Inspiration

Even after living on Orcas Island for almost a decade, I’m still not accustomed to one very all-encompassing aspect of life here… Constant rain naturally drives people indoors. Especially kids.

This isn’t coming from someone who is easily discouraged by dreary weather. I walk every day, rain or rain (shine’s not really an option), and we’ve always been an outdoorsy family. We’ve done endless activities in drizzle, downpours, and even occasional hail. But after years and years of that, the kids tend to lean toward housebound options lately. They’ve drawn and built and crafted their brains out at the kitchen table and in the laundry room for bigger projects, and the TV can be a pull when there are no activities coming down the pike and COVID has wiped out social gatherings. That’s when I feel a little sad about the general public. Are the kids (and adults) of the Northwest staying creative or are they giving in to the easy pull of a glowing screen?

As someone who has been a river guide, a bike tour leader, a kayak rolling instructor, a backpacker, a paddleboarder, a surfer, and a traveler, I’m always drawn to inspirational documentaries about people who are exploring the outdoors or accomplishing inner feats via challenges in the outer world.

If you are looking for a little inspiration lately and feel a little homebound by the weather, I thought I’d pass on a few ideas to you. If you have Netflix, there is a documentary called 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible about a Nepalese mountaineer who decided to set a goal that everyone in the climbing community thought was impossible – climb the 14 highest peaks in the world in seven months. He wanted to do it for the people of Nepal and Tibet, the Sherpas hired by Westerners who are rarely credited for doing the grunt work on grueling climbs to the world’s highest summits. I’ve never had an interest in all of the hubbub about Everest or even its base camp even though I once climbed Mt Whitney (the highest US peak in the contiguous states), unable to summit only because I was in Tevas instead of boots. (I had accidentally left my boots on the porch when packing my car before driving nine hours to the start of the trek, so I had to backpack through spring snow in wool socks and sandals. The last, short jaunt before the summit was a wall of scree with everything from pebbles to boulders. I knew that my feet could get crushed from the constant cascade of rock coming down like slow-moving water, and I decided against it.) I know what it feels like to quickly ascend to high altitude. My brain hates it. It’s a constant, pounding headache. Even if you’re like me, and high altitude hurts, this documentary pulls you in and keeps you.

If you have Disney instead, watch Welcome to Earth with Will Smith. He’s no Attenborough, and while Will Smith admittedly has never slept outside or climbed, and he mentions having a fear of water, all of that makes him a pretty appealing host. He’s there to overcome his fears while learning about some of the most fascinating things above and below the earth. And wow, is it one of the most beautifully filmed shows I’ve ever seen by National Geographic.

If you like to get a lot more scientific, go to Lex Fridman’s video podcast on YouTube, where he interviews giants in fields like astrophysics, chatting about things like intelligence, consciousness, future technology, etc. We were hooked with his interview of Avi Loeb, who wrote the book Extraterrestrial. My husband had just listened to it on audiobook, and I’ll say no more except to say that this and the other interviews are simply (and complexly) fascinating. And I’m not even a podcast-follower-type.

Let’s get a little closer to home, now. Does your window look out at East Sound (not the town but the body of water)? Want some inspiration on a freezing cold, crazy-blustery day? If the ocean is frothy and choppy and the wind has forced you inside by the fire, look out your window. Every time I happen to, I see what I call “The Windriders.” There’s a group of kayakers and paddleboarders who “downwind,” allowing gales to push them from the opening of the Sound down the channel toward the town of Eastsound. When you look out, you might catch a fleeting glimpse of a vertical figure moving quickly on the surface of the water. One of those folks is most likely Karl Kruger. Go deeper and read the article he has on his website about his life and upbringing, from Paddling Magazine. I won’t give anything away but you’ll find out why paddling to Alaska alone on a paddleboard in a 2017 race was easy in comparison to his experiences as a child. This year he will attempt to be the first human to cover 1,900 miles of the Northwest Passage as a solo stand-up paddleboarder. Here is a recent talk he gave at our library…

Finally, for a little daily inspiration, all you need to do is drive into town or be out on the roads here and there during the day. You’ll inevitably cross paths with “Mike on the bike,” the guy who swims every morning at the pool, runs shirtless even on freezing days, and bicycles on either the west or east side of the island every afternoon. Talk about someone not easily discouraged by dreary weather. Mike has been doing a daily triathlon of his own for decades now – a 20-minute swim, a 4-mile run, and a 20-mile bike ride, covering an estimated 60,000 miles at the very least here on the island over the past nine-ish years (and that’s a conservative estimate). He used to compete and nearly win triathlons with thousands of competitors in California, and now chooses to keep the pace a bit slower in order to be able to continue doing it for longevity’s sake. Some of the nicest compliments of his life have come from islanders stopping him to let him know that his daily routine has inspired them to accomplish all sorts of goals. He loves helping kids with their goals, too, as the Running Club coach for Orcas Park and Rec for the past eight years and the High School Cross Country coach for the past four. Mike Kulper is my husband, so if you see him out there today, wish him a Happy Birthday (January 17th).

May you find inspiration that motivates you to do whatever it is that you were put here for.

Side note as Mike’s wife ~ He’s not showing off when he’s running shirtless in 28-degree weather. His metabolism is so high from all the triathloning that he is warm all the time. I’ve always wanted to clarify that. 🙂

You can also find this on the January 16th Sun Days column on The Orcasonian here.