Flyboys Keeping Me Safe...

Leading up to my departure for Nepal a couple months ago, I spent many waking AND sleeping hours considering the safety of the mission I was signing up for. I would be flying within the most magnificent and daunting mountain range in the world, conducting the highest and some of the most complex alpine rescue operations in history and doing it all in a helicopter with complete strangers. 

What could go wrong?

Well, I have to admit I lost a little sleep and probably sprouted a few more gray whiskers dwelling on an issue that was out of my hands. Just another affirmation that it is an absolute waste of time and energy to fret over issues that are beyond your control. 

I quickly eased into the helicopter lifestyle over the first couple weeks. The first ten flights or so I would grit down on the bumpier rides as the headwind would throw the bird around and up and down. Two months later it wouldn't even occur to me we were in the middle of bumpy ride as I was chatting and laughing with the pilot... until I took a look over at the passenger who would be fully gripped, clinging to a handle. 

The skills these men possess are extraordinary. To them it's like driving a sports car on the Audubon. Precision and skill... balanced with a centered calm. 

They handle themselves with the utmost professionalism and take courage and bravery to the next level. Their mission is to be of service and I have been honored to work with each one of them.

I flew 84 flights in 5 different helicopters with 6 pilots. Landed on just about every helipad in the Khumbu Valley. Landed at Everest Basecamp maybe 30 times... lost track. Landed at Everest Camp 1, three times and Camp 2, four times. Landed in bluebird weather as well as 30mph winds and sideways snow.

My life was in their hands everyday and they are sending me home intact. 

Thank you and Namaste gentlemen. Let's do it again next year. 

Thanks to Capt Andrew, Capt Chris, Capt Nischal, Capt Deepak, Capt Kiran and Capt Dave. 

‪#‎beofservice‬
‪#‎areyouambulatorybro‬
‪#‎happylanding‬
‪#‎timetogome‬

Seek The Fear. Then Pocket It.

I’ve always looked a little kooky at snowboarders as a group.

“Yeah, that’s cute… you in your baggy snowpants and flannel shirt scraping down the mountain and flattening out the bumps that us skiers worked so hard to carve out”. 

Snowboarding has always seemed like a little brother sport to skiing in my eyes. That being said, many of my close friends were/are knuckle draggers as well as my wife of almost 12 years.

But the thought of me, with 35 years of skiing under my belt, strapping into a board and sliding sideways down a mountain was as conceivable as me driving a pink Prius around the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Not happening.

Then, last weekend, my 9 year old asked to take snowboarding lessons while in Steamboat. Then that same 9 year old asked me if I was scared to learn how to snowboard.

Dude called me out.

Cool your jets, punk. It’s on.

And before I knew it I was strapped into a board and sliding sideways down the bunny hill right beside him. 24 hours later I was “carving” down a steep slope next to my wife with a big fat grin on my face… all the while trying to contain the fear that was trying to bubble over with each toe-side turn.

Turns out, going toe-side and heel-side (carving from front to back) are pretty sketchy maneuvers when you’re not accustomed to doing so. I suppose it comes from the inert fear of slamming your fragile little noggin down on the hardpacked snow at a high rate of speed.  At first, each turn leaves you feeling exposed. But as with all things… it progressively gets easier. Every time you succeed at a turn you get more and more comfortable with it.

That is, until you catch an edge… and before you can even let out a pathetic, high pitched “Oh, shit”, your ass and back of your head slam into the snow simultaneously causing a resounding shock through your entire body.

Then the fear sets in so that you don’t go and do the same thing again.

Self-preservation.

Don’t go and do the same thing that just catapulted you into the snow again.

What… are you an idiot?

And thus I was reacquainted with my old friend fear or, as my amigos down south say, “El miedo”.

Fear is an evolutionary response to a threat.

Fear is designed to keep you alive. Epinephrine is injected into your body in large volumes when you’re stressed or fearful. Too much of it is unhealthy. Extended exposure to epi or cortisol is bad for your kidneys, your skin, your hair, and your emotional happy factor.

However, small doses are good. That noteworthy metal-like taste in your mouth just as you commit to a scary action… it reminds you that you are in fact very much alive.

Yummy!!!

Scary shit has been happening to us as a species for thousands of years. Historically it revolved around being chased and eaten by a saber tooth tiger or perhaps a few thousand generations later, it was running from a pillaging Norseman that was chasing you down with a bludgeoning hammer.

Nowadays… it’s less consequential.

Maybe it’s the threat of your boss firing you from your unsatisfying but necessary job. Or perhaps it’s receiving a $200 speeding ticket for going 55 in a 54 (thanks Jay Z).

Our moments of fear are cordoned off these days. We have to go seek out fear in our sterile society. We pursue activities like BASE jumping, mountain climbing, dirt biking and skydiving to get those archaic moments of true fear. To get flooded with epinephrine and cortisol. Then go home and relax on the couch with a beer in hand.

In my 20s and half of my 30s I sought out every opportunity I could find to get scared on rock faces and mountains all over the world. Fear was my friend. It was a drug and I was addicted. I used to love those idiots from the early 2000s with their “NO FEAR” stickers on the back of their jacked up F-150s. I would always think, “I’ll show you fear, dumbass.”

Then a wife comes along and it changes a slight shade.

Then a kid comes along and whoa Nelly… shit gets put on lock down. For no other reason than “I don’t want my kid to grow up without his daddy.”

As we get older the safety cocoon gets softer and pillowier. It’s easier to accept comfort and complacency. Why mess with comfort? Why risk my life? Why risk a broken bone? Takes 5 times as long to heal as it did when I was in my 20s. Even when it does, the arthritis will be a bitch. Not to mention… my achin back.

It’s easy to feel fear and back down. Our ancestors relied on that reaction to sustain our species. But now we live in a time when fear is designed and once we find it, we have to suppress it. Ironic for sure.

I made a conscious decision when I turned 40 to fight complacency tooth and nail. Even though I knew I would never climb the same scary shit I did 15 years ago, it was up to me if I wanted to keep my instincts sharp and stay emotionally engaged with my environment. I would have to redefine the pursuits that would keep me challenged and excited. Part of that equation was to feel scared when doing an activity.

For me it came down to picking up a new sport every few years.

Five years ago it was kitesurfing.

Talk about fear.

After a half dozen hours of lessons I decided to save money and just figure it out on my own in the dark depths of the Sea of Cortez. I remember physically trembling those first few times out solo.

At first I was holding on tight. Scared of getting hucked around by the kite. Scared of getting dragged under water. Scared of getting chomped on by a sea critter.

Then I let go. I quit holding on so tightly. I embraced the movement and pocketed the fear.

Once the fear was released the joy filled its place.

Five years later… kitesurfing is my absolute favorite activity on the planet.

This year, it’s snowboarding.

I noticed clearly this past weekend that when I held back due to fear, I would promptly be thrown forward or backward. Quickly. Painfully.

I realized after my first bumpy run (read ‘crash filled’), that in order to make these turns, I had to let it rip. I found myself sitting at the top of the run saying out loud, “Don’t hold back. Don’t be afraid. Go hard in to the turn. Commit to the heel-side turn.” Once I embraced that, I was off. Carving. Cruising. Fast.

Not to say I didn’t fall and bust my ass a few more times. But I felt the motion and I was hooked.

Clearly there are unhealthy versions of fear. The hours you lay awake in bed worrying about this thing or that. The things that you can’t control. Those issues that seem monumental at 3:00am but are more manageable when you are up on your feet with a cup of coffee in your hand. Fear based culture is disseminated 24hrs a day by mainstream media. Sociopolitical behavior is controlled by the fear mongers  on CNN and Fox News. This is unhealthy fear.

Healthy fear is based on courage. And courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is doing that thing that scares you the most. Having courage to risk failure. Being courageous enough to fall down. Hard. And then get back up. Stretching yourself whenever you get the chance. Not necessarily with X Games sporting pursuits. It doesn’t have to be kitesurfing and snowboarding. It’s whatever you want it to be. But it has to scare you. Expose you. It has to contain doubt and a sense of the unknown. This is healthy fear.

Fear needs to be healthy. It’s primal. It’s one of the missing pieces of our primitive make-up.

See if you can remember the last time you were feeling absolute fear. That your life or limb was in ‘perceived’ danger. For most of us, it’s been awhile.

Go find that fear. Learn a new sport. Take a chance. Go toe-side. Get spooked a bit. Then pocket the fear.

S2S Mission: Mt Whitney

As I reflect back on the previous four years since Erik and I committed to initiating and developing what would later go on to become the Soldiers to Summits program, I am profoundly moved to consider the dozens of amazing warriors I have been honored to share a rope with on each of our expeditions. One of the great gifts of starting this program has been the personal degree of learning I have been exposed to.  I had very little understanding back then how transformational the S2S program would be for me on a very profound level.

Watching these wounded warriors come together as a unit, congeal as a team, prepare for a mission and deal with adversity has taught me more than I can easily convey. I have seen strength and I have seen raw pain. I have learned what it means to stand up in the face of adversity…and in some cases, in spite of it.

Now four years later, as I accept the role as expedition leader again for an S2S project, I am honored to be inextricably connected to a new group of veterans that have dedicated themselves to roping up as a team, committed to the healing process and are fired up to embrace the bounty that the alpine environment provides us.

I am grateful to all the men and women that rope up with us in the mountains. I am grateful to them for their sacrifice. And I am grateful to them for teaching all of us what it means to be a warrior.

Jeff Evans PA-C

Expedition Leader - Mission: Mt Whitney

Servant Leadership...With a Cappuccino

Heading home after a wonderful couple of days in the Great Northwest feeling stimulated and content from an engaging visit with the Starbucks team. Whenever I return from Washington or Oregon there seems to be this warm and compelling emotion that cool shit is going down up there…like a secret that the rest of us are just not let in on. It’s rugged, hip and proud up there. My kinda place.

When one thinks of a truly global brand that is recognizable both in it’s logo, product and atmosphere… a brand that has succeeded in demanding a universal standardization for all of its employees to follow in order to achieve a destination for community and fellowship within it’s walls... Starbucks has to be in the forefront of any list. In my travels all over the world there is one thing for certain… when I encounter the ubiquitous Starbucks store (essentially guaranteed at some point in any journey), the soy chai ice coffee I order will taste just as delicious in Chengdu, China as it will in Boulder, CO.  You know what you’re getting both with the coffee as well as the warm coffee bean smell and soft music that fills the building.

It goes without saying that in order to pull this off there must be a solid quarterback making the calls for the team. I was aware of Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz and his creation and guidance of the global icon over the years. I was only slightly familiar with the fact that he gave up his role as CEO at the turn of the millennium and coincidentally or not, Starbucks lost it’s unique character as well as a large portion of it’s share value. I had heard that he had returned to his role as master executive in mid decade and the ship had been recently righted. I really knew nothing more than this on the Starbucks saga and was quite oblivious to the mystique that surrounded its founder and leader.

Once I arrived in Seattle to provide a keynote to the Supply Chain team, I was alerted that Howard had requested a meeting with me in his office with a couple of his trusted leaders. I was honored and thrilled to meet such a legend of brand development but didn’t really think much about it as I prepared my keynote and breakout sessions for the team. So I thought it somewhat comical when, the night before the meeting, my Starbucks host asked me “Have you thought about what you are going to talk to Howard about tomorrow?” I chuckled a bit and said no, which prompted a very visible nervous twitch in my hosts manner as she was the one that set up the meeting and knew her “time with Howard” reputation would be deeply influenced by the success or failure of this unknown dirtbag, redneck climber dude and his ability to be engaging with one of the worlds leading executives. A bit of a roll of the dice for sure.

The next morning as I strolled down the hall towards the CEO’s office I see this tall, gangly fellow in khakis and a casual button down shirt walking towards us with a gracious and inviting smile. This guy looked happy and affable but not exactly how I would draw up the master chef of a global entity that had $22 billion in sales last year.

“Hi there Jeff, I’m Howard.”

And with that simply greeting, I immediately got it. This guy surely had more important tasks to tend to that morning but he found time to carve out 30 minutes for me in his office and he had done the research to know my name and my bio. He wanted to get to know who this guy was that was coming to potentially influence his most important commodity…his team.

He was inquisitive, required a lot of eye contact and focused on listening to me speak… even when I constantly tried to circle it back and inquire about him and his story. He wanted to know about my background, what drove me to climbing and adventuring around the globe. He was interested in my family, how old my son was. He wanted to know what components of leadership that I felt were the most critical. He asked how my life experiences had crafted my message. He asked and he listened.

You could tell that Starbucks, it’s employees and what the entire brand represents is critical to him. He lives it.

I have been blessed over the years to meet and spend time with some truly transformational individuals who, upon meeting them, you get the sense that they are paradigm shifting, world churning folks… Tom Brokaw, Dave Matthews, George W Bush (disliked yes, transformational and charismatic, also yes), Colin Powell, Sir Edmund Hillary, Tom Robbins (my favorite author), George Bodenheimer (ESPN CEO) and Phakchock Rinpoche (2^nd in line to the Dalai Lama) amongst others. Each of these individuals ooze charisma and clearly have that not-easily-quantifiable skill of leading and influencing the masses.

I have also met and spent time with countless executives that, although they carry the prestige and power of a big title and paycheck that comes with it, don’t incite enthusiasm and a “willingness to go to battle” from their team members. They wear their fine Italian suit and slicked back hair so as to look the part but seem to wield very little real influence except for that of fear.

After 30 minutes with Howard, I understood why the Starbucks team regards him as somewhat of a messiah. He lives for them. He asks them to join his family and represent his love child. He feels strongly that Starbucks represents diversity and community.  He has a history of telling his shareholders that there are more important issues than the bottom line…as he succinctly told a conservative, anti-gay-marriage stakeholder at a meeting last year. “Take your investment elsewhere if you don’t value diversity and inclusion” is essentially what he encouraged the narrow minded suit and tie douche. A testimony to the company’s ethos driven home.

The 30 minutes I spent with Howard that day wasn’t really about content and discussing how either one of us facilitates or conducts ourselves when leading teams. I walked away from that encounter understanding the value that a revered leader places on human interaction and dialogue. So much of our interface these days takes place in the buffered and sterile digital world. We are losing the face-to-face encounters that define our relationships and build trust. I for one am making an effort to do more face to facing instead of type to typing.

As I was leaving the Starbucks headquarters I recognized one of Howards assistants strolling my way trying to catch my attention. He handed me over Howards most recent booked titled Onward: How Starbucks Fought For It’s Life Without Losing It’s Soul.  Inside the front cover was a sincere personal note from Howard that he clearly compiled based on our conversation. He was listening.

As I have poured over the book…which is the perfect balance with the other book I’m currently reading, Greg Allman’s, My Cross To Bear (these two guys have lead very different lives by the way)… I have already dog-eared and underlined multiple pages and paragraphs that are very synergistic with my style, message and life approach.

A few of the jewels:

“There are moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make choices that go against reason, against common sense and the wise counsel of people we trust. But we lean forward nonetheless because, despite all risks and rational argument, we believe that the path we are choosing is the right and best thing to do. We refuse to be bystanders, even if we do not know exactly where our actions will lead.

This is the kind of passionate conviction that sparks romances, wins battles, and drives people to pursue dreams others wouldn’t dare. Belief in ourselves and in what is right catapults us over hurdles, and our lives unfold.

“Life is a sum of all your choices,” wrote Albert Camus. Large or small, our actions forge our futures and hopefully inspire others along the way.”

“Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others think possible. Care more than others think wise.”

“People want guidance, not rhetoric. They need to know what the plan of action is, and how it will be implemented. They want to be given responsibility to help solve the problem and authority to act on it.”

“In times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we're made of.”

That meeting inspired to go on to deliver a very impassioned keynote to the Supply Chain team. Once the smoke settled from that event I was given the opportunity to facilitate a breakout session for the SCO leadership team based on…you guessed it, servant leadership. Providing key characteristics of servant leadership to the team in order for them to enhance the way they interact with their various teams.

The day was a home run.

Leading teams is a unique and subjective process that can be achieved through countless styles and approaches. Some are effective. Some are not. Some influence partners and teammates through inspiration and buy-in. Others coerce subordinates through fear and manipulation.

I can tell you that my approach and style have been profoundly impacted by a brief, simple 30-minute meeting I had a few days ago with a guy who listens and deeply cares about the people around him.

That... and a really well brewed cappuccino.

Climb High

Jeff

A Children's Story... Being of Service

I'm honored to be featured as the main character in a wonderful children's story written by my friend Cheryl Cutting.

Cheryl's story illustrates the joy and value of being a person of service to those around you. A wonderful message for all of us for sure...but Cheryl did a masterful job at writing the story in a way that a child can grasp and understand. My own 7 year old son loves it and in fact has read it twice now. 

I would recommend that all take a read through this and find an opportunity to share it with your kids as I'm confident that they will appreciate the powerful message.

Not all stars belong to the sky! - Unknown

JEFF’S GIFT: Throwing Stars

By Cheryl A. Cutting

“Being of service doesn’t have to mean doing something big,” said Jeff.

“But with so much need in the world – how can we possibly make a difference if we

don’t do something big?” Alia wanted to know.

“That’s a great question and it reminds me of a story,” he replied.

As they sat on the beach scrunching their toes in the warm sand, Jeff shared this story:

Early one morning a man was walking along the beach. The sun was shining and it

was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a girl going back and forth

between the beach and the surf’s edge. Back and forth she went again and again.

As the man approached he could see there were hundreds of starfish stranded on

the sand as a result of a storm the night before, and the girl was tossing them one by

one back into the surf.

“Young lady,” he asked, “why are you throwing starfish into the sea?”

“The sun is up, the tide is going out, and if I don’t throw them back they will die,”

she said.

“But don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and stranded starfish all

along it? You cannot possibly make a difference.” He replied.

The girl listened politely, paused and then bent down, picked up another starfish

and gently threw it back into the ocean. She then turned back to the man and said

with a smile, “I sure made a difference for that one!”

“Did the girl in the story make a difference for each starfish she threw back into the sea?”

Jeff asked.

“Absolutely!” replied Alia.

“Do you think any of those starfish are ever going to come back and thank her for saving

their lives? Or maybe they’ll send her a nice note in the mail expressing their

appreciation?” Jeff teased with a gleam in his eye.

Alia laughed at the silly thought of getting a card in the mail from a starfish. “No, I’m

pretty sure they won’t,” she said with a smile.

“So, if we don’t serve others for the gratitude and we don’t do it for the glory, then why

do it?” He asked her.

Letting sand sift through her fingers, Alia thought about the question. “Because we can

and because it’s a good thing to help people,” she replied.

“That’s certainly part of the answer, but there’s a difference between helping and

serving,” said Jeff. “If I help you then in some way I see you as less able than I am. But if

I serve you then we’re equals who simply have different abilities and resources.”

Alia was confused and it showed in the look on her face.

Jeff thought for a moment then picked up a piece of driftwood and drew two candles in

the sand.

“There’s an old saying which says:

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle

“If we’re both in the dark and both have candles but my candle has a flame and yours

doesn’t, then I can serve you by lighting your candle, right?” asked Jeff.

“Right,” Alia replied hesitantly.

 “However it doesn’t mean you’re any less than me just because you don’t have a

candle with a flame. And if I light your candle then what is my reward?”

Alia jumped up smiling and said, “I know! More light!”

“Exactly! Good job!” Jeff cheered.

“So by serving others we can light up the world and also leave our mark in some way,

right?” Alia asked. She liked the idea of making a difference even though she was still

just a kid.

Jeff got up, wiped sand from his shorts and walked a little ways leaving footprints on the

beach behind him. When he turned around he said,

 “Yes, Alia, being of service is like leaving footprints in the sand. Our footprints are the

result of our actions but quickly fade away, however as we make our imprints we also

carry some of the sand away with us, right?”

“Right,” she replied.

“So if we spend time lighting candles and throwing starfish back into the sea then even

such small gestures can make our ‘footprints’ meaningful and we get to carry some of

the good away with us too,” he continued.

“I sort of understand what you mean,” she told him.

“The footprints the girl made while tossing starfish into the sea faded as the waves

washed up on shore, erasing any sign she had ever been there. But the difference she

made in the lives of those starfish is what remains. Isn’t that cool?” Jeff asked as he lay

back down on the sand and closed his eyes.

“Yes, it’s very cool, but what do I have to give?” Alia asked. “I’m just a kid.”

While she waited for Jeff’s reply Alia twirled back and forth making swishy footprints in

the damp sand. When she stopped to inspect her impressions the sun went behind a dark

cloud; this made her shiver just a bit as the chilly sea water lapped at her feet and began

to erase her footprints.

With his eyes still closed Jeff finally answered: “The girl in the story was just a kid too

yet she made a difference by the tiny act of tossing starfish back into the sea. Maybe she

gave us the secret: if we walk through life throwing stars - if we just do little good deeds

here and there along the way  - this can add up to making a big difference one small step

at a time.

“I like her idea! I want to be a star-thrower too!” Alia announced as she plopped herself

back down on the sand. “

“Ok, with your star-thrower goal in mind the next question is who do you want to travel

with?” Jeff asked as he sat back up to look at her. “Good travel companions make all the

difference, and our truest friends are lighthouse beacons on our journey.”

“What’s a lighthouse beacon,” asked Alia.

Pointing down the beach in the direction of the old lighthouse, Jeff explained:

“A lighthouse beacon is the light that shines out over the waters at night to warn ships of

treacherous reefs and rocks; the beacon keeps ships out of harm's way and guides them

home to a safe harbor.”

They sat together quietly for a while watching the waves, then Jeff continued:

“Choosing to live a life of service means there will be plenty of joys, but there will also

be challenges and even some treacherous reefs and rocks. It’s during those times you

must allow others to serve you, be a beacon for you; which is why it is vital to have true

and trusted travel companions.”

Alia dug her toes deeper into the sand and stared quietly out at the horizon for a

long time. Jeff was patient, giving her time to think about all he had said.

As the sun finally broke through the clouds and covered the beach in rays of golden light,

the answer she had been searching for seemed to burst into Alia’s mind at the same time.

“So if I’m going to be a true star-thrower then there will be times I am the thrower and

other times when I am the star…is that right?” she asked excitedly.

“Yes, that’s exactly right, Alia. To truly be of service we must learn to be good at giving

and receiving,” said Jeff.

As the sun sank slowly into the sea they began their walk back up the beach.

“Alia, you’re on the threshold of a grand adventure, but you can only make the journey

one step at a time,” he said. “Be curious, take risks, listen to your heart and give

everything you do your best shot. Try to do this in every facet of your life then watch to

see what amazing things happen. And if you get lost along the way always turn back to

the stars.

“Thanks Jeff. I learned a lot today and I’m excited to become a star-thrower just like

you,” she said and then happily skipped the rest of the way home.

That night as she lay in her bed, Alia had a vision of millions of stars dancing in her

head…and just as she was drifting off to sleep she tossed the first one back into the sea.

The End

© Cheryl Cutting 2012

**

Dear Reader,

This is a fictional story about an actual gift I received from Jeff Evans. I hope you

enjoyed reading about this gift as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you. Remember

what Jeff said to Alia: Listen to your heart, give everything you do your best shot and

look for ways to be a star thrower along the way! If you do this then amazing things are

sure to happen!

Your friend,

Cheryl

Jeff Evans

By all accounts, Jeff Evans is just a regular guy; he is a down-to-earth country boy who could live next door to you and is about as nice and unassuming a person as you’d ever hope to meet.

That being said, Jeff is also an acclaimed adventurer, speaker, author and world-class mountaineer and climbing guide who has chosen to live a life of service. It is difficult to put into words the magnitude of Jeff’s willingness to sacrifice in order to be of service to others.

Jeff can be captivating and inspiring, but in the most down-home sort of way, and his slight southern accent puts you at ease as he dances you towards the answers to questions you may have. Like cool lemonade on a hot summer day – Jeff both refreshes us and slows us down so we can see more clearly what living a life of service truly means. He is a role model for me and this story was my attempt to give him a gift in return for the gifts he has given me.

You can learn more about Jeff and his adventures at: http://www.mountain-vision.com/

*The Star Thrower story told by Jeff is credited to Loren C. Eiseley (1907–1977), although it is a variation on the original.

Blog: http://exhaleyourself.blogspot.com/