I am serving a 2 year mission for The Church OF Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. I have been called to serve in the Czech Republic Prague Mission. I will only be able to respond once a week to letters but I would love to hear from you! (Unless I owe you money!)
Follow the outline exactly and it will make it to me just fine.
Elder Bryan Allan Pearson Jr.
Czech Prague mission
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 N 900 E
Provo UT 84604
Here^ until July 21st 2010, then the next address for the remaining 2 years
Církev Ježíše Krista Svatých Posledních dnů
Elder Bryan Allan Pearson Jr
MiladyHorákové 85/95
170 00 Praha 7- Holešovice
Czech Republic-Europe
Phone 420-2-2432-2215 (required for packages) Don't try to reach me through this.
Do not put my name first on packages or letters or I will not get it. Follow the above example.
For Packages sent to Czech do not send via UPS, Fed-EX, or DHL, do not insure or declare the value of the contents higher than $80 if you want the package to arrive. It is best to send packages regular air mail or in global priority boxes or envelopes purchased at post office. Contents should be labeled as "Missionary Supplies", photos, CDs, books, candy, etc. If not packages may be subject to duty charges for at least the value of the package, or may never be received.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Middle East Bound
So on Monday night on august 31st I stayed up all night packing and chatting with old friends from Hawaii. I had to be at the airport at 4 a.m. anyway so I decided it wasn't worth it. I arrived at the Airport fine and commended the monotony of gates, and waits. I flew from Salt Lake to Denver, to D.C., to Austria, then finally to Tel Aviv. I am not sure how long it was nor do I wish to remember, it just blurred into one sleepy dream.
These are a few pics of airport boredom. The best part though is that I am now writing this to you from here in Jerusalem!!
Utah
Well Utah was a fun experience, I did not have a ride from the airport so I hopped on a Red Lion Hotel shuttle bus and decided to see what would happen. All went smoothly and arrived free of charge and closer to my destination. I called a friend from Hawaii, Greg and asked him if he could pick me up. To my delight I found out that Greg could indeed pick me up and that I was only 3 blocks away from his house in Salt Lake. We did a bit of skating on his roommates half pipe. That weekend involved lots of reunions and fun. I went out to this awesome rope swing in a town called mona with some old buddies from Hawaii. I also went dirt jumping with one of my best friends Chad from back home. I ended up hurting my bak pretty bad and couldn't do much for the rest of the weekend which was no fun, I had big plans but decided to rest up for Jerusalem. A lot of times things work themselves out, Don't worry about planing this or that, just go. Everything will work out and if not it will just throw a twist of adventure into your life, and who doesn't want that?
Home for a few
So I decided to prep climb for my summit of Mt Shasta this winter where I plan to summit and snowboard down. Here are
a few quick pics of the journey
Operation Canuck Coalition
So its been quite a while since my last update, I suppose I will start from the beginning. After spending three mental weeks in Mt. Shasta filled with tons of biking, hiking, rock climbing, and camping I decided it was time to head out and up north to try an strike it rich in beautiful British Columbia. The drive took about 17 hours, once I arrived in Williams Lake and met my friends I thought the driving had come to an end but to no avail, I still had 6 hours left. The quality of the drive improved dramatically once I reached Williams my friends Donny, Tyson, Kolby and Alyssa and I piled into the van and away we went searching for a good put in point. 
Soon I was bouncing down dirt roads in an overstuffed van full of boats, paddles, coolers, and friends, I couldn't have had a bigger smile on my face. There were more than a few occasions we thought a hole in the gas tank would develop from bottoming out the van and rambunctious rocks flying off the tires. The only damage the van sustained was getting the spare tire ripped off the bottom of the van when we got slightly high centered while powering up a steep hill where no road was found. By the time I got to sleep it had been a solid 24 hours of pure driving, but well worth the adventures to come.
The first day the brothers and I prepped the gear and tied it all down while we waited for the others to arrive. Driving from the take out to the put in took the better part of the day and we didn't get going till about six o'clock. I had the pleasure of guiding one of the boats and made great time, in about an hour and a half we covered 12 miles on the taseko, which is roaring fast.
Right before we eddied out there was a class 4- rapid that takes about a 60 yard river and narrows it to a 12 foot wide shoot, so we were going fast! We dodged a rock and then had to immediately turn so we didn't smash into the canyon wall and flip the boat, great fun.
We camped Saturday and Sunday without a whole lot of action just resting and watching the local tribe fish the tsaeko river with nets as they have been doing during the salmon runs for hundreds of years. To my dismay I was informed that it would be a 500 dollar fine if I was caught fishing as such.
On Monday we decided to hit the river hard and cover some liquid. Just as we had passed the Chilcotin river confluence we came around the river bend and there was a truck in the river, so we eddied out and decided to investigate.
As we were tying off a Mountie popped his hat over the thick river reeds and boy was he glad to see us. He had Kolby kayak over to the truck and make sure that there were no bodies inside. I can only imagine how long he had been standing on the river bank scratching his head figuring out how he was going to do it without getting wet. Fortunately there were no bodies so we decided to shuv off and call ourselves heros anyway. Along the trip I saw countless bald eagles, golden eagles osprey, black bears, fish, moose, and deer kind. We went through some good rapids that day but unfortunately they were just class 3. By the end of the day we had covered no less than 50 miles. Set up camp and cooked some A class grub, and were set for a solid nights sleep.
Tuesday was one of the best days, David a friend from Hawaii spotted something moving in the water and dove in after it, it turned out to be a 45 Lbd salmon making it way up the river to lay its eggs. No sooner had we saw it then David had it bear hugged and was swimming it over to the boat!! David tossed the fish up into the boat but it flopped out, no worries, David then proceeded to swim under the boat after the fish and throw it back in. If I had not seen it with my own eyes I might not have believed it. We strung a NRS strap through its gills and hung him off the boat to keep him cool and fresh for the nights feast! Delicious.
Also tuesday was the first time I had ever tried white water rafting, which was mint I must say.
The first time I was pushed out to hard and flipped, the second I was pushed into a rapid and flipped, the third time as is always the charm, I was able to keep upright and work on my balance in some flat water before I got to some rapids. By the end of the day I ended up going through a 2 mile consecutive stretch of class 3+ water which was brilliant!! I absolutely loved it! Paddling like a mad man through the wave train trying to keep balance all the while water was splashing in my eyes and being forced down my throat. Kayaking is one of the ultimate rushes, I am now convinced. I plan on getting into it in the near future as soon as my situation allows.
Wednesday we definitely went through the biggest rapids that were only class 4 but still very fun. Rapids that are in a narrow canyon are very fun to navigate through and can also be very tough. The other boat almost flipped, and they lost Alyssa out of the boat,luckily she was able to hang on. After these rapids we hit the Frasier river and proceeded to the take out point. But only after maliciously attacking the other boat with buckets of water, and proceeding to call them a bunch of scalawags. We hauled all the gear up to the cars and washed the boats down while turning it into a nice slip and slide.
By the time we had all the gear loaded on the cars it was pretty rediculous and we realized this would never fly in the states.
That night I drove all the way back home and made it to mount Shasta where I would spend 5 days with the family before flying out to Utah to go to orientation for Jerusalem.
Soon I was bouncing down dirt roads in an overstuffed van full of boats, paddles, coolers, and friends, I couldn't have had a bigger smile on my face. There were more than a few occasions we thought a hole in the gas tank would develop from bottoming out the van and rambunctious rocks flying off the tires. The only damage the van sustained was getting the spare tire ripped off the bottom of the van when we got slightly high centered while powering up a steep hill where no road was found. By the time I got to sleep it had been a solid 24 hours of pure driving, but well worth the adventures to come.
The first day the brothers and I prepped the gear and tied it all down while we waited for the others to arrive. Driving from the take out to the put in took the better part of the day and we didn't get going till about six o'clock. I had the pleasure of guiding one of the boats and made great time, in about an hour and a half we covered 12 miles on the taseko, which is roaring fast.
Right before we eddied out there was a class 4- rapid that takes about a 60 yard river and narrows it to a 12 foot wide shoot, so we were going fast! We dodged a rock and then had to immediately turn so we didn't smash into the canyon wall and flip the boat, great fun.
We camped Saturday and Sunday without a whole lot of action just resting and watching the local tribe fish the tsaeko river with nets as they have been doing during the salmon runs for hundreds of years. To my dismay I was informed that it would be a 500 dollar fine if I was caught fishing as such.
On Monday we decided to hit the river hard and cover some liquid. Just as we had passed the Chilcotin river confluence we came around the river bend and there was a truck in the river, so we eddied out and decided to investigate.
As we were tying off a Mountie popped his hat over the thick river reeds and boy was he glad to see us. He had Kolby kayak over to the truck and make sure that there were no bodies inside. I can only imagine how long he had been standing on the river bank scratching his head figuring out how he was going to do it without getting wet. Fortunately there were no bodies so we decided to shuv off and call ourselves heros anyway. Along the trip I saw countless bald eagles, golden eagles osprey, black bears, fish, moose, and deer kind. We went through some good rapids that day but unfortunately they were just class 3. By the end of the day we had covered no less than 50 miles. Set up camp and cooked some A class grub, and were set for a solid nights sleep.
Tuesday was one of the best days, David a friend from Hawaii spotted something moving in the water and dove in after it, it turned out to be a 45 Lbd salmon making it way up the river to lay its eggs. No sooner had we saw it then David had it bear hugged and was swimming it over to the boat!! David tossed the fish up into the boat but it flopped out, no worries, David then proceeded to swim under the boat after the fish and throw it back in. If I had not seen it with my own eyes I might not have believed it. We strung a NRS strap through its gills and hung him off the boat to keep him cool and fresh for the nights feast! Delicious.
Also tuesday was the first time I had ever tried white water rafting, which was mint I must say.
The first time I was pushed out to hard and flipped, the second I was pushed into a rapid and flipped, the third time as is always the charm, I was able to keep upright and work on my balance in some flat water before I got to some rapids. By the end of the day I ended up going through a 2 mile consecutive stretch of class 3+ water which was brilliant!! I absolutely loved it! Paddling like a mad man through the wave train trying to keep balance all the while water was splashing in my eyes and being forced down my throat. Kayaking is one of the ultimate rushes, I am now convinced. I plan on getting into it in the near future as soon as my situation allows.
Wednesday we definitely went through the biggest rapids that were only class 4 but still very fun. Rapids that are in a narrow canyon are very fun to navigate through and can also be very tough. The other boat almost flipped, and they lost Alyssa out of the boat,luckily she was able to hang on. After these rapids we hit the Frasier river and proceeded to the take out point. But only after maliciously attacking the other boat with buckets of water, and proceeding to call them a bunch of scalawags. We hauled all the gear up to the cars and washed the boats down while turning it into a nice slip and slide.
By the time we had all the gear loaded on the cars it was pretty rediculous and we realized this would never fly in the states.
That night I drove all the way back home and made it to mount Shasta where I would spend 5 days with the family before flying out to Utah to go to orientation for Jerusalem.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Recreational life
I have been in to freeride mountain biking over the past few years. Its an awesome sport with such diversity in the type of riding that can be done. Whether it be blazing a trail, big mountain riding, or single track, mountain biking has offered me some of the biggest rushes I have ever had. A great mountain biker can be compared to a master seamstress, expertly sowing smooth lines through the roughest of materials. Dodging rock, roots, and trees at blazing speeds can offer some of the greatest satisfaction found on earth. There's something thing be said about "flowy" riding, as it is the ultimate freerider compliment that can be obtained. That being said I have received a fair bit of injuries from the sport, including a broken ankle, broken wrist, broken toe, concussions, and bumps scrapes cuts and bruises. What might you ask keeps me coming back day after day, year after year? I never really stopped to think about this, I would say its the pure solitude that I receive while biking. Out on a forested mountain, by myself or among friends, close to natures heart, it's perfect. What mountain biking is able to do for me is this, put me in the woods and get my fix of adrenaline. What I hear and smell when I mountain bike is the heart pounding silence, broken only by the sound of my own oxygen starved lungs exhaling and inhaling in a solid rhythm, as my shocks slide up and down completing the cycle. I smell the cool pine trees in the crisp air, looming overhead as if judging me, testing me seeing if I can cope with the trail that rests at the feet. The comradery that is felt between fellow mountain biker is a strong as it comes. The simple yet strong bond that is formed exists from an understanding, a conception of what mountain biking is and what it does for us. Only a fellow biker would understand what it feel like to string together a perfect line in the trail, that is perfectly timed, and executed. Balance, judgment, and a drive for perfection. Mountain biking to me is a release, a passion, a way of life. What prompted me to write this is this, every fall freeride entertainment releases the next piece to their series of films called New World Disorder. It's that time of year where every freerider gets that twinkle in their eye, and anticipation that seems to burn within us, salivating at the trailers release. Here is the first preview that has been officially released take a look see what you think.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Shastafari
I am from a small Alpine community in Northern California, which is sort of a refuge from the rest of the world, at least for me it is. Mt Shasta is a small town tucked away in the cascade mountain range of the Great North West, which is easy to miss as a small blip off the I-5. It is blessed with snow in the winter where the denizens can be spotted glissading down the snow blanketed mountains, and through hibernating pines frozen in there winter tomb. In the summer, if the inhabitants aren't found traversing the peaks of the mountain they will certainly be soaking up the suns blessed rays as lizards do on smooth worn thrones made from stone. I have the blessing to vacation in my own hometown for a few odd weeks before I am off on a grand adventure in B.C. So far I have done a fair share of hiking and a bit off rock climbing to boot.
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