Nature in Its Natural State, Kickin' This Whole Thing Off

Kickin off a project like this is always difficult.  There's no lack of ideas for topics, that's for sure.  There are so many topics that even the mention of one spawns the idea to mention two more, and after a bit your head is filled with every single one at once.  That goes on for a bit longer until exhaustion grants you lucidity and you say, "Hey, let's take a step back.  Give a little perspective, a little background."  So that's what I'm doing here, showing you who I am, what my deal is, what this whole blog is about, and why you should waste your time reading this nonsense anyway.

I'm Josh.  I'm a dude who grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, using the Gorge as my backyard.  I have my Summit County Metroparks Fall Hiking Spree staff issued in 1984, adorned with many shields. I have dabbled in and out of nature in many periods of my life.  Currently, I am a photo and video guy who loves the elements and is trying to make a career out of being surrounded by them.  I wouldn't say I am a tree-hugger or a hippie or any other kitschy title people use to describe nature lovers.  I am simply a naturalist.  I strive to study, understand, document, share and advocate nature.

You have probably heard that a large percentage (like 70%) of our body is made up of water, so things like moon cycles affect us as they do ocean tides, right?  Well, I look at nature in a similar way.  You are made up of 100% nature, so being in the wilderness is going to charge you up.  Trust me, standing right next to a waterfall gives you wings.  Not Red Bull. There's just a great natural energy out here that can't be duplicated or reprocessed.  

So that's who I am, and what my deal is.  Now let's go over what we are doing here.  I am going to take you along with me on many types of nature adventures.  The Northeast Ohio area may not have the highest vistas.  It may not boast the scariest beasts, or longest backpacking trails.  But unlike many areas, we have plenty of wild animals, many waterfalls, and rivers, and great lakes, and vistas, and mountain bike trails, and places to kayak, and one of the best selections of places to dayhike anywhere in the state.  We may not have mountains but we do have some hella rock climbing spots.  Ya dig?  I have a lot of fun here in the outdoors of Northeast Ohio, and I'd like to spin ya some yarns.

And finally, I want to explain what will make this interesting to you.  The writing is only half of this whole thing.  I will support all of these stories with very cool pics and video clips and after this post, local music.  This multimedia blog is going to be awesome I think.

I have hit a certain stride in my outdoors enjoyment where I regularly venture off trail and challenge myself to use new skills.  However, I am no expert.  I consider myself to have just entered an intermediate phase and am ready to learn more!  So when reading these posts, I say this:  If you are a novice, learn from me.  If you are an intermediate, learn with me.  If you are an expert, teach me.  Guess that's about it.  Let's get to it then, shall we?

To get completely acclimated check out these two videos recapping the Bike Ninjas enjoying nature in 2011.

Download the movie

Download the movie