Ad Astra Wellness

20/11/2020

AD ASTRA SPRING TRIP TO ZION
4/30/21 - 5/4/21
AD ASTRA SPRING TRIP TO ZION
4/30/21 - 5/4/21

DAY 1: Arrival and Accomdations (4-30-21)
Upon arrival in St. George you will be picked up from the airport and travel about an hour to Springdale, Utah. After checking into the hotel and getting our gear rented for the Narrows hike on Day 2, we’ll hop in the van and go to a nearby pioneer cemetary and ghost town for a hike to catch the sunset against Mt Kinesava.

DAY 2: The Zion Narrows (5-1-21)
The Narrows is the narrowest section of Zion Canyon. This gorge, with walls a thousand feet tall and the river sometimes just twenty to thirty feet wide, is one of the most popular areas in Zion National Park.
A hike through The Narrows requires hiking in the Virgin River. You must get your feet wet since there is no trail. Most people choose to start their hike from the Temple of Sinawava via the Riverside Walk and then walk upstream before turning around and hiking back down to the Temple of Sinawava.
The water will be cold so we’ll rent wetsuits.

DAY 3 : Angel’s Landing (5-2-21)
One of the premier hikes in the world. A bucket list trek that offers amazing views and will definitely push you. This day will start early so that we can get a head start on this beautiful, strenuous and popular 5 mile round trip hike. The summit portion of Angel’s Landing is spectacular ridge traverse with lots of views and exposure. There are sturdy hand chains too help secure you through this memorable portion.

DAY 4: Canyoneering in Lamb’s Knoll (5-3-21)
Lamb’s Knoll Canyon is a perfect introduction to Utah canyoneering. This day will involve technical canyoneering for those who want to maximize their adventure. If rapelling and scrambling isn’t your style, the Lamb’s Knoll area has plenty of trails, nooks and crannies to explore. Our little expedition will take about a half day.

We will rent helmets and harnesses for those who need them the Evening before in Springdale.

Day 5: Check Out and Travel Home (5-4-21)

EMAIL ME AT: adastra2854@gmail.com if you are interested and want more details or if you have questions.

16/11/2020

Strenuous Living

We humans were designed for many things; critical thinking, creativity, relationship and community. We were also designed to get of our butts. Afterall, the human body contains more than 600 muscles! It seems that as we evolve we are creating an ever more sedentary environment – in the work place, in our homes and in our hobbies and recreation. It seems also that our collective psyche is evolving to accept this new norm. We watch people play video games – it is a thriving industry. We take a pill for our blood pressure but forego a walk. We spend our spare time checking out what some inane, pseudo celebrity has to say rather than work out or engage in an active hobby such as wood working or gardening. I’m not preaching that sedentary activities are evil. They are part and parcel to our lives and livelihood. Heck, I’m engaged in one right now! But, total surrender to this way of life has a price that we pay in mind, body and spirit.
Studies have shown that those who exercise on a regular basis have higher levels of serotonin, an essential, natural hormone produced by the body that regulates mood. Physical activity also increases levels of endorphins, the source of that rush that occurs after strenuous exercise. This increases even more when exercising outside. Further related research shows that physical activity decreases depression and increases self-esteem.
The American Council on Exercise published an article examining the immediate and long-term benefits of physical activity. The article essentially argues the unassailable case that the human body is made for strenuous activity.
The physical benefits of strenuous activity include:
• Lower blood pressure
• Better regulation of blood sugar
• Lower resting heart rate
• Better control of body fat
• Improved immune function
• Increased muscular strength and endurance
• Improved cardiorespiratory functioning
• Increased flexibility
• Better join health
• Improved mental functioning
• Higher quality of sleep
What about the consequences of inactivity? The American Council on Exercise points out that inactivity leads to:
• Loss of bone density
• Stiffening of joints
• Weakening of muscles
• Weakening of the heart and lungs
• Degeneration of the cellular energy systems
The World Health Organization asserts that physical inactivity constitutes the fourth leading cause of death globally. It is cited as causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths annually.
Our bodies house our spirits. To care for the physical implicitly effects the spiritual. Strenuous activity is stewardship. It can, of course, also be very meditative. The rhythm of long treks, digging deep and pushing through. Strenuous living can transcend mere maintenance and break new ground mentally and spiritually. Billy Blanks – yeah, the founder of Tai Bo – put it this way, “The body only profits a little from exercising, but the spirit benefits a lot.”
Mind, body and spirit – they all benefit from and, in fact, function as Designed when regularly pushed to new limits.

“If you have a body, you are an athlete.”
Bill Bowerman

11/11/2020

Power of Nature Part 2: Restoration

On February 14, 1884, Theodore Roosevelt was working in New York’s State Senate. He was 25 years old. That day he received word he needed to immediately return from Albany to the family home in New York City. Both Roosevelt’s mother and wife were ominously ill. They soon after died, on the same day, only hours apart, in the family’s house. Roosevelt fled to the wild lands of South Dakota. He lost himself in hunting, exploring, ranching and living in the still wild west. He rediscovered himself on the high plains. This was not surprising. Roosevelt always found himself in the out of doors living, as he phrased it, the strenuous life.

Roosevelt is not unique. Writers and philosophers ranging from John Muir to Edward Abbey and Thoreau to Krakauer have all extolled the restorative power of nature. Now modern science and a growing number of academic studies are validating this philosophy.

These studies back up the case for the restorative powers of wild places. I have personally experienced many of these “side effects” of wilderness. Some noted benefits include:
• White blood cells can stay elevated for more than 30 days after an adventure in the woods. White blood cells are crucial to your immune system.
• Focus can improve. Attention improves by exposure to wild environments.
• Boosting of creativity.
• Providing a sense of accomplishment
• Building positive relationships
• Attitude of gratitude

I have always loved the out of doors. As a kid this mostly entailed hunting and fishing around Kansas. Each summer, however, my family headed to the Rockies. We camped from Glacier National Park to New Mexico. This is where my deep love for wild places was instilled. I learned camp craft and confidence from my grandfather and father. This eventually morphed into backpacking, peak bagging, climbing, mountain biking, etc. I was thoroughly hooked. From those times until the present wilderness has always been my chief place of serenity, my place of restoration. It has at times served as my personal psych ward and, always, my church.

In July of 2018 my world changed. I was diagnosed with early onset Parkinsons. This was a difficult pill to swallow. In fact, I didn’t swallow it, I spit it out and stuck my head in the sand. I was mad at God, mad at myself … mad. I took a leave from work. Then, during this time, I began to drink more. Alcohol and incipient self-pity were rapidly stripping away the good things in my life. I eventually cried uncle and retreated to Southern Utah to try and hit the reset button. The Utah experience changed my life, or perhaps, more aptly put, served as a starting point for resurrection. Just outside of Zion National Park, I spent my days studying while reconnecting with the outdoors. I have always sought wilderness for healing. It had been a while, but the empowerment of physicality, natural splendor and peace came flooding back. Eventually I was able to embrace my medical diagnosis and make an honest assessment of myself. I regained perspective and meaning through interface with Creation.

For me, I need that dose of my Maker’s medicine on a regular basis. Too long without the humbleness and gratitude I get from a walk in the woods and things get off kilter. Whether it is to rejuvenate, reboot or deal a deep wound – wild places are and, with due care, will always be there to heal mind, body and soul. Let’s take advantage. Let’s do it together.

02/11/2020

I love music! Here is a classic from the Avett Brothers. Good music, great lyrics. Enjoy the song. Enjoy your day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeYSqZPzwr8

Best of The Avett Brothers: https://goo.gl/T4wtM8 Subscribe here: https://goo.gl/GfqwA6 Music video by The Avett Brothers performing Head Full Of Doubt/Road ...

02/11/2020

Power of Living in Nature Part 1: Revelation

There are many different aspects to the glory that is creation—not just the heavens, not just the mountains, not just the seas. It can be in all these and in the unseen connections and sinews between them. Consider, for example, the unimaginable details and design of a single living cell. That cell is equally spectacular and on par with the most awe inspiring mountain and the most serene of rivers. The sheer complexity, the depth of organization and interaction in our world is numbing, bordering on the incomprehensible.

The natural philosopher Thoreau noted, “Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.” In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon artfully puts it as follows:

… and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.

Ecclesiastes 8:17.

Jesus too sets an example in his draw and sense of connection to nature. He fled to the solitude of a mountain to refresh himself, the wilderness to prove himself and the garden to pray. I think he showed us not only how but also something about where to live.

I sometimes feel the need to clarify and understand the world around me, thereby reducing it down to my capacity to comprehend. But, the thing is, I don’t need to have all the answers. I would propose that we must never lose sight of the true and spectacular miracle of Creation. The wonders of this world ingrain an inescapable sense of humility and awe. It is actually quite thrilling to be part of something bigger than our capacity to understand.

These days I regularly try to meditate. To practice just being still, listening. For me being in the natural world, whether it is on an obscure peak, waste deep in a trout stream or merely walking with the dog is generally what I would call an active meditation. My hands may be busy or my feet moving, but my mind is clear and focused – ready for inspiration or a creative thought. The sounds of paddling, the cadence of a bicycle, the sounds of the woods from a tree stand, to me these are God’s meditative music. I love these times. I need these times. I feel their absence and suffer when they are too long gone.