Disabled vet healing in nature

[Schenck]

Hello everyone, my name is Brandon. Allow me the chance to introduce myself, I hope to find new friends and experience what this amazing state has to offer.

Back in 1984 a new baby came into this world, that location that was blessed by this baby was Dallas, TX. Left Texas almost instantly and headed over to spend the rest of my childhood in GA (Douglasville for the most part, near ATL) and FL (Destin for the most part with others places lived too). After HS was done this silly boy went off to play Army and got done with that game in 2008. Some things and stuff happened and here I am today trying to heal in nature. I now live in Dallas, OR (funny I know), it is about 20-30 mins west of Salem.

I love music, I try to be open to all genre's! I am not as into it now as I use to be but another like of mine was gaming, WoW I was into but these days gaming is rare. As of right now all I have is a cell phone camera but I love photography, I think it is soooooo soothing, I love to edit the pictures when done, I love looking at nature and thinking of how to frame it. The whole process is calming and soothing, it allows me to slow down my train of thought and just focus on what is in front of me and turn off all the outside noise. Trying to get into fishing, I am not good but it calms me, I hate hurting the fish and worms Oh, also I just got into Disc golf, wow that game is fun!!

I found out about this place via reddit, I hang out there (try and not let it rub off on me too much), I post to the hiking forums there sometimes, name is Cavejohnson84 on there. Same for instagram, I try and post my hiking pics on there, gives me something to do.

My experience level I would rate as low, body has a lot of work to get back to what I use to be able to do. I am over 100 pounds lost in just under two years and only the past few months have I started to hike, I am just now starting to leave the house again after a few years. I do like to push myself but I pay for it with pain later, nothing I can do about that, chronic injury from when I was Airborne in the 82nd.

As for partners I would love to meet up with people (slowly), trying to get back to being ok with being around other people, it is a slow and arduous process but I really would love some new friends in my life! I need positive people around me these days. All I have to hike with ATT is my GF really (rare is the time I can get anyone else). We also have a little kia that, while it does its best to get us there, just does not cut the mustard for where we are wanting to go!

Getting into hiking was me just trying to find something to do, I moved to Oregon last year with my best friend and I needed something positive mentally and physically for me. I had no idea the beauty offered in this great state so when I started to move about nature I was seriously taken back. I have seen beauty but this state is hitting home runs everywhere and for all kinds of reasons, how could you NOT hike!!?

My to-do list is to:

• Continue to see amazing sights in Oregon, I have only seen a few things so I have a lot of work ahead of me.
  Camp at least one night (been a kid since I camped for fun)
  See the northern lights once all the things line up (KP index @ 6+, clear skies, high elevation, low light polution)
  Speaking of stars, I want to see them, all over the place!
  Snowshoeing, I have never done it but I am told it is very HARD (so my endurance is an issue)
  Go atop most of the mountains in Oregon (this will take me many years I assume)
  Add more to this as time goes on...

Hike that I have done so far:

• Small portion of Silver falls
  Drift Creek Falls
  Shellburg Falls
  Kentucky Falls
  Valley of the Giants
  Few random nature areas
  Ape Caves (WA)
  Opal Creek (did not realize how long this was, I broke myself off)
  Cape Kiwanda

That is all I can remember. Most have been hard for me but I am getting better! All were amazing to hike and offered such serenity while looking upon its views.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this, I hope my introduction has been a positive one. Have a great day and I look forward to making friends and hiking Oregon with some of you (maybe) in the near future!!

-Brandon Schenck

[jdemott]

Hello Brandon and welcome! My in-laws lived for many years in Pensacola, so I am quite familiar with the Destin area. The Gulf Coast has its own natural beauty, but I'm glad to be here in the Northwest and it sounds like you are enjoying the sights and experiences here also.

I think you will probably find a lot of folks out on the trails who are healing in one way or another, physically and emotionally. There is something about the combination of natural beauty, solitude, and the simple experience of walking that is very restorative. Hopefully as you gain strength, your pain will be more manageable.

You've got quite a to-do list. Good luck on seeing the northern lights...there always seem to be cloudy skies whenever conditions are otherwise favorable, so you probably need to travel east of the Cascades for that and for viewing the stars.

I hope you will post a few of your experiences on the trail and share some of your photos in the near future.

[retired jerry]

You lost 100 pounds? Wow! How did you accomplish that? That is difficult.

Lots of great places a little East, like Jefferson Park, Pamelia Lake, Three Sisters,...

[Schenck]

You lost 100 pounds? Wow! How did you accomplish that? That is difficult.

Just under two years ago my life was at a very dark spot which also happened to be the same time my best friend of 10+ years was getting a divorce. Me and him (now) have lived on and off for over 10 years so I called him up and asked if we could live together again, he said yes and not long there after came and picked me up and we left KS and headed to TX.

Once in TX that triggered the weight loss, I went from never leaving the house, I mean this very literally btw (I could count the hours in total outside over the years), I would often hide from the people that delivered my groceries due to my shame just so they would not have to see me, well like I said, TX triggered a change. All I did was move around very little in the new house and reduce sodas and that was an easy 30+ pounds right there. When you have such a terrible life style and just simply move I could not imagine the positive impact I would receive from the most minimal amount of work.

I still find it VERY difficult to get outside but I do here and there, nature is the easiest reason to get me outside I have learned. Now days weight loss is triggered by me trying to eat healthy(ish) and just simply move my body for now. As for diet, I try very hard not to be super strict for now, if I don't allow for some wiggle room I could see myself failing, this approach has got me 100+ pounds down so far.

Funny story on why I have to say 100+ instead of an exact weight, for months I did not dare weigh myself when I got to TX, I was huge and knew it but could not muster the courage up to step on the scale and look. Well, as time passed (months) it felt like I was loosing weight and really built the courage to step up and see, the funniest thing happened to me, it was the sad depressing humor, but still funny. I step up on the scale only to learn I weigh exactly "E". Yep, the letter E. I error-ed the poor scale, I laughed so hard when I saw it. So, the first registered weight I have had was 370 on that, that was almost 2 years ago and now I am just about to be 260 even. I really think I was 400+

TLDR: Dropped soda, (eventually) cut alcohol cold turkey and just walked around inside the house. I try to make more good decision than bad ones when it comes to diet. Now I am fat, just not wow how are you not dead fat.

Lots of great places a little East, like Jefferson Park, Pamelia Lake, Three Sisters,...

Never heard of any of those, with the exception of Three Sisters, I know this is a mountain but that ends my knowledge. I know if it's in Oregon it is great, can't wait to see it all!

[Schenck]

Hello Brandon and welcome! My in-laws lived for many years in Pensacola, so I am quite familiar with the Destin area. The Gulf Coast has its own natural beauty, but I'm glad to be here in the Northwest and it sounds like you are enjoying the sights and experiences here also.

I think you will probably find a lot of folks out on the trails who are healing in one way or another, physically and emotionally. There is something about the combination of natural beauty, solitude, and the simple experience of walking that is very restorative. Hopefully as you gain strength, your pain will be more manageable.

You've got quite a to-do list. Good luck on seeing the northern lights...there always seem to be cloudy skies whenever conditions are otherwise favorable, so you probably need to travel east of the Cascades for that and for viewing the stars.

I hope you will post a few of your experiences on the trail and share some of your photos in the near future.

I will try and make the effort to post my experiences, it is fun and calming to catalog these things in my opinion. I agree with you about the to-do list, I want many goals so I always have a challenge. Thank you for your kind words and I hope you have a good day.

[retired jerry]

If you haven't already, click on "field guide" at upper left, then "central oregon" - lots of possibilities listed although it is by no means a complete list

[jdemott]

BTW, don't know how I forgot to mention it (on Memorial Day no less)...thank you for your service. Very sorry to hear you are still paying a price with pain, etc.

Looking forward to hearing future reports of your hikes.