A Good Year ?

So far, coming out of the pandemic has proven challenging for everyone. And, obviously, we’re not out yet. But, my friends, I’ve accomplished a couple things during Covid that I am proud to share. They may sound overly simple, but they brought me a LOT of joy along the way.

I completed two waterfall lists!

Kevin Adams 100 North Carolina Waterfalls Challenge (check out my name on this page!) – I completed this list on 20 July 2020!

Carolina Mountain Club 100 Waterfall Challenge (you won’t find my name there as I am not a member) – I completed this list on 05 August 2021!

I hiked solo to the overwhelming majority of these waterfalls. But, I would love to share them with you if ever interested. Please email me and let me know. I can provide beta (info, directions, descriptions, etc.) about any of the falls/hikes. At the moment, I can’t go with you. But, I will be able to in the future and we can enjoy these together!

Just check out the images on the waterfalls page and ask about it/them.

So, I am now working toward the Kevin Adams 250 NC Waterfalls Challenge (the above link will explain it too). This will take me longer as some of these hikes are very difficult. But, I’m excited to see how far I can go.

A New Year

We made it to 2021 ! And, I’m excited to be on the other side of 2020’s medical issues and election craziness. The covid-19 restrictions continue but there is at least hope for the vaccine coming to my family and me soon. I know I could have never imagined last year in my wildest dreams. But, at least for me, there was a lot of good coming out of it too. I’ve expanded my photography repertoire in particular to capture waterfalls (check out www.goosmann.photography – the link redirects to smugmug.com where a number of my images are now hosted and sold). This has been done by hiking a lot of miles to a couple hundred regional waterfalls! And, I’m planning on getting right back to it this year.

So, follow along with me! Check back on the images in the waterfalls link and when I expand that to show off portraits, americana, or other images, I’ll add a new page, but I’ll tell you about it with a post.

As always, email me (hunter@gunterhoos.com) or follow me on social media (my username on Instagram and TikTok is @gunterhoos) if you have any questions, or just comment on this site! Thanks.

Fortunate

Yes. I am so incredibly fortunate. Right now, as the country continues to examine itself in the most difficult way, I have a job that I love (especially the co-workers), my children are healthy and doing well in school, and I have my health. I’ve had some medical issues this summer – and I’m not going to elaborate on them – but I have a fantastic doctor (and team) who have made this process as easy as it can be.

I have nothing but gratitude for all of this and more.

That said, I am a student of constant improvement, and there is a lot I need to improve on .. like writing on my blog, for sure. But, in case you didn’t notice, I regularly add more photos of waterfalls. The best part of it all is that my photos are improving due to the regular study of techniques, continued study of available options on my camera(s), and practice!

Like, the latest photo from last weekend. Is this the most beautiful waterfall I’ve visited? No. But, was the outing special? Very much so. It was the first outing I’ve made in a couple months. Now that I can get out and hike again, I’ll be headed back out on weekends and you’ll find a lot more photos added to the site.

Avery Creek Falls
Avery Creek Falls

I am especially proud, though, of completing Kevin Adam’s 100 Waterfall Challenge this summer. I also want to complete the Carolina Mountain Club Waterfall Challenge (I’m at 75 of 100 right now) and, last, I am already working on Mr. Adam’s 250 Waterfall Challenge. The best part of challenges like this is that I have to visit waterfalls and areas that I wouldn’t have otherwise visited. In many cases it’s been reacquainting myself with western NC. And, in every case, I have really enjoyed getting to know not only the waterfall, but also the region.

I would love to increase my interaction with you, so, if anyone has a question for me, please ask.

Weekly Hiking

I have consistently been hiking one day a week for months. The beauty of this is that I get to see four seasons of our beautiful mountains. During these hikes I am visiting waterfalls (in most cases). Most of the ensuing photos are found on my waterfalls page. Check them out!

Raven Rock Falls
Raven Rock Falls

But, the hiking is one of the ways I am just moving more. It isn’t exercise, it’s just enjoying the outdoors. And, there are thousands of hikes and short trips to make before anyone could ever say “..I visited them all” ..

Of course, if you want to mix it up, you could plan a hike to a county highpoint instead of a waterfall. Or, do some street or mountain biking! Ever thought about kayaking? There are many other ideas you can find via Google, so get busy and find your passions. Should you want to join me, let me know!

Hiking

Most hikes in WNC are a time for a simple communing with nature. There aren’t significant challenges unless you look for them. Recently, I found some! Upon hiking to Dismal Falls the descent into the gorge was the steepest I have encountered to date. Ropes had been set up by previous hikers, and I brought some rope in anticipation of needing them, and I did. Hiking in November means there are a lot of leaves on the ground making it slippery. And if you go hiking after a recent rain, it is yet more slippery. But combining wet ground AND leaves and the combination makes a seriously steep climb into a gorge harder.

Dismal Falls
Dismal Falls
Upper portion of Dismal Falls
Upper portion of Dismal Falls

At the top of the gorge I set up my rope and knotted it every four feet (or so). Then I started down. Of course I slipped a time or two but overall it wasn’t too bad. I also was not happily anticipating my return trip, but I kept going. About two thirds the way down I looked up and was incredibly surprised to find a photographer making his way up. We chatted for a few minutes and he was very happy to have a second rope available to him. We also discussed being there at the wrong time of day for the best photographs.

Since I have my photos to show I made it there and back this hike is obviously very do-able. But I have to say that I am a planner. If I didn’t have my rope I could have made it anyway but the chance of an accident would have increased a lot. Just be careful out there. And be wary if you choose to utilize ropes that others have set up.

Color

Autumn colors are finally coming, but I don’t think they’re going to match any of the best years we’ve had around here. Nonetheless, I did get a nice Autumn photo of Looking Glass falls yesterday. Check it out! And, check out the other waterfalls I’ve visited lately!

Looking Glass Falls
Looking Glass Falls

More Photography

I have had a blast this summer getting outdoors, hiking, and taking photographs. I’ve taken some good shots, and some that capture the moment but don’t show it in the best light (pun intended). You can see many of the waterfall shots on its page (click HERE to go there).

I plan on continuing this each weekend throughout autumn and into winter. I hope that my timing proves good and that I get some exceptional shots.

For the few of you who actually read this, thank you. Here is one of my more recent photos.

Schoolhouse Falls
Schoolhouse Falls

Accountability

I’ve done something really cool. I always want to be someone who does what he says he will do. And, this year, I have fulfilled a promise I made to myself. Let me explain.

At last year’s World Domination Summit (WDS), I spoke with a young lady named Ekaterina about adventure races. You see, she is super fit and I’d always harbored a desire to complete a Spartan Race. Almost immediately after I mentioned my goal to her she said she’d be my accountability partner. My first thought was, “Oh crap! What have I gotten myself into?” Ekaterina went further to ask if I had looked into the races in my part of the world? I said, “no”. She replied that I now knew where I needed to start. Since this was on Sunday, the last official day of WDS, I knew I had to plan. I found a race in Charlotte, NC, and told her that I was forming a training plan.

Accountability Partner
Accountability Partner

I returned home and started exercising. I hadn’t exercised regularly in some time and, honestly, knew I had a ways to go to be strong enough to complete any kind of race. So I got on my bicycle and started pushing my 20 year old Cannondale mountain bike.

A co-worker had also recently started exercising so we talked about it a lot and I learned a lot from his experiences. He has started dating a serious runner and triathlete and started gearing up. Being techies, that was a natural response to anything. You ask yourself a question, “what gear do I need to be successful?” Granted running shoes and a bicycle are the only two *true* answers, but there was a lot more information we wanted to track, so onward we went. My friend purchased a road bike, a Garmin sports watch and related gear, as well as modern athletic clothing (you may or may not believe how technologically advanced our clothing is today!!).  This meant, though, that I, too, needed to “tech up”. Fortunately for me, my friend had accidentally purchased two road bikes (that’s a story for another time) and he GAVE me one.

I really had no excuses.

So I started running and biking! It was really ugly at first but, with time, became easier and easier. My regimen became exercise classes three times a week and biking at least two times a week for distances between 5 and 10 miles. Using the gear that I started accumulating I was able to track my progress. Not only was I able to continually increase the distances but also my times.

Bike Selfie
Bike Selfie

The race I settled on was a Spartan Race in Charlotte, NC, to be held in April 2017. It was a “Sprint” which means it is roughly a 5 mile race with up to 25 obstacles. I really didn’t know what to expect so I stuck to a regimen of exercise and healthier eating (meaning less alcohol as well). It showed. I lost weight, discovered muscles I didn’t remember, and noticed a shift in my work too. I was able to better focus at work and accomplish more. You hear things like this but don’t understand the impact until you do it yourself.

Next, I recruited a friend of mine to do this with me. His name is “Uli” (short for Ulrich) and as you can imagine from his name, he is German. I studied in Germany while in college so we have a lot in common. We asked others to join too but almost everyone responded with a comment like “..maybe next time.” We named our team the “Germinators” and just kept asking each other how much we were exercising. Uli is a great runner. I am not. My body type is better suited to weights. But what we realized is that we complemented each other really well! This would be really evident when the race actually took place.

April quickly arrived and I drove to Charlotte to stay with Uli the night before. We joked about the pending race, knowing that this would be a first for both of us. Saturday morning came quickly. After a brief drive, we parked then went through registration. Our race time wasn’t for another couple hours so we got some lunch, checked out the vendors, and settled in to stretch out and limber up for our race. Yes, I was also getting anxious.

Finally, they called our starting time and we grouped up at the start. To reach the start we had to jump over a small 5′ wall and we were not alone in laughing while trying to just get to the starting line and not fall down! When the announcer kicked off our group we were off and running about three quarters of a mile to the first obstacles – a series of walls of increasing height for racers to go over, under, and through.

Obstacle
Obstacle

The race continued for 4.9 miles and 23 total obstacles. There were some that I could help Uli with and a lot of support he offered me with the running. I didn’t know it, but a neighbor of Uli’s came out to cheer us on too. By the time we saw him, there was less than a mile to go but still a creek run and three more obstacles. We were feeling good, really enjoying the experience.

At last, we jumped over the fire and crossed the finish line. I couldn’t have been happier because I had done what I set out to do. More importantly, a valuable lesson was reinforced – enjoy where you are, but if you want to do something you have to plan it out, strive to get there, and then enjoy it once it is completed. On a recent Lewis Howes’ School of Greatness podcast Kyle Cease said, “the biggest illusion of your life is that when something happens you’ll be happy.” This process really made me happy, and the sense of accomplishment is huge! Now to do it again…

Spartans
Spartans

I’m planning on doing this all over again next year. If you want to join me, let me know! I’m still working out and I feel good! The best thing of all was when I sent this text back to the person who really made me think about goal setting, my accountability partner Ekaterina:

Accountable!
Accountable!

The World Domination Summit

I didn’t think that I could improve upon last year. Upon arriving in Portland and making my way to the hotel, I didn’t think I could top the experience I had sharing WDS with my son. I was wrong.

For those of you not in the know, the World Domination Summit is a place for those who strive to create a remarkable life in a conventional world with the three stated values of community, adventure, and service. This is the meme that brings thousands to Portland every summer. Where many conferences bring like-minded people together to pursue one topic, WDS brings in thousands of completely different people in order to support the individual pursuit of creating something right for themselves. And, at WDS, there are hundreds of people who will happily help you achieve your goal(s). [For a little history, Chris Guillebeau founded WDS in 2011. ]

When trolling Chris Guillebeau’s website, I found this quote:  “The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself.” (-Rita Mae Brown) and it summarizes nicely the underlying theme that all of us aspire to do different things in different ways. Well .. THIS is WDS’s special sauce. THIS is the current that pulls us downstream.

Chris Guillebeau's entrance at WDS
Chris Guillebeau’s entrance at WDS

This said, this year’s summit was remarkable. There was loads of emotion, experience, eagerness, and friendship offered to everyone by participants, speakers, and staff. It was profound, especially when one thinks about how 3000 participants at WDS could overwhelm. But this is definitely not the case. In fact, WDS is an experience for everyone. WDS staff go the extra mile to make everyone feel safe so that the focus can be on learning and sharing. There is even an “introvert recovery room” .. just in case the crowds get to be too much!

Speakers and Message

“If we waited until we knew what we were doing, we’d never do anything at all.” –Elise Blaha Cripe

How true is this quote? What holds us back individually or collectively? There are plenty of studies, I’m sure, but let’s just think about what it is you want to do and what it is you’re doing. Therein lies either your happiness or your longing.

For me, the conference began with the world record attempt of eating breakfast in bed. “Worldwide Waffles” was a great opportunity to start meeting other attendees and getting into the spirit of WDS.

Worldwide Waffles
Worldwide Waffles

After registration and the opening party, came the Main Stage. The first speaker was Jon Acuff. His message was simple. Find your voice. “If you’re having a hard time finding your voice, feed it some time.” This is not profound, but it reconnected me to one of my personal goals. When I was younger, I was always writing. Along the way, I quit making time for it. And, how can one deny that “regret has a much longer shelf life than fear” ??!! So, I began WDS by recommitting to making time for the things I’ve always wanted to do, and that includes sharing my message. 

Each of the presenters were notable and shared messages of empowerment, like embracing your haters, allowing grief, choosing to dance, or being a super human. Here are some notable quotes from the weekend.

“Treat everybody like it’s their birthday.” The Kid President (Robby Novak)

“The first and last thing we hear in life is ‘I love you’. We spend our lives forgetting.” –Brad Montague

“Instead of striving to be a superhero, strive to be a super human.” –Lewis Howes

“You can’t fix someone’s pain by trying to take it away from them.” –Megan Devine

“Take a lesson from my experience, risk is really important.” –Tess Vigeland

“What voices have kept you from reaching your potential?” –Jeremy Cowart

“Love yourself because of, not in spite of, who you are!” Jessica Rector

“Self-confidence grows every time you keep a promise to yourself.” –Asha Dornfest

“Ask instead of answer. Learn instead of preach.” –Derek Sivers

Now, picture this environment .. with 2999 other enthusiastic attendees .. and remembering Kid President who said, “There’s always a reason to complain and always a reason to dance. Choose to dance.” .. now add to it Chase Jarvis who gets on stage and proceeds to give out over $400,000 worth of CreateLive educational programming (in individual $150 gift cards). If this doesn’t make you want to dance, then just start by connecting to someone else, write if you want to write (or dance if you want to dance), and remember that everyone has something to say (that means YOU too!). Find your voice !!

Choose to dance - WDS
Choose to dance – WDS

So, now what? I’ve already said that I’m going to make time for writing. And, I am walking the walk by writing on my blog. I will continue to write, but I am also choosing to pursue another dream – to teach (why limit oneself??). Yes, in a few short weeks, I will begin teaching Management Information Systems as an adjunct professor. I was thinking about this and realized that I am fulfilling a lifetime dream. Does it get better? Why, yes, it can. And it will as long as I continue to make the time for the things I want to do and pursue my own remarkable life.

Another week of learning..

I am fortunate. For the second year I was asked to chaperone a group of high school men attending a soccer camp. This translates into .. I was cooking and cleaning for 24 young men for a week.

The basic routine was prepare breakfast, and after the men left for training, clean the house, prep for lunch, (once the men returned) serve lunch, clean the kitchen and perform a cursory house cleaning (more if needed), head to the field to take photos of both the women’s and men’s teams during their afternoon games, return to the house to prepare supper, serve supper, clean the kitchen, go to bed, start over the following morning.

Emerald Isle Day 1
Emerald Isle Day 1

The young men (and women) who participate in this camp are all eager, talented, and thoughtful. But, the camp is not about me (whew!). It is about improving the soccer skills that will ultimately aid the men and women be better players and teammates. There is the added benefit of trying out players in different positions to see how they respond and what works best for the budding team. And, the best thing is seeing how the groups gel on the field.

Emerald Isle Day 2
Emerald Isle Day 2

Sure, the week is about soccer. But it’s also about getting along, sharing, looking after one another, and – perhaps most importantly – forming a bond between young men (and separately the women) such that they can function better as a team.

The coaches may disagree. Their goals may also include determining who among the players will form – and perhaps lead – their teams.

Emerald Isle all players
Emerald Isle all players

For me, as a witness to this for the second time, I appreciate everyone, but I have to say the other chaperones who take vacation time to work in support of their own and others children are monsters of caring. They are the last to get to bed and the first to rise. When one needs a break, someone else steps up and covers. When one takes a moment and talks to the kids, someone else just gets done that which needs it.

Sure, there is a lot going on. And, with the years much of the camp, once going, is like a well oiled machine. But, the goals are the same – to give the student players an opportunity to improve. The chaperones get to know each other pretty well too .. which is an added benefit.

So, this is my thanks. Dave and Jerry, you’re awesome.

Chaperones minus Jerry
Chaperones minus Jerry