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The First Six Weeks

By: Tyler Bradt

Por KAVU

02 de June de 2020

Regardless of what side of the world you were on, it turned upside-down with the onset of COVID-19. Since then we have been doing what is innate and beautiful about are species:

adapting, using our minds, and finding our way through this uncharted territory. Every human now has a story relating to these first weeks of COVID -19. This is mine:

I was happily enjoying a warm beautiful spring in White Salmon. The rains had brought the rivers high up their banks and I was marking off day after day in my Benny Marr paddling calendar. Many, many miles of some of the most fun Class five whitewater in the country flew beneath my kayak as I was realizing a dream of mine: to live in White Salmon, a stones throw from the river, paddling world class whitewater every single day without exception.

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

Soon, distant rumblings from China floated across the airwaves about a deadly virus that gripped the largest country on earth (by population). Almost 18% of the human species were battling with the reality of this virus that to me, still seemed distant and far away.

I, like many, empathized and moved on. I was up to my ears in projects, paddling, and the social life of White Salmon. Then, suddenly there was more than just news on the airways, the virus itself was now "Polka Dotting" the world, and the United States did not get left off it's list. As the cards were revealed, first Portland (only 45 minutes away), then Seattle (not so far away either), started documenting cases.

My father was visiting from Montana and given his high risk status, I began to worry. We stayed mostly out of public areas until he left but it soon became apparent that lockdowns would be enforced at any moment. So I took one last run down the Little White Salmon (KAVU DAYS 37), then made my move. Washington is been an amazing place to drop the proverbial hook, but Montana is home. I thought about my parents and decided.... if I was going to stand on a hill and fight, it would be for my family, under the big sky of Montana.

The First Six Weeks

I loaded up my car with far more things than I'm proud to own... and headed for the mountains.

The First Six Weeks

8 hours after leaving White Salmon, I was home on my mom’s ranch in the beautiful bitterroot valley. I set up shop in my grandparent's house which, my mom converted into a vacation rental. It would have to be two weeks of isolation before I dared spend much time with my parents.

The First Six Weeks

With an eighth the population of New York City spread across 150,000 square miles, being home in Montana was the clear choice of a good place to weather the storm.

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

I did my best to settle into a routine. I watched Tiger King until late, slept until 9, roamed the house in my pajamas listening to the news, binged on social media, stockpiled food, and watched the second-hand of the clock progress around it’s track in halting jumps.

After about two days of this, I realized there had to be a better way..... and true to my Homo Sapien lineage, I adapted.

The First Six Weeks

I began prioritized my day around getting up at a reasonable hour, cranking on work, eating well, exercising plenty, and traded Tiger King (after I finished every last second of it) for a book in the evenings.

I also found out what not to do. Binging on news and social media was siphoning off precious hours of my life and leaving me more dazed and confused than fulfilled.

The First Six Weeks

I turned my attention elsewhere

From my vantage point in the valley, I could watch the spring storms advance across the valley... snow and rain mixing with sun and blue sky.

Ever since sailing around the world on the Wizard’s Eye, I longed to watch the seasons change in Montana. From Winter to Spring. Spring to Summer. My dad and I soon began kayaking together on the Bitterroot river. Slowly a routine formed that brought me fulfillment and it was based around work, family, food, and self care.

The First Six Weeks

Dramatic Power and Beauty

I set clear goals, abet slightly ambitious:

Work: Finish the first draft of my book book. Finish the first draft of my coffee table book. Work on the Wizard’s Eye documentary film series and creative writing projects for KAVU

Admin: Build a new Tiny House for a base in Montana (during the first week of quarantine, a tree had hit a tiny house on a ranch my brother manages... and it was given to me)

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

Personal: Spend time with mom and dad everyday.

workout

meditate

Find a plane, Learn to fly

The First Six Weeks

My ideal quarantine day went like this:

- Up earlyish, my alarm goes off at 7:18, my phone on airplane mode while I write 2 - 3K words in my book and drink coffee. Breakfast. Oatmeal, always. It’s really good if you do it right.

- Admin. What ever random thing I have to do like pay bills.

Film work. Creative projects. Late Lunch around 2 or 3.

Paddle or work on my new tiny house with Dad. Walk with mom

Run/workout. Sit outside for 10 minutes and try not to think of anything.

Dinner. Tea. Look at airplane listings

Read for an hour before bed. I am doing a lot of writing, and reading is important to the process. If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write. My quarantine reading is mainly the four Lord of the Rings books. Fiction usually isn't normally my cup of tea but the creativity of the writing is an inspiration for my own, and I find myself enjoying it immensely. Bed around 11 pm.

The First Six Weeks

I found unexpected adventures in my backyard, my favorite of which was finding a hill big enough to paraglide from, and meeting an amazing neighbor who quite happily let me access it from his property.

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

As the season transitions, water came back to the rivers and creeks of Montana and I got a few days paddling on some of the local classics. The Gorge, Kootenai Creek, Lochsa, South Fork of the Clearwater.

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

My good buddy Jeff Shapiro has his KAVU Cub in a hanger near the town where I live, and I’ve gotten to enjoy the realization of his own dream of flying a bush plane, both riding along in the backseat and also from the ground when he swings by to give me a buzz and say high.

The First Six Weeks

The First Six Weeks

"What's up Doggie!"

The First Six Weeks

I empathize deeply with everyone affected by this pandemic. There's a lot of suffering in the world right now. But personally, it became a deeper realization of the things most important to me and an opportunity to spend time with my parents, and reconnect with the land where I grew up.

As a species, I see this as an opportunity to shift our focus and love from "things" and "money" to each other, and the world around us. I see more people outside hiking and connecting with nature than I have ever seen before. The natural world takes a much needed breath, and in unison do we.

Life is what you make it, and quarantine is too. I have only gratitude for this opportunity and hope that through this we may collectively shift our perspective as a global community, realizing what is important and what is not.

KAVU Days ahead!

The First Six Weeks

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Footnotes

Tyler is a leader and OG on the KAVU adventure athlete team. It's hard not to follow his smile and style!

FootNotes

Tyler is a leader and OG on the KAVU adventure athlete team. It's hard not to follow his smile and style!

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