I can’t say I’m completely comfortable with all of Mantia’s argument, but it’s certainly got me thinking. A few bits that caught my attention:

In the Declaration of Independence, the founders wrote a long train of abuses by the King to justify their actions. Some may feel …unfortunately relevant today:

• He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone […]
• He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures
• He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power
• For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us […]
• […] For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world

And

And so, believing that violence is never justified only makes you vulnerable to those who believe it is.

That’s how it’s always been. If the government successfully convinces civilians that violence is never justified, then it gets to maintain its own monopoly on violence, legalizing the atrocities it commits itself, while punishing everyone else for what civilians have always had the right to do.

It’s right there, in the founding document of the nation, that it is the right and duty of civilians to overthrow any government that systemically infringes on its rights.

By all rights, I’m a firmly non-violent person. I even sometimes bristle at the notion that the best thing to do with a Nazi is punch them. It seems so barbaric, sure to escalate, and unnecessary when words and logic exist. But I have to admit that when words, logic, and compassion fall on intentionally-deaf ears, other options start to look more reasonable.

Today marks one year since my first client took a chance on Onward Mountain Guides as a brand-new guide service and we climbed two mountains together. Since then, we’ve hiked 40 peaks together, and I couldn’t be more grateful to him or the dozens of other awesome folks I’ve been able to share the outdoors with as an independent guide this year.

I didn’t have high expectations going into this first year. It’s a fairly crowded space with excellent guides who have been here much longer — but something has clicked, and I’m delighted and proud to share that with over 100 days in the field, OMG operated “in the black” all year and business is accelerating! I probably won’t ever get rich off guiding, but that has never been the goal. I feel rich to be able to spend my days in the outdoors with so many different people, and sharing what I know about climbing, hiking, camping, paddling, and skiing with others. I’m so fortunate to be living my dream.

There are many family, friends, and mentors who I owe a debt of gratitude for helping me get to where I am today. You know who you are. The Adirondack community, too, has been so kind, welcoming, and supportive. But, I’d be remiss if I didn’t directly mention my wife, @jo_marie07 , who was on board from the first minute of me suggesting that we start this new business. She’s been my biggest supporter, my patient sounding board, and she shouldered immense responsibility to keep us housed and fed while the business found its legs. Thank you, I love you.

Here’s to many more years of adventuring in the mountains. 🧡

—J.B.

By the way, that first client? It was Tom. A year ago, he had no aspirations of climbing all 46 high peaks — he was just in it for the views. But the mountains took hold, as they often do, and he’s now on the cusp of completing the 46er challenge. We’ll be hiking his final two peaks this week. Big thanks to him for kicking this whole thing off! 🙌

One helpful tip I’ve learned from painful experience over the years is how valuable it is to bring a hand ascender whenever I do long rappels with a pull/rap cord. Instead of wrapping the cord around your hand, suffering through rope burn, or messing with a wrapped carabiner, the ascender is worth its weight in gold for efficiency and comfort in getting your rope down. It firmly grabs the rope and gives you a nice big handle to pull down more ergonomically.

Plus, you’ll start to identify other great uses for the ascender, like more easily pulling slack or giving yourself some mechanical advantage with a GriGri when belaying from the bottom.

Oh, and don’t forget your gloves!

Andrew Webster: ‘My gaming buddy’

One of the most devastating parts of grief is how it can strike out of nowhere. There you are, doing a perfectly normal, everyday thing, and then that perfectly normal, everyday thing reminds you of something or someone who is no longer there. And when that presence you lost was intimately connected with your life, well, those moments happen frequently and unexpectedly.

For me, in losing our cat Ollie, it’s when I’m the first to wake in the morning but don’t have to get up right away. I often lay in bed reading, and it’s painful realizing I’ll never again hear the pitter-patter of his paws up the stairs before he jumps up on the bed, determined to get a forceful snuggle.

He always seemed to know right when I was about to get up, and that was when he’d make his move. Needless to say, his will bent my own more often than not. ❤️‍🩹

BackcountrySki: Distance: 32.5km, Elevation Gain: 1274m, Moving Time: 06:34:10, Average Speed: 4.9km/h

AlpineSki: Distance: 10.6km, Elevation Gain: 1301m, Moving Time: 00:44:53, Average Speed: 14.2km/h

BackcountrySki: Distance: 7.6km, Elevation Gain: 837m, Moving Time: 01:17:16, Average Speed: 5.9km/h

Hike: Distance: 17.1km, Elevation Gain: 829m, Moving Time: 05:03:58, Average Speed: 3.4km/h

Hike: Distance: 10.8km, Elevation Gain: 877m, Moving Time: 04:11:29, Average Speed: 2.6km/h

BackcountrySki: Distance: 6.1km, Elevation Gain: 738m, Moving Time: 01:06:09, Average Speed: 5.5km/h

AlpineSki: Distance: 22.6km, Elevation Gain: 2425m, Moving Time: 01:42:18, Average Speed: 13.2km/h

AlpineSki: Distance: 30.4km, Elevation Gain: 2910m, Moving Time: 02:15:26, Average Speed: 13.5km/h

BackcountrySki: Distance: 18.0km, Elevation Gain: 864m, Moving Time: 04:10:17, Average Speed: 4.3km/h

AlpineSki: Distance: 11.6km, Elevation Gain: 1410m, Moving Time: 00:58:24, Average Speed: 11.9km/h

WeightTraining: Distance: 0.0km, Elevation Gain: 0m, Moving Time: 00:32:11, Average Speed: 0.0km/h

WeightTraining: Distance: 0.0km, Elevation Gain: 0m, Moving Time: 00:30:19, Average Speed: 0.0km/h

BackcountrySki: Distance: 7.0km, Elevation Gain: 727m, Moving Time: 01:04:54, Average Speed: 6.5km/h

WeightTraining: Distance: 0.0km, Elevation Gain: 0m, Moving Time: 00:31:11, Average Speed: 0.0km/h

AlpineSki: Distance: 22.1km, Elevation Gain: 2934m, Moving Time: 01:51:04, Average Speed: 11.9km/h

BackcountrySki: Distance: 3.9km, Elevation Gain: 404m, Moving Time: 00:37:06, Average Speed: 6.3km/h

Workout: Distance: 0.0km, Elevation Gain: 0m, Moving Time: 00:05:36, Average Speed: 0.0km/h

WeightTraining: Distance: 0.0km, Elevation Gain: 0m, Moving Time: 00:30:58, Average Speed: 0.0km/h

Run: Distance: 11.7km, Elevation Gain: 137m, Moving Time: 01:10:08, Pace: 5:59/km, Estimated Avg Power: 210.1 (from power meter), Weighted Avg Power: 210

WeightTraining: Distance: 0.0km, Elevation Gain: 0m, Moving Time: 00:30:46, Average Speed: 0.0km/h

AlpineSki: Distance: 13.0km, Elevation Gain: 1725m, Moving Time: 01:07:45, Average Speed: 11.5km/h