with some girls from my cross country team. We painted ourselves to cheer on our teammates at States. It was about 20 degrees out!!

After high school I went to college at the University of New Hampshire. I had a really hard time feeling content there as it was a HUGE party school. I got caught up in the drinking scene, which was something I never wanted to fall into, and my life started to head downhill. I wasn't proud of who I was and I had lost what I stood for in life. I decided to apply to be a summer camp counselor over the summer to get away from the things that were dragging me down. This job single handedly changed my life. I was hired at a camp called Kingsley Pines as a lacrosse instructor (another sport I played in high school). I swear the counselors had even more fun than the campers did! This camp offered everything: team sports, rock climbing, mountain biking, waterskiing, rope swinging, archery, and a HUGE "blob" on the lake to play on (see pictures below). I had the time of my life there, met some of the most influencial people of my life and really had the time to figure out who I was. I realized there that I truly loved being outside, influencing younger kids, being a positive role model and truly pushing myself athletically. That summer I ran almost every morning, learned to waterski and wakeboard, taught lacrosse for 3 hours a day, and sat around a camp fire almost every night of the week reflecting and connecting with incredible people. I made such great friends there that I ended up traveling to England and Australia to visit some of them. 

This was the view....so peaceful and sometimes I dream of going back!

Three of the best girlfriends I made at camp. Sterlynn, Julia, and Lynde :)

THE BLOB!

Me with some of my campers and my co-counselor, Bobbi Jo. I really miss being able to work with this age group!

In 2009 I made a big move to San Francisco, California. I had been floating from college to college and boyfriend to boyfriend and I decided it was time to make a decision for myself. Something inside me said "SAN FRANCISCO", so I listened. I took a road trip across the country and my Dad insisted that he join me. It was a great bonding experience: just me, my dad and my dog Belle. We stopped by the Grand Canyon for our first visit and it was breathtaking. Strangely enough I remember being a little bit freaked out by the height!

Soon after settling in, I was hired at a Rock Climbing Gym in El Cerrito called Bridges and that's where my life took a major turn. I met two people: Andy Lewis and Damian Cooksey who will always remain two of the most influential people in my life. At the gym there were multiple slacklines set up: pieces of webbing tensioned between two anchor points meant for training your balance. I had seen slacklining before at summer camp a few years back and remembered really wanting to get good at it. But back then there was always a line of counselors and campers wanting to try it. Here, I could practice every day and the boys happened to be two of the best slackliners in the world. That being said, I learned all that I could from them. Andy taught me my first tricks and Damian helped me train for my first highlines. I eventually learned how to rig my own lines and started taking my friends out. I'm pretty sure it became an obsession and soon, it took over my life.

Damian and I being silly. We always had so much fun, he's an absolute trip.

Training at Bridges for my first highlines. Damian had rigged up a highline "simulator" for me, meaning that there was a backup line taped underneath so that I could get used to the weight and feel of a highline. 

This was so scary for me! The highline was about 40 feet long and 100 feet high, between two redwood trees. Andy has the footage somewhere, which I kinda hope is never released :-P 

A few months later after successfully walking the Lost Arrow Spire Highline in Yosemite Valley, I realized that I had found something really special. Maybe I had found what I was meant to do? I began reflecting on my childhood. Memories of my younger years practicing gymnastics in the front yard started to make more sense. There is so much potential on the slackline and it has really become my own form of gymnastics. I'm so grateful to have found this sport, it's changed my life not only physically but to me it's a form of meditation. When I'm on the line nothing else matters. My anxiety slips away and I am free to  focus only on my balance, breathing and control. For me, being on the line feels like home.

My walk of the "Lost Arrow Spire" in Yosemite. This was one of the first highlines to be rigged and walked by Scott Balcom. One of the most classic highlines in the world!

For the past three years I have dedicated my life to perfecting the art of slacklining. There are three aspects to the sport: tricklining, longlining and highlining. I've really taken a liking to highlining and that's what I've been focusing on the most. As of right now, I have walked 60 highlines across the USA.  My number one goal is to combine all three apsects. I want to perform tricks on long and extremely exposed highlines. For me, this requires the ultimate control. I've been practicing on some shorter (and less exposed) highlines but want to take it to the next level. It's so exciting when I think about all the time I have to progress! Below are some favorite photos taken of me over the past few years. Enjoy, and thanks so much for reading!!