My heart is pounding as I fly across the Atlantic Ocean, knowing that in two days I will start climbing the highest mountain in the Africa. Mount Kilimanjaro towers above the plains of Tanzania at 19,340 feet (5,895 meters). Previously, the highest mountain I've ever climbed was a relatively modest 14,164' (4317 m) tall.
The cushy Delta One cabin crew has treated me well on this flight from Portland to Amsterdam. I've mostly slept and read books on my Kindle Paperwhite.
An appetizer before the crab cakes
Breakfast, and second breakfast
As soon as I land in Holland, I'll upload this blog and be on the lookout for my two Delta coworkers, Chris and Rod. I proposed this Mount Kilimanjaro climb to Chris a year ago, and Rod took the idea and ran with it.
Assuming we all make it to Tanzania, we're about to have the adventure of a lifetime!
Bonus pic: It was snowing at the house before I left for PDX Airport. Look at these two little treasures who rushed out to play in it!
Photo from my Instagram Story last night: My Jeep at the polls
America voted yesterday. Despite Hillary Clinton winning more popular votes, Donald Trump won the electoral college... And on January 20, 2017, Trump will be inaugurated as our next President of the United States.
While I won't explicitly share on Garth's Blog how I voted, it's easy math: I voted for the Presidential candidate whom I thought had the best chance of stopping the LEAST MORAL/ MOST UNQUALIFIED candidate from winning (though none of the major candidates could claim much of a moral high ground).
Specifically, my conscience wouldn't allow me to vote for a man who... ...Is endorsed by the KKK, degrades women and graphically boasts about sexually assault, makes fun of disabled people, categorizes Mexicans as drug dealers and rapists, pushes for a ban on Muslims, racially stereotypes POCs and inner city residents interchangeably, threatens to abolish relationships with our international allies, disregards the validity of the democratic voting process/ peaceful transfer of Presidential power, changes his position on abortion out of political convenience, wants to deport every undocumented alien without offering any hope for a path to citizenship, cited "Eye for an eye" as a favorite Bible verse, and doesn't even read books.
Note: I have sources for each of the above. But the list goes on and on.
For me personally, last night seemed like a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from (or fall asleep to escape). I was shocked, discouraged, and depressed as the results of each state's votes were gradually reported live by the equally stunned cable news anchors. I wept for this country. I barely slept. And I continued to feel ill today, throughout my work shift at Delta Airlines.
Photo from my Instagram Story: This morning's Delta breakroom was a mix of tears and cheers.
How could this have happened? My own loved ones may be direly affected by Trump's worldview and proposed policies. Woman and minorities may continue to be dismissed as second class citizens. And the United States may cut ourselves off from the nations that we should be reaching out to in cooperation for ending war, genocide, human trafficking, environmental neglect, hunger, and poverty.
Yet I do not look down upon nor judge any of my family and friends who voted differently than I did. We are all Americans. Countless veterans have fought and died for our liberties, including choosing who will represent us in government. And I am thankful for these freedoms.
Tonight in my youth group teaching, I challenged my students to support candidates whose lives look the most like Jesus Christ (Without even hinting about which Presidential candidate I voted for last night). I will be lifting up President-elect Trump in my prayers. I have hope for the future of this country, and for our world. And I am encouraged by the assurance that God still reigns on His throne.
Regardless of any election results, love and peace will ultimately win!
From the Loft Boutique Hostel Paris, last Thursday:
Merely an hour before my connection flight to Seoul, Korea left Seattle yesterday, I had a change of heart. I had just flown standby in Business Elite class to from Portland-Seattle, and another Business class seat was all but guaranteed for the Seattle-Seoul leg as well. The problem was that the return flights from South Korea to the U.S. were 95% full for days. As a Delta standby traveler, I tend to play it safe.
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
Fortunately, there was a Seattle flight to Paris only one gate away. 55 minutes prior to departure, I changed my listing.
En route to Paris, the Business Elite flight attendants were flawless. The food was exquisite. But for whatever reason, I landed in Paris with a splitting headache and a barely manageable fever.
Flying over France
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Nursing my headache for a spell in the CDG airport arrival lounge helped get me back on my feet. I set off for the Loft Boutique Hostel Paris using the RER train to connect with the blue Metro line. From the Belleville stop on the Metro, the Loft Boutique Hostel was a five minute walk down the street.
On the way to drop off my backpack at the hostel, I stopped by the Englise Notre Dame de la Croix... Not to be confused with its more famous cousin, Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral.
Written last weekend, from Switzerland’s Zurich airport:
Ice climbing in Iceland (to prep for my Mont
Blanc climb in France this June with Aaron, Fleur, and Manu and my Mount Hood
climbs in March) got pushed back a bit.
The reason: It turns out Delta’s
inaugural New York-Reykjavik flight wasn’t scheduled to launch until last
Thursday… Not enough time to make it home for my work shift tomorrow. Another family visit to South Africa was ruled
out, as well.
Zurich: Me and Bo, after climbing the stairs up to the south steeple of Grossmunster cathedral
Rather than hang around the house for 6 ½ days, my dad and I flew to Switzerland for a few days. Apologies to my buddies in Italy and Switzerland who have been asking about getting together while I’m in the region. Next time!
Bo and I flew standby and got Delta's Business Elite cabin seats on
the overseas flight from New York to Switzerland, hiked and toured the snowy
Zurich area, and are now about to fly back home to the U.S. in Business Elite
seats again!
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
I’ll Instagram some Switzerland photos and share some
stories on Garth’s Blog when we get back to the States. I also penned a few upcoming adventure blog
posts while we‘ve been overseas, with pics to be added.
Next time we’re in the region, little Lena and Levi are
gonna love feasting on the Alps!
Up next…
“Just Read” book reviews of:
“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,”
“Star Wars: Aftermath,” and other new canon Star Wars novels!
21 month old Levi pilots his very first Boeing 767 to Europe! More adorable cockpit photos are below.
Previously, on Pt. 1:Last
month’s Australian surfing weekend was a bust for me, though my parents (and Mike
and Summer, this month) enjoyed their visits Down Under. After hanging out with my good buddy Joseph
in Hollywood, I flew home to gather my family for another overseas trip. Sadly, caring for our sick four-year-old
daughter delayed that trip an additional week. Once Lena’s fever broke, the Hamiltons flew standby from Portland to
Atlanta to shop for some open international flights.
En route to Atlanta: “Hey Mommy, let’s watch ‘Frozen’ for the third time this week!”
Our late evening touchdown at the Atlanta airport dashed any hope of same-day overseas
connections.
We checked into the Atlanta Sleep Inn, which conveniently had a Ruby
Tuesday restaurant 75 feet away from the hotel lobby.
Weirdly, that Tuesday’s location was somehow out of every single menu
item that poor lil’ Lena ordered. After
several unsuccessful return trips to the kitchen, the friendly waitress
predicted that the manager would comp us a Tuesday's appetizer or drink for Lena's disappointment. Nada. Thanks, Ruby Tuesday.
This Ruby Tuesday location has a skimpier kid’s meal selection than a small town diner's during the zombie apocalypse.
Lena and Levi tag team Daddy in the Sleep Inn lobby
The next morning, Kathy and I debated the merits of various
international destinations. We finally settled
on Belize for its exotic outdoor adventure potential: hiking, volcano climbing, surfing, cave diving…
But then I discovered the return flights to the States looked too full.
The Wi-Fi network crashed at the Sleep Inn, so we shuttled
back to the Atlanta airport to continue the trip planning on our phones’
internet browsers.
ATL curbside check-in
Overseas flights from Atlanta with open seats were limited that day. I boiled it down to two final choices: Germany’s Cannstatter Volksfest (the
world-famous family fair near Stuttgart) versus western Belgium. After estimating a whopping savings of 250
Euros for passing on the Volksfest, the inexpensive hostels in Belgium won out.
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A second round of Australian surfing just wasn't meant to be. And to make it worse, Australian Surfboard Upset sounds more like a crowdbreaker game I'd devise for my church youth group than a respectable blog post title. It can be hard for a youth pastor's brain to switch modes.
Just prior to this month's Hamilton family European vacation, I had sent my parents to Australia for a few weeks. My plan was to meet them in Sydney for a couple days, fly home to the U.S., and then bring Kathy and the kids to Europe the very next day.
In Sydney, I would do the tourist thing with my folks, visit some Aussie friends while I'm in town, and finally hit Bondi Beach for some surfing. Australia boasts the BEST surfing I've had in my life, hands down.
Long story short, I screwed up my visa. Everything got fixed... But after all that hassle, the flight from L.A. to Sydney was oversold anyway. Ironically, a solid year of scoring a ton of Business Elite seats for my Delta buddy pass riders had lead to me getting stuck in L.A.
Thankfully, one of my favorite buddies Joseph saved me from an overnight stay in LAX airport by letting me crash in one of his rental houses in Hollywood. After a post-midnight nosh at In-N-Out Burger, Joseph set me up in a room so I could write my most recent blog post (see link to that previous "Salt Lake City- Delta Velvet 360" post) and get some sleep.
I'd make one last attempt to fly out to Australia the next evening.
Open air breakfast of paleo coconut pancakes and coffee in Hollywood, courtesy of Candace
None of my photos with Joseph are really worth sharing here, but my Instagram followers may remember this photo collage of my most recent Hollywood visit:
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
The next evening's L.A. flight to Sydney was also oversold, so I flew home to start our family European vacation a few days early. Sadly, little Lena was ill when I got back.
Rather than flying to Europe early, we spent those extra few days waiting for Lena to get better. I even stayed home on Sunday to take care of Lena, so Mommy could watch Levi in the church nursery.
Other than getting out to climb or seeing the occasional friend, most of my remaining week of Delta vacation was spent at home.
Climbing intro lesson for my friend Gwen, just to get her belay certified at Stoneworks Climbing Gym
A few days later, Mommy finally gave Lena a clean bill of health. We scooped up Lena and Levi, hurried to PDX Airport, and loaded those little Ls on the very next departing plane.
Economy Comfort seats for all of us: That's airlinese for Fancy Coach
Posted from Hollywood, en route to hooking up with the fam in Australia…
After leading hikes and other outdoor adventures for NW
Wilderness all summer, I would’ve normally already flown overseas a couple times this fall. Being a Delta Airlines
employee, quick international trips are a regular thing for our family. In fact, I’m currently attempting 1 of 2
back-to-back overseas family trips, on three different continents.
The steep Devil’s Peak hike I led Saturday before I flew out was scaled back
from my original 15 mile routing, but the roster was ANYTHING but scaled
back. I relaxed my usual limit of 10-12
hikers to allow a whopping 18 people attend my hike. And over 30 people RSVP’d!
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
But the big event of last week was Delta’s Velvet 360 event
in Salt Lake City. I was very fortunate
to be selected to represent our PDX station (see the two links to my posts about running in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon in 2014, and also my latest from 2015).
After I worked late into the wee hours of Tuesday morning (we were short-staffed), Delta flew me to SLC on Tuesday and put me up in the AAA
Five Diamond luxury hotel Grand America. The swag bags were gone by the time I arrived, but I landed just in time to catch the opening night festivities.
Enthusiastic "Velveteers" greet us at the SLC airport with our motor coach
Grand America courtyard: Before getting dressed up for the main event(s)
The courtyard was the setting for Tuesday night’s
party: Prizes, exquisitely prepared food
and appetizers, drinks, music, and dancing.
D.J. Nunzio was on hand later that evening to get the dance floor
hopping.
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
Day 2
After a very late night with some new friends, Wednesday morning breakfast arrived rather early
(7 a.m.!).
But Velvet 360 was just getting started.
An all-star lineup of Delta’s executive leadership team (including President Ed Bastian) took
the stage throughout Wednesday to share with employees the Big Picture, a 360
degree view of Delta’s business.
Gil West, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, was one of many featured speakers from our Delta executive leadership team
At times, Velvet 360 was refreshingly less like a conference and more
like an energetic, entertainingly-produced U2 concert. Prize giveaways, cinematic short films, comedy
skits, and the enthusiastic “Veveteers” kept the energy levels up during the
transitions between speakers.
The jubilant Velveteer prize patrol whisks away yet another winner up to the stage
Lights, camera, action: A 180 degree view of Velvet 360
Amidst the flashy production values, the message was clear:
Delta is actively involved in investing in the successful future of our customers,
shareholders, and employees.
Props to Delta Airlines for a job well done at Velvet
360. And thanks for sending me!
Bonus Vine video:
Hit the unmute button to hear audio of us getting our groove on to Bobby Brown the night before.
Photo: Goofing around on my birthday Mount Shasta climb last month-- Story and photos from our climb, and other recent outdoor expeditions, are coming soon!
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
Baby Levi's U.S. passport should arrive any week now. Now that the spring/summer hiking and climbing season is slowing down, it's time once again to get the Hamiltons out and about. And of course, that includes our occasional quick trips overseas!
Studying for my "Big Church" sermons has kept me too occupied to update this blog recently (or participate in the annual Triple D hiking event with NW Wilderness last weekend!). I'll be back after my preaching to blog about some about some of the recent outdoor events that I've lead.
But for now... not in any chronological order, here are just a few upcoming trips on the horizon for us in early fall:
1. Destination unknown: Europe, South America, or Asia
Lena's very first overseas trip, to Spain
Whenever Levi's passport gets here, his first international journey will be ready for him. And lil' Lena is way past due for her next overseas jaunt. Her 4th birthday is next week!
2. Waterfall rappelling, Take 2 (Undisclosed location)
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Both caution and a tight timeline got the best of Katya and me when we trekked out and geared up for this last month. Once again, we'll need to commit to the entire canyoneering route after rappelling the first of the waterfalls... With no escape options until we complete the circuit, the first rappel will mark a point of no return.
If I can finish enough of my sermon prep this week, we may head out into the wilderness again on Friday for a second shot at this canyoneering thrill ride. Rope and harnesses ready!
3. Australia
Several years have passed since we last went Down Under for hiking, caving, and surfing. And it just so happens that my parents will soon be exploring Australia for a few weeks. Hmm, I wonder if I'll run into them?
4. Banks Lake, WA- camping/boating
Was there any doubt we'd be making an appearance at our family's annual Banks Lake camping trip this month? Wakeboarding, waterskiing, and tubing are much more enjoyable in those warmer waters.
5. Salt Lake City- Delta Airline's Velvet 360 event
It was an honor to be asked to represent PDX at Delta's upcoming two-day event in Utah. According to previous Velvet 360 guests, it looks to be quite a unique opportunity.
6. Italy-France-- Mont Blanc climb
My recent daytrip to Italy was only long enough to visit a couple of friends. I'm hoping to string together a few days soon for another, more extended weekend. But like fall, Mont Blanc's weather conditions are a wild card so late in the climbing season.
If not a climb, then we'll just throw one of our usual Italian get-togethers. This overseas trip will be another quickie, but those are always worth it!
7. Middle Sister climb [New! Added 9-15]
Some of our mountaineering crew from last month's Mount Shasta climb are headed south again, this time to the relatively local Central Oregon. The date is set. We're still working out the details, but it's looking like a drive-camp-climb-summit-descent... all squeezed into two days. Only Sam.
"I love the tutu!" Vine video: Click the unmute button to unleash the full craziness of this clip, filmed as I neared the "Finish Swine" of this year's Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
The last time we tried this...
Before we get to this year's race, let's face it... Last year, a couple of us PDX Delta Airlines employees showed the world how NOT to run the Flying Pig Marathon. Jackie and I (along with plenty of other runners) missed a crucial turn-off, unknowingly bypassed our baton hand-off point, and accidentally followed the marathon runners all the way to the "Finish Swine." Fortunately, the remainder of our PDX runners performed wonderfully.
Before reading about our 2015 race below, feel free to re-live last year's hilariously embarrassing (and well publicized) debacle in my earlier 2014 blog post here.
Moving on to this year's race... I'm happy to report that there were no mass diversions this year. The event organizers who did such a fantastic job last year worked even harder to work out the kinks for 2015.
I had just climbed Mount Hood with Katya three days earlier, and my toes and feet were in really bad shape. My podiatrist had forbidden me from ice climbing for eight months, and I was banned from running forever. In other words, I didn't exactly have a doctor's note for this one.
The day before the race
Since I was the sole runner selected to represent PDX airport this year, I flew to Cincinnati without any local teammates this time. I was looking forward to meeting the rest of my Region West team for the pre-race festivities.
Studying this year's race route on the plane ride, avoiding last year's mishap
Checking in at the Millennium Hotel, registering, and picking up our team's race swag from the Flying Pig Expo
Pre-race party at the Via Vite Italian Bistro: My teammate Ingunn (on the right) and I (before I cut off my wild curls) mix it up with the other relay teams, and indulge in Delta's generous hospitality. Ingunn was an Elite-status runner in the Boston Marathon!
Race Day
Long, early morning walk from the Millennium to the relay shuttle bus
Pumped and waiting for my baton hand-off for the final leg of the relay
Vine video: Hit the unmmute button to hear the crowd cheer for the lead marathon runner as he races past the final baton hand-off point.
More runners ran past as I anxiously waited, stretched, and bounced to the rock music on my running song playlist.
Finally, I spotted Ingunn running down the hill towards me. She yelped and enthusiastically thrust the baton towards me, as though running past. I grabbed the baton from her and started thundering down the final leg.
The cheering crowds provided course-side refreshments and encouraging shouts.
"Looking good, Delta!"
"Love the tutu!"
Considering my pain and soreness from that week's Mount Hood climb, it was satisfying to pass so many runners as I ran my segment. My feet were already injured, but a preexisting numbness in my toes (from a previous Mount Hood climb) strangely offset the pain.
Though the pain began to lag my pace, I decided to pull out all stops for the final mile. Check out the Vine video at the top of this post to get a feel for the moments as I was about to enter the final stretch. The crowds got much louder and even more intense as I neared the Finish Swine.
An all out sprint to the Finish Swine brought my overall pace up to a 7:54 minute mile. Not anywhere near as fast as I expected, but respectable. According to an infograph texted me by a teammate, I ranked 22nd (In my leg? I'm not sure how that works) and 20th overall, and our Region West team took 5th place among all the Delta teams!
After crossing the Finish Swine
Victorious!
Post-race festivities, refreshments, and freebies
Live music and dancing at the after party
And finally, I'll throw in one more flashback from last year's Flying Pig Marathon. Delta's running teams are unforgettable, year after year!
