Thought I left didn't ya......

I'm not going to bore you with the reasons why this blog has not been updated since December covering an October event. All I will say is I'm back and have one hell of a year! I am going to do my best to provide you with stories and adventures of the last 9 months....

NOVEMBER
Following the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon, Andy, Dave and I explored the world of underground kayak racing. Occurring the first weekend of every November is the Green River Race in which thousands of people gather in a very remote corner of North Carolina to watch competitors (myself not included) run one of the sketchier whitewater runs in the country...the Green River Narrows. Other than the sheer danger associated with such an endeavor, what makes this event so cool is the fact spectators hike miles into the wilderness to see this. Upon our arrival, we discovered folks were cooking hot dogs on camp stoves and selling them for $1, there was no a shortage of moonshine and you would think the event was sponsored by Carhartt and the inventors of flannel. Looking forward to this November!

DECEMBER
Santa came and he brought presents.....

JANUARY
Happy New Year!!!!

FEBRUARY
If you know me well, you are well aware that sometimes I like to step outside the box and do things a little outside of the ordinary. How about a polar bear plunge??? Before I discuss this event in more detail, let me go super hippie on you for a sec. I have found that there are not many things I like more than a freezing plunge into a cold river. And I promise this is not a manly, "look how strong I am" contest. This is about the benefits it brings. If you have not experienced this to its fullest, please try it out. WARNING: do not go right into ice water. Build your tolerance. While the initial shock of the freezing water is in fact painful, the alertness and clarity following is what its all about. Please try it....maybe start with a cold bath in your tub.

Anyways....I have discovered over time that there is no amount of cold that will prevent me from testing the limits of a cold river. Enjoy the photos from our snow camping adventure.

MARCH
I'm 28 now.....

APRIL
Busy at work...

MAY
Even more busy at work.....

JUNE AND JULY
Hopefully you (family and friends) know by now that work for a nonprofit organization that serves people with disabilities. If you didn't know that.....welcome to my blog....and life. Well, the summer is the busiest time of our year and is when we venture out to different parts of the country to launch/manage many of our programs.

In early June, I set sail for Seattle and the Cascades of Washington to help kick off Journey of Hope (cross country cycling trip raising over $600,000 for Push America). Touch gig, right? Well after leaving Seattle, I found myself at the base of Mt. Rainier. Words can not describe this mountain. The surrounding peaks top out at about 7,000 ft. Rainier towers to 14,000 plus.

Oh yeah......HLP done got married!

After a brief week back in Charlotte to wrap up planning for Build America, I was on the road again. Yes, another road trip to Colorado. I thought I was done making that drive. WRONG!

This year's Build America team kicked of from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Probably one of my proudest moments in Push America history was seeing this team of 16 men, who had all raised over $3,500 to be there, summit Mt. Bierstadt (14,062 ft) as part of orientation team building. Watching these guys come together as a team, make it up and down safely was a really cool thing and one of the many reasons I have the best job in the world!

After orientation was the No Barriers Summit. Imagine the top athletes with disabilities from all over the world gathered in one location to participate in adventure sports, try out new technology and learn their true abilities. Being a part of the summit was truly and honor and inspiring event to see. The following pictures are proof that no disability stands in the way of what is possible!CONCLUSION
To wrap this all up, I want to share with you a video that was created about Jason Dorn and myself and our efforts to show the world the abilities of all people. Jason and I rant the Marine Corps Marathon together and are planning to do it again. The following video is a quick look at our story. Jason is one amazing dude and I am blessed to have met him. I hope you enjoy.

Why I Run from La Storia on Vimeo.

A run for the ages!

As some of you know, on October 31 of this year, Jason Dorn and I completed the Marine Corps Marathon for Push America. We competed in an effort to prove the abilities of all people and that an individual with a disability has the same opportunities as anyone else. As part of our efforts, we committed to raising $3,000 for Push America. Well, with much support, we were able to raise over $8,000. I know I speak for both of us when I say, we are truly humbled by all of the support. The commitment to helping us in our efforts is a true display of compassion and mutual support for a cause we value dearly. Words cannot describe the emotion felt as I look over the list of donors on our behalf. Some don’t know personally and others, I haven’t seen in many years. However, there was no hesitation to help us achieve our goal. And for that, we are forever grateful. Without it, it would not have been possible.

Jason and I completed the race in 5:21 and some change. While we were on the course a little longer than I expected, we had a blast the entire way and were encouraged by so many people. Jason never hesitated to cheer on other runners and express his equal frustration for the difficult section (“The Bridge”). I promise you, Jason was the heart and sole of our team and the fuel my legs needed. My favorite part of the whole event was at dinner the night after the race. As we were eating dinner, a fellow runner began to cramp up at the table.

While in agony as everyone laughed, he responded with, “leave me alone, I just ran a marathon!”

Without missing a beat, Jason responded with… ”ME TOO!!!!!”

Not one person in that room will ever forget those words because it was proof that no disability can get in the way of the human spirit.

So on this holiday season, rest assured that the money raised through Push America programming makes a difference in so many lives; that the support not only enabled Jason and me to run, but impacted all those that saw Jason run! 5:21 may have been a little slow, but that only means Jason and I have something to shoot for next year.

Thank you to everyone for the outpouring of support. All the glory truly goes to God!

Long time coming....

There are some things in life that just bring you back to the memories of your childhood. Well for me, it's memories of my dad driving us to Dairy Queen after dinner for Blizzards just before a big storm rolls in and just in time to catch the Ranger game on channel 27 (KDFI if I remember correctly). You see, the Rangers never were all that good and battled air time with Fresh Prince, Martin and Cops.

So when Nolan Ryan turned our world around, you know I had to come to a game. Luckily I got to spend game 1 of the ALCS with my pops. We even got a couple Blizzards on the way to the game.....that's actually a lie, but would have been tasty. Enjoy the pics.

Carolina...one day I'll...some day I'll come home

I believe the Avett Brothers said it best in one of my all time favorite songs, "Salina." And they were correct, you can leave Carolina....but you will return.

We have come full circle and I am now an employee of Push America once again and could not be more blessed. I am doing what I love and am truly thankful. The past year and a half was one great year and I wish everyone had the chance to see the country the way I did. One for the record books.

In the midst of moving, I did manage to cram in a few list items and I would like to share.

First, St. Mary's Glacier with Hazel
Hazel was passing through and we shot up to the mountains to hike around the glacier and take a dip in some refreshing glacier melt. You will notice me dipping my head into a comforting little stream. What you can't see is that it is about 5 feet from the mouth of the glacier. Therefore, water temp is in the 30s I would estimate. Luckily the lake was quite a bit warmer....maybe 45-50 if I had to guess. Good times.Second, Great Sand Dunes with KnottsEric and I made a quick trip down to the dunes for one last bro-mantic weekend before I made the trip east. It is hard to tell but the dunes rise 500 feet from the base to the summit. Climbing 500 feet of sand is no easy task. But, what we experienced in difficulty was met with equal amazement. It is hard to believe something like that exists in Colorado. It is truly a bucket list item.Third, marathon training in the mountains with Dave and the BaconsWe ventured up to one of my favorite spots for a weekend of hill training for our upcoming marathon. 13ish miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway is something everyone should get the chance to do. We rewarded ourselves with some quality camp food and a trip to Asheville for some celtic music and Staci's first Guiness.Finally, Cameron still knows how to wakeboard...check out this video.

Jason's Marathon

This October, I am competing in the Marine Corps Marathon for the third year in a row. However, this competition is not mine; it is Jason's. I met Jason during the summer of 2005 when I was a cyclist on the Journey of Hope--a cross country bike trip to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities. While Jason lives with cerebral palsy, it doesn't keep him from being active.

Jason and I are running the marathon together and have committed to raising $3,000 for Push America. This is Jason's first marathon. I will be pushing him through the course, but his heart and mind will provide the energy we need to finish. Currently, we have raised just over $2,100 and are asking everyone for their support. So please watch the following video and consider making a tax-deductible donation on our behalf to Push America at http://secure.pushamerica.org/kylethomas. Thank you!

Lost in Utah

There is nothing like a good road trip and I have been fortunate to have some great ones. Jeff and I, in particular, always seem to get ourselves in interesting situations. Over the last two years, the list is as follows:

1) Icy bushwaking adventure in North Carolina wilderness (hitchhiking was involved)
2) South Carolina paddling
3) Lost in Rocky Mountain National Park (snow covered the trail) w/ June sledding
4) October kayak sledding on Loveland Pass
5) Snow cave construction at 12,000 ft.

Well, we recently added another.....river hiking in Zion, Utah with a touch of precarious off-roading between Ouray and Silverton, Colorado. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the off-roading because at the time, we were not exactly excited to be in that situation--totally on accident.

Anyways, Jeff was driving from California to North Carolina. I thought I would hop in for the Vegas to Denver leg. We did it in one weekend covering quite a bit of ground. We stopped in Telluride to visit an old friend, we won $20 in a casino and made it back to Denver at 3am on Sunday just in time to get me to work on Monday. Below, are a few images and video from our activities.