Up on the Chimney....

A 4840 foot rocky outcrop at the end of very challenging trail just off of Newfound Gap Road in the great Smokey Mountains was where my beautiful wife Robin and I finally had an amazing "meeting of the minds".
Over 16 years of marriage, I'm not sure Robin ever understood my undying love for the outdoors and all of the challenges it has to offer. My mountain fishing trips, endless seasons of hiking, mountain climbing and just sitting in the greatness of it all, have always been trips I could take in return for her relentless pursuit of the great shopping Meccas of the United States. Shopping doesn't get mud on your boots - or shoes - in her case. It doesn't soil your hands or make you sweat, although, I've built up a pretty good sweat trying to keep up with Robin in the mall a time or two. Shopping doesn't force you to sit in the dirt or on a large dusty tree root. There are no real water breaks or wooded pit stops along the brightly lit trails of the local outlet center. I guess that explains why shopping has always been so incredibly "boring" for me. How great it would be if a guy could just step off the trail in aisle 6 at Macy's and relieve himself on one of those manmade trees adorning racks and racks of blowses of every size. I'd die happy if I could just build a campfire in the bedding department of Bed, Bath and Beyond. I picture myself lounging on one of the whitest comforters in the store, nustling up next to my fire. Hmmm....I think that might be beyond the "beyond" department. Who know's for sure until the day I'm old and senile and decide "I'm going for it." Until then, I'll keep dreaming...
6 am comes pretty early when you're on vacation; especially when you've been staying up late, but nonetheless, it does come and if you want to beat the heat, you better get your tail to the trailhead asap. I believe that Robin's probably only seen 6 am a few times in her life. She's a very competent recreational sleeper. On our way up into the Smokies, I can barely contain my excitement. Robin uses this this time to grab a few more precious moments of shuteye. We make a quick roadside stop at a pull-off to take some pictures. Leaning against the rail, I point to the monolythic rock shooting straight up just off to the southwest. "That's where we're going", I said. "Then what?" she says hesitantly. "We're going up there", I explained as I pointed to the very top. She then asked..."driving?" I laughed and got back in the car.
Sitting on the tailgate of the car, changing our shoes, we observed a considerable amount of people appearing eager to be there early and ready to mount the challenge to the top. We grabbed our daypack, water bottles and ambition and took our first steps in the direction of the summit. Early in the hike, we cross a series of running streams, some too beautiful to describe. The manmade bridges rattled with our footsteps as we hiked closer to what I knew from having hiked it before, would exceed my wifes expectations. You see, at this point, my mind says, she's thinking that after all the years of making me suffer while sitting on the chair outside of countless dressing rooms, that she at least owed it to me to make an effort to join me on a "shopping adventure" of my own.
About a half mile up the trail, we reached a very steep narrow path laiden with a ladder of tree roots and random ankle-breaking rocks. We stopped, took a couple swigs of cold water and started climbing. I was still in pretty good shape from a recent climb on Mount Rainier, so this was great fun for me. I was careful to recognize any signs of fatigue that Robin may have had, but was pleasantly surprised to see her plunking her way up the trail like an avid hiker. That morning, I sat out along with my wife to make a hike up to the Chimney Tops together. I soon found myself more taken by how the beauty of it all was obviously overwhelming to Robin and I chose to enjoy her climb rather than my own. Sure, we stopped a few more times than I might have, had I taken the trip alone. I didn't care. I was was certainly in no hurry for this "moment" to end.
2 miles of winding, and very rugged trail and finally, we found ourselves standing at the base of the rock outcrop at the very top. This sight has always taken my breath away. Not only because of the awesomeness of it all, but also because of the thought of one mistep and more than likely a fall that would without a doubt, be fatal. We both slowly made our way up the sharp jagged rock and found a level area where we just plopped down and rested. The view from the Chimney Tops is often referred to as the greatest view in the Smoky Mountains. I'm sure some might argue that, but when I consider what my wife accomplished on this day, I just turn to look at her, Newfound Gap in the background, and I know, this is truly the most beautiful sight I've ever seen in these glorious mountains.
After consuming considerable amounts of water, we made our way down the trail and back to the car. A much quicker trip I might add...funny how that gravity thing can be so helpful sometimes. Still, because of the faster pace, we had to be extra careful on the rougher parts of the trail. One bad fall or twisted ankle and rest assured, your trip back to the trailhead will be one you will never forget.
We toweled off and munched on a few snacks we had packed for the trip. We both agreed that had we waited another hour, the heat combined with the insane humidity would have been too much to bear. I hit the engine and rolled the windows down....as we backed out of our parking spot we felt the breeze from the mountain roll through the car bringing with it the aroma of purity and what nature is supposed to smell like. "Back to reality", I exclaimed as I put the car in drive.  Robin looked down the trail that laid to left of the parking area and watched it disappear as we headed back to Pigeon Forge.
I asked, "well, what do you think?" She said...."I can't wait to do it again......."
It was quiet for the rest of the drive......good times.

AWESOME! - "magic moments"

Growing up, I spent many of my early years running over the rolling hills of Steuben and LaGrange Counties in Indiana. These hills weren't anything like the mountains in the south or the Rockies in the west that I love so much today, but nonetheless, they were hills and made for great training when I was an athlete.
For most of my high school years, the inside door of my locker wore a tattered and taped photographs of one of histories greatest athletes and my idol...Bruce Jenner.
In 1972, Jenner placed only 3rd in the Olympic trial in the decathlon and then went on to place 10th in the Munich Games in the same year. This prompted him to devote nearly 8 hours per day over the next 4 years to prepare himself for the 1976 Olympics, where he went on to win the Gold medal.
Even at my young age, I was so impressed with his incredible work ethic and tenacious competitiveness, that I tore a picture of Jenner from Sports Illustrated and hung it on my wall and in my locker to remind myself of what it would take me or anyone else to rise to the athletic stature that he had risen to.
For those of you that don't know, the Decathlon is in my opinion, the test of the ultimate athlete. It consists of the 100, 400, and one mile (1500 meters today) races, the 110 meter high hurdles, the discus, javelin, shotput, pole vault, high jump and long jump. All of these events run over a 2 day time period. The athletes accumulate points over the period of two days. The athlete with the most points at the end, wins and traditionally, is named "World's Greatest Athlete".
Not only did Bruce Jenner win, but after excelling even in the weight events, went on the win the mile run in 4 minutes and 12 seconds. That time in the mile alone is a very respectable mile for college level athletes who train just for the mile. Jenner posted a points total of 8634 points which was enough to put him on the top and center podium for the Gold Medal. He was amazing...
Over the years, I've watched the General Mills video about the 76 Olympics over and over. I've shared this story many times with my own children and other athletes years ago when I was a cross country and track coach. There have been times in my life when I would dream that I met Bruce Jenner. Oddly enough, he was always wearing a track suit...I guess that's how I always envisioned him.
Then one day, about two years ago, I was sitting at the gate at the Indianapolis Airport and I looked up to see the very man himself, flanked by two airport security guards, walking by me and into the adjacent Starbucks - wearing a track suit! (see picture) I suddenly felt the urge for a hot cup of coffee. I jumped to my feet and was fortunate enough to secure a spot in line right behind him. When it came time to pay, I stepped in front of him and said, "I got it!" He smiled and said, "thanks man..." Wow - Bruce Jenner talked to me. He walked over to add some cream and sugar and I couldn't help but follow him. While he was juicing his coffee, I just started to ramble. I must have sounded like an idiot. He looked up at me and said, "Let me guess, you idolized me, and you are who you are today because of me, yada yada yada!" I'm sure he'd heard it a million times. I looked him straight in the eye and said word for word - "you placed 3rd in the 1972 trials, 10th in Munich, scored 8634 points and won the gold in 76 following an amazing run away win in 4:12 in the mile!" I was hyperventilating at this point...he put on a huge smile, stuck out his hand and said, "hey - nice to finally meet you after all these years." He then did something that blew my mind. He looked at the security guards and said, "it's ok guys". The guards turned and walked away and for the next 20 minutes, Bruce Jenner and I sat at the gate and drank coffee and "caught up".
He was one of the most gracious people I had ever met and even though he wouldn't have had to spend another minute with me, he took the time to sit down, have a cup and tell me about the old days. I'll never forget it. If you look at the picture above, you will see that the smile on my face stretches from ear to ear. Even today, sitting here typing this story has left me with goosebumps. We all have idols or people that we look up to with extreme appreciation. That day, I drank a cup of coffee and talked about the past with an old friend who had only ever known me through the yellowing tape that held his ragged old picture to the inside of my high school locker....

Breathless....

In the great northwest corner of the amazing state of Montana lies a place that can only be described as one of the most glorious places on Earth. West Glacier.
A couple of years ago, in an attempt to clear my head and basically go off the grid, I decided that I would make the trip out west to take in the majesty of the Northern Rocky Mountains. West Glacier was calling....and so I went.
At the last minute, I decided to take my youngest son Adam along with me. My thoughts were of how wonderful it would have been for myself at 11 years old to be part of such an experience. Therefore, not only did I look forward to taking the mountains in for myself, but to also enjoy spending some quality time with my son in such a magical place.
We hitched a ride via "small plane" into a little town called Kalispel. It was late in the day, so from there, we pointed our car toward our hotel. We checked in and walked across the street to have an oven-fired pizza.  Everything tastes better when you're on vacation...We turned in early in anticipation of the following day.
The drive to West Glacier was slow...not for bad weather, construction or traffic, but for the view that can only be described as breathtaking. The early fog had cleared by mid morning making way for the appearance of snow covered mountain ranges for as far as the eye could see. Literally the longest, greenest pastures speckled with tiny black dots of random black angus cattle made their way to the base of the grandest peaks beyond your imagination. Honestly, I fought back some tears....happy tears of course.
We stopped at the entrance of West Glacier National Park to have a late morning breakfast as well as our first taste of Montana's famed huckleberry ice cream. Like I said, everything tastes better when you're on vacation. We whined our way through Apgar Village making a few brief gift shop stops here and there. This was the epitome of a small mountain town. I personally had and never have seen anything like it. Much like the pages of a great book, this village took me back to a simpler time and already, I was feeling the anxiety of knowing that in a few days, I would be leaving this all behind to return to another little place called "Reality".
What happened next would be a defining "Magic Moment" in my life. To this day, I still tell this story and am sure that I always will.
I have to preface it first by saying that over the next few days, we enjoyed, Whitefish, Flathead Lake, Big Fork, Hungry Horse, the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and every river, mountain and rock ledge in between. It was the best....
But on this day, we headed about 200 yards beyond Apgar Village toward Lake McDonald.
Lake McDonald sits in the McDonald Valley flanked by the Continental Divide and is best viewed by gazing across it toward it's spectacular backdrop known as the Lewis Range (pictured above) Truly the only thing missing is a choir....
We parked the car and hiked the rest of the way to a beach area that was busseling with kayak and pontoon rentals. Adam and I headed straight for the long pier that jutted out over the glassy water. We walked silently to the end and just stood there to take it all in...it got very quiet. Somewhere in the brisk mountain air, I heard the silence crack with a sigh and a deep breath. I look down to my right in time to see my sons glazed-over eyes fixated and his body literally motionless. At 11 years old, he was breathless....
I have a sign in my house that reads:
Life is not measured by the number of breathes you take,
But by the moments that take your breath away....
I as well, was breathless. Breathless at the majestic view before me and breathless at a moment that I shared with my son on that pier, in a place called Lake McDonald in West Glacier, Montana in the middle of an incredible imaginary place called "Nowhere...".

The Great Outdoors...

Ahhh the great outdoors...it's my favorite place.
I grew up in a family of hunters and fisherman. My dad was never much of a hunter, but my brothers lived to hunt and fish. They still do today. Personally, I love animals so much that I can't bring myself to kill one. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good steak as much as the next guy, but the process of getting that steak to the coals of my grill is something that I'd rather not be a part of. I will say, however, I love to fish! I wouldn't call myself an "avid" fisherman as I don't have the time to get out there and cast the line nearly as much as I would like. But....when I do, it's exhilarating! Every time I go fishing, I tell myself, "I need to do this more often".
For those of you who have never had the desire or opportunity to sit on a bank or in a boat and cast a line across the water in anticipation of what may turn out to be the "catch of the day", you don't know what you're missing.
You see, fishing is not about catching fish. If it was, it would be called "catching". For me, some of the greatest "magic moments" of my life have included a rod and reel. I love to flyfish. It's very spiritual somehow. The quietness of the line whisping through the air only to crack across the water when you rip it backward in an attempt to cast it yet another foot. My focus gazes across the running water in search of that small calm little pool where I like to think the fish stop to take a break from the highway of the rushing stream. It's crazy...nothing matters at that moment. There is no stress, no noise, no outside interference....only you, the rod and reel, that calm spot in the river along the bank and hopefully a fish or two with completely different motives than yours. It's spiritual. It's a magic moment.
The picture above is from left to right, my brother Tony (good Ernest Hemingway impression), my oldest brother Rick and of course myself. It's late in the day and we are fresh off of 12 hours of guided trout fishing on the Little Pigeon River in the Smoky Mountains. We didn't catch squat! Sure, we snagged a few that were about the size of a big french fry and I latched onto a "doozy" of a rainbow in a water fall that ran for it and managed to live to fight another day...trout are smart fish.
At the end of the day, it didn't matter that we didn't really catch anything. Here we were, waders in tow, standing on the edge of one of the most beautiful rivers in the country, 22 miles from Gatlinburg , 550 from home - up in the mountains, just the three of us and our guide. On this day we promised ourselves to do this again. To seek out bigger and better waters and finally catch a few of those elusive trout.
Prior to this day, my brothers and I, all fisherman, had never fished together....we have since, and it's amazing because all we talk about when we do, is that memorable trip to the Smokys and how we all cant wait to go back and take another shot at those rainbows that brought us together as brothers and fisherman....

Just in case you've never heard it, there is no greater sound than the laughter of children. I'm talking about side-splitting, food blowing laughter.
As a magician, I don't perform for children as much as I used to...(stupid me), however, I jump at the opportunity everytime that I'm asked. There's something so "raw" about the mind of a child. They are able to find humor in everything that is even slightly amusing. At a magic show, many times, I turn the camera on them while I'm performing. When the show is over, I go back and watch and it literally is a show in itself. I've seen children spew Kool-Aid across the table. I've watched them laugh so hard that they fall out of their chair. Funny thing about a child; they could have a mouthfull of Oreos and not hesitate to blow half of them across the room because they are screaming with laughter.
It's a medical fact that:
"Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert."
I often ask myself why we as adults, don't laugh more often. I think the easy answer is that unfortunately, "we grew up".
I tell a story about my grandma in my show and at one point in the story I say "I looked up at my grandma and said, "someday, I'm going to grow up and be a magician". She looked at me and said, "Kevin, you can't do both!" It's an old line, but it speaks volumes.
Magic takes you back. Remember when you were a kid, how real magic seemed? A good example are the new Disney commercials where it shows the parents video-taping their childrens reaction when they tell them that they are going to Disney World. It's absolutely priceless and I want so badly to be that kid again. As adults, all we worry about is the cost, the hassle, the airlines, the hotel, the rental car and the craziness of the crowds. I want to only think about the sleepless night before the trip, the incredible view from the airplane window, the awesome swimming pool at the hotel, the little tram ride that takes you to the gates of the Magic Kingdom, the first family picture with Mickey just inside the park, the Dumbo ride, the It's a Small World After All ride, the parades, the magic, the streets, the lights and the wonder of it all. Wow...to be so lucky...
Let yourself go once in awhile. Spend a day with your kids or, if you don't have children, then spend the day with someone else's kids (make sure the parents know of course...lol) Just observe, just listen, just laugh and just think about why those times were so special to you when you were a little person.
Then ask yourself...why not now?

Images....

There are images, mostly taken through my camera over the years that will always touch my heart. I've had the good fortune to be able to travel throughout the latter part of my life. During that time, I have managed to capture some photos that at the time I took them seemed trivial at best. One of my favorite things to do is sit down and go through photo albums of trips I've taken. It takes me back to that time and I can actually feel my heart step it up a little in anticipation of maybe returning to that place again someday.
This image is of my son Adam. We rented a small cottage on the beach in Treasure Island, Florida. Much like me, Adam's not much into touristy things and likes to avoid all of the gift shops and tourist traps in places such as this. I recognized years ago, that my little boy is blessed with an "old soul" and for whatever reason, has an amazing appreciation for all of those things that are natural. I was making my way to the beach one evening and as I first stepped onto the sand, I looked toward the sunset and, at only 11 years old at the time, there stood my son, gazing off across the Gulf , experiencing a glorious sunset. I don't recall seeing the sunset myself as I was more taken by his independent desire to seize this moment all alone. I'll never forget it...
Truly a magic moment and I'm glad that the camera on my phone was able to capture it in this way....

This will make you feel great!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJbh7FIWt3Y