Trip Report
A Dynamic Life

by Johnny Duke
Monday December 3, 2012 4:17pm
So I watched a video with Alan Watts narrating it, and I thought the message he provided was awesome. So I found the lecture, put some different tunes to it (actually I used the same song, just a different part), and put in my footage.

So this is the climbing/backpacking version of this speech. Locations range from Kentucky to Washington State. Hope you all enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfxfwC8Ihb0

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Credit: Johnny Duke
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  Trip Report Views: 3,100
Johnny Duke 		About the Author
Johnny Duke is a sport climber from Oxford, MS.

Comments
Aki J

Trad climber
Placerville, CA
  Dec 3, 2012 - 04:25pm PT
Nice video, great narration
Mark Sensenbach

climber
CA
  Dec 3, 2012 - 05:26pm PT
Really Cool. Break the cycle!
nutjob

Sport climber
Almost to Hollywood, Baby!
  Dec 3, 2012 - 06:56pm PT
Beautiful. Thanks for sharing it.
Johnny Duke

Sport climber
Fayetteville, Wv
Author's Reply  Dec 3, 2012 - 08:07pm PT
Thank you all!
SCseagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz
  Dec 3, 2012 - 08:22pm PT
Oh I loved it....and the beautiful doggie....yes a dynamic life indeed! Fantastic editing....

Susan
Johnny Duke

Sport climber
Fayetteville, Wv
Author's Reply  Dec 3, 2012 - 10:06pm PT
Thank you very much Susan. i'm pretty fond of that little yellow guy as well :) He's with me whenever possible.
mooser

Trad climber
seattle
  Dec 3, 2012 - 10:59pm PT
That's really beautiful, Johnny. Thank you.
snowhazed

Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
  Dec 3, 2012 - 11:04pm PT
WORD
Easy Wind

Trad climber
Oakland, California
  Dec 4, 2012 - 04:21pm PT
Very nice! Great footage.
Johnny Duke

Sport climber
Fayetteville, Wv
Author's Reply  Dec 4, 2012 - 07:24pm PT
Thank you gentlemen!
LilaBiene

Trad climber
Technically...the spawning grounds of Yosemite
  Dec 5, 2012 - 08:01pm PT
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

"All retch and no vomit!" (Which it is, he's right.) So, some 25 years after reading my first Alan Watts book in English in high school, I finally get to HEAR the man speak...and he's awesome. (Okay, I read most of it. Well, SOME of it...)

So here, 25 years later, I hereby forgive my English teacher for making me write a paper on why I shouldn't have to read "Walden Pond" because I thought Thoreau was full of sh*t (still do), and, likewise, I proclaim my great appreciation for the gift of the introduction to Alan Watts. :D

Awesomely creative, though-provoking and inspirational video! TFPU.
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
  Dec 5, 2012 - 11:34pm PT
That's cool. Follow your bliss and shitt.
I get it, dig it and did it.
He left out the part about winding up old and bereft of dental insurance though.

I like what YOU did there JD!
Johnny Duke

Sport climber
Fayetteville, Wv
Author's Reply  Dec 9, 2012 - 02:58pm PT
Hah nice-those english classes come through in the long run eh? That's good to know. I wish we had read Alan Watts material when I was in high school.

And dental insurance...ah I haven't considered that.

Thanks for the responses Tar and Lila
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
  Dec 9, 2012 - 07:41pm PT
You can listen to recordings of Alan Watts doing his "monologues" something like every Tuesday at 9 AM on our local public radio.
As a speaker he had excellent rhythm and a sort of jaunty comic timing.
LilaBiene

Trad climber
Technically...the spawning grounds of Yosemite
  Jan 24, 2013 - 10:07pm PT
Bump, because this is one of my favorites and it's very well done. ")
Enthusiast

Sport climber
Port Townsend WA
  Jan 24, 2013 - 10:39pm PT
Amazing video and excellent narration; really made me think about what I'm doing now. Thanks for posting!
Fletcher

Boulder climber
Institute of Better Bouldering-DirtbagDad Division
  Feb 2, 2013 - 05:16pm PT
Very, very nice.

"All retch and no vomit." That caught my eye and it's a catchy phrase.

About mid-way though I did a double-take and could have sworn I saw justthemaid's doppelganger! Or maybe a sister! Ha!

Funny, I really love Thoreau. He was full of sh#t for sure at times and might have been the first to admit it. I believe while he was living simply in the woods, he'd periodically go over to Mrs. Emerson's house to get his laundry done!

But "Simplify, simplify, simplify!" What better advice? Big influence on me and a couple of other guys I look up to (way up).

Agree that the part about health insurance travails as well. It's all simple... and at the same time it isn't.

Eric
nah000

climber
now/here
  Feb 2, 2013 - 06:01pm PT
nice vid.

i've loved alan watts ever since i happened to do a pre-google library search on alan watts (the climber) and ended up with alan watts (the philosopher). i figured, what the hell i'll check this out too ...

glad i did.

so cheers to both alan watts': the smith rocks guidebook was one of the most well written guidebooks, and the book, cloud-hidden whereabouts unknown and tao:the watercourse way, to name a few, were all beautiful and accessible introductions to a little different take on the world than the one i'd grown up with.
Sierra Ledge Rat

Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
  Feb 3, 2013 - 09:43pm PT
A very heart-warming and motivational video. The narration is really great. But... who ever said that "money can't buy happiness" never had money. The best of both worlds is to find something that you enjoy that pays well, and then go out in your spare time to do what you really love.
LilaBiene

Trad climber
Technically...the spawning grounds of Yosemite
  May 21, 2013 - 12:02am PT
A small bump, because I think your vid is even more poignant given the events of the last several days...thank you, again, for creating such a wonderful piece that I return to again and again.

A
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