Family + Surfing + Travel + Outdoors
We almost skipped Bryce Canyon because we woke up to snow which turned into sleet, rain and then fog. We started to head to Moab, then we were like, “Nah, we’re here, Bryce National Park is just ten minutes away. Let’s go see what we can see.” So glad we did! That place is wild! Some pretty crazy rock formations! And the fog / snow made some for interesting photos, bringing out some interesting hues. Anyway, it was rad! 5-stars!
Wow! Zion is something else! Gretchen and I recently took a trip out west to celebrate my birthday (May 1st), our 30th Wedding Anniversary (May 13th), and my Remission from Cancer! We did a National Parks tour, flying into Vegas, then driving up to the Grand Canyon and back with a lot of stops along the way. It was an 8-day itinerary that included Zion, Bryce, Moab, Canyonlands, the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell/Page, and more! Gretchen and I did the first half of the trip alone, then were joined by our daughters about halfway through on the backend of the trip. Zion was one of the most spectacular places we visited. We did a solid hike there checking out the Lower, Middle, and Upper Emerald Pools Trails. Check out the pics!
Friends, I regret to share that my journey in Outside Magazine’s Ultimate Explorer competition ended one round short of the Final last Thursday. I placed 4th in my Semifinal Group despite the incredible support from all of you and giving it my all. Gretchen and I are truly amazed and humbled by how many of you worked so hard to take me from 80,000 competitors to the final 64—and almost to the final eight! Just realizing that we have so many people who love and care for us– friends and family who would commit so much to try and will us to victory, means more to us than winning ever could.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who invested their time, energy and resources to help us. Know that all donations were directed to the National Parks Foundation, as worthy an organization as you will find, and one that happens to be in serious need now.
We also want to thank all of you who’ve supported us throughout my healthcare journey this year in so many practical and encouraging ways. Please continue sending your prayers—this is a challenge that I am winning, one in which I will prevail.
I entered this competition as an idea for how Gretchen and our family might celebrate the end of my chemo treatment in December and our 30th Anniversary in May. Rest assured, we still intend to commemorate these milestones in a very special way. This year has been unforgettable for so many reasons, and we’re so grateful to have all of you by our side this entire time.
CONFIRMED! I made it to the Semi-Finals of the Ultimate Explorer competition! Voting has already re-opened (October 4th) and it ends next Thursday, October 10th! The Final then runs from October 11th to October 17th. There are 8 groups of 8 people in the Semis, just 64 of us left. This is after 2 months and a competition that started with close to 80,000 competitors. THANK YOU EVERYONE for your votes and support in helping me get this far! You can vote every day for FREE! Below is my voting/profile link!
Vote Link: https://ultexplorer.org/2024/tim-hamby-yIWY
Friends and fam- I just wanted to report that I won my Group and made it to the Quarterfinals in Outside Magazine’s Ultimate Explorer competition! Votes now reset for the Quarters starting Sept. 23rd. The Semifinals begin Oct. 4th, and the Final, Oct. 11th. You can still vote for free everyday (the vote/profile link is in my bio). If you wish to purchase votes (with all funds going to the National Parks Foundation), then wait for the 2-for-1 vote days!
Thanks to all who helped me get so far in this comp! Gretchen and I appreciate your valuable time, generosity, and support. We’re getting excited about potentially being in position to win, although it’s going to be tough these last three rounds! It’s been a wild ride and we appreciate NEFL showing out in this national comp!
P.S. A lot of folks have been asking me about how many people I am/have been competing against in this competition. As a Quarterfinalist, I’m now in the Top 1%. There are currently 768 people left of the nearly 80,000 who started the contest. We are divided into 64 Groups of 12 people each. I am in first place in my Quarterfinal Group of 12, with 2 rounds left (the Semis and the Final).
IT’S OFFICIAL: TOP 10! Whoa! I’m still moving along in the Ultimate Explorer competition, and have moved into the Top 10 in my Group! Only two more weeks to survive to get to the Quarterfinals! I’ve been fortunate to be in first place in my Group the whole way, so I believe I can likely make it to the Quarters on Sept. 23rd. From there, things get most challenging when votes reset for the Quarterfinals, Semi-Final and Final from Sept. 23rd – Oct. 17th. On behalf of Gretchen and myself, we thank you again for voting (you can vote again for free every 24 hours), and sharing my profile (https://ultexplorer.org/2024/tim-hamby-yIWY). Thank you too to all those who have generously purchased “extra” votes, with all funds going to the National Parks Foundation, for which this fundraiser was created. (Don’t feel like you have to “buy” votes for me though– only if you have a heart for the NPF!)
Friends,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU! IT’S OFFICIAL!
Round 1 of Outside Magazine’s “Ultimate Explorer” contest concluded yesterday, and I finished in first place in my group of 107 competitors! Gretchen & I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote and re-vote for us (you can vote again every 24 hours); who shared my profile (https://ultexplorer.org/2024/tim-hamby-yIWY); and those who did exactly what I asked them not to do– buy us extra votes! (You guys are nuts!). That said, I’m sure the National Parks Foundation appreciates it as much as we do, as the whole thing is a fundraiser for them.
My next challenge is to try and continue to hold my lead against the 20 others who advanced from my group. There’s a couple of more rounds to go, and near the end, votes reset. So, Gretchen and I would just humbly ask that you continue to re-vote for us to win this dream vacation as often as you think about it. Thanks again, everyone for your love and support! We are so excited to be in the running to potentially win this!
Friends,
My wife, Gretchen and I would like to ask you for a HUGE favor! Will you vote for us to win $10,000 and a national parks expedition in a Winnebago RV in Outside Magazine’s “Ultimate Explorer” contest! The National Parks Foundation, Coca-Cola and Nature’s Valley area also sponsors. It’s a straightforward competition. The person with the most votes wins! You can vote EVERY DAY! There’s an option to buy votes, but please do not do that. Simply clicking and voting whenever you happen to think about us, is all we are asking. I’d like to take Gretchen on this trip for her irreplaceable role in helping me with my battle against cancer this year, and in celebration of our 30th anniversary coming in May.
As people who know me understand, I’m an outdoors addict. I’ve already made it through the application part of this contest, and am competing against a group of 107 in Rd. 1, so am off to a great start, but will no doubt need the help of friends / family to get enough votes to defeat some “outdoor influencers”. But I’ve always believed “You don’t know ‘till you go!”, so give us a click(s) and a vote, and wish us luck! Thank you so much for any time you take to do this. Here is my profile link: Here’s my profile link: https://ultexplorer.org/2024/tim-hamby-yIWY
Something about Grandma and Grandpa Chapman’s backyard… just a really fine spot for reflection.
Recently, Gretchen and decided to pull the trigger on a jaunt to Grandma and Grandpa Chapman’s down in O-Town. It had been a long while. We got to take out papa’s new canal cruiser and relax in the beauty of old Florida, from Apopka to Mt. Dora and Tavares. It was quiet, breezy and beautiful, and a welcomed change of scenery from our own backyard. I think the only things missing were our nephew, Blake, and a couple of his 7-pound bass he’s so good at catching.
Check out the third pic by the fence line. Happened to catch this Bigfoot out of the corner of my eye! Definitely squatchy country out here, and this thing had to be 8′ tall. Skunk Ape for sure! You could smell the musky odor from the boat. If my girls and all the cousins were there, we could have done a full proper investigation with footprints and hair samples. As it was, we’re just going to have to let the photo evidence tell the story.
Recently (on June 15, 2024 – International Surf Day), I shared some news on my Instagram about my health. It had been 5 months since I had set foot in the ocean, and I wanted to offer an explanation and why my posting had slowed considerably since that time. Now that the news is out, I thought I probably needed to say something about it here, as well.
In February, I was diagnosed with stage-4 colon cancer. I’ve always enjoyed perfect health, then last August began having very unusual headaches. I went to the doctor and learned that my blood pressure was sky-high. Another test showed abnormal kidney scores. The doctors assumed this might be due to my heart. After many tests, they determined that my heart was extremely strong and that there were no circulatory or blockage issues; so they deemed it hypertension (which I thought was weird, because I’m not a high-stress guy).
They tried to control it with medication for months, to no avail. Finally, they took a closer look at my kidneys, and after viewing the test results, the cardiologist called me at home on a Sunday evening and told me to go to the ER, as I was nearing stage 4 kidney failure. As it turns out, there was cancer behind my abdominal wall, impeding some of my urological function. My kidneys were working fine, but the blockage was preventing everything to drain out completely, and little by little, it was backing up into my kidneys, damaging them. I ended up spending 27 days in the hospital from mid-February to mid-April. It was grueling. I had a stent placed in one kidney, which was subsequently removed, but now I have two temporary nephrostomy tubes that I will likely need to continue to use until late summer, keeping me out of the water until that time.
The specific cancer I have was determined not to be genetic in nature or due to any kind of faulty gene or familial pre-disposition (great news for my daughters), but rather from an external source, so it could be anything. I’ve always taken care of my yard with chemicals, had a side-gig doing epoxy garage floors, took three rounds of the (Pfizer) Covid vaccine, and of course, PFAS are everywhere, so it’s just hard to say where it came from and it really doesn’t matter.
It is a very aggressive cancer, but its aggressiveness also makes it a great candidate for chemo. I am about to hit my 4th of 8 rounds, and am doing ok. I’ve lost 15+ pounds mostly due to the initial hospital stay.
They say this cancer is not curable, but manageable with chemo, for years. They approximated 5, although, because I am otherwise “young and healthy”, perhaps I could do better than that, and said there’s always a 1% chance of a miracle or other unknown. I say God is the only person who can put a timeline on my life and I fully expect Him to heal me completely. I have an incredible support network of family, friends and church, and especially my wife, Gretchen, who I could never navigate this without (God bless her!), and despite the shock of this all, I feel very blessed and nothing but gratitude.
I have chosen to avoid talking about this on my social channels beyond a basic explanation. I have a page on caringbridge.org for anyone who wants to follow my progress or hear more details. I won’t allow myself to be defined by cancer, this year, or any other. I have no fear of death, I never have, and I am not putting any limits on my ability to overcome this. My intent is to keep going about the routine of my life in the ways I always have with perseverance, optimism and faith. I have already had a long life full of joy- one I intend to keep living and experiencing to the max, according to God’s plan for me.
I have always understood that life can, and does change on a dime, so while I am really surprised by all of this, I understand that’s how it goes sometimes. This is just like any other challenge or adversity that we all face at different times in our lives (and I’ve faced my fair share). They are experiences that help us grow, and make us stronger.
Times like these, while unfortunate and uncomfortable are actually rare moments of opportunity to demonstrate our true faith, and I believe in seizing on those. I’m on a positive path forward. I’m not looking behind, only ahead and looking forward to getting back into the ocean before the end of the year. Trust that I am still alive & kicking an plan to be out in the water again by Fall! Here’s some throwback pics to celebrate International Surfing day and a recent (mid-May) pic from my b-day ( it was a big ‘un, ya’ll!)
Peace, Love & Blessings!
A GoPro shot from last summer… We made it through the June gloom and are now slogging through the typical July summer doldrums here in Florida. Thankfully, the heart of storm season, the best time to surf in Florida – late summer and early fall, are almost here! It’s been flat for way too long and I am just dying to catch some good waves. Pray for surf!
Spotted this guy by the walkover on the way back from a beach run. Big ‘un! This dude is living the good life in the GTM Reserve, just cruising the dunes and stuffing his face full of flowers! Like a gated community for Gopher Tortoises and other wildlife over there!
The scene behind Saltwater Cowboys in St. Augustine, FL. Beauitful spot!
We recently visited Charleston, SC recently and while we were there, we visted Folly Beach. Cool place, a lot like any East Coast beach town! Fun and funky with a mix of tourists and locals. Their new pier is pretty darn spectacular. We enjoyed tooling around the town and had some drinks up on a rooftop bar across the street from the pier.
My wife and I recently took a quick little trip up to Charleston, SC for my birthday! We bought tickets to see one of our favorite old bands – the Hoodoo Gurus, an Australian surf rock band. As luck would have it, Gretcehn’s aunt and uncle had recently bought a place up that way, and let us stay there. It was so beautiful! We had never been to Charleston and didn’t realize how (relatively) close it was – about 4 hours from Jax. It’s an awesome town, and we had a blast! We also went to Folly Beach (see next post). If you haven’t been to Charleston, put it on your to-visit list!!! Amazing food, beautiful historic architecture and laid-back people. It’s kind of like an upscale St. Augustine. Here’s some pics from the trip!
In late September, we enjoyed a great stretch of surf during Hurricanes Danielle, Earl and Fiona. On one of the last days of the Fiona swell when the winds were set to be onshore here in NEFl, I made plans to head down to Brevard County (Cocoa / Sattelite Beach) area where the winds were expected to be offshore. This is the area where I spent much of time surfing while finishing school at UCF in the early 90s. It is one of my favorite places to surf and gets such great waves! In addition, I was able to catch up with two old friends, Mike Johnson and Mike Wilhite who both live or have places down there. Mike J. has a great break right behind his condo and that’s where we surfed. My buddy from work, Luis Sandoval joined me for the trip and what a great time we had. The waves were epic and the crowds, light! The winds were offshore, as expected and it was sloppy and onshore back at home. Successful strike mission. We scored! Here’s a few shots from that day.
I was super stoked to finally get a proper hurricane swell about three weeks ago. It had been so long! Too long! I was able to catch parts of 5 of the 8 days of that Hurricanes Earl and Danielle were gifting us and enjoyed a couple of really fun sessions with my buddies Aaron and Ryan inside Guana State Park in Ponte Vedra Beach. I took the GoPro out or “Super Tuesday” during Earl. Here’s a few pics from the morning and the afternoon that day.
On Labor Day, my wife, Gretchen, and I got our tourist on in Auggie. I have lived in Northeast Florida all my life and have NEVER been to the Fountain of Youth! 😳 I had heard that there was a pretty cool watch tower overlooking the Intracoastal waterway on the property so we decided to check it out, and to be sure, the views were spectacular! Highly recommended! The property is pretty big and there are a lot of other historical attractions on the site. A few peacocks hanging around, too. As far as the fountain, it’s inside a faux cave chamber. They have cups and let you drink from it. They say it’s from a spring but it definitely was NOT 72-degree spring water, more like 80-degree city water, lol 😂! But hey, we had to try! Also, my appearance did not become any more youthful, but ummm… maybe there’s a delay or something… I’ll keep everyone updated! I’m guessing a good, strong cup of black coffee would probably have a quicker, more immediate youth-restoring impact (maybe get rid of the bags under your eyes!) But don’t let my own cynicism affect your decision to give it a shot. You never know. It is a gorgeous place, and a beautiful sight to see.
Here’s another park we hiked while up in Alpharetta, GA, a really cool urban park hidden right in the heart of the city. It seemed like a really great place to just hang out and cool down, in or out of the water. What a wonderful natural amenity for the locals.
The same weekend we went up to Alpharetta, GA to see the Jack Johnson / Ziggy Marley concert, we ran up about an hour north to visit Amicolola Falls for some hiking. We had been here once before and it is such a gorgeous place. This state park features the third tallest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River. It’s only about 8 miles from the Appalachian Trail. We were loving the 70-degree temps after a brutally hot summer in Florida! Check this place out if you get a chance! Here are a few shots of the somewhat strenuous hike to the top of the falls. I’ll post some waterfall videos, as well.
Looking for a fun Florida “staycation” getaway? Check out kayaking with the manatees in Crystal River during the winter months when the manatees head into Florida’s springs to keep warm. Super inexpensive adventure and a chance to experience some pretty interesting Florida wildlife up close and personal. You can even jump in and snorkel with the gentle giants if you like (but no touching, of course). We used Get Up & Go Kayaking for the outfitters. They have crystal clear see-through kayaks and great guides who put you right on top of the manatees. Check ’em out!
Here are a few pictures of Picken’s Nose in North Carolina. This was a fairly challenging, spectacular hike through a bear sanctuary. There weren’t many people there and the quiet hike through a truly enchanted-feeling forest was really something special. Eventually, you pop out into an area where there are some dramatic rock outcroppings with incredible views of the area. This place was great!
On our trip to Franklin, NC, we ventured down into northern Georgia for a very special adventure – hiking Tallulah Gorge. This is a 3.4-mile hike down into the very steep 1,000-foot gorge. This was a serious hike, extremely difficult in parts, with a lot of boulder climbing. There’s a regular (fairly easy) trail that ends at a suspension bridge, but if you get a special permit (they only issue 100 per day, so you have to arrive early), then you can proceed off-trail and continue all the way on down to the gorge bottom, navigating along unmarked rock walls and trails along the river. Eventually, you come to a big sliding rock formation that dumps into a refreshing pool of water at the very bottom! You have to climb back up a ridiculously steep boulder trail to get back to the top, but it’s well worth it! My daughters, Kendall and Kaelyn led the way for our crew! Here are a few pics from the hike. I’ll post a video of the rock slide, next.
