Life In The Expanse

Gitontop – Adventures getting to the top this year.

vetmike — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 21:16:28 +0000

This spring and summer I did some climbing but got too busy getting married and working to write proper trip reports about them. So I decided to wrap up the season with a summary post. Why I wrote this post I decided to burn a couple hours of my afternoon writing this post because I [...]

The 4 Types of Fun

vetmike — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 01:21:58 +0000

I don’t know anyone who dislikes fun. Everyone likes fun, but from my experience, people go about having fun in very different ways. From what I can see, there are 4 types of fun: Type 1 Fun: Fun that is fun while you’re doing it, not really that fun afterwards. This includes eating burgers & [...]

I’m engaged!

vetmike — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:52:20 +0000

I’m thrilled to say that I’m engaged to the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met! On Friday night of last week I asked Heidi to marry me, and she said “I will! Yes! Of course! Finally!”. Such joy fills my heart, and I don’t know how to put all the emotion I feel into words. [...]

Ice & Rock ’2012 – Motiviation to stay in shape next year

vetmike — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:16:54 +0000

I really love climbing things. I also need motivation to stay in shape. I got in the best shape of my life this year, and I need an inspiration to stay there. Since this year is about shot and I don't have any vacation time left, I've started thinking about next year. If you're interested in joining on a trip drop me a line. All routes are moderate alpine or rock. What's in the Box on Bighorn Peak

This route eluded me this summer because of an out of shape partner and too little time.

Should we bring America to Haiti?

vetmike — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:36:36 +0000

As our airplane descended above Port au Prince (Haiti's capitol), seemingly endless urban sprawl came into view. At first it looked like any normal city, but as we descended I was taken back by what I saw: miles of shacks with random dirt paths ("roads") zig-zagging through the madness. Without thinking I blurted out "those shacks look horrible!" My lovely girlfriend, Heidi, quickly informed me that I shouldn't be loudly proclaiming what was obvious to the many Haitians that surrounded us. It's a good thing I'm learning to keep my trap shut now, I thought as we landed.

quick payday loans with small commissions

Climbing a scary island in the sky: Fuhrer’s Finger on Rainier

vetmike — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:10:17 +0000

My groggy mind just couldn't make sense of why my phone was making such a loud racket at 4am. As I gained consciousness I the reality of what was going on set in - I had already climbed over 4,000 vertical feet on Mt. Rainier, the most glaciated mountain in the 48 states. I needed to wake up so I could climb another 5,000 vertical feet to the summit. As my sleepy eyes came into focus, what I saw took my breath away - a massive expanse of stars set against a black backdrop. I had chosen to 'bivouac", or camp out in the open with only a thin layer of material covering my sleeping bag - a decision that later came back to bite me. This night was surprisingly warm, and as I dressed to climb I warmed quickly.

Climb the Canyon: Rock climbing at Sunshine Wall

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Note: I wrote this article for the Spearfish Travel Blog. Thanks for the opportunity to contribute!

Sioux Falls Singletrack Mountain Biking Trail Nearly Complete!

vetmike — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:23:53 +0000

The people behind FAST (Falls Area SingleTrack) have been working hard to complete the new 3-loop singletrack at Leaders Park in Sioux Falls. Sadly I haven't been able to make very many trail digging sessions. Ok so I've only actually been one time. But I'm a fan of this effort and hope to be able to help more when August rolls around and I quit flying away from Sioux Falls.

If you'd like to help dig trail, you can get on FAST's mailing list. Chris Pierson, the guy behind FAST, is very good about providing many times for doing a dig to accomodate your schedule. Digging trail isn't rocket science and the team is very helpful in getting you comfortable with the whole process. It's great exercise too.

See you on the trail!

-Mike

SFBJ: Top 5 business apps to keep details out of the way.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Effective business professionals work hard to focus on what's important - spending time building the future of the organization. But "the devil is in the details", and far too much time is spent keeping track of all the details along the way. Here are a few useful applications that reduce the amount of time you spend on details so you can focus more time on building your business.

My life in youth ministry

vetmike — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Last week Cory asked me to write a post about youth ministry. My instinct was to say "I don't really know what I'm doing yet!" I don't have a 3 point list of things that will work, but I do have a story and a journey. Here it is - the bad, the good, and the awesome.

THE BEGINNING