“Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position.”
You look out the window. It’s dusk. There’s a haze to the air, and through it, mountain ridges stick out into the sky. You begin to wonder if it’s haze or a permanent sandstorm that obscures your view of everything else.
“Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins.”
You’ve been wondering a lot lately. The Sultanate of Oman is a place which most Americans know very little about. When packing and preparing to go to such a land, most people you talk to say something along the lines of ‘Oman? Where’s the heck is that?’ or ‘Like the country?’ Again, more questions. ‘Why Oman?’
Why not?
“Flight attendants, prepare for landing.”
You’ve never been to the Middle East. Only heard about it on the news. Most mentions of it aren’t necessarily that encouraging. But then again, you hear a lot on the news these days. Maybe it’s best to go see and experience for yourself.
“Cabin crew, please take your seats.”
Maybe that’s it. There’s a lot going on around you. Social media updates and video from people doing things that you used to find inspiring. Now you somehow feel like you’re missing out. For some reason, you now feel like those places, journeys, and adventures are attainable. Perhaps that’s because they are?
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Muscat International Airport. Local time is 17:55 and the temperature is 26 degrees Celsius.”
You look out the window again. The haze is still there, but you can make out buildings and more mountains. It reminds you of either Star Wars, Mars, or some ridiculous combination of the two. And those homes and buildings do look exactly like the ones seen on the evening news from both Gulf Wars.
“For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign.”
Too late now. You’re here. You’re doing it. Anything you forgot at home…guess what? It’s still at home, and it’s going to stay there. Any internal hesitations about not speaking Arabic must be left on the plane. Any preconceived notions or expectations of any sort are about to be shattered.
“On behalf of the entire crew, I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we look forward to seeing you on board again in the near future.”
It’s game time. You stand up, grab your bags, and start walking.
December 21, 2016. It is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. There are only nine hours and forty six minutes from sunrise to sunset. Regardless of daylight or time of the year, it’s another opportunity to get out and enjoy life.
An impromptu relay adventure began with bundled and layered cyclists leaving the U.S. National Whitewater Center at precisely 7:28am. The hustle and bustle of Uptown Charlotte’s workday commute quickly faded as the team ventured east. The country roads of rural Piedmont NC winded towards the tree-line confines of Uwharrie National Forrest.
At a small boat launch at the intersection of NC Highway 109 and the Uwharrie River, an exchange of personnel, human powered craft occurred.
The river was chilly and since the water level was low, the rocky sections required heightened attention in order to navigate the Standup Paddleboards. Appreciating the moment required slowing down. Both undisturbed and picturesque landscapes surrounded river bend after river bend. Crossing the Pee Dee River to Morrow Mountain State Park would lead to the third and final leg of our journey.
Understanding that we were losing the race against the sun, the team reconvened and mapped out the fastest route to the summit of Morrow Mountain. Part road running, part trail running, and inclusive of an unexpected and steep final push, the team was greeted with an expansive and spectacular summit view at 5:13pm. Just 2 minutes shy of the day’s official sunset.
What began as an idea to over-utilize the shortest day of the year, turned into a full day of dreaming about what other adventures lay beneath our noses, so close to home.
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Adam Bratton is the Marketing Director at the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
When I look back through my catalog of images, most of my favorites have one theme in common; they were shot from up in the trees. The vantage from within the trees is something that I almost always envision when I set out to a location. It helps frame the trails, actions, and landscapes in ways that we might not always get to experience, and often times reveals features that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. From climbing (and subsequently falling out of) pine trees as a youth, to years spent as a carpenter working with wood, trees have played a very central and formative role in nearly every aspect of my life.
A lot can be learned from our forests and how they persevere through adversity, whether it be fire, snow, wind, or drought. The trees tend to be able to rebound, adapt, and cling on to life, even in the harshest of environments. They can grow on inhospitable rock faces, and even a few sustain life in desert environments. They tell the stories of the years hardship with the bows in their trunks, and crooks in their branches. They gift us with the ability to build shelter and to warm ourselves as they pass into their afterlife. When you take lumber and begin to work it into a home, or a piece of furniture, you become intimately familiar with the grain formed over the years of growth and adversity. It affects the blade as it cuts, binds the motor of the saw as wind loaded grain springs together after a cut. As the sandpaper cuts and wears down the rough and rugged exterior, beautiful patterns emerge in the grains that were hidden just out of sight.
Of all the things I’ve learned from trees over the years, a few stand out as a mantra for living a healthy and fulfilled life. These are the teachings of the trees, and are the things that I have taken away from a life of admiring forests in all of their states of being. Stand tall, drink lots of water, enjoy the view, and remember your roots.
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Tim Koerber can be found buying one-way plane tickets to countries he didn’t know existed the day before. For more of his work, check out http://www.timkoerber.com/.
