direct action

Perhaps the most empowering and satisfying project I give time to in my life is direct action. This last month has been heavy.

Direct action is also probably the most awesome (tied with paragliding). This day, I felt like I was a Rebel pilot in a Star Wars squadron. We had pod leaders even.

This was a climate action on kayaks (a kayaktion lol) against the Chevron refinery in Richmond. The group I organize with is Rich City Rays.

Here we locked down and blockaded the Wells Fargo corporate office on Market in SF: 

Here, with dozens of other teams, we blockaded the vehicle checkpoints into APEC in SF:

This climate-oriented work happened alongside the killing that is happening in Palestine. All fights against power-over are connected. 

I love the feeling of being on a team, working toward a valued goal. But so often I feel our objectives become fraught with compromise as we must work within the insidiousness of our dominant systems. Direct action feels uncomplicated.


I'm privileged to have a kind of money-work (respite from capitalism) where I can take time to exercise my 1st Amendment rights like this. And also, I've made choices around the priorities in my life so that I can give time to what I think matters most.

I sometimes forget that I have a need to be seen in how I choose to live my life. And I sometimes fear a judgement of my pride from others. And I feel persistently daunted by the feeling/connection/context distances of digital media. And also I forget that part of this work is widening the circle of capacity thru existing links of personal trust—that is, part of this work is me becoming more visible, talking about it, with those adjacent to me. So sharing like this only happens after reflection.

The gap between the world we have and the one we want can sometimes feel hopeless... we're already voting for all the right things right? what can we do? But i think we can all be louder.. and joining with others in direct action can shake complacency and give meaning to lives.

If you want to connect in, talk to me, or find these groups I organize with in the Bay Area: Oil and Gas Action Network, Rich City Rays, Extinction Rebellion. 

Happy to have humble conversations on any of this.

 

Killing Perspective

Any killing is an atrocity, but our analytically culturally-conditioned brains sometimes need comparative perspectives to help us feel this at distance and act. 

Something like 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli attacks in the last month [1], the majority of them women and children [6]. Gaza's population is about 2 million. 1 in 200 Gazans have been killed in the last month. 

In the years of the USA's war in Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11, Western forces killed about 1 in 1000 Afghan civilians and about 1 in 200 Iraqi civilians [4]. In the first 6 months of the invasion of Iraq, about 1 in 10,000 Iraqi civilians were killed (4,000) [5].

COVID killed 1 in 1000 people in the USA in the year 2020 [3]. 

The USA gives about $4 billion in military grants to Israel every year [7]. The USA spent an average of $100 billion per year on its war in Afghanistan.

Understand. Feel. Act.

[1] https://truthout.org/articles/bidens-own-officials-cite-the-palestinian-death-counts-he-cast-doubt-on/

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/17/gaza-size-population-comparison/

[3] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/podcasts/2022/20220107/20220107.htm

[4] https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/figures/2021/WarDeathToll

[5] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/oct/29/iraq.suzannegoldenberg

[6] https://www.who.int/news/item/03-11-2023-women-and-newborns-bearing-the-brunt-of-the-conflict-in-gaza-un-agencies-warn

[7] https://sgp.fas.org/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf

[8] https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/figures/2021/human-and-budgetary-costs-date-us-war-afghanistan-2001-2022

ginko leafing out

 Jan 15 - May 8 2023

When Pigs Fly!

 

Anchor Scales

My brain has a hard time appreciating the full vastness and tinyness of things (I think it's well documented the human brains are not good at this). But when I concentrate and manage to catch a glimpse of a grok of the true scale of things, I get a wonderful feeling. It's easier to do in the middle of the desert at night, or high on an alpine mountain. Or flying. Or at sea, I would imagine. 

To help myself return to the feeling, I recently made a table for myself listing examples of length scales separated by 5 orders of magnitude or 100,000 (10^5). They're not perfect, but there's a satisfying symmetry here. 

Holding these analogous scales in my conceptualization helps me anchor my imagination (which in turn lets it roam free). So I call them anchor scales. 

Prompts exclamations like:

Wait, really? That's insane. 

So that's really how much space there is in/out there? 

So that's really how tiny that is? 

I can see the Andromeda galaxy with my naked eye!

So the sun is like a red blood cell of the galaxy's Earth?

So the sun is to the universe as a hydrogen atom is to the Earth?

Oh, the universe is not that big. Oh, the universe is unimaginable.

Can we make another one for velocities?

i move at 65mph (30m/s), or like 30 (10^1.5) body lengths per second through the bay area. an RBC moving at 10^1.5 lengths per sec is moving at 10^-3.5 m/s (~0.3mm/s). which is probably closest to capillary flow. and main artery flow velocities more like flying a jet over the bay area.

...

5/9-10 2022 volbiv - Mission to San Antonio Valley (via Henry Coe)

 

I’m thrilled this kind of volbiv adventure finally happened. This has been a long time coming! Lots of top landing and rough launch practice the last few years, advice from local pilots who are more experienced, some soft volbiv in the Alps last summer, Ben and I worked out our latest bivy systems a few weeks ago with a tour in Sunol Regional…

123km in the air, ~20km on the ground

Hamilton Range

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Rt9k127vh6wTpmLfA 

none while flying unfortunately… my hands were mostly too cold

5/9

8am. The forecast looks strong windy. I want to join the crew at Diablo, but I don’t think I will be able to make it early enough because I have a meeting at 9. I spend 40min of indecision looking at forecasts. My morning meeting cancels. Diablo still looks strong. It might back down as it does (it does), but I’m not relishing the idea of climbing out of there. And my goal this season is lots of OTB volbiv, so I bail for mission. Maybe it will be less windy. And Tuesday even better… maybe I can triangle. I grab my cheese and granola and tent. But I forget my sandwich.

I take the express lane, pretending I’m 3 people. I hike fast. It looks so on. I pass George D. He has a pee tube question (it’s his first time)...I tell him don’t worry it’s just a little water. Crap, no sandwich. I launch low down and climb out. I’m over alum rock in 40min, noon. This is crazy. Cumies are amazing, and way out over the urban sprawl too. I clip RHV arispace (nvm, I forget it’s only 2kft). I keep an eye on the drop out over Almaden…it’s not moving fast. It’s so cold… the hardest part is pumping my arms and breathing to relax to maintain good circulation. Low past mt misery…i forget it’s important to go slower here. 5 up to cloudbase. Things are starting to OD south of me. Cloud aspect ratios near me are still ok. It looks good OTB. Here’s my chance.. I chicken out and push west instead. Sink of course. I feel more W wind. At least I make it to the W facing ridge. I can soar til the sun comes back. 25min. Back to cloudbase. It’s much lower now. I dont understand. I chicken out again and push south instead. Sink. I screw around and bomb out. The SW monterey flow is already pushing in. I didn’t update fast enough… should have chosen the SW face near me to die on. 

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:danfourie/9.05.2022/18:21 

launched 11:21

landed 1:34

58k

I’m glad to have a rest on the ground to warm up. Damn no sandwich. I nibble some cheese but I want carbs. I pack, check my maps that my intuition for relaunch is right, then hike for an hour to the SW face of Nesbit. 

near the first relaunch (Nesbit peak). kinda right behind the proposed Coyote lake launch. 

Easy launch. I work it for an half hour before finding my ticket to base. Third time’s the charm…I commit OTB. I push SE away from a cell, sinky, then I find a drifter. Lots of landing down there, but it’s low angle… I don’t see great relaunches. Cloud flying again. Feeling more confident as the terrain gets sharper. I can launch those. I’m so satisfied! I’d be happy to land anywhere now. Still getting high, cells over the central valley… let’s push north to start the loop back and make tomorrow easier. Whoops, didn’t account for the venturi in that canyon. I almost bail downwind, but stick to the plan and get rewarded…1200m in 16 circles…the 300ft hill in one 360. Slow NW push now, but this is all gravy. My solar vario thinks it’s dead even tho it’s got sun all day. Ok fine, time to land. Just below the steep E facing slope of Mike’s peak will do. 

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:danfourie/9.05.2022/22:18 

launched 3:19

landed 5:34

46k

landed safe. I stretch my hip flexors for like 20min.

bivy. I take way too long perfecting my tent setup. The setting is perfect but the ground is annoyingly hard for my stakes.

I drank half of my 3 liters today. Time to get water and eat. The cow pond is gross, but I scoop a couple liters. I’ll filter it tomorrow… best to postpone when I starting drinking that stuff. 

I study maps for an hour before sleeping. Reconsidering launches, I think I can walk pretty far before it turns on tomorrow. If all my options are unappealing when I get to them, I can probably get to the Del Puerto launch.

5/10

6:30am good morning! Wing as sleeping bag was some warmth at least, but needs more organization. Thankful for my thick pad… slept well. Rolling by 7. 

not all water troughs are collecting:

Hmm looks quiet..

Shooting range. Bracing for an encounter.. 

Phew, all quiet. 

8am cumies. Hiking is pretty easy along road cuts.

830am thick cumies! I’m at Peak 2720. 3-4 miles. I rest and eat breakfast. That’s the last of the food… have to get out today, which severely constrains options (what moves I’m willing to commit to).

9am.. thicker… hoping this is an early phase to the day that passes. I slow down. I was hoping for a launch here, but the E faces aren’t great and I’m feeling more W early. I push on. 

ridgecrest water collection, but fenced?

I take a use trail from 2720 to 2620. 1-2 miles. Now squall to windward. I do a quick pitch and huddle while it passes. 

1030am. That’s what we wanna see. Birds climbing out. 1km N along the ridge from Peak 2620. Perfect launch.. NW facing bowl and steep E face and nice glide out to the road. 

I hope to get up and push W as far as possible until the W wind picks up, then ride the Mines Rd valley north to Livermore, then W if possible that late. It looks good downwind into the central valley, but today was supposed to be lighter winds and I wanna take advantage of that to try for a circuit. I think about WSW to Hamilton along 130, but I think the landings are worse there (not true in retrospect), and I don’t think I’ll be able to push N after I get out to the Bay flow.

I end up launching E. 5-6m/s up to 1500m cloudbase at 11am! Smooth too. Only 5-10kph headwind from the NW. Feeling so good! Cells dropping out to my N and S but clear to windward. I get some super fine snow/hail for a couple minutes. I’m moving faster than expected. That’s good because I’ll make more progress before the West comes, but I tell myself it’s so early still, I can afford to go slower.

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:danfourie/10.05.2022/18:15 

launched 11:15

landed 12:04

13k

But I’m too excited and don’t pay enough attention and don’t take the time to think and I make a mistake. I go for the valley crossing because it looked temporarily sunnier over there and it was a shorter route. The safer bet was waiting high for sun, then going SW, hooking around Red mountain from the south. The W is suddenly super strong, probably venturi again, and a nasty climb. I think my problem is I need to get to the other side of Red, so I push into the wind and land in a burned patch on the backside where I see a trail up. In retrospect, pushing onto the ridge to my N might have worked, but I thought odds were pretty high I would land there anyways, so I decided to shorten the hike. 

Now I need to hike fast. I’m missing the best part of the day.

started hiking 12:25  2,080ft

reached peak at 1:23  3,630ft

steep old tractor fire trail:

No great launches up here. It’s gently sloped at the top, and scrubby. I find an open rocky area that might work, but there are tall burned trees out front. Have to get the cycle right. It takes 50min to get away. I have to start with the wing carefully arranged so that my lines dont snag, but the cycles dont give me enough time and I get cravats because I cant let it fully open initially. I abort several launches. Lines get snagged on dead bushes. I’m getting frustrated. Maybe this is the lack of full dinner and breakfast catching up to me.

In the air, I get a solid 5 up, but the headwind is now 25kph. Progress is going to be so slow. I dont find the next climb where I expect it and things are so broken anyways, I have to be very picky. This is not fun anymore. Time for a safe landing. I get popped, but manage to avoid the tree. 

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:danfourie/10.05.2022/21:29 

launched 2:30

landed 2:51

6km

I hear gates and a 4x4. Uh oh. They pull up. Sorry I’m on your property. Ah phew, just a father and son fencing contractors, Mike and Miles. They tell me the landowner would have flipped his shit, were he home. They were watching me thru binoculars. They’ve got a ranch in Del Puerto too. They’re going to Livermore… sweet! 

Lessons:

more food means I can commit

the road suck runs deep

still need to get better at awkward launches and landings

better gloves still (i thought spring season was over and the upgrade could wait)

still need to improve packing and setup speed

get better at cloud monitoring and lingering

Things that i tried that worked:

my filter worked on awful cattle pond water (i didnt get sick)

find launches that are grassy, steepish, facing into wind, and sun, and have decent bailouts, and a longish glide

downloaded MapBuilder Topo and Global Imagery layers on Caltopo were essential

nuun electrolyte tablets

https://caltopo.com/l/8EBN link to this cool logarithmic caltopo elevation shading my friend made

tocumen tango

 

tenaya tango

 

Birthday sharing

I left my job designing carbon sequestration machines a couple months ago. This was unexpected and sad, but stress has now much relaxed and I'm getting around to healthy feeling self work I've been neglecting

After a surprise snow shower during a vol-biv trip in the Alps, a delightful swiss 10yo and I made this snowman, which he christened Zommer, "a foolish name" he joked

morning bay swimming with my mermaid neighbor has renewed a connection with water for me, and noticing some fears of dark depths

days spent sharing delights with Ambika

starting to learn massage therapy from my wonderful mother.
also, relieved that dancing is returning! a bit of tango, but a lot of contact improv. much new body learning!

Tevis and I made an epic, scrambling traverse thru the Beartooths in August. mountain goats shaming us, hail storm tearing our tent off, after dark pushes, and lots of listening carefully to my muscles. his plateau running line made it feel like we were flying at times

cheers!

in it

https://youtu.be/Rr3ADFBcRrM

the sand is warmer here

kneel and touch

churn it

this media polishing our skin

delight!

stick our face in it

put our breath in it

! put my body in it

I shiver at the power

the contact

   the party inside negotiates

we’re here now.

thank you

 

NW road trip 2020

I went on a roadtrip last month! Wanted to share a bit.

eeee that's a lot of gas

Said hi to my mom and sister in Sonoma and gave them some pluots :)

Got a dream flight in from The Whaleback that evening which is right next to Mt. Shasta. 

It was damp and foggy and lush green on the Oregon coast, so I read a book. Caught these pebbles just as the rain was starting to fall on them. 

There is some delightful moss that grows on sand dunes up there. 

Blackberries are everywhere along the roads - I think you could go a long ways with them as fuel. Also so many berries I don't even know the names of. 

The logging is uncomfortably apparent - big swaths cut - I guess trees grow fast here. 

So many native names around.

 

This moss sloth says hello.

A mouse joined us in our tent for the night, occasionally running across our backs. It got in before we closed the zipper, then got out later through the wall. 

I learned that my old tent is no longer waterproof..

Saw some icefall checking out Mt Baker on skis. The low wispy clouds make everything feel magical.

This perfect ridge leads to the edge of the snowline.

Fireworks for childhood nostalgia while feeling sad about the 4th. Full moon on the train tracks. 

I lucked out with a fun triangle flying near Issaquah. I wanted to land back at my car to avoid risking a ride back, and the reliable clouds made it easy to keep plenty of altitude the whole time. 

The moss and concrete and enveloping green of Seattle feel right, everytime I visit.

While I was parked sleeping at Leavenworth, I had a mouse (or some critter) crawl in through my cracked window, find my trail mix, and leave a half eaten almond on my dashboard, along with some tiny poops. 

It lived, scratching around, in the interstices of the car for the next ~500mi. I'm sorry mouse.

I launched from above the town the next morning - it was on early ~9am! 

Then drove to Chelan and proceeded to bomb out, hiking back up to my car in the heat. I got myself an ice cream cone as consolation and sat by the cool river and read. I was warned, but still the dust devils here are kinda astonishing.

The next day, I had a beautiful evening soaring session, in the presence of a generous professional photographer. Then ate some Annies while enjoying the sunset on the butte.

Drove north the next day and managed to get a tour of the upper Methow valley from Goat Peak, following the XC clinic around. This is as close as I got to the alpine vol-biv that I was originally aiming for this summer.

Then followed the Columbia river south, camping on Saddle Mountain, and learning about its ancestral courses along the Grand Coulee. The hydro-geologic? history in this area is so apparent.

Final stop was Abert Rim, along 395. Almost Martian in the sunset light. After a short midday flight at Black Cap, winds turned on for soaring the Rim. Easy up, but a little too strong for comfort once I was in the air - pushing speed bar constantly didn't leave any time to take a photo of the view of the perfect endless mesa above the rim. A dust storm was headed up the valley towards me so I decided I wanted to be on the ground and landed. I think I saw a 'salt devil' in the distance over the salt flats.