Kayakpacking Catalina Island

Best Time of Year - Spring and Fall
Type: Kayakpacking (backpacking with a kayak)
Gear Needed - A little extensive (see the list below).
Why You Should Go - Kayakpacking Catalina allows you access to areas of the island that are unaccessable to anyone else on the island.

Get Enough Quality Sleep

A Little About Sleep

The evolution of our sleep cycle is an intriguing testament to the adaptive nature of our species. Throughout our evolutionary history, sleep has played a vital role in ensuring our survival and optimizing our cognitive and physiological functions. Over time, our sleep patterns have been shaped by various environmental and evolutionary pressures. The alternating cycles of wakefulness and sleep are believed to have provided early humans with essential advantages, such as conserving energy during periods of reduced activity, protecting against predators during vulnerable times, and facilitating memory consolidation and learning.

Our Need For Self-Esteem

The need for self-esteem is a powerful driving force for human behavior. It motivates individuals to seek recognition and respect, both from themselves and from others, leading to a sense of self-worth and accomplishment. People with healthy self-esteem are more likely to exhibit positive behaviors, take on challenges, and have a higher level of resilience in the face of setbacks.

What is Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem is:

1. Confidence in our ability to think, confidence in our ability to cope with the basic challenges of life.
2. Confidence in our right to be successful and happy, the feeling of being worthy, deserving, entitled to assert our needs and wants, achieve our values, and enjoy the fruits of our efforts.

Self-efficacy - Confidence in the functioning of my mind, in my ability to think, understand, learn, choose, and make decisions; confidence in my ability to understand the facts of reality that fall within the sphere of my interests and needs; self-trust; self-reliance.

Self-respect - Assurance of my value; an affirmative attitude toward my right to live and be happy; comfort in appropriately asserting my thoughts, wants, and needs; the feeling that joy and fulfillment are my natural birthright.

Getting Fit and Strong

 “If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of my body” - Mark Twain

The world of our ancient ancestors was much harder than the comfortable lives many of us lead today. And while most of us would choose a day working in an air conditioned office versus a day of hunting wild buffalo, plowing a field, or even a day in the steel mill, hard work is exactly what our bodies have evolved to do. We not only adapted for hard physical labor, we thrive under it.

Exploring Zion National Park

Date: 11/5/2015 - 11/8/2015

Type: Canyoneering, Hiking, and Exploring

I would just like to say for those who have never been to Zion, or never seen pictures of Zion, or never read articles about Zion, Zion is one of the most beautiful places in the Southwest! Every time I go there, I find myself questioning why are we doing all these physical activities, when we should just be taking in the views. But you know what? There is a way to make time for both.

We always seem to leave Zion beat tired, and sometimes a bit beaten down, but always glad we packed in everything that we did.

Bikepacking Catalina Island

Best Time of Year - Spring and Fall

Type: Bikepacking (backpacking on your bike)
Gear Needed - A little extensive (see the list below - coming soon!).
Why You Should Go - Bikepacking Catalina allows you to experience the island in a very unique way and a lot more of it in a condensed time-frame.

A little about Catalina Island

There are more than a few contrasts - When you start your bikepacking adventure on Catalina Island, the first thing you will notice is that once you leave the comforts of Avalon, or to a lesser degree, Two Harbors, you are pretty much out in the wilderness. But the cool thing is that you are not really that far from some form of civilization. And although you are riding mostly on dirt road, you will rarely see a car. Most vehicles you will encounter are the tourist jeeps, the supply trucks, and maybe a few delivery vehicles. 

Mountain Biking Kernville

Best Time of Year - June to October

Type: Mountain Biking
Gear Needed - Mountain Bike
Why You Should Go - Kernville has such a vast assortment of trails to ride!

A little about Kernville...
Kernville is a small town situated along the Kern River,  nestled in a valley in the Southern Sierras about 4 hours from San Diego. It has the river, forested mountains, a rocky valley, and even Lake Isabella when it has enough water. Many of the adventures you can experience start right from town, literally out the back door. It is truly a small town, not some rebuilt suburb designed to look like a small town, and it feels like one. I mean, just drive five miles North and you no longer have cell coverage. Or a gas station. But, that's why you want to be here. To get away from the hustle and bustle and get in some real adventuring. And that's why Kernville is the place.