Carpe Gnar

When I was a boy my wonderful grandmother sat me down one day and told me something that I’ll never forget, “Save your money and travel. Always go where and when you are able to. The lessons learned in different places are those that will remain with you forever and experiences that will be remembered for the rest of your life. These are the two things I found to be most important over the last ninety three years.”

Inspired by her words and figuring that a ninety three year old women probably has more insight that most, I’ve maintained a common goal through my years, one of constant curiosity, adventure, and exploration. It’s differed and become increasingly more intricate over the years but as a whole, my desire to see what’s lies beyond has now evolved to quitting my comfortable corporate job and completely committing myself to my dear grandmother’s words.

Carpe Gnar is a compilation of differing past, present and future adventures. Rather than combine all adventures into one specific source, I’ve intergrated two of my personal blogs which directly related to my two favorite passions, climbing and paddling. In addition, another general blog has been constructed to serve as the basic resource for Carpe Gnar. The site name itself is somewhat of a spoof off of Carpe Diem, translating to the infamous Seize the Day. Instead, Seizing the Gnarly, or in kayaking slang, all that is fun, exciting, and often extreme, seemed to be a better fit for not only this web page but my new lifestyle.

Thanks for visiting the site, please explore and enjoy. And remember, not all those who wander are lost.

- Andy