10: Rebels

This morning I was supposed to hike at 8:30am.  I had told my hiking partner I didn't want to do Thumb Butte, so when he cancelled due to an injury, I was relieved.  No Butte.  Ha.  I had escaped the air-sucking, no-breath monster.

Then I meet Andrew Bogdanov & Patrick Burdell, of Rebel Handcycles.

Patrick, myself & Andrew.

Humbled.

Andrew describes his journey best, and I freely admit I lifted this from his Facebook page:

"Welcome everyone! Glad you can join us on our journey. It started as a tragedy, but it changed into something exciting. Here's how it began.
For those of you that don't know, a hand-cycle is a cycle with 3 wheels that is powered by your arms. It is primarily used by the disabled that may not have use of their lower extremities. It is also used by the able-bodied who enjoy a comfortable seat and an upper body work-out.
Here's a little information about me, how I discovered hand-cycling and how this company was established: I was in a snowboarding accident back on Valentines Day of 2014 that left me paralyzed from the chest down. I was told by doctors that I would be a paraplegic for the rest of my life and that I would need assistance for daily living. I was devastated and angry, not at the doctors, but at the circumstances. Instead of letting it bring me down, I fully trusted God and started searching for ways that I could live a rad life in a wheelchair. As I was searching I came across the sport of hand-cycling. The first time I tried it, I was hooked. It made me feel independent and I was able to get a killer work-out. Hand-cycling made me forget that I was even in a wheelchair!

However, after a few rides I noticed design problems with the bike. I couldn't turn very well, my foot would drag as I turned, getting in the bike was a hassle, and I was getting injured using the bike. I asked around and found that I wasn't the only one experiencing these problems. In addition to this, I wanted to purchase my own cycle. After seeing that these bikes ranged from 3-5 thousand I knew I wouldn't be able to afford one. I knew there was a demand for better quality cycles that were more affordable.
I wanted to develop a better bike but I knew I couldn't do it alone. While pursuing a degree in Entrepreneurship (starting a business) at NAU, I met Patrick. He instantly fell in love with the idea of creating a safer and better hand-cycle. We collaborated and created Rebel Handcycles. Now the journey begins!"

Go now and "LIKE" their page:  https://www.facebook.com/rebelhandcycles

 Yeah.  And I was wimping out of hiking Thumb Butte because I winded so badly last week.  I had been complaining about last night's class, because it was so out of my comfort zone.

Patrick also has a disability, having an injury from birth that ultimately made his right arm smaller and shorter than his left.  After meeting Andrew in Entrepreneurship class, they decided to work together to bring a handcycle to the market that was better designed, more affordable and assessable to everyone, not just those with disabilities.  The energy between the two men was tangible; despite a 22 year age difference they had a partnership that one could tell was going to go the distance.  I sat there, knowing full well that my fitness quest had been compromised by a bad attitude this morning.  If anyone deserved to have a bad attitude, it was Andrew and Patrick.  Instead, the ready smiles on their faces told more than just their stories.  It told me to get off my booty and hike.

Dearest Becky saved the day, and we squeezed in a Thumb Butte hike at 1:30 in the afternoon.  Being in charge for a change, I demanded we go the wimpy way.

That would be to the RIGHT.  Don't let anyone else tell you any different.

Almost immediately, I felt a change in the hike compared to prior hikes.  For one, I could easily chat with Becky as we trudged up the wet, muddy trail.  I didn't need to take a break, and I wasn't swigging water as I usually did.  When we got to the 3/4 point, we took a short break.

On a bench.  Because benches are for sitting on, not hiking past.

Here we were, nearly to the top, and the air monster hadn't gripped me by the throat.  Maverick hadn't shown up.  It was just a pleasant climb, with water flowing freely all around us due to the recent snow melt.  We arrived at the top unwinded, and I took a second to pause at the Granite Mountain Hotshots memorial to touch the pink ribbon now tied to my pack.  "To be, not to seem."

I had been capable of this hike all day.

Even when I decided not to go, even when I complained.  I had become acclimated, and hadn't known it.  The day I had strived for, I almost missed.

It's been tough lately, a roller coaster ride.  Fitness, however, is a choice I control.  Tonight would be candlelight yoga; I hoped for a reprieve from the grueling workouts of the prior two days.  It was good to be greeted by classmates from prior day's classes, and they assured me this was a soothing class.  I admit I was hesitant to accept that; everything this week had been more intense than it should have been (both emotionally and physically.)

The candles weren't real, but it was still a nice effect.

Yoga.  Sweet soothing yoga.  This was my second experience with yoga, and my first true yoga session with a seasoned yoga instructor.  I immediately felt the tension release from my body, and the aches of the prior two days dissipate.  Every move was a suggestion, I liked being in control of my own body.

My body is mine.  And so are these dolls.

Our yoga instructor, Katy, instructed us to find our most comfortable position.  She instructed us to visualize an addiction, or unhealthy relation.  She then told us to see ourselves walking towards a castle in the distance.

I went to the Magic Kingdom twice this year.

She said we had a rope tied around us, attached to a heavy box.  It was slowing our progress.  The box contained our addiction, or unhealthy relationship.

Don't google "Box tied with rope."  Sick people are out there.

She then said we should take a knife and cut the rope, freeing us to run to the castle.

This is a TOPS Firestrike.  It's the second knife I bought the King of Athletics.

Interestingly, in my mind I saw myself suddenly soaring over Main Street USA, like Tinkerbell I swooped the castle.  I was flying over the Magic Kingdom, as easy as if I were Peter Pan.  The box below me seemed very small, and I easily did acrobatics.

Just like Holly & Sebastian.  Brad, she's gonna be a gone Pigeon is you don't get the sawdust out of your veins.

I left yoga refreshed, ready for two more days of workouts I couldn't control.  I could, however, control my attitude and my choices, so sang all the way home.

If William Wallace had a song, I'd be singing that one, too.

Happy 19th birthday, Peter!