Pre-trip

Have you ever dreamt of traveling the world, seeing the awe inspiring ruins of the ancient American civilizations, scaling live volcanoes, getting lost in the Amazon (Hopefully only figuratively and not genuinely), surfing black sand beaches, or hiking the majestic Andes Mountains? Dreams can inspire greatness, create hope for the hopeless, bring freedom to the oppressed, strengthen the weak, lift the heads that have bowed down in sorrow or they can leave us with a sense of defeat or despair. We all have dreams. They are a part of us as a race. They can lift us up and raise us to our Godly potential or they can be the cause of a self-deprecating downfall and drive us to a state of depression when for one reason or another we don’t have or take the means, ability or opportunity to live and make them a reality.

I am no exception. I too have dreams that have pushed me to pursue a variety of interests. They have driven me to dabble in martial arts of various forms over the past fifteen years. I was a dancer in various styles for over fourteen years. I became an experienced and nationally certified rock climbing/rappelling director and have lead thousands of people safely up and down cliffs over a period of eight seasons as a professional. I practiced as an emergency medical technician for several years. I earned my Eagle Scout award at age fifteen and at nineteen I served an honorable two year mission for my God and my fellow brothers and sisters in Guatemala as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a church to which I am still a faithful member, I testified of the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon as a second witness of Jesus Christ while on my mission and I still stand by that statement unshakably. I am an artist, singer, cellist, and love to perform. I am an outdoorsman, survivalist, wild life enthusiast, and will graduate this spring with a bachelor’s degree in biology. I love to play most all sports including snowboarding and surfing and have even dabbled in bull riding and sky diving. I have summited multiple 12000 ft mountains and visited eleven different countries while living in four of them including Chile, Mongolia, Guatemala, and of course the U.S.A.. I am a man who loves deeply and passionately. This can be a blessing in that it is one of the reasons that when I have my sights set on something that I have become passionate about I do all in my power to obtain it, but it is also my curse, for when we love so deeply we become vulnerable to a more incredibly intense pain and let down when for some reason it is kept from us. The difficulty then becomes opening myself to the very real possibility, (and in my experience, probability) of a pain and sorrow that is indescribable and to those who have never experienced it, unimaginable. To do this and take that risk is true courage. To be brave or to be a hero doesn’t mean to be fearless, but rather to press forward in spite of the fear you feel. I am a man of many interests and a dreamer, but what sets me apart from so many other dreamers is that when I ultimately awake…I do all in my power to make those dreams my reality.

I have always loved travelling and as I mentioned I have been blessed with the opportunity to visit and learn about so many cultures and people, perhaps more than my share. I have a dream to travel through Central and South America and not only see the sights and experience the culture, but to serve the people in the countries I visit in whatever ways I find possible. Perhaps you are someone with a similar dream, but for some reason cannot or will not have or take the opportunity in this life to complete or experience such a dream. Stick with me and together we will not only fulfill those dreams and more, but we will change lives by so doing. This I promise you.

I have begun this blog months before I will begin my trek partially to share in my preparations for this expedition so that you might be able to follow me from the start, but also for the reason that I might be able to get feedback from you who are my readers. The kind of feedback I am looking for is ideas on how I can serve or benefit charitable organizations, such as using this blog in some way that might bring a revenue that I can donate or if you are familiar with locations along the way that I might be able to volunteer my time with. Also I wouldn’t mind suggestions on locations to visit along the way or things to do. The kind of feedback I am not looking for is you nay-sayers trying to convince me not to go. I know the risks probably better than you and am entering this with my eyes wide open. I know the dangers and willingly face them. Also, don’t bother asking me if you can come along. The answer is a definitive NO. I have several reasons for this answer, but mostly lets just say this is something I must do alone. No offense to anyone. If you desire to do something similar then do it yourself and on your own time.

I will try to update this blog at least every week, from now until I leave which will be immediately after my graduation. The next time I write, I will try to give a more detailed account of my intents. For now, I leave you with this to ponder…dreams are Gods way of showing us our potential.