Alright! Happy to report that I'm able to contract my abdominal muscles with increasing strength and consistency than ever before. Sometime last week they began cramping up while pushing my chair and I've been focusing on working and exercising them with successful results.

At the same time, I've noticed my impaired right tricep has tripled in strength. It's always been a struggle to extend my arm over my head and it tires after about 10 reps no matter how hard I train.

July 25th, Pilates on 10th and the Vital Energy Center are hosting a fundraiser to help finance the equipment for mountain climbing, new wheelchair and specialized parts to make life easier and the ongoing costs of rehabilitation that have helped get me where I am today.

We continue to amass great prizes and the event should be a great one. If you can't directly participate, you can help by sponsoring me or Kinnavey and by donating product or services for prizes. All donations are 501-3c tax deductible!

Check out climb4theclimb.blogspot.com for more info.....

Amber came through with the best birthday present and sent out Jason and Avery who, (besides Ethan, Dane and Skyler) is the #1 kid on earth. Mountains, the cabin, Bigfoot, drawing, racing, hose fights, planting, risotto...not so much, doughnuts and breaded fish...yes! When time goes by that fast, it must've been good times. Thanks for coming out!

Deep thoughts, by Avery: "If you're in a wheelchair...........you've got a problem...."

Back in the swing of things after coming down with a fever last week. Went to UW and played "how many monkeys/money does it take to prescribe a $10 bottle of pills". A lot of 'em.

Here's the party back at base camp after 14 miles of off-road mountain travel. Haggard!

Made it out all day Monday, going further and getting steeper. I like to think I pull my weight but Chris and Ryan do twice the effort and deserve a lot of credit. You'd be fortunate to find them on your rope team.

The place we're exploring has enchanted potential, but realistically isn't the way to the summit (which isn't to say we won't figure out that route). As we learn and improve, I have a good feeling we can rely on standard hiking trails when the new cycle comes.

Heh, I had that old familiar "I should really think about taking up golf" at the end of the day. Woke up on Tuesday wishing I lived next to the trail....

Speaking of climbing, the Climb for the Climb has been postponed until July 25th.
We want to make it the best it can be, and neglected to factor that competing with Solstice Day in Seattle was a bad idea.

We're figuring out how to travel further into the mountains, pioneering techniques, learning and having fun while we're doing it. Heading back on Monday to further our route and piece together the back route to the summit of Mt. Pilchuck.

Couldn't think of doing it all on my own, big thanks to Chris, Ryan and the support of everyone who has had a hand in getting this far.

[day13:13 steps]

This was my view from the front seat of a glider last Saturday. Steve's had this day planned for two years and we finally got our window and went flying.

The Puget Sound Soaring Assoc. (PSSA) bases out of a rural airstrip in Enumclaw and meets every Saturday to fly. They're a good bunch of people, the pilots are well experienced and laid back.






It's a mind blowing experience being towed up to elevation and cut loose to sail free in search of hot air currents.


Thanks to you Steve for making it happen and everyone else for the support and good company! I'm looking forward to flying out of Bandera later this summer...

Yesterday, Ryan and I took our bikes to a filled-in railroad grade that makes its way up and over Snoqualmie Pass. Riding past mossy cedar and maple trees, ferns, waterfalls, looking up at the mountains, fresh air and sunshine made 10 miles of hand cranking easy work.

It doesn't happen often enough - feeling like there is no where else you'd rather be. Holding that personal vision of renewed health and restoration and a lot of tedious work is paying off and I'm excited as the possibilities unfold. This was my first long journey through the woods since my injury and the payoff was pretty awesome. It hit me that it really doesn't matter so much what your sport or level of capability is...just go outside and experience nature.

day 3: 3 steps

I ended Friday with a 3 hour chiropractic session after 3 hours of training and Pilates. Today was a relaxing day of rest in the sunshine and working on the nursery.

Beginning today, I resolve to take one one more step tomorrow than I took today. For the sake of symbolism, today I took 1 step.



So I've got this cute garden helper...

Thanks to all you who stopped by and contributed for making the fundraiser a success!

Waltzed into Pushing Boundries and asked to be (quote) "destroyed" and wow, was I obliged. Today I can straighten my arms out again and almost get them over my head without wincing.

There is new marked muscle activation in my right abdominal muscles. My sessions with Jared at the Vital Energy center have provided instant improvement in my hands. Working to release bundled nerves and re-open pathways, he's already proven that there's a lot of movement locked up in my body.

May 9th Bamboo Plant and BBQ Fund Raiser

Check out the site for our Bamboo Plant and BBQ Fund Raiser and the daily evolution of the nursery! Please email me at schlueterpost@gmail.com for more info.

Thanks Dad for coming out, hard work around the nursery and good times! Now it's time to send out Mom for some garden labor. Hehe no rest for the weary! Love ya both and we'll be back there soon...

hehe, if I have to explain it....

The change of season springs new opportunities, among them is meeting and working with Dr. Kohler at The Vital Energy Center. He specializes in spinal rehabilitation and applied kinesiology, testing the muscles and optimizing nerve pathways.

I have no experience with this practice but keep an open mind to the philosophy. Following a thorough 3-hr initial consultation yesterday, my finger pinch strength is stronger on my left hand and I'm able to induce a flicker of movement in my right index finger. I cranked out 10 miles on the stationary trainer today and was able to break a hard sweat for the 1st time.

As I near 3 years post injury, any new twitch, change in body awareness - anything - however small, is progress. I absolutely believe there is more coming in regards to healing and recovery. It was stressful approaching the 2 yr post injury mark. All the doctors and so-called experts hail it as the deadline for recovery and you can't help but question if you've reached the end of the road.

It's just not in me to tap out and concede. There's a certain honor in acceptance, when someone says "I'll never walk again and I'm okay with that". I respect that, for some people that is the reality and the soul does in fact supersede the body. I accept today but work to be one-nerve stronger tomorrow.

Keeping myself in top shape is imperative to surviving the injury. Atrophy, bone loss, skin breakdown, UTI's all conspire to kill the body. Cure therapies loom on the horizon and I need to be physically ready for trials.

Kind of a funny story: I really try not to just passively sit in my chair any more. Usually I'll scoot forward and sit on the edge of my seat so I don't use my backrest for support. Sitting upright works my core muscles and balance. I was hanging out with my good friends after an amazing bbq spread sitting on the edge of my seat doing a torso stretch.

Sometimes my stretch reflex is severe and snaps the muscle back lightning fast. So I'm trying to twist like I'm turning to look behind me and !thwap! my body contracts so fast I can't hold on to anything. Right there in the living room surrounded by company my body tosses itself out of my chair onto the floor. I've gone through the whole anger thing and am pretty much over it with bare exception. Ha, so sitting there suddenly on the ground after a dramatic ejection, what else can you do but laugh it off!

Without a second thought Jack's got me by the shoulders offering to pull me back up to the chair. I'm grateful I don't have to exasperate the situation by dragging myself back up and accept the boost. I scoot back to the edge of my seat but this time save the stretching for later.

Climb for the Climb

There's a day out there when I'll be walking the trails of my beloved Cascades again, but in the meantime I can't let the years slip by either. I crave the freedom of outdoor adventure and the confining nature of a wheelchair only amplifies the craving. Maybe it's because I hate thinking I can't do something that I once loved doing, or seeing other people with their various disablements give up on everything for the dull life but I can't give up on traveling through the mountains and visiting the tops.

I've been massively inspired by a very select few people who have risen to the challenge of their injury and done amazing, adventurous things in life. A week out of the hospital I read a biographical book a therapist had given me about Mark Wellman. Paralyzed in a climbing accident, he went on to climb El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite with his arms. Coincidentally (if there ever is such a thing), I'm a good acquaintance and co-forum moderator with one of his close personal friends. An accomplished alpine climber, he was able to snowshoe and X-country ski for the first time in 8 years this winter. Though he's worked hard and never given up on walking, he's accomplished an amazing repertoire of outdoor adventures using adaptive gear. AAron Bakers cycling across America and continuing to improve all these years later. One here, one there - you find these people in life that standout like a lighthouse amidst the mundane.

That spirit of adventure stirs in me still. Again I'm presented with an opportunity to fulfill the desire and hopefully inspire someone else in a similar circumstance that there is still a lot of life out there to be experienced. To show to anybody that there may indeed come a day when your own life is tragically altered but the spirit can endure and the experience can shape you into something better than you were.

A little side story: This time last year, Nathan and I are getting out of our kayaks and a slightly eccentric but personable fellow strolls over to chat with me. I happen to prefer these kind of people and talked him up while Nathan loads the car. He goes on to tell me of his friend Chris Waddell who broke his back in a skiing accident but went on to do great things. I went home, looked him up and couldn't believe it:







What was that bike he was using!?! It's a "One-Off" Handcycle designed and handmade by a small outfit in Mass. I wasn't strong enough to consider using it and wondered when I would ever be. At the time I was just happy to be able to paddle a boat a short distance.

Last Fall, Glenn and I hatched a plan to climb Mt. Baker. This would entail building a snow-ascender and charting new territory in disabled glacier travel and crevasse issues. It'll happen sometime in the future, the logistics are heady and will take some more time to work out. The idea remained planted and kept me focused on my training.

Today, I'm handcycling up hills on a road bike, working out every day, lifting weights, walking (real) short distances, what a difference a year can make. Without a doubt I'm ready to take it to the next level and start getting out there on an off-road bike.

My good friend and owner of "Pilates on 10th" Amie approached me about a promotional fundraiser she and Jared, chiropractor and owner of "The Vital Energy Center", had organized and inquired if I was still pursuing the climb.

The timing couldn't have been designed better, now that I have a road handcycle I've been dreaming up how to raise the $6000 it costs to get the One-Off mountain handcycle. I was getting ready to accept wheelbarrow rides if that's what it took to get out this summer! With humble gratitude I accepted the opportunity which brings us to now....


The bike has been ordered and will be custom built over the next month! Continued training will culminate in a to-be-determined peak in the North Cascades sometime in August. The fundraiser will be May 23rd at the infamous Capital Hill stairs on 10th. Participants are asked to find sponsors (friends, family, co-workers) who will pledge a dollar amount per flight (one time up and down the 180 stairs). There will be a 45 minute time limit for completion and volunteers will keep track of flight count. Prizes will be awarded for numerous categories and post event party will follow with food and drinks.

I'm endlessly grateful to both Amie and Jared for including me in thier event and all of you who participate in it. The goal is to raise $10,000 to go towards the One-Off handcyle and to help offset the costs of training, therapy, specialized equipment, and further expenses required for the climb and ongoing recovery.

Love the Pacific NW and all but I could really go for a day of sunshine soon. Until that day comes, I was going through some pictures of the ol' bamboo nursery.

My friend Cody and I took an old, desolate property in the heart of shady-ville and turned it into a tropical oasis. Amidst the concrete jungle, it teemed with birds, urban wildlife and 100+ varieties of bamboo and exotic plants. I was out front one day when a ghoulish prostitute moseyed by and told me that walking by our place was the best part of her day, and I believed her.

1st Sprouts of the year -arugula

I started off with a high backed "quad shield" of backrest that went up to my neck. Scoliosis was setting in within a few months of injury and I leaned to the left, nearly over the wheel.

Just upgraded to the pictured low-back, what a positive difference it makes. You can see where relentless training has gotten me - straight back, strong upper body, damn I look good! (ha ha)

"Man Escapes Marathon"

At the dinner table with friends, Owen tries to wrangle me into the annual St. Patty's day 5K run. I've never had the desire to have a desire do such a thing. I love running, I shun crowds. Crowds of running people, yikes. Getting up before dawn to make the 8:30 start time, double yikes.

But the seed was planted and honestly, it was a challenge I couldn't turn down. An opportunity to get some exercise with my friends and see where all this training has gotten me, can't pass that up. Besides, Owen doesn't ask too much out of me so who am I to refuse?

Out of bed at 5:30, it's dark out and I don't recommend it. Warm up on the stationary arm-cycle to loosen my shoulders for 1/2 hour and get ready to go. Roll out of the shower, look outside and see this:



Sloppy, wet 35 degree plops of snow. My respect to you guys who showed up and ran it, see you next year?

Actually encouraged at what hard work it is to crank the hand-cycle around the block. Living down by the water, there isn't a flat stretch of road anywhere to be found and what goes down must come back up. I say "encouraged" because even though I can hardly make it a hilly 1/2 mile, I can in fact do it.

My upper body burns with every crank and I 100% love it because I'm outside, away from the stuffy confines of the gym, inhaling fresh air and a taste of freedom by escaping the limited range of my wheelchair. "Burn" means "build and strengthen" and I have no doubts that soon we'll be cranking out miles of road.

Kinnavey's going to have to get a clown bike to ride with me, I only come up to her knees when I'm sitting in mine and I feel like I'm on a walk with mom - ha ha oh well.

Have my eyes on
(click) some of these bikes
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