Mandela Smoothie

Day 3 Smoothment Week

Painting Mela Bangs

4 Pieces Kale
2 carrots; one yellow, one orange
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen peaches
3 TBSP Navitas acia powder
1 tsp Navitas maca powder
1 TBSP chia seeds
1 TBSP miso
1000 mg chlorrela
2 cups water
3-4 ice cubes

Blend on high for 1-2 minutes.

Today I added miso, chlorrela, and acia powder to today's 30oz breakfast smoothie.  These giant breakfast smoothies are the surest way I've found to earn sustained energy from your food all day long.

The Modern Warrior

The Modern Warrior

by Chris Bangs

The social scar tissue of cancer,
and the progress of our diseases

The migration of thought
and the accuracy of mindfulness

The hidden weapons

and the atomic nature of our subconscious

The modern warrior of today sees these things in each of our faces
and reminds us where the battlefield lies.

The barriers
and the lines between

The modern warrior no longer kills for food or power
and has learned the art of healing.

Look around at the world today, and if your mind is up to speed and you can see clearly the dilemmas that we as humans have faced for millenniums.

Then you know,
There's a revolution happening
There's always been a revolution happening

Change, the only constant,
and here we are today,
changing and changing (and possibly going no where)

The modern warrior looks around and wonders how much longer will we believe in the lies,
The lies that have us going to war with others
and says the enemy is outside our selves

The modern warrior knows this is a lie,
and also knows that this lie has kept us from our own personal revolution

Keeping us trapped here,
life after life

Making the same mistakes over and over,
living and dying,
and not evolving

The modern warrior know that to win,
is to surrender
and real courage lies in peace

Vegan, Yogi, and yes, Warrior 2

Modern, from the latin word modo, meaning "just now"

The modern warrior knows that the only real battle is the battle for NOW,
and that to live in the now releases you from the chains of our past,
and the fate of our future.

peace

HARVEST HOUSE FARM W/ LORI DAVIS

Week 4 Bike To Farm 2012,
Sat. Aug. 4th

posted by Christopher

Harvest House Farm sits 11 miles from town on Hwy. 191 near Gallatin Gateway. The ride out to the farm started out by eight of us crossing Main Street in front of the Sweet Pea Parade with cop cars flicking their sirens and about 2,000 people marching our way. It was quite a scene. Dodging a parade on a bike, honking my bike horn to get a clear passage through the mob. 'Hey get out of the way man, here comes a goofy looking guy on a bike.'
Awesome way to start the day. Really Awesome.

Eight of us road up Tracy Ave. making our way out of town and through miles and miles of farm land. Riding, chatting, and swerving down the country roads. The eleven miles went by quickly and soon we were greeted by Lori and her intern Lydia. There we had cucumber mint water, ice tea, and muffins waiting for us.
Awesome. Really Really Awesome.
The tour of the farm started once everyone got to know each other a little. We had Donna, Rich, Sean, Evelyn, Clint, Evan, Justene, and meself. All enjoying one another and talking about farming and riding bikes on nice summer days.

When we arrived it was a scene out of movie; there were people mulling about, working, fixing things. Two guys were looking at a giant salad spinner, figuring out how to fix it up to a bicycle to spin the lettuce. There was a bike rack, and people greeting us and taking pictures. We parked our bikes and walked up to the house.

Lori Davis has been living out there for more than 20 years, and in the past  3 years she has turned her place into a working farm to create a 'change of lifestyle'.  Now that her kids are grown up, Lori has been able to spend her time turning her beautiful home into a Community farm.  With 5 families and 14 half shares in her CSA, Lori's place is a perfect example of Community Supported Agriculture.

Thanks Lori for showing us around last week. Hope to see you soon.

Gallatin Valley Botanical by Chris Bangs

Sat. July 28,,, Week 3 of the Bike to Farm group rides.  We had 15 people show up and make the ride out GVB, Gallatin County's largest organic veggie farm.

Matt Rothschiller met us with his daughter Anya in his arms and guided us on a tour of their farm.  We were dazzled right away with the two nearest greenhouses.  Inside bursting with micro greens, tomatoes, basil, peppers, and cucumbers.  Next we went out in the fields and ate peas, and other goodies ripe on the vines.

The Rothschillers have done well for themselves in the local farming movement here in Bozeman.  This is such a great thing for people to see; happy farmers doing their thing, with kids right along side, living outdoors, working the land and the fields. As I pondered the idea last week of sourcing more and more local food, I began to think about the farmers I know in this valley, and how I'm glad that I am getting to know them, and to know their farms.
This idea of eating local food, and creating strong communities, supporting our farmers personally, being a part of our own food network, healing our relationship with food and world.  IT's crazy to think about.  Not long ago, everyone was apart of a community, supporting the local agriculture.  It was how we lived and survived. Now things are weird,,, Really Weird... Now we have sporty little acronyms that people are either hip to, or not; "cause like, I'm apart of this groovy CSA man, you know,"  Crazier even more, is how little we care.  I know, because I care, I just don't care enough, and now compare that to someone who doesn't even know what a CSA is, and well,,, you get the picture. You see it everyday. The modern American waste land; with neat and tidy Wal-Mart parking lots mixed in with the bright lights of a Disney tailgater, drunk college types, some ornery unhealthy people, a McDonalds/Monsanto (McSanto) add campaign manager, and VOILA,,, Madness, all wrapped up in a pretty little black dress, stuck on cruise control in our fancy hybrid SUV, and enslaved by the most corrupt (read largest) government history has ever known. Generation Triple Weird.

Wow, Weirds-Ville USA, generation WWW triple weird.  Or Not. You decide. Your dollar is your vote, not the names on the ballet. (not the names on the ballet)

Simply buying local organic food will change the world we live in.

Simply ride bikes,,,

Be the revolution...

Is anyone with me?

Human-Powered the Great One (Bridgers)

Billy followed me around licking my pee.  Yum....

Wednesday June 27th,

I rode out to the Bridger Mountains with my skis attached to my bicycle and skied a run that we call the Great One.

This may be the first time that the Great One has ever been skied by "fair means" to quote Reinhold Messner.

Awesome full value experience just 28 miles from home.

The ride was a bit of an ass kicker, and I had to throw down a little, or a lot to be honest, and I wonder sometimes, is this really this hard?, am I a wimp?, and how come there aren't more human-powered people out here raging with me?

I camped at the lake and was honoured to hang with a Mountain Goat, and a Moose during the evening hours.  Both of my four legged friends were about 10-15 feet from my tent, and I'd forgotten how big Moose are up close like that.  Obviously they did not feel threatened by me, so I naturally didn't feel threatened by them either.  Probably because we're all vegetarians and smell good, and don't put off that "I kill things" feeling.

My friend Pat Clayton came out and took pictures, which I haven't seen yet, but I hear that we rocked it, so stay tuned for the follow up photo album.  You can check out Pat's work at Fish Eye Guy Photography, his photos speak volumes!!

Blah, Blah, Blah. Here are my photos from the trip, enjoy.

Baby Budda sits at the helm of my command center

Looking down the second half of the run

When you've earned it, it tastes so much better!!!

Schlepp and Bob at Fairy Lake, um my skis have no name.

The Great One is the couloir on the left.

The Denali Orgasm

Twenty Thousand Three Hundred Twenty Feet,,,, high!

Reaching the peak, or the climax, of "The Great One" on a clear day in June.  I pause to give special thanks to my friend and climbing partner Chip Snyder for inviting me on this trip, and to the mountain itself, "The Great One" for allowing me summit her, and to play out my own personal fantasies of being a pilgrim and a pioneer.  Learning the ways of nature through my own deep and meaningful relationships that I have with these mountains that I climb.  Thank You.  That was the best summit climax, mountain orgasm, that I have ever had.  Cheers,

Sitting in Talkeetna, waiting for the flight in.

Somehow ended up at the Brewery and got drunk.

Then wandered through the grave yard to sober up.  This is the grave stone
of the late great Mugs Stump, RIP.

No better way to start a big trip than being hung over.

Super psyched, and still drunk.

Mount Hunter seen from the landing strip on the glacier.

Camp one at 7,800 feet on the Kahiltna Glacier.

Day 2, still hung over, slogging up the glacier.

Searching for crevasses in a white-out is an easy way to have
a good time.

Pushing 17,000 feet on a warm up hike.

Over looking Camp 3 and all the tiny little tents.  Mount Foraker
in the background.

Heading for the summit on a beautiful day.

Descending the 6,000 feet back to Camp 3 after the summit. 

Looking north into the great expanse of the land we call Alaska.

So yes, it's been a month since I checked my email, or changed my clothes.  My fingers have forgotten how to type, and full decompression will take another week or so I imagine.  Please stay tuned for a full trip report.

Post Holes

Ever had the chance to post hole for miles up a hill by yourself?  Yes, no, didn't care to?  Well it's tons of fun.  Just like it sounds.

What is post holing, for those of us who aren't savvy in ski bumming lingo.  Post holing is when your hiking in deep snow and each step creates a post hole to put your body into.  Your leg is the post and the snow is the hole.

In fact I was having just as much fun as the caterpillar I saw slinking across the snow field the other day in the middle of the Mount Cowan Cirque.  I thought to myself that maybe I should go over there and pick him up and carry him over to the nearest trees.  I also thought how crazy it was to see this little guy at this high elevation this time of year.  Then I remembered that I'd seen a quite a few butterflies out up here as well, and right then I saw another butterfly.  Cool, I thought.  This is cool.  Then I realized that my plight at attempting to climb this couloir was much like the plight of the little caterpillar.  So I honoured the plight of the little caterpillar and stood there and just watched him as he made his way towards the nearest grouping of small trees.  Then I continued plodding through the snow towards the couloir.

22 miles, 5500 vertical feet, and 15 hours later I was back at my car.  It was dark and I was sure that Justene was in bed already, watching a movie without me.

Elbow Lake in the Beartooth Mountains. 

Left to right; Enie, Meenie, Minie, and Mo.  I'm not sure who
named these sub-peaks in the Mount Cowan Cirque, but
they sure are easy to remember.

One of my favourite past times, drinking fresh water in the Mountains.

Sure enough, when I got home I can hear the faint hello from Miss Sweet in the bedroom. Laying there calmly watching a movie without me.  Perfect I thought, she's not worried at all.

Looking back down the couloir.
Climbers never ask the question "Why do you climb?", and the only
real answers are what we see and feel while we are up there,
and you can't explain that to anyone else but your self.

Elk are symbols for stamina, and hitting ones stride.
 8 is the number for infinite.
Paying attention to how the natural world is communicating to you is key.

When I left home at 5am to go on this climb, I brought an orange, an apple, and two energy bars.  Not very much food for a 15 hour climb, but that was the plan.  I had to do it.  I had to push myself in every way possible, and running out of food half way through the day was one of the ways I was going to train my body run more efficiently.  And it worked.
I ran out of food at 4pm where I ate the apple standing at the top of the couloir.  Now I have an eleven mile descent through snow, mud, and beautiful forest.  Crazy as it sounds, I felt good about this.  I felt that my diet and my training were paying off, and if I'm going to be able to push myself to new levels, then this is how I'm going to do it.  So off I went, butt glissading down the other side of the couloir that was a lot less steep than the side I had climbed up.
Half way down the couloir I got out of control and started sliding to fast to control my speed and my direction.  I got spun around onto my back and was bouncing off the snow, breakdancing down an old avalanche path.  Snow was flying all around me as I blasted through it.  Man that was fun.  Can we do it again, PLEASE!!!
At about 8pm I hit my stride.  And that was when I came around the corner and saw the Elk.