We are now seven days into the Gerber American Expedition in search of Trouble. Morale remains high and we have had a productive start to our cross-country exploration. The team is still in one piece as our groundwork and provisions have proven useful thus far. The heavy rains of the Northwest were second nature to us, and it didn’t feel like we had actually left home until we had hit the fresh terrain of Idaho. We pushed forward in the Black Boar until we arrived in Snake River where we took up shelter for the night. An early start the next morning took us deep into Utah where we established our first Field HQ of the expedition.
The locals we have encountered thus far have been friendly, helpful, and encouraging. We have learned that offering personal rations helps to build trust, and have gained access to privileged information as a result. Coffee is a standard currency of trade, but we have also parted with many Gerber tools for our new acquaintances accounts of Trouble, as well as to procure skilled services.
We hit Colorado and the thinning air provided a challenge of its own once we started to make our way through the mile high topography around Denver. We made a pitstop in Boulder to give our friends at Backpacker magazine a sample of our 2013 gear before swooping down to the Fort Carson military base to pay tribute on Veterans Day. This is where we met some soldiers who know more about Trouble than most people on this earth. We spoke with a young man who told us about the Trouble he faced while on deployment in Afghanistan. He explained how he had kept a Gerber LST hidden in his combat boots at all times while in the field. A reliable backup plan if he were to ever fall into the wrong hands. We also met with Command Sergeant Major Brian M. Stall who has been facing Trouble longer than most of us have been alive. After surviving numerous tours in Afghanistan, Sergeant Stall had a memorable run-in with Trouble while deployed in Iraq during a convoy on the road to Mosul. He had driven in a soft top Humvee that left his troops and him exposed for the entire length of their journey. When Trouble decided to show its ugly face, they were the ones who were able to come out on top.
We left Fort Carson feeling humbled, but still hungry to push forward into the mountains. This is where we stumbled upon a stone crushing plant, and met a foreman by the name of Roy. He told us tales of how he uses his blade daily to help repair massive machinery throughout the quarry. Trouble to him is being put behind schedule. A burden that he refuses to accept, and enjoys cutting out of his day. It was gratifying to see a Gerber knife in his toolbox, and we all shook his callused hand before steering the Black Boar back onto the highway.
Support from back home has been exceptional. We are beginning to receive more intel about Trouble abroad, as well as invitations to face it with the people who live amongst it on a daily basis. One of our followers offered to take us snowshoeing in the sparse high-country of Colorado. Another patron suggested that we take a sidetrack to the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee to help in the search of Big Foot. Other requests have been steadily pouring in from across the country and around the globe.
We can’t be certain at this time if we will make it to Nottingham, England, Alberta, Canada, Sabah, Malaysia, or specific far reaching corners of the United States on this expedition. Nevertheless, we are encouraged and gratified by the reality that the world is requesting the team’s presence during our search for Trouble. If we can make it through this maiden voyage unscathed it will go a long way to securing the probability of future endeavors in the Black Boar.
We do not know what tomorrow will bring, but we are confident that we can handle whatever comes our way. Our agenda is Trouble, and it refuses to fit a schedule. Hello, Trouble. Here we come.
