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 | curriculum vitae.
entry by nightbird
12/11/2004 5:23 AM
| So, I've been thinking about it, and I realized that I've never really shared the complete tale of how I came to be the badass explorer that I am today, I've only mentioned bits and pieces here and there. So here it is, as best I can remember:
Ever since I was little, I've had a natural curiosity to see and explore places that normally aren't viewed by the general public. Some of my earliest memories:
* going with my mom to the local voting facility (a church) and wandering around while she waited in line. I remember finding this little cubby area that looked down unto a music room or something like that.
* wandering the service corridors and peeking into empty rooms at a local convention center many times during various visits.
* poking around unused and neglected areas of my dad's building, and being in awe of the items left over from when it was used for more than just storage.
I continue like this as I grow older, peeking and casually exploring places I shouldn't be, whenever I stumble upon something. I don't actively seek out places, yet. Fast forward to present-ish times. I've moved to Indianapolis and have all but forgotten about the fun and pleasure I got from exploring. Then I meet and briefly date this guy, who tells me about his love of exploring old houses. He shows me some issues of Infiltration and has me read an article about some guys that went draining and ended up in sewage and picked up some nasty bacteria (I apologize, I don't know which issue that was in or who wrote it) I am amazed at the level of dedication these guys had to see "the unseen". The guy and I make plans to explore some houses, but we stop seeing each other, and that plan never happens. But the seed has been re-planted in my head. I begin to pay attention to my new home and start seeing all kinds of places that have been neglected. A few months later, I think of Infiltration and do some searching on the web. I read the various sections and am impressed, and thirsty. I want to see places like the ones on Infiltration. I buy a subscription, and continue searching the web. I find UER and am again amazed. A whole community devoted to exploration of abandoned and disused buildings! I'm impressed at the organization of the site, with tips and tutorials, regional info, ect. My thirst to explore only grows. I start to search the web more actively for closed places, and find an interesting page. It seems that in the Bloomington, Indiana area, there is an abandoned campground. The guy that wrote the page doesn't know much about it, and there is only a few pictures, I see the waterslide, and the main building. This location interests me, but I feel the guy did a poor job of documenting the place. I decide I'm going to UE the shit out of this place, and do a better job. And I do. I take the road less traveled, so to speak, and even find the campground buildings that the other guy made no mention of. My first location: http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=21437
I had a blast.
Fast forward again to me writing this. Since then, my desire to find and explore building has only increased, and I haven't stopped with buildings. I've been on rooftops, and in skyscrapers, buildings only a storey or two, houses, basements, steam tunnels, drains, industrial facilities, mental hospitals, abandoned places, and active ones. And I've enjoyed them all. I utilize the family business to equip myself with camo and other exploration gear, and pass on the goodies to UE friends when I can.(you know who you are).Inspired by the online community, and the camaraderie of various city groups, I attempted to bring people together with an Indianapolis group of explorers. Unfortunately, that did not work out. I have not let that dissuade me however. I continue to actively explore and seek out new places to wander though, to the best of my ability. I get my group UE fix by traveling to other cities and exploring with the people I meet, and I've made some great friends by doing that.
As far as the future is concerned, I plan to quit going out and exploring when I can no longer physically do it, and will continue to explore through pictures for a long time after that. That's about all I have to say.
Edit: this morning I realized I forgot to mention my exploration in regards to my family and friends. My family and co-workers know nothing of my hobby, and I don't talk to them about it. The reason being is that they are conservative and wouldn't understand my interest in it. More so with my parents, the knowledge of the places I go alone would cause them undue stress and worry over my safety (they still tell me not to stop for strangers), or take steps to ensure my safety (preventing me in some fashion from exploring). For a long time, I didn't tell my friends about my hobby, until I explored this place, which is very local to them:
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=21726
I don't know how this worked out, but my friends are as conservative as I am non-conservative, very opposite ends. But I ignored that little voice in my head that said no, and shared the location anyway. They were interested, but it was obvious that their fear of the unknown greatly out-weighed their desire to see this place with their own eyes. And I did get the "wow, I can't believe you went there. Aren't you afraid of running into muggers/squatters/thieves/rapists/homeless/crazy madmen/dead bodies/the mafia ect." But they did seem to be fairly impressed, as they started having me tell their co-workers what I do, which I quickly put a stop to, for mine and locations privacy and protection. I still show them new and exciting locations I've posted, and I suppose they enjoy living vicariously through me. I have tried to get them to come along, but they mysteriously stop being interested when push comes to shove. Oh, well.
peace.love.UE. 
[last edit 12/11/2004 4:58 PM by nightbird - edited 1 times]
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