June 10, 2019

Congratulations Daniel F.

Posted by Pat S in Alumni

Greetings to all at Jaywalker Lodge, I started to write this letter to you all with true humbleness and appreciation for what you do and will continue to do for your clients in need of help.  You see, It’s June and somewhere around this date, two years ago, my son Daniel arrived on your door step in need of the “magic” that is worked there.  Well the magic worked, and I can’t thank you enough for what you have given back to our family.  It was the hardest and yet wisest choice we have ever made. However, on further reflection I must truly give the credit to Daniel himself.  Yes, Jaywalker provides the guidelines, tools, the support, knowledge, love and comradery, but without the dedication and hard work put into these things the results aren’t the same.  Daniel, you have worked so hard on your sobriety and your goals. You are a compassionate, empathetic,…

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May 21, 2019

Which Came First: The Chicken or the Surfboard?

Posted by Pat S in Lifestyle

For the seventh day in a row I’m driving down the same dirt road to reach the beach; surfboards on top of the car, anticipation running high.  As I came around a corner, standing in the road was the same rooster that I had seen the 6 days previous.  The exact same spot, same time of day, 6 days straight. I thought to myself, “there is that stupid rooster, standing in the middle of the road, doing the same thing as each day before. Doesn’t he have anything better to do?”   Then it dawned on me, maybe the rooster was thinking the same thing about me, “there is that same guy, driving the same car, with the same boards on top for as many days as my little chicken brain can remember.” Yeah, I had that actual conversation going in my head.  Maybe I was suffering from too much tropical sun or too…

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March 14, 2019

Winter 2019 Alumni Trip

Posted by Pat S in Alumni

Snowbird, Utah Jaywalker alumni descended upon Snowbird Resort in Utah, an amazing mountain with steep terrain and deep snow for the 2019 Winter Alumni Trip. We had fourteen of our alumni on the trip, most of whom had never been to the resort before. As usual, we were a mixed bag of ability, age, and background. We all share the common bond of being a Jaywalker. It is that bond that ties us together and allows us another day sober to enjoy the mountain and each other’s company.  Snowbird was amazing and definitely a mountain made for the more experienced skier and snowboarder. There was more expert, double-black terrain than intermediate terrain. There was a storm that came in and gave us “free refills” as we blasted down chutes and off cliffs while we all hooted and hollered as we watched our fellow alums shred. As always, we followed the…

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February 26, 2019

2019 Shrine Hut Adventure

Posted by Pat S in Lifestyle, Uncategorized

In late January of 2019 Jaywalker Lodge clients embarked on the winter Hut trip.  I had high hopes that the clients would be able to strengthen their group ties, foster willingness to work collectively, be vulnerable with each other, and have fun sober.  We left the comfy confines of the Lodge and were greeted with strong winds, frigid temperatures, and gray skies at the Vail Summit. We quickly strapped snowshoes to our feet, threw 35-40lb bags on our backs, and a few generous clients strapped 50lb. supply sleds to their waste.   Simultaneously, 13 dudes experienced something new…backcountry winter at 11,000 feet.  It felt awkward, difficult, foreign, and exciting.  The illusion of control was instantaneously stripped from us.  We formed a single file line and ploughed a trail into the backcountry with goal of reaching the hut.  It took nearly two hours of team work to arrive at our destination.  The feelings of joy and relief were palpable.  We made…

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February 15, 2019

Trauma Integrated Care

Posted by Pat S in Insights

Historically speaking, addiction treatment, mental health services, and trauma care  have been provided in a sequential (one after the other) process.  The old philosophy dictated that providers needed to determine the “primary” diagnosis and treat that first before moving on to other, less acute, issues. Thankfully, the field is starting to recognize that trauma, mental health, and addiction need to be treated in an integrated process.   At Jaywalker Lodge we believe that unresolved trauma creates significant, unique challenges to long-term recovery and must be treated in a holistic, integrated way. We call this a “trauma integrated model” that serves to address all the underlying challenges that create road blocks to successful recovery.  Listed below are the philosophies, goals, and core components of the model.   Philosophy: Unresolved trauma creates road blocks (stuck places) to an authentic recovery journey and inhibits the effectiveness of addiction treatment. Trauma resolution and addiction treatment should take place in an integrated process….

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February 13, 2019

Sunday Shred Day

Posted by Pat S in Alumni

All of our alumni love to shred so why not set aside a day to do it together. The tradition of Sunday Shred Day is alive and well. Sunday Shred Day is a new routine that is quickly gaining traction in our alumni community. We start every Sunday out with an option to go to the local Sunday morning meditation meeting. It’s a great way to start the day and get centered before the copious amounts of shred that the day brings. After the meeting we caravan to the mountain and let the fun begin! If you haven’t been, join us.

November 7, 2018

Jaywalker receives Volunteer of the Year award from Independence Pass Foundation

Posted by Pat S in Lifestyle

Service to others is an important part of the treatment model Jaywalker provides. Through this we begin to learn that there are things far greater than ourselves. As a member of the Jaywalker community I am provided many service opportunities that include helping at Mission Wolf, planting trees for the City of Carbondale, and hurricane relief in Houston. Independence Pass Foundation provides yet another unique service opportunity for our guys. The IPF is a group that is dedicated to the restoration of the Independence Pass corridor and the surrounding wilderness. Please Click Here for the full article and for information on The Independence Pass Foundation.

October 10, 2018

Jaywalker Lodge Outpatient Program – Moab Expeditions

Posted by Pat S in Lifestyle

Jaywalker Lodge Outpatient Program – Moab Expeditions From the first time I rolled into Moab, Utah years ago as an Outpatient client, I remember feeling anundeniable sense of awe that I had never felt before in my life.  The colors of the orange sand and blue sky, the arid smell of desert air, and sounds of four-wheelers revving their engines had me feeling electric.  It was like I woke up in the middle of a John Wayne movie.  I sat in the car fantasizing about Indians, cowboys, bandits, uranium, and gun powder. Just 6 months prior to this trip I was back in Texas hopelessly addicted to crystal methamphetamine. I was homeless, buried in debt, and reaching new bottoms on a daily basis.  As I sat in the car in Moab, I felt grateful that I was no longer where I was, but I was still scared because I knew gratitude…

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October 10, 2018

Men’s Spiritual Retreat

Posted by Pat S in Insights

On a frigidly cold morning in Vail, we finished breakfast and trudged up to Jay’s Cabin for the final leg of the first ever Mens Spiritual Retreat weekend at Jaywalker Solutions. The weekend had consisted of two days of intensive therapeutic work, one solo day coined as the “Day of Silence,” and one day of presentations. In the free time, we ate together, used the old-fashioned sauna, hiked, and spent time together as fellow men in recovery. If you have never spent any time at the Shrine Huts in Vail, I would highly recommend it. The locations solitude and rustic quality made it a perfect location for a men’s spiritual retreat. As we sat in a circle in the cabin with logs in the wood fireplace crackling. I felt a sense of anticipation as we prepared for the final session of the experience. We started the group with an introduction,…

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August 22, 2018

Recovery Goals and Recreation

Posted by Pat S in Lifestyle

Over the last 2 weeks we have had a plethora of Jaywalker staff and alumni complete personal goals set in their recovery to push the mental and physical abilities within their passion for the outdoors.  These feats are milestones of personal accomplishment that we would never set or complete without personal recovery. Brendon K:  Leadville Run 100 Breton M: Leadville MTB Stage Race David K: Pro MTB Status and multiple podium race finishes this month: Honey Stinger MTB 50, Telluride 100, Pierre’s Hole 100 Patrick S: Honey Stinger MTB 50 Ryan B: Aspen Half Marathon Max G: Aspen Half Marathon These efforts are monumental in self discovery, training, and perseverance.  The mental challenges that present during the course of these distances and events are best processed revering the journey not the destination.  All of these endeavors require support teams of family and friends.  We complete personal goals as a team….

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