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Pat Celebrates 10 years! Pat is the Chief of Admissions and Marketing at Jaywalker, but more importantly an alum. Pat enjoys snowboarding, hunting, mountain biking, cycling, and hanging out with his wife and dog. To celebrate his ten years, Pat went on a 100 mile bike ride around the Roaring Fork Valley.  Pat has been a true example of what is possible for an alumni of Jaywalker. He lives a life full of happiness and joy that is grounded in a program of recovery. He lives by the principles and always is giving back to the people around him. He continues to be a pillar in the Jaywalker community and we are that much stronger for having him in it. Thanks for all you do, Pat! Congratulations on ten!

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…

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….

The Solutions participants traveled to Pine Ridge, South Dakota, to volunteer on Oglala Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation.  Our group makes this trip twice per year to partner with a non-profit organization called Re-Member.   The Pine Ridge Reservation spans over 2.8 million acres and is the second largest Native American Indian Reservation, yet in one of the poorest counties of the United States. Volunteers can be shocked to see the harsh, third-world living conditions on the reservations.  It is a culture of poverty like a “Prairie Ghetto.” The population has the second lowest-life expectancy in the Western Hemisphere coupled with staggering high rates of diabetes, alcoholism and suicide. It is common to find homes overcrowded with extended families.  Such overcrowding leads to a shortage of beds and mattresses, leaving children to sleep on the floor. Many homes lack running water, functional bathrooms, or kitchens.  The non-profit, Re-Member, recognizes a need for adequate…

How many of us can say we have battled and beaten stage 4 cancer? How many of us can say we’ve served this country as a career Marine, spending time on foreign bases far and wide? How many can say they’ve witnessed the oblivion of all they own, thier home destroyed, thier family uprooted, thier way of life shattered in a flood of wind and water known as Harvey. How many can say they’ve stood tall despite all that life has thrown at them, unbowed to the blasts of calamity. We of Solutions had the honor of helping Mr. Gutierrez and his family return to thier home after months of living uprooted. He was with us on the job sight daily, sharing his story, his resolve, his heartfelt gratitude for the work we were doing to bring his family home. He exemplified to all of us what it is to…

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Ghandi Over the passed week, I have experienced a few different events involving other people outside of Jaywalker. The one that most stands out to be, was the ability to help a local flower store deliver for Valentines Day. Being able give back to the community was a experience that I will always remember. From delivering to the rich in Aspen, seeing some of the work of art homes that sit on the side of the mountains were truly an eye opener to the amount of money sitting in the valley. But beyond just the extent of the homes, that ability to drive through mountains at which the views were incredible. This day I was grateful to be apart of these peoples lives, showing up and delivering flowers from their loved ones. Excitement and…