Miles & Mountains
Join Nick, a social worker and coach by day, as he unravels the inspiring stories of athletes and the public, uncovering the motivations behind their actions, from conquering mountains to participating in ultra-endurance races and competing in rodeos. Get ready for heartwarming tales of community support, acts of kindness, and the revelation that everyone has a deeper story to tell. Whether it's running, climbing, or participating in rodeos, these stories will inspire and uplift. #Running, #Climbing, #EverydayAthletes, #Rodeo
Miles & Mountains
Into the Wild: One Woman's Journey Through Ultra-Endurance Adventures
What drives someone to bike 631 miles across Idaho for charity, swim five miles through frigid waters with their 70-year-old grandmother, or keep pursuing extreme physical challenges after surviving a rocket attack in Syria?
Meet Melisa Creek, an ultra-endurance athlete and military veteran whose extraordinary journey blends adventure with purpose. In this raw, captivating conversation, Melisa takes us from the grueling slopes of Mount St. Helens to the treacherous Aasgard Pass in the Enchantments, sharing what motivates her to constantly push beyond perceived limitations.
"I love feeling kind of beat down," she admits with surprising candor. "I love that feeling of doing something I didn't know if I was capable of doing." This philosophy has guided Melisa through remarkable feats, including a cross-state bicycle journey just weeks before deployment and swimming Wallowa Lake in 52-degree water only three months after giving birth.
Beyond the physical challenges, Melisa offers a powerful perspective on resilience after trauma. Her experience surviving an Iranian rocket attack while deployed fundamentally changed her relationship with everyday stress: "Being at work during a rush—I feel like I'm able to keep my composure because we're not getting blown up. It's just coffee."
Throughout our conversation, Melisa reveals how these extreme pursuits have evolved from potential escape mechanisms in her youth to becoming deliberate choices for personal growth and self-discovery. With future goals including qualifying for the prestigious Western States ultramarathon and climbing Mount Rainier, her story reminds us that the human spirit thrives not in comfort, but in challenge.
Whether you're an aspiring athlete, outdoor enthusiast, or simply someone seeking inspiration to push beyond your own boundaries, Melisa’s journey demonstrates how facing our limits—both physical and mental—can lead to profound transformation and unexpected joy.
Shoutout to :
Melisa Creek
Jose Garcia
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Music, Music, Melissa Creek. How are you? I'm good. How are you doing? I'm good, I'm good. I just got done with a workout. I guess you did too, correct.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, just came out of a workout, showered, thank goodness.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, I just got done. Showering I just got done, you know getting this ready.
Speaker 1:The setup I just got done, you know getting this ready the setup, because last time I did this setup I was in Motel 6 in Pendleton during, right before, the Whiskey Fest. And thank goodness I got there when I did because I guess there was a like a two hour traffic jam into Pendleton for the Whiskey Fest, so it paid off. Pendleton for the Whiskey Fest, so it paid off. We got there like around 8, 9 o'clock in the morning at Motel 6. And where we parked we can just take the shuttle. So that was the last time I actually used this setup and at Motel 6. Yeah, so I got this ready, just got done, you know, doing the workout.
Speaker 2:Started CrossFit after cancer and was just like you know I'm missing something and weights and more being more well-rounded is what I've been missing Having a more like athletic approach to fitness rather than like just getting too much on one side. Yeah, yeah, and you feel like you get athletic fat, you know you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like you work out, you work out, you work out, but it's just like, okay, I'm not seeing any results, right?
Speaker 2:Since I started, I've seen tremendous results Since you started doing CrossFit, yeah.
Speaker 1:Even on the trails. You know I've been maxing out. Now I gradually have been working, you know, up to what I have have and I've been maxing out p and r prn and everything else and did the enchantments just recently. Okay, when did you go earlier this month? Okay, there's still snow up there a little bit, a little bit, but not not a lot, not not at all, not like when jose and I did the through hike a couple years ago before he went on downrange.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah and no. No, definitely, it was clear as a whistle. It is cold up top, especially at night, right, but during the day it's great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's fun. Yeah, when we went, when we came back from deployment, it was going to that first lake, Colchuk Lake.
Speaker 1:Colchuk yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, colchuk, yeah truck, yeah, cold truck is amazing. I don't really like that hike because a lot of people don't talk anything about up to cold chuck. Sorry, I'm messing with this.
Speaker 2:I need to quit because it's making like fart noises, so sorry, yeah, did you hear that I'm like oh, my gosh, I was like oh, but I saw you playing with something.
Speaker 1:I didn't know what it was, so I had to throw it away, because it was like and I didn't want people to think like, oh, my goodness, he's playing hijinks.
Speaker 1:But so, Coach Chuck, no one talks about the hike up. Everybody's like, oh, the lake, right, that hike is quite strenuous it is. Yeah, a hike is quite strenuous, it is. A lot of people go there and they are not ready for it, they're unprepared, they get lost. I saw a bunch of people get lost just trying to find the lake. I don't know how that is, but you know they used us, xavier and I, to get to the right path to the lake and it's, it's, it's fun. But everybody's like, oh, cold shuck, cold shuck, right, no, it's about the core, the core is where it's at. And then, yeah, going up to the core and the back behind the core, when you start, you know, going down to snow lake, it's, you don't hear about it right, and those, those, I think it's because it's the miserable part, but I think people need to start talking about it more. Yeah, because that through hike the enchantments is overrated because of those two approaches.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:That's just me.
Speaker 2:I haven't through hiked the whole thing.
Speaker 1:You haven't and you're going to do that correct.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're going to do that, probably in about three weeks.
Speaker 1:Three weeks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, whatever weekend Jose doesn't have his kids, okay, because they wouldn't be able to do it, but not at this age anyway.
Speaker 1:I didn't think Xavier would do it because he's a big, burly ex-football guy and he conquered it Asgard Pass. I know ex-football guy and he conquered it. Asgard passed it like.
Speaker 2:I know I'm saying it wrong, but it's an ass kicker, hopefully you don't mind me saying that on your episode it's an ass kicker, but it's uh well, I mean, we just got done doing mount st helens yeah, and that's deceiving. I was telling that, jose well, because online it says that it's a moderate no, it's not, it's strange and I'm like no I've done a ton of hiking in my life and I this was the sixth mountain I've summited- yeah and probably the toughest the worst terrain, and I've been in higher elevation too yeah but like you know that, there's like a different set of complications that come with elevation and things like that, but like you trade that for the how rough the terrain is on Mount St Helens.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, the elevation to like prominence. It's definitely different than all the others and and it's deceiving. Like I told Jose, I was like dude that this kick your butt, you know.
Speaker 2:And it's almost like. Asgard actually how it approaches just straight up, and it's also deceiving too, because you see it from a distance and you're like oh yeah. But then when you're on it, you're like holy crap, how am I not at the top yet?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then 30 miles away from it. You see, Adams, You're going to be like man. I'm so glad I'm not up there, but I would rather do Adams than St Helens, believe it or not.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's just my thought. People fight me for it, but that's my thought. I'm sticking to it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, mount St Helens, there have been longer, even steeper, hikes that I've done compared to Mount St Helens, but the fact that you have to climb over all of those boulders, yeah and it's you're gonna have to do that.
Speaker 1:You're gonna have to do that after kolchak right, yeah, right on that, that rock fall the yep by the uh, the end of the lake and up asgard pass a bit and then it's just jose was like saying because he's done it.
Speaker 2:Obviously he was saying with and snow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he was saying because he's done it.
Speaker 2:Obviously. He was saying In snow. Yeah, he was saying that he would rather do that.
Speaker 1:The snow.
Speaker 2:Well, the Asgard Pass rather than what we did on Mount St Helens. We're also in different shape now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would say I would take Asgard. Pass over St Helens just because of the scree.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:The scree at St Helens is just hell.
Speaker 2:It's like one step up, two steps back you know and you sink and it's just, but it was worth the views. The views were incredible.
Speaker 1:So a lot of people, let's go back to the enchantments, okay. So a lot of people think they're going to go conquer, go up Asgard and be like, oh gosh, it's too late or we don't have enough time. We're going to go down Asgard. Has that thought even been approached in your mind?
Speaker 2:So that happened to us last time because we were like we're going to go straight up and go to the summit and then come back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no Right.
Speaker 2:But we got a really late start. I think I don't remember what happened, why we didn't get get there on time yeah but we got to the trailhead at probably like eight o'clock yeah, it's too late it's way too late and especially like I was pregnant at the time. But but I didn't know I was pregnant yet and I was just dragging like really bad and my sister and I had done a race and then we also did the backyard ultra as well.
Speaker 2:All kind of within the same, like two, three weeks, and every single time I did something I was like, oh my God, I feel like I don't know what's wrong? With me Like am I out of shape? Like how am I out of shape? I just got done with deployment, like, but that was. I felt like it took me forever just to get to Kolchak Lake.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And then when we got to where the pass was, I was like I don't think we're going to get up and back down safely before, so so from from the start of the trailhead to the top of asgard pass, it's 6.1 and I and as much as I'm murdering, asgard pass I don't really care, it's like ars guard or, but asgard pass.
Speaker 2:I'm saying it guys okay, asgard pass, I don't care.
Speaker 1:People are going to be like, oh god, this guy no, yeah, but it comments like this is how it's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, just, you know I get it a lot, but. But no, it's 6.1. If you can get to 6.1 and with with a, you know, minimal pack, you know, bring a filter. If you need a filter, I got you, but you can do. People say they get 20 miles, they get 22 miles. It depends on how far you get off track or off the path. But we stayed on the path, we did extras, but it didn't include the trail, it was 18. It was 18 something.
Speaker 2:So if you stay on the path, like everybody's supposed to yeah not sightsee 24 7, just sightsee on for trail right, it is 18, it is 18 okay, yeah, because I think he he said that when you guys did it, like his, his fitbit or whatever he was wearing said 20 something yeah, because we had, we did a detour.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we did a detour because that one pass that we couldn't get to, that I went on uh-huh, just recently. Yeah, I was talking about like we almost saw the person pat, you know die. We had to leave this one person like for real. I even I felt bad, but I was like dude, let's not look back, just keep going.
Speaker 2:They were ill-prepared, you know yeah, and so we're like oh my goodness.
Speaker 1:But what we did and seeing what we missed, I'm glad we did what we did because we would have made it out of there. That pass was quite treacherous and, you know, just without snow alone, you know and there's no way. There's no way. We would have passed it, but the way we did it was the best way okay, yeah, well at the time because there was a ton of snow.
Speaker 2:Oh, I remember seeing pictures on instagram when he, when you guys did it and I was like dang, where are they?
Speaker 1:yeah, a ton of snow and it was, yeah, I and, being up there just recently, I would rather do it with snow really, rather than do it on the rocks, yeah it just I feel more comfortable with on snow well, if you're wearing crampons yeah I feel like you you know you kind of grab a little bit better, whereas like if you're on rock, you don't know if the rock's gonna like slip out yeah or trusting the tread on your shoes also but you also.
Speaker 1:It's also like when, when the snow, you also have to worry about uh breaking into the the water yeah, and stuff like that. But the snow makes it seem like it's a simpler trail than it is right because it's like, mostly straightforward in between instead of around every damn lake.
Speaker 2:There's so many ponds, slash lakes up there it's like oh my gosh, you can kind of like draw more of a straight line with your mind rather than yes, like having like oh, I have to climb over that rock and then I have to go around this tree or yes, that kind of a thing.
Speaker 1:It's just like, oh okay, well, here's the line I'm gonna take it yes, and and when you guys go up there, coming up in three weeks, jose's going to think the same thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's going to think the same thing.
Speaker 1:So, speaking of Jose, how's Jose?
Speaker 2:Jose's good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hanging in there.
Speaker 2:He's hanging in there.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He work's been hard for him, I think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, been hard for him. I think, yeah, he's. I think he just uh, he's ready for a change, I think, I think. I think I'm ready for him to change. He has to make that change.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he has to make that.
Speaker 1:We're not gonna go where he works right, right, definitely, he needs to make the change. If he's gonna do it, especially in the field that he's in, he has to make it himself yeah no one will do it for him. He has to make it and bite the bullet, kind of thing yeah seeing him at a bombing range.
Speaker 1:When I did a rattlesnake recently yeah, random, I was like I knew I saw you man, I knew there was a bunch. I saw a bunch of you know guys in high and tights I saw I knew it was you man and yep I swear he gets larger and larger every time I see him I feel like it's really.
Speaker 2:It's funny because I see him every day, so but I was just looking at pictures on my phone from back, like it was like before we deployed, when we were in texas together large and we were. You know, there's like a picture of us hanging out in this rainstorm and he, like, everybody like took their shirts off and they're like running around in the rainstorm. Yeah, yeah, yeah, crazy people and the picture of him and I'm like, oh my gosh, was he ever that small Like?
Speaker 2:I was like because, like now, like his arms are like the size of my legs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's huge, Like he's, yeah, Like he's not fat, no, no, no. He probably will say he's fat yeah he.
Speaker 2:Yes, you know everybody kind of has that like body dysmorphia kind of thing going on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh yeah. Yeah. He'll say he's Dude is freaking jacked and he can lift the weights.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And from when I saw him before deployment, hung out with him, did races with him did crosser to my house, you know done all kinds of adventures with him to now. It's like total different person.
Speaker 2:It is yeah. Well, the other day I needed something from him and he's working out in the garage. We have this like hundred pound sandbag.
Speaker 1:And he just lifted like he's just like grabbing it and throwing it over his shoulder.
Speaker 2:Turning around grabbing it and throwing it over his shoulder he didn't say like babe, turn around.
Speaker 1:No, I don't want you to see the struggle.
Speaker 2:He just went for it and was like yeah, I got this so he did it a couple of times before he noticed I was there and I was just like, hey, you're coming in for dinner yeah, he's big, he's big
Speaker 2:but he's moving up in the ranks too, right the guard so the job that he's going into with the guard he has to take like a voluntary demotion in order to go to the school, but then, as soon as he's done with the school, they're gonna promote him again okay yeah, it's uh nothing bad happened, ass backwards it is but the the school he's going.
Speaker 2:Oh, can I say what he's? He's gonna be eod, yeah, eod, yeah and so it's a, it's a really long school and and he really he wanted, he wanted to do that when he first joined yeah, but it wasn't really like in the cards said no one ever no one wants to do that. I mean I was. I was actually going to do that up until recently. That was like my plan after I got home from deployment was to go to eod.
Speaker 1:But well, what's the uh god ordinance?
Speaker 2:oh yeah, ordinance, yeah, I was part of ordnance school, so yeah, oh, you were, yeah, yeah, but not eod the navy. No, army, army. You were in there. Oh yeah, I was in the army. I thought for some reason you were air force or there was a lot of chemical weapons kind of stuff. So yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Actually, I don't think I knew what you did when you a lot of people don't serving a lot of people don't.
Speaker 1:One of these days I'll say I know I've been saying it for the longest time it's going to come out soon, but no, yeah, ordinance. I totally dealt with the ordinance part, and where's the school?
Speaker 2:Is it in? It's in. So the first two months is in Virginia and the last seven months is in Florida.
Speaker 1:Okay, you going with them.
Speaker 2:So we've kind of pondered the the like, positives and negatives of both sides and I think what we're just. Ultimately it's going to be better, I think, financially and for his education at the school, if he just goes by himself okay, so shout out to jose joe garcia.
Speaker 1:As you guys know, he used to be a regular. He needs to come back on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, get him back on here.
Speaker 1:But no more of Joe Baby's healthy, baby's good.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Taken after you, hopefully Not like him. Doesn't look like him at all.
Speaker 2:He, yeah, he definitely. I feel like he is taken after my side of the family a little bit more. He's a little bit more because you know, jose, he's kind of on the quieter side and me and, well, my son, are not. You get him going on an adventure. You can get him going, yeah.
Speaker 1:And like some tequila you're good? Oh yeah, definitely, and some food, and some food.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, yeah, I mean, but I feel like he is definitely more of a few words kind of person in the presence of, like people he doesn't know super well.
Speaker 1:I gotcha.
Speaker 2:Whereas, like I don't know, I feel like I can like run my mouth into a wall sometimes. I gotcha, I gotcha, I'm a little bit more.
Speaker 1:You won't do that here.
Speaker 2:You won't do that here. No, not gonna do that here.
Speaker 1:So melissa, the first time I caught wind of you was with jose, his last episode, right like not as soon as you guys got back from your deployment, but you were pregnant. He was doing, you know, the backyard. I saw you guys and it was weeks later. I saw you like almost almost a year later yeah right, so last time I saw you was episode 229, which this will be 256, a lot have happened.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it would have been happening, yeah cancer.
Speaker 1:You know deaths and everything else, but it was june 26, 2024, was when last time I had an episode of you or with him on and published. A lot has changed, baby. You guys got your life back together. Things are looking easier for both of you.
Speaker 2:Right, right, yeah, things are on a good path right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, but when we were doing the episodes, some things just came up. I'm like who's this? Jose dude, you got no, you got nothing. You got nothing on this gal.
Speaker 2:I want this gal on, you know, and I'm just like, oh god hey, jose, look, look, let's talk, but can't do it.
Speaker 1:Can't do it because I didn't want to. You know, mix it up and everything else but it it appeared at the time when we were doing that episode that you had more to say than you put out there. Finally, year later and a month and a few days later, we, we got you. So we're here to talk about. Well, just talk about the enchantments, we will talk more about that, but I want to talk about this adventure that you had by yourself in the state of Idaho.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh.
Speaker 1:Okay, you did the Canadian border, the road 95?.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, mostly highway 95.
Speaker 1:Mostly highway. 95 from Canada border all the way to Idaho-Nevada border. Yeah on my bike. 95 from Canada border all the way to Idaho Nevada border.
Speaker 2:Yeah, on my bike.
Speaker 1:Okay. So when, when I do adventures, I think of that kind of stuff, but not the old distance, the long, yeah, I do, but it's just like I wish I. I mean, if I didn't have kids I'd do more.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:So I normally cut it up. You know, I'll just do a day adventure and try to get as many miles as I can you know from here to there and right it works. But canada border to idaho nevada how old were you? Oh man, I was 26 26, what gave you that idea or thought of just doing that adventure alone? You did it alone, correct?
Speaker 2:So I rode alone. So all the miles that I rode I was by myself, but my boyfriend at the time he met me like every 20 to 30 miles. He had food and stuff and so he kind of was like a support sort of deal.
Speaker 1:Were you always in those kind of adventures? Did you live that lifestyle?
Speaker 2:I feel like it's kind of come in and out of my life.
Speaker 1:Like sporadic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I kind of go off on these adventures, I guess, when I feel like there's a personal I don't know, I don't know if crisis is the right word.
Speaker 1:Just get your mind away. You think yeah.
Speaker 2:And to just kind of challenge myself, to kind of remind me of who I am, I guess.
Speaker 1:But you can't do that like through a workout like a Jose. Garcia regimen workout.
Speaker 2:Throw my hundred pound sandbag over your shoulder and then your baby on the other arm.
Speaker 1:So what?
Speaker 2:Yeah, just one handed and just do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:No, my. So I had gotten the idea. I don't remember what I was listening to. I think I was listening to a podcast. It was called Stuff you Should Know and they were talking about ultra running and things like that, and this was a long time ago. This was probably I think I was probably 22 when I heard this episode of Stuff you Should Know and they talked about how people like David Goggins and people like that will do these races or whatever for some sort of charity or for some sort of like helping a person and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And I came up with the idea back then that I would either cycle or run it and I was like, oh, I could do the state of idaho, because I was living in moscow at the time, okay, and I was like that would be like super cool. But then it kind of like just fluttered away and I didn't think about it until I have a friend in the army who he was. Him and his daughter were shot by his stepson and both in bad condition. He almost lost his life. She is going to go through a lot of different surgeries to be able to walk right again and and all this stuff.
Speaker 2:And the military helped a ton, because that's, you know, what the military does. Yeah, they helped a lot with like getting the, the surgeries and stuff that they needed and stuff but and covering the bills. But then I was like, well, she's gonna miss a lot of school, she's gonna be doing a lot of physical therapy, she's, you know, she's gonna be going through it. And so when all this happened, that's when I kind of came up with the idea, like I kind of reverted back to the thought that I had when I was like 22 about doing this big race and so I tried to get as much of a following on social media as I could.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think I I did the. I not race, I did the the ride to try to raise money for his daughter to kind of help with like just everyday things and like trying to just get back to normal life. Okay.
Speaker 1:Was it successful.
Speaker 2:It was. I mean, I mean charity wise charity wise. I mean like I wish we would have raised more money, but I think that I just am not really savvy when it comes to like building a big social media deal.
Speaker 1:Like the council right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we raised.
Speaker 1:I think you can't beat yourself up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we raised like $2,600, I think Okay. That's $2,600 more than they had. Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:I mean from the start, hello yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, and it was, it was kind of small potatoes, but I mean it was something they were thankful right yeah, they were thankful right yeah, they were.
Speaker 1:And how did you feel afterwards?
Speaker 2:It's funny because when you do these things for a charitable thing, you know you're telling yourself that it's for this charitable thing, but at some point it kind of has to be about something else.
Speaker 1:I feel like, yeah, and so I don't know at what point.
Speaker 2:Probably second day.
Speaker 1:The second day was rough.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the second day is always's always. The third day and the fourth day were rough too, but no, but I feel like eventually it kind of becomes about something else and not just you know the the reason you're doing it, but like it because you know it starts to become more personal, okay, and more of like a personal accomplishment so to you, what was it mostly? The only word I can really use to describe the experience is gratitude.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So like having the I mean not everybody has the like physical capability to experience something like that. Correct To experience what it's like to push yourself to that ultimate level.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, to the limit. I mean, you're on a bike, I don't care if it's running or biking. Yeah, running or biking, yeah, running biking.
Speaker 2:Biking stuff too. It's you know, or whether it's just you know hitting a new pr and a crossfit workout you know, like it's. I mean, not everybody has a physical capability to do those things, or the desire but it's like I think that I was extremely. I stopped about like 10 miles from the end of my ride and I just kind of like looked out and like looked back and I was like just looking at like a wall of Hills.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're like oh shit, I just did that yeah.
Speaker 2:I was thinking like. I was like thinking about every stupid grade and every time I cried, and every time I like had to, you know, nurse my butt from sitting on the seat. A saddle chafe is a real thing Hamburger meat, yeah. So how, yeah, how how many miles it ended up being 631.
Speaker 1:Yeah, did you ever think about quitting?
Speaker 2:I don't think I don't think I ever thought like, about like, oh, I just I'm just going to stop right here, this is good. I don't think that thought ever crossed my mind. But the thought of like, oh, maybe if I just get a little too dehydrated and I have to go to the hospital.
Speaker 1:Sabotage yourself you better stop that.
Speaker 2:It's like if something you know, something forces me to not be able to complete it, then you know, so be it.
Speaker 1:You're okay with it instead of quitting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there were moments like that. But you know if the circumstance was out of my hands, but I don't think I ever thought I'm just going to park it here and go home.
Speaker 1:So you completed it. First thing you did Well, we got in the border of it's nothing. There's nothing there there's no.
Speaker 2:My, my parents came down for the last day to kind of support, yeah, and they had to drive like 50 miles away because I ran out of water and it was very dry and there's like no lakes out there in the middle of nowhere and my and they drove out to go get some water for me because it was like it was supported yeah, yeah, yeah but like it's uh barely yeah, but there wasn't a lot of yeah, there's hardly anything.
Speaker 1:I mean you run out of gas. You're like, oh my God, yeah, you know, turn off everything but the engine, exactly.
Speaker 2:Roll down all your windows, yep.
Speaker 1:I've done that plenty of times, because I always go to Tahoe and always try to like take the car to the limit. Yeah, I'd never do it again. I'd never do that. I, I'd never do it again.
Speaker 2:I'd never do that. I'd never do it yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nope, nope. So I always gas up and like right, oh God, what is that? I can't think of the like right after you go from Idaho back into Oregon.
Speaker 2:Oh Ontario.
Speaker 1:No, not Ontario, it's after that, it's on the tip of my tongue. Nope, nope, nope, nope, past that, past that.
Speaker 2:We're going south.
Speaker 1:Going south. Dermot, I know Dermot.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, right before Dermot.
Speaker 1:God it's in Oregon, but I always fill up there Always fill up there. God, I can't think of it. It's eastern Oregon. Watch, it's gonna be.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, there it goes, yeah, yeah okay, and what was the first meal you had when you accomplished it? My, we drove back to mountain home, idaho, and I ate at wingers. I think I got like 20 wings. Yeah, I got like a bunch of wings. I think I had a drink. I was really. Wingers is a thing in Idaho. Yeah, wingers is a real big thing in Idaho.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I was that last day was the hottest and I think it had the most hills, and so when I and I got very badly sunburned and so I was like super out of it when I finished and I was just sort of like I'm going to crash and I'm just going to. I finished and I was just sort of like I'm going to crash and I'm just going to, and so I, I like, like trudged through my, my wings, and then yeah, did you have a beer?
Speaker 1:Yes, oh you don't remember, so you did.
Speaker 2:Yes, I think I did have a beer.
Speaker 1:Doing that stuff.
Speaker 2:A beer just kind of makes everything yeah.
Speaker 1:Makes it. The moment you sip you get a little loopy after something. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, you get a little loopy. So, okay, that's your story and you're sticking to it yep, yeah, that was that was no, it was charity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was for for a charitable thing cause. Yeah yeah I think the the most fun part of it was right outside of Grangeville there is it's called Whitebird Pass.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it is, I think, like seven or eight miles of I think it's like a 9% grade.
Speaker 1:Downhill or uphill. Downhill. Yeah, oh, you were just flying. You're like, oh, this is the easiest nine miles ever.
Speaker 2:I was like this is the easiest nine miles ever like. This is awesome. I just like I just put the headphones in and I was just like just bopping to my music and just like flying, I'm like hopefully I don't hit a nail or something because I'm not gonna make it did you listen to music most of the way?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, I listen to.
Speaker 2:There were, like the first couple of days it was sort of like a loop of like a lot of my favorite songs and then I listen to Can't Hurt Me because I don't know.
Speaker 1:I feel like David Goggins' book oh, okay, I feel like I listen to that book anytime, I kind of need a little bit of a boost you and Jose, you guys are meant to be. He loves Goggins. I don't mind Goggins.
Speaker 2:His stuff. I think should be taken with a grain of salt. But there's a lot of good stuff in his message. Oh yeah, that's for sure.
Speaker 1:I wish he didn't cuss as much.
Speaker 2:I mean it gets the point across, it's part of his thing, it is kind of his thing.
Speaker 1:But it's just you. You know, the more I learn I would take him over cam haines any day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've, I've listened. I've read cam haines's book too and I just kind of think I david goggins kind of has more of an honest arrogance yeah, yeah, where I feel like cameron cameron is kind of. It's almost a little bit for the.
Speaker 1:Paid.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's getting paid to talk or say things. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's how he is on the podcast. Yeah, that's how he is on the podcast. I got you, I got you. I say it all the time. I'm a fan of him. Before, podcasts, right, and now he just spits anything that is.
Speaker 2:I think that's a lot of people.
Speaker 1:He just spits anything that is in his money in his pocketbook.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that's a lot of people. You get people, you start listening to Joe Rogan and stuff and you kind of start to see a little bit more of what these people who you kind of idolize a little bit, are actually like, and you're like, maybe, maybe not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would say Joe Rogan, he does what he does, but I still think he's stayed true ever since.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 1:I think he just has the money and makes the money that he can say whatever, and then he either gets canceled or not, yeah, or he loses a fan or a listener and then he gains four more. You know yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean like, like, I think that what? What people really want nowadays is they just want people who's telling the truth? Yeah, yeah like, and I really do feel like joe rogan is doing his best to actually find the truth oh yeah you might not always like what he's saying, but I think that I don't think that he's like paid to just spew garbage you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, oh yeah, successful. I mean look at all the conspiracy theorists, you know, and not conspiracy theorists anymore but we won't go. Super true, we won't go there, yeah we won't go there, so you did that. What other things have you done in the ultra endurance world?
Speaker 2:last summer, but I think I was three months, three or four months postpartum my grandma and I swam the length of walawa lake no, there's north south.
Speaker 1:Uh, yes, not east west because it's shorter. Yeah, north south yeah, I think.
Speaker 2:I think it was like five, like after the, you know, swimming this way yeah trailing off and getting back on course and trailing off yeah, yeah, was it windy? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've been there quite a few times, I know, yeah, yeah yeah, I think it ended up being like five miles at the end, but I crashed out that was cold, that's cold, it's cold, that's cold. Really cool. Did you have what suit um? Or you did it?
Speaker 1:all, no freaking.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So did my grandma.
Speaker 2:My grandma is 70.
Speaker 1:Shout out to grandma oh my God, five miles in the frigid cold water.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wallowa Lake, yeah, it was the warmest day of the year up at Wallowa Lake.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I when I Googled what the lake's temperature was that day at I think it was like we got in the water at like nine and I think am yeah, 9 am and it said that it was too cold 52 degrees and, at the end of the day, what was it?
Speaker 2:at the at the hottest point during the day. I think it said it was 56 and then nope no see, I I'm pretty sure that's what it was. And then I crashed out. I was like I was so exhausted, sunburned and borderline hypothermic and I was afraid I was going to drown. And everybody was like, hey, you can always come back next year, let's get you out of the water before you drown.
Speaker 1:So my question to you is what I mean three months after having a baby? What made you have that?
Speaker 2:idea. So my grandma has swam Wallowa Lake. This will be, I think, her fifth time in her life. She used to live in a cabin up at Wallowa Lake.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And she was a competitive swimmer and she lifeguarded and swimming was like her passion. Okay, she was a competitive swimmer and she lifeguarded and swimming was like her passion and she she hadn't done it since she was, I think, like in her 40s yeah, and she was like I want to do it. 30 years later she's like I want to do it with you yeah well, she turned uh 70 in december and she's like okay, I want to do it one last time, you know, before the end of my time watch her do it and that's exactly she when we got done when we got done.
Speaker 2:We're both like white. Our skin is like ghost white. We had like no circulation, you've been in there for five hours. Yeah, and we're like shivering, like rocking back and forth like crazy people and and she's like I'm never doing this again. And just the other day I was talking to her and we were talking about the swim and everything. She's like I think I'm going to do it again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I told you, I knew it, I knew it. It takes a special person to actually do you know, those kind of adventures. Yeah, you know, like you know, you just out of the blue, doing that charitable work for my, you know, Canada to Idaho-Nevada border. This I mean Jose and I going to Prosser to hear me, you know, going from Burbank to almost Dayton. And then a year later, you know, because I've been doing that all on Black Fridays. So what I'll do is, after Thanksgiving, just go on an adventure.
Speaker 1:This past year I went from my house to Hermiston.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then people are like oh, you're nuts, but there has to be a reason why people do this, and I know my reason. I'm freaking nuts, I'm not saying you are, I'm just going to stick to my my answer because it's not.
Speaker 1:It's not so easy to say it, but I'll leave it there because I'll one day state why I do what I do. But why? Why do you do what you do? Why just go from Idaho? You know, do that why. Why five hours in Wallowa Lake? Well, I mean, why not? You know do that. Why five hours in Wallowa Lake? I mean, why not? You know, do something. You know, like the Badger Mountain Challenge.
Speaker 2:That is on the docket. Okay, yeah, that's on the docket. I just I don't think I'll be ready for it this year. I do have something coming up in December. I wanted to do something for my 30th, but what about, like you know, know from your house to rattlesnake. Well, that would be interesting you know?
Speaker 1:yeah, that would be cool. I got something on my sleeve. I don't know if I'm gonna wait until the end of this summer because I'm on break right now. The heat's the only thing that's stopping me, but I might end up doing it.
Speaker 1:Black friday people are gonna call me nuts, but I'm not gonna state it, because I don't want someone to say oh, I did that, you know or I did it before you know, right, because it's it's unthinkable and it'll be cool to have jose, or you know, be part of it, but I'll tell you after air people pay you for it. You better give me the money, because it's gonna.
Speaker 2:It's quite the adventure I'm, I'm, I'm always up for an adventure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah my, my other adventure next year before spring. I wanted to do it this year but go do the palouse to cascades, oh that would be cool I didn't want to go downhill like starting palouse falls no palouse idaho, the, the, the town, okay, uh no, uh, the the border. Have you heard of the palouse, the cascades trail?
Speaker 2:I think so it's like, it's like a main trail that basically just goes straight through washington right yep, yep, yeah, yeah, yeah I thought it was john wayne trail or something like that, I guess I thought it started in the town of palouse, because the town of palouse is, like, really close to the border yeah, it's in the border, so it's like you know the palouse area.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the cascades is gonna do that. I bought. I bought a stroller and everything else to hold the water and yeah, just the tent and stuff like that wife was like why? Are you buying this? Why are you buying? That I'm like because I got something on my sleeve. But I'm going to put that on hold. Yeah, but things are doing better just because of the whole cancer thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's great. Why, why?
Speaker 1:Why do it? Yeah, why do what you do?
Speaker 2:I think I've kind of had a lot of answers to that question throughout the years and I just don't think I guess I kind of do it for my future self. It's like I want to be. You know my grandma's age.
Speaker 1:Doing that seven years old.
Speaker 2:Still rocking out a five mile swim in hypothermic water, you know. But be able to look back on a lifetime of things like this?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:In the moment it's kind of like a, I guess I want to see what the next level is for myself. I want to see what, like you know, I want to see what the what the capacity is Okay.
Speaker 1:Was the Idaho trip. I'm just going to say Idaho trip. Yeah, was that pre post during military?
Speaker 2:So yeah, I joined when I was 22.
Speaker 1:Okay, uh-huh, so it was during.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was during yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:But it was before I deployed. It was like three weeks before I deployed. It was like it was like um three weeks before I deployed the deployment that you had with alongside jose yeah, that where where we met yeah okay, all right, jose would tell me things.
Speaker 1:I don't know you and you don't have to. You say it, you don't have to tell. But was there any part of you growing up, whatnot? Something you missed or something that you wanted? That adrenaline rush that did was something taken away. Because, like, the reason why I do what I do is because you know things were taken away. I was, you know, I, like I said bits and pieces of it. I had to learn how to walk, I had to learn how to you know, like I said bits and pieces of it, I had to learn how to walk. I had to learn how to you know, do the things I do now, you know, getting out of the army.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:You know. So it took years to do that, Believe it or not. People were like oh, you know, you had all this? No, I didn't. I had to learn how to walk. I learned how to run, you know.
Speaker 2:Did you have any of that kind of no, not in a physical way, I don't. I didn't have to. I mean, I've had injuries, things like that, but no, I would say that if anything I took from my childhood has been mostly like probably mostly like emotional trauma or I don't know Cause they do say that like it kind of takes a person who's a little bit broken to do things like this you know.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and I'll be the one to tell them I'm fucking broken. Sorry for the F-bomb, that's okay, you should hear all the F-bombs. Yeah, yeah no. I'm broken, and I'll tell you that much.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't say that I'm broken, or at least not now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but.
Speaker 2:I think that growing up, the way that I kind of grew up not that I don't have a loving family, it's just there was a lot of, I feel like there was a lot of anger in my childhood and I don't think that I was ever, I don't think I ever felt robbed of anything.
Speaker 1:Were you missing something Like were you out and about? Were you free to just go out and explore the? You know wherever you were from and lived? Were you missing that adrenaline? I mean, because a lot of us you would say we're adrenaline junkies. Yeah, that is the more I do the ultra endurance, the more I do the rodeo guys on the rodeo scene, ladies, it's all about adrenaline it is about adrenaline.
Speaker 2:It's crazy and that's. I think that I've been this way since I can remember. I don't think anybody ever tried to hold it back with me. I think that my mom maybe tried to kind of divert it into something constructive.
Speaker 1:And what was that? What do you think was that?
Speaker 2:I played a lot of softball growing up. Yeah, I ran. I ran a lot when I was younger.
Speaker 1:Sports Sports, just softball. Yeah, I ran. I ran a lot when I was younger Sports Sports Softball, softball.
Speaker 2:I had a ton of interests when I was a kid. I don't know if I should talk about this on here.
Speaker 1:You don't have to, you don't have to.
Speaker 2:I guess it's just kind of. There were times where I felt like I was just like always looking for an escape. I guess not, not necessarily that like you were saying, like you were kind of you had these like deficiencies or that I was deprived of anything, but I guess I was kind of more so looking for an escape from certain situations.
Speaker 1:My escape now is these adventures in alcohol.
Speaker 2:So yeah, alcohol was not not. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I started at a young age.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't say it's always there as an escape.
Speaker 2:It's not healthy, but no if, if and when I need something and it's right there, I'll go to the bar and get something to drink, right, I don't care, yeah sorry that's, and I think that in my early 20s that's I I kind of was thinking about this a few days ago where I have a much more like healthy and methodical approach to the way I'm training now.
Speaker 1:Live and learn.
Speaker 2:Because back then I was just like, yeah, let's go to the bar.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And then wake up at like 5.30 in the morning to go run like 12 miles. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and then wake up at like 5.30 in the morning to go run like 12 miles and I was like still like super hungover like not Now.
Speaker 1:It takes a minute to get over the hangover and then start your day and I just like.
Speaker 2:But back to the adrenaline rush thing. I just have been, I've been. You can ask my grandma the swimmer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Or my mom or my dad or my sister like I've been, mr garcia and mr garcia, I've been an adrenaline junkie okay since I can remember, yeah, and I think it was just one of those things that was like an escape okay, now have you.
Speaker 1:Besides, the three months after having the baby, have you found yourself wanting to escape, more or less?
Speaker 2:There are days, you know, there are days where I feel more challenged in being a mom was never really something that was like on the list of things to do for my life, and so it kind of came out of nowhere and I wasn't expecting it, you know was not planned but it's the best thing ever.
Speaker 2:It is the best thing yeah, and I find it's really strange how your mind and the way you look at things in life completely shifts and I always thought like when people said that or I'd hear like other people talk about it. I'm like like, oh, this crap again, you know, but it it's so true, Like I used to be like very like me, me, me yeah exactly Like.
Speaker 2:I mean not that I was selfish, not like I was you know stealing from people or whatever, but it's like everything that I did before was self-serving, like even I mean the bike ride, like I did it for that girl, right, but it was really also like maybe like a 60-40, because I just really, really wanted a reason to do it.
Speaker 1:It's like, okay, how would I say it? It's like you know I always tell kids, especially where I work. I'm like, okay, if you want to have a baby, you know you can't always think of yourself. It's either, you know, food or diapers. You know you pick the two or both of them, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And there's things that I've not always putting yourself first.
Speaker 2:There were things that when, when I was growing up, that I felt like not my mom so much, but more my dad, things that he would choose that felt like was more important than what was right for me, and my sister. And I'm like I just don't want to make those same decisions. Yeah, A lot of it's around drinking. I've made a vow to my son, even though he doesn't know what I'm saying, that he'll never see me drunk.
Speaker 1:I got you.
Speaker 2:Maybe see me have a drink or have a beer or whatever, because I think it's good for kids to learn what moderation and like, like healthy drinking if there is a healthy drinking looks like, instead of because I just saw a lot of oh, I told, I told myself I'd never drink in front of my kids.
Speaker 1:I mean, I'll go now they're of age and now, like you know, older. So I go to a concert, I'll have a couple, you know, but I never get drunk at home. Yeah, I never do that. Right, I can't do that. I'll go to the bar and then come home.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But I won't do that to them yeah, can't, can't. Can't do it yeah.
Speaker 2:I just my aunt, my mom's sister. She said that when she became a mom and when her kids were growing up she's like my cousins, they're like. They never saw her or my uncle drink. And I remember when she told me this I think I was like maybe 21, 22 or something. And I was like well, how lame, like you know, yeah, yeah, yeah. But now I'm like no, that's like you get it. That's admirable.
Speaker 2:Like you know, to kind of put your habits and your you know and think of you know, because it is scary when you're a little kid and you don't know why mom or dad is acting that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah right, or you're like what's going on, or you're like why? All you just do. You put the smell.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can still like.
Speaker 1:You put two and two together. You're like oh okay you're doing that. Yeah, you're doing that, yeah.
Speaker 2:There's yeah, you're doing that. Yeah, there's still certain smells. I'm like the smell of old English.
Speaker 1:I'm like nope, dang, okay, malt liquor, yeah, malt liquor. Oh gosh, okay yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm like nope, I am not drinking that ever.
Speaker 1:Now, with recent events, deployment over there we won't say where you were at, but you know dealing with some things during. Has that affected the adrenaline rush? Obviously not, because you're doing the lake. But has that had anything affect what you like to do those? I think that let's see, so can I share what happened absolutely whatever you want, I don't I didn't want to say it I didn't want to say it.
Speaker 2:I didn't know if it's something that's allowed to be talked about on the podcast, so no no, you can.
Speaker 1:I just I'm not going to say where you were deployed right but you can talk about your experience. But I didn't want to put it out there for you to do that Right right. Because the last thing I want to talk about Is force somebody to talk about an event that gave them PTSD.
Speaker 1:And you know, traumatic brain injury you know, Right, and for someone to have TBI. I mean you do a fantastic job, you know conversating and everything else. I've been, you know, in the Army and been part of the warrior transition unit, not the project, totally different yeah. Transition unit is you're in the Army Right or in the service, not out there getting money for free.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:But TBI works wonders on the person, the family, and so has that affected any of the adventures? I mean, you did Hellens, you're doing enchantments. You did Wallawas. Did helens, you're doing enchantments? You did walawas? Obviously not. But do you feel like you, you have control of the situation, or does it?
Speaker 2:take over from time to time it does take over from time to time. So what happened to me over there was I can say country right, yeah, yeah, yeah, just a specific location, Jose said but no, it's up to you what you want to say. Okay, okay, I don't care. Yeah, yeah, they blasted me for saying.
Speaker 1:COVID once and I was just like oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:No, as far as I know, the event was here. I'll just tell the story.
Speaker 1:You were in Syria.
Speaker 2:So I was in Syria.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:There you tell the story you were in syria, so I was in syria, yep there you go I started. I had just gotten there. I had gone from iraq to syria um, and that was where our combat mission was yes, and it was. I think it was like day three of being in syria and we were in what we call fp con charlie, which basically means everybody is wearing full kit, you have your weapon on battle rattle you're wearing your helmet even to like to bed.
Speaker 2:You take it to the showers with you if you're allowed to shower, and so everybody. We were all in fp con charlie and because of like the threat level that we were experiencing around our base yeah and well you were down, yeah, in the midst of the chaos.
Speaker 1:It's not like you're out there at like bogram air base or no or on an air base far away from you know right someplace so before jose got to the location in sy Syria that he went to, yeah.
Speaker 2:I think it was like a month before he got there, there was a one-way UAS that killed a US contractor. So our forces retaliated and the Iranians their attack on ourattack yeah was basically after we all fell asleep. We had what are called bradley fighting vehicles like that we're just sitting outside of our sleeping quarters and though that was kind of like the big firepower on base right and the, the iranians wanted to just destroy them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and because they were right next to our tents. They basically dropped. I think they said right next to our tents they basically dropped. I think they said it was like between tents, not bunkers. Guys, tents, tents they, they dropped it was like 15 to like 25 um rockets on our sleeping quarters and all around our vehicles and it we were just like all laying in there getting ready for bed.
Speaker 2:I had just like crawled into bed in my kit and it was just like you heard the first one and it was like like whoa, but it's like you. I've only ever experienced that in like in a training scenario right, right, so like your first instinct isn't I'm going to die.
Speaker 1:That right there, though, the training scenario is kind of intense as well, it is Because they make it lifelike they do, and because I've done multiples of those you think that you know, my first instinct is training scenario.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, but like and that's such a silly way of putting it, but, like your first instinct, is'm gonna die you're like holy shit, what the hell is going on? Yeah, I got you, I got you and, and so my friend steve well, so I won't say his last name. He was in the bunk next to me and he's like, oh, like that's like super close and then it was just like boom, boom, boom and you could feel it like bracketing in on our sleeping quarters and then.
Speaker 2:But the alarms didn't go off and we found out later that it was kind of a good thing, because when we we were out there the next morning and we found, like this huge hole in the ground where one of the rockets had like dropped, and if the alarm had gone off at the right time it would have hit us as we were all running out of our tents to the bunkers okay and so we were like well, it's kind of like a kind of a good thing, kind of a not so good thing that yeah.
Speaker 2:Blessing in disguise yeah yeah, it's like something was looking out for us, kind of a thing. But we we only took one casualty and he ended up living. Our sleeping quarters were trashed.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:And we, like the whole platoon, slept in one tent because they, our leadership was like, because we were in tents by squad, yeah, yeah, yeah, each squad has like nine people, right, and then after this happened, they were like, well, we don't want everybody like scattered, you know, sleeping in this area, sleeping in this area because everybody's.
Speaker 1:But they train us to be scattered. So let's all go on a one, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, and so that night after it happened, so like that, that happened at 1036 and we so we were all in the in the we went out to the bunkers and they're still like hitting us yeah. And and I'm like I kind of had a moment where I was like this isn't training, like I'm getting blown up right now, yeah, and I get into the bunker and I'm with like my buddies and I'm like like, oh, like we're all like amped up and like Holy crap, what's going on.
Speaker 2:You know, like, like, just like it was an adrenaline, it's like, oh my god well it was almost like like yeah, like it was an adrenaline rush, like we're all like laughing and like holy crap, like yeah. But then there were people who were like having full-blown meltdowns and like crying and like freaking out. And then they bring in the guy we. He got hit in the neck and I don't know how, but the shrapnel like mrs carotid and missed his like throat.
Speaker 2:He has just like these two like frankenstein scars on his neck but he was bleeding a lot and we were just like, oh my, in like the medic.
Speaker 2:She was like on it, she was like well, thank you like ripped off his shirt and was like checking him for other stuff and and he ended up being okay. I went with him to the we called it the roll one, but it's the the like medical area on base and we were, I was sitting there and there. The thing that I thought was strange, even at the time, was I always thought if I were to experience something like this, it wouldn't be like the movies, yeah, but you know how, like you know, when you're watching a war movie and you know somebody is kind of like in a daze and like like this stuff is happening and everything sounds like it's really far away.
Speaker 1:That's kind of like how it was, because I was just something like fourth born their fourth through July.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Can you watch that movie, born on fourth of july, with tom cruise? Have you seen it? I don't think so. Well the way you're explaining it, yeah you might maybe you shouldn't watch it, it's it's. It's really intense movie and uh there.
Speaker 2:there are some things that I mean, not not because of this experience, but there's, like other reasons why I can't watch a lot of movies the days that you're explaining it kind of reminds me of when he was going through the battle scene.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and when you're up to it, watch it Right, it's really intense. Oliver Stone does a great job at what he does.
Speaker 2:We'll have to take a look at it.
Speaker 1:Check it out. It's on Netflix. Okay, it might be ending soon though.
Speaker 2:Okay, gotcha, you know how they are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, they have movies cycle in and out yeah yeah, yeah so all right not to get into politics, but you say iran, right, seeing you know the americans like myself, you know pale white guys, ladies, fly iranian flags and think that we're the bad guy. How does that make you feel like, do you have thoughts on that or we don't have to get into it? But but you say iran and a lot of people like think that we're the ones that you know are you know the bad guys I when I see stuff like that people don't know what they're talking about, correct?
Speaker 2:The thing is is that I think that there are a lot of people I mean, I don't know how to say this- I'll say a lot of people are ignorant. Well, a lot of people just don't. They don't know like what, what things like people will be. Like you know, oh, they'll fly. Like, oh, pride, like pride. Flags for hamas yeah, and I'm like yeah, yeah, yeah, you yeah it's a myth, you would be it's a myth not allowed to be the way you are you hear my stomach?
Speaker 1:I think it picked up. I think it picked up. That was my stomach.
Speaker 2:I'm hungry but no no it, and so I just think that I don't get upset about it, because I mean, we're in america you know, the.
Speaker 1:The only thing that that kind of like makes me a little crazy is when people are like the like when it comes to the flag situation, like people are protesting the, the ice raids or whatever, but then they'll burn the American flag and fly the Mexican flag Like that kind of gets me a little like but one day it's the Mexican flag, now it's the Palestinian flag, and then I mean, if I just wish I was, I had a flag store, because I would be making.
Speaker 2:You'd make so much money.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'd be rich, I'd be rich.
Speaker 2:But when it comes to that, I just, I just think people just don't know. Yeah, and and, unless you go there and you Experience. Experience what and and the thing is is like we're not doing everything you know.
Speaker 1:moral over there either.
Speaker 2:You know there's a lot of stuff that is kind of so there's there's some like bad things going on on both sides, but ultimately I just don't think people understand what certain countries are actually like.
Speaker 1:Right countries are actually like right and so. So what you're saying is that you would not be like, let's say, you had a same-sex partner.
Speaker 2:You wouldn't go over there. No, that's probably not a great idea. That's not a great idea. I had a conversation.
Speaker 1:I was in the enchantments you know with xavier and with ex combat veteran himself and we were talking about how, you know, when I was in, you really learn and it's not a myth and a lot of people probably hear this episode and say I'm not going to listen anymore because of me.
Speaker 2:Okay, Not because of you.
Speaker 1:They're going to think you're a rock star. Had a conversation because you really learn when you work around middle eastern. You've males yeah, obviously it's. You learn that men are for pleasure, women are for babies and he's all like xavier was all like like, are you kidding me? Like serious, I'm like dude, yeah. And then you know the, the combat veteran behind me, you know, and andy, and that's all I'll say, uh he's been on the podcast. He, he's quiet right.
Speaker 1:All he does is like because you don't talk about it. No one talks about right right no one talks about, but they're playing grab ass and defect and right and they have no bubble.
Speaker 2:They're touching each other, doing things there there are like there was like weird stuff too at the market when we'd go to the market, and so the thing is too. Is what other people don't understand, when you're talking about the Iranian flags and whatever, is that? How incredibly sexist?
Speaker 1:even the good people are.
Speaker 2:Yeah so we were.
Speaker 2:We had to have a syrian defense hold on sure, oh, we had to have a syrian defense force person with us anytime we went on mission. And we used to do these um, they were called kls, where we'd basically go and talk to a Syrian Defense Force leader who had like intel, yeah, and we'd basically go so that our platoon leader could go and talk to their leader, get the intel and like come back, yeah, and we pretty much kind of played security for that interaction, in case something were to happen, for that interaction in case something were to happen.
Speaker 2:I went on one and I'm I am pretty sure it was like a couple of weeks after that we had another one and they put somebody else on the mission because the it was the lead, the key, the, the leader, didn't want females on that mission and he, he was basically like like playing a hard ball with, like if you there are females, like you're probably not going to get your intel kind of yeah and so me and the other females, we, except for our medic, because our medic, our weight, actually we had a, we actually had another medic and he and he was male and so, yeah, yeah, he went on those missions instead of our female medic, Certain things you don't hear or see and aren't talked about If it's not on that daily news channel
Speaker 1:you don't hear anything like this.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, what was interesting about the getting blown up was we were in the bunkers still actively getting blown up. Yeah, like in the bunkers still actively getting blown up.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And the somebody had their phone and was like this is literally on CNN right now, like it's getting reported as it's happening, yeah, and we're like able to like have the event happening to us and then reading about it on the news, but then like after it-.
Speaker 1:Did it have a scrambler? Did somebody get in trouble?
Speaker 2:so it wasn't. It wasn't on our end. Apparently, over at the, there was like an, there was an iranian airstrip about like 14, 14 kilometers away from where our base was, that's super close and there was I'm pretty sure they're not miles, guys, kilometers what would that be?
Speaker 2:that would be like what like 10 miles, yeah, eight, ten miles something like that yeah, and there apparently there was a, an american reporter over there. I think it was american. She was she or he, or whoever was american yeah and and over there reporting, but then, like the next day, we tried to find the same article and it was taken down.
Speaker 1:Yeah, go figure.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Go figure it was crazy, though, because when we retaliated the following day, I was on my tower guard shift. Yeah, and we got to watch the retaliation.
Speaker 1:Did you? Yeah, and we got to watch the retaliation, did you? Yeah? I'm going to ask you were you excited or were you like, oh my gosh, this is actually happening.
Speaker 2:I watched the retaliation when the one-way UAS happened. I was on towers that night and we were like whoa boom, boom, boom Holy crap. And then they hit us and then we were like whoa, boom, boom, boom, yeah, Holy crap. And then they hit us and then we were kind of our leadership was on the phone with the Pentagon and they were like you guys have like pretty much. They gave I think it was the Air Force or somebody authorization to basically just like and and then, but ultimately they decided not to.
Speaker 2:So we had like a whole plan for this, like this whole thing to go down and then it didn't end up happening, so but things are better, things are good. Yeah, things kind of creep up.
Speaker 1:Are you? Are you being seen? Are you taking care of yourself?
Speaker 2:I probably could do a better job of taking care of myself and my mental health.
Speaker 1:I got you.
Speaker 2:But it's just hard. You know, you kind of like especially like I'm super busy all the time and so you know I do have a hard time sleeping. I sleepwalk, that's a big. Thing.
Speaker 1:You see VA.
Speaker 2:I'm in the process. I really need to get down into it.
Speaker 1:There's a good drug that will help you with your nightmares.
Speaker 2:It's.
Speaker 1:Prezosin, prezosin.
Speaker 2:It's really good, man, my belly, you sound hungry.
Speaker 1:You can go get a granola bar or something, prezosin I've been taking it for years. It has its ups and downs, but it's mostly ups. Just know the downs only. The only time is when I'm like doing these adventures and I don't take it that night. Oh yeah, like a withdrawal kind of no, no, no, it's not a withdrawal, it's more of like I kick my own ass right and I don't have to worry about certain things, yeah something actually weird happened the other day.
Speaker 2:I was at work. Can I say where I work? I, I work okay it's up to you.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's your, it's your episode.
Speaker 2:I can't I work at starbucks right now okay and the for the boat shows the like jets fly over oh yeah and I was helping somebody on window and I hadn't really had like an issue aside from like having sleep issues. I haven't really had an issue with like having like a freak out with PTSD, since like I maybe like six months after I had gotten back, and so it's been a minute Every now, and then something will happen. I'm like like what's that?
Speaker 1:Are you the Pasco one or Kennewick Pasco? Okay, okay, I gotcha, I got you. I'm just trying to pinpoint. I got you, I got you, I got you.
Speaker 2:But the like, I guess. The jets flew over and it was like whoosh.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:And it kind of I don't know it like triggered something Were you in sweats, did you have to? Take a I I I didn't say anything to anybody because, not, I don't think I I think if there's only like maybe two people at work I've shared this with just because, like I don't know, I don't want it to seem like I'm having, like I'm trying to like get attention.
Speaker 1:Are you kidding me?
Speaker 2:You're the only one that probably doesn't have like blue hair septum piercing. No, our group there is very well kept.
Speaker 1:But in case anybody there listens to this, but they're like man, this guy's an ass.
Speaker 2:No, everybody there would probably be very understanding, but I don't want it to be like like, be the person who's like you know, having you know, who tries to make it all about them or tries to you know, try to get attention or something.
Speaker 1:I don't think I wouldn't consider it as attention.
Speaker 2:I would consider it for your, your sake, your job and the people around you yeah, so I I started to like my heartbeat was like I could hear it and I could feel it in my throat like my stomach, and yeah like your stomach and I started getting sweaty and lightheaded and I still was like trying to take orders and still trying to like do my job and stuff, and I thought like okay, it's going to pass. And then, like you know, 15 minutes will go by and it's not passing.
Speaker 1:How long did it take?
Speaker 2:I was still feeling jittery when I left work, which was like 45 minutes later, and I called Jose and I told him about it and stuff and what he's and well, we, we talked on the phone about it like up until I picked up my son, and then we talked about it that night and he's like I think you should just tell somebody at work that way.
Speaker 2:If you have another like episode, then you can like yeah, you know, maybe it's not like a code word with somebody and go back and like kind of wait it out, and then not attention there, lady. Yeah, I just I know, I guess I just kind of am like, I just like how?
Speaker 1:you're afraid you don't want employers to know a little something about you. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Or it's. It's kind of like certain people maybe not not necessarily, necessarily, I don't want the people I work with to know, but just that, like I said, I just don't want it to be. Use it against you, like you have in the past in the military career.
Speaker 1:Right, I mean that's a prime example. Yeah, there's a lot of things you don't say, because why Military lifestyle? Yeah, Exactly. Yeah.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I think that a lot of the things that are positive have come out of it, though I think that my stress level for very mundane things that I used to get really stressed about don't stress me out anymore. Being at work and we get like a really big rush. I feel like I'm able to kind of keep my composure because we work at a really busy store and I feel like I'm able to kind of keep my composure because we're we work at a really busy store and I feel like before I probably would have been like, like, freaking out, but now it's just like well, we're not getting blown up.
Speaker 2:So I mean like it's just coffee.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yes, yes, yes, but that that that shop is very busy and they need to work. They very busy and they need to work. They either need to tear down that store next to it or what.
Speaker 2:Because that parking is atrocious.
Speaker 1:It is. It's bad, it's horrible. I don't go there because of that All right. So we talked about Helen's.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Talked about the enchantments Three weeks. How are you prepping for it? You went on a run today. How are you prepping to get your mind right for that elevation?
Speaker 2:For enchantments, enchantments. What is the elevation? 10,000?.
Speaker 1:No, it's eight oh Eight, it's eight oh Eight. It's a little more than St Helens, but from the start of the trailhead to go to Colchuk it's like four or five thousand feet I think. Hold on Okay.
Speaker 2:So I don't this might come off a little arrogant or cocky, Go for it. I feel like I've kind of always sort of maintained a certain level of like fitness, yeah, and I'm definitely not at my fittest right now 4.8, 4.5, so 4,800.
Speaker 1:That's the peak. No, that's just the elevation.
Speaker 2:Oh, the elevation gain. Okay, Through the traverse the elevation gain the okay, through the traverse, the traverse yeah, okay, so I I've like maintained a certain level of fitness for most of my life and like have gotten more fit, or less like a little bit less, but it's like like. As far as elevation goes, I've climbed the mauna loa in hawaii, okay, and that was sitting at like 13 600 and it had a pretty decent elevation gain as well.
Speaker 2:I think like where the trailhead was to the top of the most prominent yeah mountains, yeah I thought that that one was the tallest or was the largest active volcano in the world, but it turns out it's Mauna Kea which is like across the street Gotcha, but yeah, so. So I guess it's just I I've never really been too bothered by elevation when, when I have done these climbs or anything like that, not trying to sound arrogant, but I guess I just don't think about it, I don't really worry about it too much.
Speaker 1:The older you get, you're going to have to think about it, and I don't think it's arrogance, but one of the things that I will say and suggest, and other people have heard me say every dog has its day.
Speaker 2:Jose and I, we've had our days has its day.
Speaker 1:Jose and I've, we've had our days. I don't say it's arrogance, because you know, just recently they had two, two people rescued off asgard pass. Oh yeah, I mean it could be as simple as running out of water I don't or being ill prepared obviously or just having an off day and have an off day, yeah so, so what? That's what I'm saying, like yeah what are?
Speaker 2:you doing to prep so right now I'm actually training for the iron man I'd love to be an iron man someday, but I I'm not that rich yeah, so I got you no, I'm training for the climb 89 oh, yeah, here yeah it's august 5th, which is like a week before my 30th birthday, and so I was like I think I want to do that for my birthday. Okay, Climb 89, which reminds me I don't do too many locals. Oh gotcha.
Speaker 1:But Climb 89, I know Everest one is in December correct, it is the Everest one. It is the Everest. Okay, so they moved it. Yeah, it's december 5th, december 5th, so that's what you're.
Speaker 2:That's, yeah, that's yeah, that's the climb 89 yeah I mean there there are other levels, like they have in each, like distance yeah, or lap or loop, whatever is a different mountain, so they have like mount st helens and the rattlesnake mountain and then they have like, but it's just up and downurna and like it is, which is I thought I thought it was kind of it's going to be like mental hill more I mean obviously like running, I think. But if you do 100 loops it's 70 miles yeah, yeah and so I I was just like it's up and down.
Speaker 1:So I want to say loops yeah, it's up and downs, it is. I was going to say loops, yeah, it's up and downs, it's up and downs, they say loops on the website. It is what will kill you. Yeah, it will hurt you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, because you get going or your leg gives out.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, yeah, so you're prepping for that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm prepping for that.
Speaker 1:And and so the training that I'm doing for that, I've really kind of ramped up my running over the past month. I would say hike more, not run, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, I've been doing hiking on Badger.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the backside where it's at.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then also hiking on McBee as well.
Speaker 1:I hate McBee.
Speaker 2:I actually kind of like Mccbee, like I it's, it's rough like that first like bit, but the rest of it's actually kind of like sort of pretty yeah, kind of like and you can kind of see like the whole valley, yeah, I mean it's all deserty, but yeah, but I like the back end of it oh, the farmland, yeah, the farmland is nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's pretty back there too.
Speaker 1:So climb 89.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's the goal for this year.
Speaker 1:I've thought about it. I might talk to the guy that puts it out. That puts it on. I might just talk to him. I might talk to him, I might. Yeah, heinemann is his last name, jason. Yeah, heinemann is his last name Jason Heinemann.
Speaker 2:Okay, and you said Badger, so I would like to do Badger. The good thing is that Jose's done it, so he can give me advice.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, yeah, that's when he was several pounds smaller.
Speaker 2:Oh my God. He put on like 40 pounds of like raw muscle, Just muscle mass Muscle mass.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so those are your necks. What's in the next year or two? Any badass adventures, or is that still when it comes?
Speaker 2:that if I can do this climb 89, I I want to try to do the Badger Mountain and if I, if I do Badger Mountain, I would like to try to qualify for Western States.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And try to run Western States. Okay.
Speaker 1:That's a. That's a big one. Is it lottery, or you got to be top two and the uh the gold ticket. Yeah, yeah, but just to apply, yeah you have to like, do a qualifying race, either that or one of the um seen some of the qualifying races around here not around here, but in the Pacific Northwest.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, I mean I've kind of like followed some, some people, yeah, some some people, yeah, yeah, yeah they're.
Speaker 1:They seem rough, or what's the uh what's the one that's held in leadville?
Speaker 2:oh? You, uh, yeah, yeah, leadville, oh, the leadville one, yeah, yeah yeah, I think that one would be cool too, that one would be awesome yeah, maybe in the next five years, I'd maybe try to shoot for bad water okay, bad really yeah, bad water would be tough, but okay, so that's where you're sitting. Let's go let's go, let's go, let's go, yeah yeah, I mean, I love hiking, but me and jose have talked about doing mount hood or mount rainier next year, next summer, you do rainier, let me know yeah, for sure I'll be your guys's partner I've been trying to get a team.
Speaker 1:Yes, uh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I've done. I've done adam's hood, all the above oh okay, yeah nice but when you do rainier I'll be glad to rope up with. Uh, jose and yeah yeah, that he'll definitely be the anchor. I I did. I did bring him on the team, but I don't know if the team will continue. Just a bunch of yeah. Yeah, involve it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:When you get involved with people who like to do that more than they like to do the activity that's where things kind of start to go a little.
Speaker 1:Or they do it during the activity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh my gosh, I just don't agree. So I climbed humphreys peak in arizona a few years ago and my friend damien. He met me in in vegas when I was driving through yeah picked him up at the airport and we went to humphreys peak and we were climbing and he, well, we got there and he's like, uh, do a shot at the bottom and a shot at the top. And I'm like that top.
Speaker 2:I'm like I'm like you can do that, bro, like you know whatever, well, so he took his shot at the bottom, but he was not in great shape yeah, but I will tell you damien is. He's an interesting cat but he got altitude sickness like pretty bad around 10 000 feet and he he did not make it to the top I went I went by my I went well. A person I was dating at the time went with him if you can do humphriesys, you can do Hood.
Speaker 1:It's the same setup, Humphreys. You know how you can take the chair lift all the way up.
Speaker 2:To Humphreys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the highest peak in Arizona. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I didn't know, there was a chair lift.
Speaker 1:You didn't see the chair lift.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:Hmm, yeah, yeah, mount hood's almost like that. It reminds me of it. The only thing is, is mount hood's not, as it doesn't have too many trees? It doesn't have as much trees as like humphreys.
Speaker 2:Well, but but they, there's a lot of snow. There's like snow year round on mount hood yeah, but not right now. Yeah, I guess it looked like there was when I was driving past it the other day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the top, the top the top is less exposed, or yeah, it's more freezing up there, but uh, no, I would rather do hood when you're supposed to may june may is a lot colder than june, yeah, but it's a lot safer than right now because of rock fall yeah but you got ice fall, you got avalanches, you got bad weather. So may june is the best part of best time to do it. If you do, hood, let me know I'll go up there.
Speaker 1:I'll be glad to take you guys up there if you guys are are sending out invites yeah, I mean we.
Speaker 2:I mean we did this one with mount st helens by ourselves because it was like a very he came home from work and he was like we can get the tickets for Mount St Helens like today, yeah, but maybe not tomorrow. Yeah, yeah, and so we kind of just booked it.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. That's the way to go.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I would definitely have you guys go to Adams if you haven't yet.
Speaker 2:Okay, do.
Speaker 1:Adams before Hood and then.
Speaker 2:Yeah, do Adams, yeah, kind of working your way up Do?
Speaker 1:Adams before Hood. Yeah, just so you can have your cake and eat it too. Yeah, and be prepared. What to do, what not to do? Mm-hmm Adams is a good starter for mountaineering, hood's a little more hectic and more technical. Yeah, but it also is the most annoying because of the traffic, is there a lot of traffic. It's more, yeah, it's. Traffic makes it more dangerous yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So, as we've seen on mount mount everest, like over the past like 10 years, as the like guiding stuff has gotten bigger. Yeah, more people are dying just because they're sitting there waiting and people will always be the the, the bad stuff, yeah yeah so okay, so we got that.
Speaker 1:But what about personally? Have you guys hinted about? You know, the big day? Like marriage the big day. Have you, have you not?
Speaker 2:yet I keep making jokes. No, we just haven't, is he?
Speaker 1:gonna be one of those guys, those those beta males that you have to propose to him will not.
Speaker 2:He's gonna listen to this and he's going to, and he's going to, like, propose next weekend, right? No, he's going to be like man. F you man F you Nah call him a beta. He's like the least beta guy Right.
Speaker 1:Exactly, that's what I said. I love you, jose. You know that I need some tequila from Mexico, though.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he gets it sometimes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's been, yeah, neglecting his brother.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, well, we've talked about it and we actually kind of picked out a ring back when I was still pregnant, yeah, but now the ring is like discontinued and they're not making them anymore and they're out of them. And there were just some. I think there were some kind of like financial hiccups, that kind of came along, and I know that he wants to propose with something.
Speaker 1:Gotcha.
Speaker 2:And we've talked about like just saying, screw it, we're going to Mexico this November for a scuba diving.
Speaker 1:When you say Mexico, I say tequila, tequila yeah.
Speaker 2:Especially that stuff that he brought the first time.
Speaker 1:I don't drink tequila anymore tequila, yeah, yeah, especially that stuff that he brought. I don't drink tequila anymore, but you know, I I never been a tequila connoisseur until until jose well, no, no, the older you get, the wiser you you are yeah, then you're like you know, less preservatives is so much better than the cheap shit, so you definitely end up getting the most expensive tequila.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're on, you're on board, you can drink more tequila than you did in the past, but with whiskey I mean, I'm not sitting here doing shooters but like if I if I'm gonna have like whiskey with dinner or something like that, I'm not getting like, like idaho gold shout out idaho gold. Yeah, no, you go expensive, no matter what you back when I was in Idaho and I was a broke college student and stuff like that, me and Damien used to buy Idaho gold because it was like $3.95 for a pint.
Speaker 1:The only cheap whiskey I get is damn Pendleton whiskey. Oh my dad drinks that. I can drink it. It's so smooth, it's so good.
Speaker 2:That's how my dad is too. That's the cheapest I'll go. It is the oh I guess it's because I've been spoiling myself with Woodford Reserve. Woodford, yeah, yeah, and it's so smooth.
Speaker 1:We could talk all day about the whiskey, but I'm just saying get the good stuff, not the stuff that they give Americans there.
Speaker 2:you know good thing? Oh yeah, that they just put in the hotel room For meldehyde.
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:But yeah, we're going there for a scuba diving trip, okay, and Watch the Seinfeld episode.
Speaker 1:Okay, the scuba when they went up too. You need to. You need to watch that episode and watch the Nose Job. The Nose Job is hands down my favorite episode. It's the best episode Because of Kramer, how he does it, how his delivery, and everybody broke. Everybody broke after Kramer said what he said.
Speaker 2:And we were just like, oh my God, you know, there's like sitcoms that people recommend because they've been like really popular, and I think I just kind of get on a loop of watching the office american dad friends if you watch friends, you can watch seinfeld yeah, I mean, I think I've seen one or two episodes of seinfeld, but I haven't seen it like seinfeld on the background and still yeah, and still like do life. Yeah, that's what I do with the office.
Speaker 1:I did that today actually what I would suggest you do go from season five to nine, which is the last one, but then start the first to five for first, through four last, that's what I was saying for seinfeld.
Speaker 2:Yeah, why is that?
Speaker 1:because they were on their peak after the fifth season. They were at their peak, and it was just it hit different and then you go from the first season, the first episode. You're like damn, I'm glad I did what I did.
Speaker 2:That's how Friends is too, like I. Actually, I was sick for like a week, and so I rewatched Friends.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because it's kind of just one of those shows. It's like's like, you know you just want to feel like you're at home and you just want to feel good, you know, and friends is like that for me and my sister and so seinfeld's a show about nothing right, yeah I mean literally so is friends. I mean, friends is what is the same thing? Pretty much. It's like just like people just trying to live life yeah, six friends.
Speaker 1:I was a joey fan living, living it.
Speaker 2:But I feel like, once it gets to, I feel like after the vegas episode okay where they all go to vegas to get joey yeah, yeah I feel like that's when it kind of starts to kind of fall off. Yeah, I mean there's still some laughs and there's some like good stuff.
Speaker 1:It's probably when they all wanted to get paid a certain amount.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and and then I when, I watched the friends reunion. They were talking about how they put. They got Rachel and Ross back together and had Emma and they made them have like the baby because they thought that it was going to end in season eight oh, okay but then it ended up getting more money for like two more seasons.
Speaker 1:So just like the will and grace I've never seen that one either it's pretty funny, is it? People were like nick, you're all over the place with your shows. I don't watch sitcoms, but those were, those were. Those were good will. Will and grace was a good one too, before they started up again yeah okay, so rainier maybe. Yeah, invite please yeah definitely. Uh, if you guys need a tour guide up enchantments, I would be glad to hook you up and show you the the scenery definitely it's pretty fun.
Speaker 1:A lot of mosquitoes, a lot of flies bring.
Speaker 2:Buy one of those five dollar nets oh, yeah, they look goofy, but you'll, it'll be worth it yeah, wear long sleeve, not cotton. But you know, yeah, something breathable.
Speaker 1:breathable, yes, know, yeah, something breathable, breathable yes, do that and wear something breathable pants. I wouldn't go shorts. Okay, I would not go shorts, because if you go three weeks, mosquitoes are going to be there even more and it's just going to be hectic.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So, but have a blast with the goats. They love urine, by the way.
Speaker 2:Oh fun. They can hear you a mile away that's why they're up there and then, yeah, you're just peeing and then they just trot on up to you, yeah, yeah, you saw the video right, did you see the video? Yeah?
Speaker 1:surprised me. I was all like head to toe covered, but not my toes. I I was, with no socks or shoes, on rough granite and I was peeing, didn't know it was just waiting there just hanging out with us waiting for us to pee and, yeah, just chilling Moved me out of my way.
Speaker 1:I had to stop and then go somewhere else and then the moment I did stop, they followed that. Yeah, it's crazy, you did not know, but it's their salt lake, it's the way they get their electrolytes and it's so weird how they do that. Yeah, but you have a blast. But, yeah, hood comes around. If you guys wanted me to be there, you know I'm always game. Jose knows I'm game. He, yeah, he gives me 12 hour notice. I'm, I'm there.
Speaker 2:anybody knows me I that's what I've started to notice, because I think I've only ever had like three interactions with you yeah, he knows I'm game when he did he post anything about on instagram about us going on mount st helens? Is that how you found out about us going or no, because he was like oh, dude, that was the enchantments.
Speaker 1:Oh, I went to helens. I was like, oh, thanks, dude, thanks bro. But here I am in champs he was. He was all getting the bait on that, on the enchantments, and I was just like, oh yeah, thanks, thanks for the invite. But definitely helens is a different beast and and people think it's. You know eight, three eight, three, six three you can be. It's a walk in the park.
Speaker 2:No, definitely not moderate for anybody who wants to go do it. Yeah, not moderate.
Speaker 1:When people say that they don't know what they're talking about. Bring trekking poles, yeah, yep, yep. And bring two pairs of socks and some gators for your shoes, or just wear pants.
Speaker 2:Just wear pants Gators would be great, so you don't get rocks in your shoes.
Speaker 1:And lots of water correct.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, so dehydrated.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, Okay. How do you feel about this episode?
Speaker 2:Feel good for the first time being on a podcast. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Did it get your adrenaline going? Do you think you can do it again, and again, and again? Like come back, or yeah, not just come back here, come back here, but like if somebody hears your story, they want you to, you know, talk about other things, like more about syria, or something like that, because there's always listeners that want that kind of thing, and then, steal or right, I think I would be.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think like most of the adrenaline was on the way here.
Speaker 1:On the way here, because you didn't know.
Speaker 2:Just like my hands kind of sweating and like.
Speaker 1:I don't.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm like, what if I say something stupid? Or you know, like that kind of a thing you met your match. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:But it's easy right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is, it's just a conversation. And at certain points, I was points. I forgot that we were even recording. Exactly, and we are, I'm actually worried that maybe I haven't been close enough to the mic. No, you're good, it picks it up.
Speaker 1:It picks it up pretty good and if not, I got the good stuff. It'll take care of you.
Speaker 2:It'll take care of you, but no, it's been a blast and I'm pretty sure we can go a little more, but this is probably one of the longest episodes I've had in a while. Oh yeah, there's a lot of ground to cover.
Speaker 1:I feel like, yeah, yeah I wish you wanted to cover, I wish we had more, because I really I think there's more to it, though. Why? Why, though? I think the why is still up in the air and and, yeah, I don't think it's here for the podcast now or never. It probably will never be on, but I would like to one day sit down and and hear your why more of a why.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that I don't know. I guess I I feel like I am always kind of chasing something I got you. Yeah, just kind of running to something, and I feel like when I was a kid I was more so running away yeah, but now that I I feel like I'm in a very happy place I got you, I gotta and that's why I say never yeah.
Speaker 2:That's why I say never yeah, and we'll leave it that way back back when I was in my early 20s and I started this journey with, like, wanting to be an ultra runner and things like that, and I mean I've always wanted to climb mountains and stuff like that, since I was a kid and skydiving, rock climbing, all that stuff you know, but it was always just sort of like I feel like it was trying to fill a void I got you now.
Speaker 2:It's just understand now, it's just because it's stuff that I've always done and it's stuff that I love.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I love feeling it sounds so weird to say it, but I love feeling kind of beat down. I got you and I feel like you don't really get that feeling doing much else Walk in the park. Yeah, you don't get that feeling of like oh my god, if I get out of bed, my like legs might give out if you're just, you know, walking your dog at howard park, you know, and so it's, it's just there. I like that feeling of I, I did, I did something that I didn't know if I was capable of doing, you know, finding those next level.
Speaker 2:Well yeah, I got you, I got you.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, it wasn't, it didn't come off cocky, but just be prepared. Be, prepared for the unprepared. A lot, a lot of things have happened on Asgard Pass this year Somebody did lose their life up there, but yeah, it did yeah.
Speaker 2:By no means was I saying, oh, it's's just gonna be easy or whatever, it's just I guess. I just I think the way that I approach things like this is that I have an expectation, yeah, and then I'm very easy to adjust expectations. And so it is the same way with mount st helens. Like I was like, oh, it says moderate, like we're just gonna walk up, mind blown you know. But then I was, like you know, hearing other people who were on the mountain and they're like, oh, there's like nine of these rock faces, and I'm like okay, adjust expectations.
Speaker 2:This is probably going to take longer. This is probably going to hurt.
Speaker 1:Tomorrow it's going to take longer. I forgot to mention but I'll say this and we'll leave it as that uh, the enchantments after the core. Well, the whole enchantment is the core, but when I call the core, up there with the granite, you know right right the, the rests and with the trees, that's just trash to me. But the moment you start going down after the cord towards Snow Lake and through Snow Lake trailhead, there's a lot of blowdown trees, a lot of rock slides that haven't been cleaned up. So be prepared for that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:It's not as easy when it was when I was with Jose. Yeah, would you have to border hop, not border hop, border hop, boulder, boulder hop and go under a lot of trees that you know. It was not like that before. But you know, because of the cuts they don't do what they do. I don't think they ever did that. I think a lot of this has to go through. The people up top get paid too much to do so little. I think they could have done something with more care and equally out the duties and the pay and equally out the duties and the pay. And when you go down past the core on the descent and everything else, you'll see what I'm talking about. It is not maintained at all, gotcha and there's shit, human feces.
Speaker 2:Oh, my God.
Speaker 1:Right on the side of the trail.
Speaker 2:Ugh.
Speaker 1:On the trail, gotcha. And can I tell you this yeah, there's a lot of people up there. It's permit-based. There's not one ranger when it gets out. There's going to be more people there not even doing the permit. No lottery, and there were people there already. So word's already out. I'm just making it known. Like, hey guys, if you guys want to do enchantments, do the enchantments.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because right now there's not one ranger, there's not one person paying attention and people there are more. I saw more fecal matter from humans than goats Jeez. So it's pretty messed up and a lot of people are like enchantments. No, it's, it's, it's overrated in the moment. You see what I, what people see, they don't talk about you. You'll be like, you'll be I think that they're there.
Speaker 2:Was it like that when you guys went before?
Speaker 1:yeah you had to watch where you step. Oh, with jose, no, no.
Speaker 2:We ran into Rangers. I think that the I guess that was post-COVID I was going to say I feel like there's a lot of like lackadaisical things kind of happening with the parks and rec, like funding. Maybe not funding but like the like getting enough people to.
Speaker 1:I think the people up top got paid more than the average person and that affects the.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're hiring too many big dogs and not enough people to monitor the trails.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:And yeah, and it's on us too, as people who hike it, like I mean. Yeah, there's a shit bag that they give out, you gotta go out there and take a shit at least, like dig a hole.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but no, it was right on the side, it was right on, that's wild.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:Like that's just no it was almost like going to Badger and you see the dog shit, yeah, but human shit everywhere. It's gross. It's gross. That's something that you don't hear about, you don't talk about it. That's wild, and there's tons of times when you go there and you smell human fecal instead of the trees and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:It's gross. It's not what you want. No, no, you want to go there and smell a sewer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so yeah, the enchantments it's beautiful. But a lot of people think it's so beautiful they I don't believe they've gone outside of other places right and I think that's why it's just blown out blown out of proportion well, and it's just like we took better care of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, maybe well, not so much that scenery wise, scenery wise. There's so many more mountain ranges out there that uh put enchantments to shame for sure yeah for sure, and I've said that since day one yeah the core when you're up there after cold chuck yeah that's where you want to be. That is where you want to be after asgard. Pass right there. If I can stay 14 days and I would just right there just because it's beautiful yeah, it's just there's nothing like it.
Speaker 1:But outside of that, you never hear anything about it. You always hear oh, the car, you hear that and I would. Yeah, that would stay there. I would only go there and not leave. So but till next, keep that in mind. Yeah, till next time till time Till next time. Yeah, you had a blast.
Speaker 2:I did. Yeah, this was a lot of fun, not as nerve wracking as I thought.
Speaker 1:You know I've done so many of these that people are like oh, I'm so nervous. And they'd be like damn, is this still recording, Like yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, I'm trying to do more stuff to kind of not necessarily get myself out there, but just sort of like uh challenge myself in more of a, uh, social way. Yes, I'm I, you know, doing this, yeah, and then also in set, like sometime in september. It's like the first weekend of september I'm doing open mic night no way a comedy thing? Open mic night at jokers?
Speaker 1:no way yeah, nice congrats. You gotta let me know, I'll be there, I'll be there. I love, I love comedy I think it's thursday.
Speaker 2:It's like the first thursday of the month nice I'm trying to put something together, just trying to figure out what kind of line I want to go on.
Speaker 1:Please invite, I'll be there I will definitely be there. Start the laughs, in case I bomb yeah, because september's september is cross-country season and that's my place to unwind. Okay, so yeah definitely frequent the comedy scene there.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So let me know my sister's like dude, if you bomb it's going to be so bad for you.
Speaker 1:If you bomb, it's open mic, it's fine, everybody else?
Speaker 2:is going to be there and bomb, it's fine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, open mic, it's fine, everybody else is gonna be there and bomb like it's fine. Yeah, yeah, I just wanted to try it. That's a blast. Well, you killed it here. Keep killing it, keep killing the trails, keep killing those projects, those adventures and you, being with jose, he has a ton of adventures. Just just make sure he's smart about it oh, yeah, all right, yeah, because yeah, jose we should do a couple podcasts.
Speaker 2:Do Do it, get us both on here, get it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, jose, you're next man. You guys are next Till next time Till next time. Thank you, Melissa. It's been a pleasure. We'll see you next time.