Rigger Lee Interview: The Enigmatic Adventurer

Enigma
1. An obscure speech or writing 2. Something hard to understand or explain 3: an inscrutable or mysterious person.

If ever there was a man that fit the definition, it would be the BASE world’s Rigger Lee. He will tell you that he is an open book; however for many he fits the bill. I set the interview in motion with a standard 58 question document for this series of profiles and what I received in return where some of the most intriguing answers. In Lee, you will discover a man who claims to have set no goals and yet has achieved a great deal in his lifetime.

Lee’s story begins in Irving, Texas, while he has spent most of his life referring to his mother’s home in Euless as his residence for the purpose of collecting his mail. His partner at “the shop,” friends and family have grown accustomed to Lee being “away” from his home base for 6 or more months out of the year. Lee is known to have packed up and disappeared for a month or two at a time, “wandering about the country.”

Lee’s enterprises managed from “the shop” include a sign store, rigging loft and T-shirt company. A current project is constructing sailing covers, but he still thinks of “the shop” as being more of a “hangout” for when they “aren’t out playing,” than as place of business.

A 37’ Endeavor, ketch rigged became the latest addition to Lee’s toys to make his fascination with sailing came full circle. The recent purchase is docked in Houston, Texas. Lee explained to me his reasoning behind the sailing fascination. “A friend of mine had bought a 16 foot Hobie. I had been out with him on that a couple of times, and pretty much, I was hooked. The Hobie was too much fun and with it a sense of freedom that comes with sailing. There is no motor and it beats the hell out of paddling.” He went on to elaborate, “I had spent a month on Lake Powell with a kayak and sailing sure beat the hell out of paddling 250 miles with the wind blowing. I developed an interest in sailing prior to even those experiences. I recall taking a ferry across the North Sea. Standing by the window and gazing at the waves changing as we left the mouth of the harbor. I have the same emotions when I am in the mountains, the desert or flying. You couldn’t imagine three more different environments and yet they bring forth the same feeling. I suppose it is all about being beyond the boundaries of civilization and societies rules. I am leaving behind all of the false entrapments and regulations that are supposed to insure my safety at the expense of my freedom. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I do find that I enjoy it as mus as I do the other adventurous sports that I participate in.”

Lee doesn’t have an iPod filled with music; instead he thinks the first thing he loaded onto his was a book on tape. Books are a part of his life. While stranded in the Arctic with a disabled snowmobile, he read a book by Tanya Abbie titled “Maiden Voyage.” He is also quite a fan of Captain Joshua Slocum’s books. As one of his reads he listed “West is the Night,” by Beryl Markham; the story of a woman raised in East Africa who in the 1930s, became an African bush pilot, and in September 1936, became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west. I sensed that the solo adventurers and explorers in the books Lee read would consider him a kindred spirit.

Lee was a 19 year old college student when he was baptized into the world of skydiving. As a high school gymnast he had always wanted to give bungee jumping a try. During the fall season of his sophomore year of college he signed up for bungee jumping from a hot air balloon at the local small airport outside of Dallas, Texas. When he arrived on the following Saturday, the wind was too intense for the balloonist to tether the balloon for the bungee jumps. Lee instead ended up meeting with skydivers at that same airport before leaving with his refunded check in hand. The skydivers were more than willing to have him spend his money with them and he made his first tandem jump that day in 1991.

Years later while working for John Stanford at the Adventure Loft he was introduced to BASE jumping and his first BASE jumper, Ernie Long. Ernie and two companions had come to the shop in need of a tail pocket being sewn onto a new Raven3 canopy. Ernie had both feet casted and the men were struggling with Lee’s assistance to even get him through the door. Apparently, as best as Lee could piece together the story, Ernie had a mishap out in Moab Utah. There was talk of “a worn out canopy, a cliff, and being able to see the ring on a woman’s hand as she waved from the bottom. Then there was the problem with a boulder being in the landing area.” A whole new world had opened up to adventurer Lee.

He hadn’t begun his career as a Rigger yet, but was dead set on learning about BASE. He built himself a rig and headed off to Bridge Day, with 4 to 5 hundred skydives already in his log book. He located some help at Bridge Day in packing the rig that he had built and made his first 2 BASE jumps. Lee returned home hooked on the sport when all he initially ventured to West Virginia for was to learn about the equipment and technology. When I asked Lee what BASE jumping has contributed to his personal growth, he shared this: “It’s led me into worlds I would never experience otherwise.” One of those “worlds” is Baffin Island. For those of you, like myself who know very little about Baffin Island, here is a little data snippet.

Baffin Island, 69?00`N 72?00`W, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world, with an area of 507,000 km². It has a population of 11,000 people, most of them living in Iqaluit, which is the capital of the territory Nunavut. Much of the treeless island, and the waters around it, are protected national parks. A mountain ridge goes across the island and the highest peak is Mount Odin, raising 2147 m above sea level. The vast, unspoiled tundra, the mountainous interior, the big glaciers and the hundreds of bays and fjords of the rugged northern coast make Baffin Island to a unique place in the world.

Baffin Island has a typically arctic climate, with short summers and very cold winters where the temperature can drop down to -50 C. The average monthly temperatures are below 0 C for nine months of the year. The sea ice stays around the island throughout the summer and the harbors can just be used a few months every year.

I suspect there are not many tourists clamoring to spend their vacation time on Baffin Island, however that hasn’t stopped Lee from visiting 4 times in the past 10 years. The area has become more popular among trekkers’ and cross country skiers over the last few years. This only reiterates the fact that Lee is not your average person, nor your average BASE jumper. Seems fitting that a man who claims his favorite meal as “anything that crawls, flies or swims” would set his sights on Baffin Island’s bigwalls. His first expedition came in 1999. I asked Lee what draws him to Baffin Island. “Oh, man. That’s an open ended question, “Where the hell does one start?” What draws BASE jumpers there? It is the big cliffs? (I mean really big cliffs.) Some of the biggest cliffs in the world if not the biggest… we are talking 6000 foot cliffs. The whole NE coast of the island is cut with Fjords just like in Norway. There are valleys with ten times the vertical cliff face of Yosemite in California with 25 Fiords on that side of the island.” Lee has traveled solo to the island, having to ship 400lbs of food alone and equipment, along with a rifle to protect himself from the Polar Bears. Spending three months at a time solo in the Arctic is no easy feat and takes plenty of planning and preparation. One could easily add “survivalist” to Lee’s name alongside “adventurer” and “explorer.”

Lee replied to the question of marital status as such, “Are you joking? Who would have me?” When I pressed him on the matter, as there are many other skydivers, BASE jumpers and climbers who are happily married I received this explanation as part of my introduction into the world of the skydiving Drop Zones.

“Being a skydiver is a big liability relationship-wise; being a BASE jumper even more so. You spend all of your time out on little tiny airports in the middle of nowhere. The sport is 85% male and that’s if you are lucky. The 15% of females are married to a jumper or they’re there because they are dating a jumper. Very rarely does a single female show up at a drop zone wanting to learn how to jump. Females that do come out to the drop zone or become divorced from their attachment, usually find themselves surrounded by a group of men humping their leg. A woman that might be considered a 6 on a scale of 10 suddenly becomes a 10 at a drop zone. Young single men with good jobs and significant disposable income will be fighting over her attention. Now this may be all well and good for the female, but for us men that aren’t exactly A-list material, it’s a f%#king death nail.” I chuckled at Lee’s explanation, but he insists “it’s the truth — a young boy wandering onto the drop zone and then like Rip Van Winkle, I wake up single at 36 years old and it’s like “how did I get here?” Besides the trips to Baffin Island, sailing, traveling, his shop, BASE jumping and skydiving, Lee named these 5 Random facts.

Never consumed Alcohol I dip my chocolate chip cookies in vanilla pudding I enjoy old Science fiction movies I am old school and still indulge in text adventure games As a child I spent countless hours searching for the door that would take me to the land of Narnia, after having read “The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe”

He doesn’t have a favorite jumper. Instead he looks to the founding fathers of BASE for their foresight “to actually figure all the technical aspects of BASE, and who, with all that reasoning had the faith to hurl their selves from a cliff.” Lee’s jump philosophy: “I try to enjoy what I’m doing, that being the point of doing it. I try to not to die while doing it as that would reduce the enjoyment.” Right there folks is a “Lee-ism.” He is a fountain of information and being a card carrying BASE jumper he is chock full of opinions and yes, “Lee-isms.” He considers his biggest weakness in life and BASE jumping to be “cowardice” and offers this advice to newbies, “Don’t make the big mistake of seeing what other people do and thinking it’s not dangerous because they make it look easy and don’t die while doing it. Be afraid.” After all, his final thought prior to jumping is “Shiiiittt” after creating “a flow chart of the possible errors and corrections that need to be made in the jump.”

Rigger Lee claims his life isn’t organized to a point of having goals. He prefers to drift along from one interest to the next, like a ship sailing with the current. “I never really know where I will wind up going, or doing for that matter. All the past currents in my life have lead me to some interesting places and situations. One of the problems I experience with drifting is at times you can be carried over the falls, but it can be one of hell of ride. Today’s currents continue to take me to places yet explored and I have no reason to believe my life will be any less interesting tomorrow then it was yesterday.”

When Hank Caylor discovered that Rigger Lee agreed to his own interview, he can be found saying, “Rigger Lee is a freakin’ great choice. The whole world will finally know the mad genius that is Lee! This will be goooooood.” If there is a “mad genius” that is Lee, it is the way he has managed to live his life one moment, one day at a time all while remaining true to his passions and himself. An enigma? Defiantly. If you were Lee would you give away all your secrets?

Quick questions with Lee:

Q: What do you feel is your contribution to BASE?
A: I have spread the word and educated BASE jumpers about Baffin Island.

Q: What makes you unique to BASE?
A: Few people are as foolish as I am.

Q: What will your epitaph read?
A: “I can’t believe he did that”

Q: Of all your jumps is there one that stands out?
A: First Antenna. La Marto, Titon, hang over hill.

Q: What has been your life’s greatest achievement?
A: I don’t think that I have achieved it yet.

Q: What is your current dream BASE jump?
A: Getting naked with the “Baffin Babes.”

Q: Why do you think Hank chose you to be the next interview?
A: He just wants to hear stories about Baffin Island.

Q: Who do you chose as the next interview subject?
A: Walt Apel

Q: What is your favorite Science fiction movie?
A: The Men in Space Series

Lee’s Statistics:

Age: 36 Marital Status: Single Location: Whitewright, Texas Number of Jumps: a few hundred Year of first Jump: 1993 Container: Rigger Lee Special Canopy: Maveric or Peg

All rights reserved. No republication of this material, in any form or medium, is permitted without express permission of the author.

Adirondack Chairs – Seating That Will Keep You From Ever Going Indoors

Being comfortable in your outdoor space is important because otherwise you’ll probably find yourself sitting on the couch inside on a gorgeous sunny afternoon. To keep that from happening, purchase some lavish Adirondack chairs for your porch, deck, or garden area.

Adirondack chairs are one of the most comfortable outdoor seating options around, which is the result of its fantastic design. This design came about at the beginning of the 1900’s when a man named Thomas Lee could not find a good place to sit at his vacation home in the great state of New York. So, he invented his own chair that has a slated design featuring a roomy, sloped seat, armrests that are over sized, a backrest that is slanted, and the entire chair sits lower to the ground making lounging that much easier. Since this design has been around for so long, it is clear that it is a relaxing choice because if it wasn’t it, it would have fallen by the wayside many years ago.

What’s great about Adirondack chairs is that alone, one is very relaxing, but there are actually ways to make one an even better place to take it easy. One way to do that is by buying cushions for one. Nothing is nicer than going to sit down on a plush layer of padding and fabric that nicely contours to your body. It is almost like you’re sitting on air. Another way to make one even more comfortable is by pairing it up with a nice ottoman, which gives you a nice place to rest your feet after a long day at the office.

If you’re thinking that Adirondack chairs are the seating that is perfect for your outdoor space, one thing to keep in mind is to get ones that are made out of higher quality materials.

Like, durable woods including Southern Pine, Redwood, and Teak would be the way to go or sturdier synthetic materials including resin or recycled plastic. These materials are some of the best around to make outdoor furniture since they won’t easily break down under the different outdoor elements. Plus, they have a fantastic look to them and are a sure fire way to add a lovely decorative touch to your outdoor space.

For an easy way to check out the Adirondack chairs that you could purchase for your space, the thing to do is to ditch going to the local garden center and instead, simply go online and do some shopping. Just by scrolling few a different sites and products, you can find what you want in no time at all. Plus, when you do come across that special something, it is usually at the best prices possible and it will be shipped right to your door. Now that is convenience.

So, if you want to really relax in your outdoor space, it is important to have good seating in it and the best option around are classic Adirondack chairs. Extremely comfortable, you’ll wish you would have bought yours sooner.

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Xsi Rebel ? Outstanding Camera

Just had an opportunity to use this camera under varying conditions in USA and Canada. I am a long time amateur trying to become a professional. From the Pacific coast of California to Mobile, AL., where I live, to my new grand daughter’s face in Brampton, Ontario, CDA., to Niagara Falls, CDA., and back home, this camera performed exceedingly well. I have taken well over 600 pics and the battery still has charge for perhaps another 600 pics. I used auto settings as well as dedicated, and in every case, the results were outstanding. My family and friends were amazed at the crispness of the prints, but for me, it was the ease of use and ready adaptability that got my attention. This will be my main camera for some time to come. A rebel in its class, but attaches a new meaning to the word. Likely to stay at the head of this class.

XSi Rebel – Very Nice Camera

I’ve owned a Rebel XT for a few years, so bought this camera to upgrade. It’s easy to use and if it’s anything like the Rebel XT, it will be very reliable. The shutter is responsive. I get live view mode as well as viewfinder shooting. The big LCD screen is very nice. I didn’t go through every feature, as most of them I will never use. Moreover, the menu is easy to navigate, and one doesn’t get overwhelmed by buttons on the camera. (I also have Nikon equipment.) I give it 5 stars.

XSi Rebel – I Love My New Camera!

For quite some time I was wanting to get a digital SLR camera, because I was sick and tired of the shutter lag that regular digital cameras have. Though I was happy with the pictures my Konica Minolta Dimage Z10 made – especially outdoors, I dreaded to make pictures indoors or trying to capture moving objects on picture (now you see me, now you don’t).

So I was contemplating for month which digital SLR I wanted and needed. Since this is my first camera of this kind and I’m merely a hobby fotographer, I didn’t want to shell out several grands. But I wanted something that had enough “oomph” to it to justify the price tag. So I looked into the Canon Rebel XTi, Nikon D40, Olympus E30 and Olympus E50. The thing I didn’t like about the Olympus was the fact, that it seems that I had to buy Olympus picture cards and they are kinda pricy.

So I went back and forth between the Canon Rebel XTi and the Nikon D40. Then I looked into the XSi Rebel and read the repords on amazon.com and other sites, compared both Canon cameras side by side. After a week or two I finally decided to spend a bit more but have a few more extras with my camera.

And I had a lot of fun in the last few days with this camera. I can take pictures with it, that come out clear and vivid even in lower light indoors. I would have had smudgy blurrs with my other camera under the same condition. Right now I am only using the Canon lens EF 50 f/1.8 II for it’s higher sensitivity to light, but wait until I go on vacation to Northern Germany in 2 weeks and I will try out the lens that came with the camera. Can’t hardly wait!
In a nutshell: So far I haven’t regreded my desicion to buy this camera!

XSi Rebel – I Want Use It, Too

A Pro, I’ve a Canon Ds and a Canon D Mark II n, for jobs. And, a Rebel XT and XTi, as back up cameras and for assistants to use, and I got an XSi Rebel for the same reason as the other Rebel’s! Though, I got to tell you, I really like this sweet little light 12MP camera. Add the battery pack grip…, and I want’a use it too and am going to, especially when I want to lighten my camera bag for a long hike by foot to a location to shot and for times when I’ll be carrying a camera in hand all day long… It has all the basic manual and auto functions that I might need and then some, and other pluses…

More Detail…

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How to Price and Market Your Greenhouse Plants

The price you charge for your plants will depend on whether you sell finished or unfinished stock, and whether your greenhouse enterprise is a full-time business or just a profitable sideline or self-supporting hobby. “Finished stock” means plants that have reached a size or state plants, such as African violets, begonias, and gloxinias when they are in bloom-and-bud or in full bloom or foliage plants potted and of large enough size to be attractive.

“Unfinished stock” refers to young, undeveloped plants. This can mean seedlings like annuals sold from flats or pots; started or dormant begonia, gloxinia, and other tubers or bulbs in pots; cuttings, either rooted or un-rooted; and small foliage or other fibrous-rooted plants. Since it requires time and expense to bring a plant to maturity, finished stock should sell at a considerably higher price than unfinished plants in the seedling or dormant stage.

Price your plants realistically. Before setting a price, total your upkeep, such as the original cost of seed, cuttings, plants, tubers, or bulbs; your pots and potting material; and an approximately proportional share of heat, light, and water, fertilizer, insecticides, and greenhouse deterioration.

Take into consideration, too, the customers you will serve. If you are offering a general, popular selection of plants and you aim to capture the trade of the home town folks, you may have to meet local competitive prices. Also, because your venture is new (as is your reputation), your merchandise will have to be as good as and preferably better than plant items available elsewhere in town. What’s more, you’ll have to maintain high standards to keep your customers coming back for more.

Markets for Your Plants

Dime, chain, variety, grocery, drug, and department stores and even pet stores and cafes – all these can become your customers. These outlets usually have to purchase the plant material they sell and generally have the plants shipped in from out-of-town wholesale growers. Look over the plants and seeds at these retail counters. If you feel you could make money by being a wholesaler and selling a store similar plant items at about the same to 1/2 the price that you see they are charging the public, seek out the manager and have a talk with him.

Once you have established yourself, the buyer is likely to go on from his first cautious dealings to purchasing some of the unusual (and more profitable) plants you grow – cacti, new philodendrons, pilea, peperomias, and such flowering gesneriads as columnea, kohleria, and species gloxinias. You may find yourself growing specialties just for one outlet, which will want even more than you can grow (a pleasant and profitable experience).

When you arrange sales to a large chain store, you may be asked to ship sample plants direct to their central buying station. If you get the O.K. there, you will be placed on the preferred list, and from then on you should be able to count on this store as a regular outlet.

Roadside Markets

In a roadside market you have another really excellent prospect. Here is sold everything from dairy products to plants and vegetables. Usually on the outskirts of a city, the roadside stands attract the Sunday drivers, people returning from vacations, and those who feel they obtain fresher produce in such places.

Make your contact with your potential customers by carrying with you a box or two of the type of plants you sell. These people have to buy from someone; and if your plants are well grown, nicely potted, and priced so that the market can resell them at profit – why, you’re elected.

If local zoning rules allow you to have a stand on your property, and you are near enough to a highway, you may be able to dispose of your plants yourself. Friends of ours have a very attractive redwood roadside stand where plants and garden supplies are sold exclusively. Their greenhouse, 20 by 18 feet, is attached to the stand, and on the land adjacent they grow roses, shrubs, and some perennials to sell.

Now sit back and enjoy the profits you make from the plants you have grown in your greenhouse.

We live in Colorado and will be driving there. So somewhere not too far.. Give me ideas on what to do and see, and where to stay. Also, someone tell me about "beach camping" … please! Can you actually camp out on the beach or what? Sorry, never really been outta Colorado. Thanks 😀

Looking for a one weekend vacation spot