Hiking up in Bob Marshall Wilderness area near the Continental DIvide
This is what I guess you could consider my first official post for my astronomy class. The first of what I’m sure will be many.
I love adventure. Its that simple for me. I love getting out there and doing. The picture you see above is from my hiking trip through the wilderness. For those unfamiliar with the term, it really does mean zero civilization. We climbed the Rockies in northern Montana that make up the continental divide. Spent 7 days hiking, camping, and exploring the vast wilderness that’s out there. But my adventures don’t stop there.
I’m a licensed pilot, and I picked that up at 17. I finished flight school in 65 hours, which is something commendable for someone of any age, let alone 17. I solo-ed, which means flew alone, at 22 hours. My first time flying alone was really something else. I’ve got some pretty crazy stories from the time I’ve spent up in the air, and I’m happy to talk about them any time someone asks. A couple previews include the time my engine cut out over the runway when I was coming in to land, or the time I nearly crashed into a military C-130. (The tower’s fault not mine). I’m actually an excellent pilot and am happy to take friends up anytime they want to go.
Since I’ve covered my ground and air adventures, I’ll end with my personal favorite, which is my aquatic explorations. I’m a PADI Rescue Diver. Yes, I can save your life while scuba diving. I did it primarily to stroke my own ego a bit, because I knew I was good enough to get certified, but also because I hate casual divers. No offense to casual divers, but you guys are the worst. Sloppy dive habits are the reason people like me had to get a rescue certification. My dive experiences also include an Advanced Diver card and a few specialties that I picked up towards my Master Diver rating, that I plan to finish by the time I leave college. I’m Wreck, Night, Deep, Boat, and PPB certified, meaning I am qualified and experienced enough to properly execute any of these types of dives. Background aside, diving has been an incredible joy for me because as much as myself and others have explored the ocean, we’ve only covered mere fractions of what the deep holds.
I am very involved with the Vanderbilt Rugby club here on campus, so if you ever need some afternoon entertainment on a Saturday, stop by the lower Rec field and watch us play. Anyways, adventuring aside, I do basically everything else a normal college guy does. Sleep, eat, and complain about working. Looking forward to exploring some deep space this semester.
-Justin out
tl;dr – I do a lot of stuff, and now I have to write about it for class, enjoy
