Guys, I've been thinking about...

Guys, I've been thinking about this whole 'utopia society thing' a bunch these days.  For those of you that know me, you may or may not have heard me asking questions about what other people have been thinking about it.  Now, after the election of the Supreme Overload, I'm starting to think about it a little bit more myself.. and kind of wondering how to get there?  Before we get there let's talk about some of the questions I've been asking those around me and some of their answers..

Do you think utopian society is possible?
I've gotten a range of answers from 'no way, not a chance' to 'wouldn't that be nice'.  I think most would agree on this question that since everyone's version of utopia is so vastly different that it would be impossible for everyone to coexist in a singular society.  But.  Now go with me here. What if!  What if we were able to create the kind of place where everyone lives in their own version of their own utopian society and where your ideas and someone else matched up you are then able to connect with each other there.  This is starting to sound like a version of heaven that has probably already been set forth, but I think we could make it work.  And imagine all of the people that would overlap in the line for Ben and Jerry's.  Or.  Since we're talking pure utopia here- is there a line for Ben and Jerry's?

Ok, follow up question.  If utopia was possible, would it be here on Earth or would it exist elsewhere in the universe?
I mean, come on.  Utopia.  On Earth?  And I would have to say, especially over the past week or so, it's starting to look worse and worse for team Utopian Construction so I may just leave that question out from now on.  Millennials are taking this past week pretty hard.  There is a lot of hopelessness going around my generation...

If utopia was possible and they were opening the gates tomorrow, would you go?
The answer to this one has changed over the past week or so as well.  It went from 'no, I don't think so.  I'd let others check it out and join later if it goes well' to 'hell yeah, sign me up now'.  Again, this is purely speculation but I think it might have to do with the election.  A) I don't think if we build a new society where everything is perfect and blissful that we should allow people to enter the gates 'later'.  Like, we've all been here since the beginning and you're blissing out.  Sucks to be you.  B) I don't think I would go, not after I got some answers to the next question.

If utopia was possible and people lived there, would they be able to survive in that environment?
No matter who I was asking- the answer to this one became pretty apparent.  We wouldn't.  For a number of different reasons.  Most people that I talk to seem to agree upon the fact that humans are incapable of accepting 100% pure, unadulterated, happiness.  Some people are addicted to drama and conflict, which brings up the question of- if they are in fact addicted to that drama, would their personally built utopia (see question 1) then just be full of conflict and drama?  Either way, since our brains work in comparisons, we need deep rooted and pure sadness in order to experience the same level of happiness.  Which no ones seems to want to deal with- not that I blame them.  So here's my question from there- if you were able to live with juxtaposing emotions every day- intensive, extreme sadness one day, extraordinary, completely unblocked happiness the next- would you?  Would knowing that in 24 hours you emotions will flip a complete 180 degrees mess you up just as much though?  Would you be able to allow yourself to feel complete happiness knowing that in less than 24 hours you would be experiencing the worst emotional pain of your life.  Would knowing that 24 hours beyond this pain you get to feel uncontaminated happiness, make it better?  No, I'm actually asking.

I have no answers to those questions. But on a slightly less cryptic, but still utopian, note- I found out today that Soylent is a real thing.  They aren't making it out of humans yet, but I mean, Donald Trump is our president.  Anything is possible.

Hey guys remember that time...

Hey guys remember that time we went hiking and Lisa fell in the parking lot, Nick mooned everyone within the first 3 hours of hiking, Hannah got lost, Lisa threw up, and Joe made sure everyone made it out alive?  Me too.  I do this thing when I really want to remember something, where I start to tell the story as it's happening.  I do this because my brain has been berated with so many awesome memories the past few years, I need to do something to remember them all.  I definitely had to do this during my adventure up Mt. Sneffels in Colorado because I knew as soon as it started that it would be one for the books.  And it totally was.

Long story short on how I ended up on this adventure- meet Joe and Hannah, they are easily in my top 5 best friends, we met in college and they lived half way across the country from me in Colorado this past year.  Joe came to visit the east coast this summer where he dropped the news on me that he and Hannah were moving even FURTHER away from me to California in the fall.  'Well I guess I'm visiting you next month then' I said to him.. and it was agreed upon.  Now my friends and I aren't the type to just visit each other and mosey around the downtown of whatever city we are in.  We do shit.  And by shit I mean, like shitttt.  I thought it would be super cool to either hike a 14er (mountain in Colorado over 14,000 ft) or do an overnight hike.  Joe decided that we could do both by hiking this mountain, Mt Sneffels (or Mt. Sniffles if you think that's as funny as I do).  14,157ft in the air this beast is.  That's higher then they skydive out of airplanes, by the way.  And we were going up it in 2 days.  Remind me again, why I wanted to do this...

After I peeled my face off the windows of the bus that brought me to Gunnison and an embarrassingly long and aggressive reunion with my best friend we go some sleep in anticipation of our adventure the next day.  The plan was to hike in about 3 miles and maybe 1000-1500 ft of elevation, camp overnight at these beautiful alpine basin lakes, rise before the sun, and hike the rest of the way up then all the way back down- collecting our campsite on the way out.. all before a storm was supposed to hit the area around midday.  Seemed doable.

Since we were only hiking briefly the first day we got to wander around town for a little bit in the morning and take our time getting started.  Our friend Nick was working in Moab during the day anyway and was meeting us at the trail head in the evening.  We drove for about 3 hours away from Gunnison (a 'short trip' to an adventure spot according to Joe) and as we got closer and closer to the beast I couldn't help but to think... I'm climbing THAT?!  We parked in the lot and knew that Nick would be arriving shortly so ate a little bit and killed some time.  As any woods enthusiast knows the trail head is usually a good spot to use some sort of designated bathroom for the final time before embarking.  At this particular trail head there was a beautiful bathroom that was clean and spacious, four walls and a door.  I was, just SO excited to use this bathroom that I decided to run there.  As I was running through the parking lot a pot hole just came out of no where and took me right off my feet.  Entire left side of my body was soaking wet and a little bit scarped up.  Hadn't even started hiking...

Nick showed up within a few minutes and we were off.  Interesting thing about Colorado that's different then hiking on the east coast.  Well besides the whole 10,000 feet more elevation thing.  There is so much space, and not as many trees- so you can see where you are going for almost the entire hike.  We spent most of our breaks along the way, just bowing down to her majesty the mountain, begging for her mercy as we attempted to summit her.  We also spent much of our time avoiding looking up the trail to far, afraid that Nick would pull his butt out for us to see.

So we hiked in and set up camp at the base of the mountain goddess to pay tribute to her all night.  After a dinner of tuna, a clif bar, and some dried cranberries, the boys told ghost stories and the girls tried to stay warm as we drifted off to sleep.  5am came pretty quickly and with the sun still an hour away from coming up, it was difficult to get moving.  After strolling alongside some of the most beautiful lakes I've even seen and discussing the difference between 'hiking' which we thought we were doing and 'walking' which the Australians apparently call it we got to the switchbacks going up the mountain side to a huge ridge.  This all was happening while the sun was just starting to kiss the tops of the mountains that we were surrounded by.

Once getting onto the ridge and avoiding Nick's.. 'morning ritual', we ended up on the most difficult part of the climb.  They call it a scramble and let me tell you something, we were doing just that.  Hand and feet both required for this part and pack your extra courage.  The only way to survive this part of the climb was to KNOW that the rock that you were putting all of your weight onto was going to support you.  And if it didn't?  Well, that just wasn't something you could safely have going through your mind.

At least 2 hours we spent climbing these huge and only mostly stable rocks up to the summit.  This was the part of the trip that you proved to yourself just how much you can mentally and physically handle.

Once we reached the summit there was enough time for a quick summit dance, a photo op, and a deep breath before we needed to start moving to get down before the storm.  The way down proved to have just as many, if not more challenges then the way up, but we made it through, hit a little weather once we got off the ridge, and made it down to camp just in time for the sun to pop up.  By this time the altitude was starting to catch up to me and I felt something brewing.  I took a quick nap while the others cleaned up and fueled up only to wake up to my body rejecting everything I put into it earlier in the day.  Sometimes the mountains demand a sacrifice.. We got down off the mountain and closed out our adventure with some of the best tacos I have tasted in my life, but it might have just been the fatigue talking.

As I reflect on my time with ol' Sneffels I came up with a few observations:

Some things are meant to be left in the woods.

And I don't just mean, take out you trash and leave no trace.  I mean some moments need to be left there.  There were moments of that trip that I will never be able to put into writing and I probably shouldn't try.  You become a different person when you are 24 hours deep in the woods.  And this produces something special.  And when you are at the base of nature's beauty, it's even better.

Hydrate.

There is a good chance that the reason that I was chosen for nature's sacrifice was because I was coming from the lowest elevation and I was the one that ran out of water (sorry Dad).  I had all the capabilities of making more, and definitely did eventually.  That was a live and learn moment.

When nature brings you to your knees, stay there for a minute.

I didn't know what the term 'awe-inspiring' was capable of describing until I walked in the shadow of Mt. Sneffels for 2 days.  If something is so beautiful that it is going to take your breath away.  Let it.

This is Kaya.  She didn't even come with us up the mountain, but she knew how we felt the next day.

Kwasi's first post.

Hi everyone!  Kwasi here, pronounced with a long a, like Casey with a W.  I'm told it's from Western Africa, where my human was just visiting.. but we'll get to that later.  I'm a puppy that was born somewhere a lot warmer than where I am right now, I think it was called South Carolina. I had 8 other siblings and a mom at one point.  I'm told I'm part yellow lab and no one knows what else. But I've got these adorable freckles that make everyone squeal when they meet me. I love all humans, sleeping on my back, and tearing the fuzzy stuff off tennis balls. When we were all very young my brothers, sisters and I were brought to a place that has a lot of cages and some nice people- but none of them stuck around for too long, and my mommy wasn't with us. I liked playing around with my brothers and sisters but I'm kind of a mellow guy and they have a lot of energy. There were other dogs at this place, a lot of them, sometimes humans would come a take them away and I would never see them again.  It was a little cold here and the only love I got was from my siblings so it was a little lonely. I wondered if any humans would ever come and take me away. 

All of a sudden one day I was put into this big metal box that moves on wheels and I was told a human wanted me but she was in a place called 'Vermont'. I had heard of this place but only that they had a lot of maple syrup and cows- I don't really know what either of those were so I was a little bit nervous of going to 'Vermont'. I spent a lot of time in that metal box and it moved for almost 2 days straight. At the end of the 2 days I woke up and was sooooo cold. The human controlling the metal box walked me into a room with a lot of people. I looked around for a second and there she was! There was one human in particular that I was drawn to, she had brown hair, a big smile, and kind of smelled like other dogs. I wanted her to be mine and turns out she was the one that wanted me to be hers too. :) I waddled over to her with a wagging tail and she gave me lots of hugs and kisses. Before I knew it, I was leaving the room with her. 'Wait a second,' I thought, 'what about my brother and sister that came in the metal box with me too??'. She reassured me that where I was going to next would have 2 new brothers for me- must be the other dogs I smell- and she had a towel that smelled like my siblings so I cautiously went with her. My first night in the new place was a little scary.  There were 2 grown up dogs there, the humans call them Taylor and Hooker Lee, I know them as the dominant one that is gentle and sweet, and the middle-of-the-pack one that is a little rambunctious. They were a little unsure of me and I was a little unsure of them. I've been here now for a little over 2 weeks, things have settled down and I've learned so much. Here are some of the things I've learned so far:

1) Peeing and pooping happens on that cold white stuff outside, definitely not inside on the carpet.

2) My human is the girl with the brown hair, the other dogs belong to the other humans in the house.  My girl's job is to correct my behavior, the other humans are only here for love and treats. I'm still a little unsure of this pack structure but I'm rolling with it. 

3) That middle of the pack dog they call Hooker Lee was kind of mean at first. He didn't like to let me do anything, but now we're friends. He lets me play tug and catch with him even though he never lets me win. When we play catch sometimes my feet stop working or a wall comes out of nowhere and I end up on the ground. Hooker Lee just laughs at me and we keep playing. 

4) Sometimes my human brings me to a room with a lot of people in it. I think that is her job. Most of the people there are young humans that want to pet me. I think my job is to let them. (side note on this room: I know I'm not supposed to pee in here, but I'm so excited and a little nervous about the young humans so sometimes it just squirts out a little bit. I know my human isn't happy about it but I'm working on it.)

5) If I want a treat or to get fed I'm supposed to sit down for some reason. It also helps if I pin my ears back and look at cute as possible. 

6) All the toys on the ground are for me. Unless they are for Hooker Lee. I'm really good and ripping them apart though. 

7) When we go for a walk I'm supposed to follow my human and not my new brothers. I'm also not supposed to eat their frozen poop. 

8) When we get back from walks the other boys play a game with my humans called frisbee. They are obsessed with it- I'm not there yet.

9) I'm supposed to sleep in my house. If I fall asleep somewhere else sometimes my human wakes me up. This makes me a little grumpy and lazy. If I look cute enough, she'll let me stay sleeping, if I look really cute she'll let me sleep for a few hours on the bed!

10) When I'm hungry, I walk toward my food bowl and my humans let me have food. When I ring a bell on the door, my humans let me outside. When I'm out there I get to pee and poop- and I also get to play.  Sometimes I just get to stand there and contemplate life. This is my new favorite game :)

I think this is my forever home, or at least my forever family.  They give me walks everyday, I get to have a full belly, and I get to meet lots of nice people and dogs. I think I'm ok with that.

My human and I when we first met. 

In the car on the way to work. 

My brothers letting me sleep near them. A rare treat!

My favorite way to dream of chasing the ball.