The River Flooded

The River Flooded

Asheville, NC, nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, is a charming and eclectic city known for its vibrant arts scene, rich history, and stunning natural surroundings. This picturesque city is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, offering hiking, biking, and breathtaking views along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Asheville also boasts a thriving food and beverage scene, with a diverse array of local breweries, farm-to-table restaurants, and a bustling farmers' market. Its unique mix of historic architecture, bohemian flair, and breathtaking mountain backdrop makes Asheville a must-visit destination for travelers seeking a blend of culture, adventure, and natural beauty.

My second time to Asheville landed me there in the middle of winter, much different than when was there in the Spring. Naked brown trees replaced lush greenery and there just so happened to be quite the storm...

Friends in Tennessee

The drive from Bentonville is about 15 hours, so I decided to break it up, stopping to have a beer with friends in a small town called Murfreesboro, just south of Nashville. I was tired, having just traveled from San Diego to Bentonville via Kansas City, just two days prior. It was a nice night , so I parked a few blocks away. Strings of white Christmas lights, lighting the town square with a warm glow, invited me for a cozy walk to the bar. I passed the capital building and crossed a street. A neon sign reading Whiskey Dix called me to peer into a frosty window. The empty floor inside told stories of packed Saturday nights. This was a Tuesday.

I opened the door of Boro Bourbon & Brews, the bar next door, and was met with a blast of live music and welcomed hugs. I’m lonely, when in Bentonville, and it was good to be with friends. I thought I’d be fine spending Thanksgiving, Christams, and New Years alone, but was wrong. We found ourselves shouting over the music, so moved to a table a little further away from the live musician singing country covers. We talked adventures and the beer tasted good.

After showing them my van, we said goodnight and I spent close to 30 minutes trying to decide where to park for the night. I use the iOverlander app and have never had an issue finding a spot, but was coming up empty handed in this area. I drove to a park. No go. I chose a random campground about 40 minutes away, along my route to Asheville, and started driving. On the way, about 20 minutes I to the drive, I saw a sign for Trailhead and decided to randomly pull off. I blew passed the No Overnight Parking sign and found a spot right on the river. No one around, pitch black, I figured this was safe and it turned out to be a great decision.

The Low Spot

I love making a cup of coffee and hitting the road early. That is exactly what I did, the rising sun reminding me to clean my windshield sometime soon. I landed at the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Asheville late afternoon and made new friends immediately. I made a little bit of a stink about the low spot at the bar being used as a service station, so the Onsite Events Manager, Rhonda, came down to make sure all was good. We ended up having a couple beers. Isn’t that what you do at a brewery!!!

From there, I drove about 40 minutes to Brevard, and met some local homies at a show. I ordered a seltzer, but didn’t feel well after drinking it. When everyone got up to dance, I took the opportunity for an Irish exit and made my way to the van, nestled in a parking space across the street. I felt bad instantly and texted each of my friends an apology from the toilet in the van, half expecting them to come find me. I fully intended on opening the door if they did. The vision of the laugh I would get, making me giggle.

The beauty of the van is that you can park alomost anywhere. This spot was a gem because it was completely flat, a big deal when you’re in a chair. Imagine rolling around in there, locking brakes, holding onto things with one arm, while performing a task with the other. I was grateful for this spot’s flatness. I felt better after going to the bathroom and, after nestling into bed, the rain on the roof lulled me to sleep.

In the morning, I met the boys in Dupont to ride a trail called Big Rock, but turns out it was closed due to wetness, so we decided to reconvene back in Brevard to ride a trail called Lower Black. Funny thing about every ride I have done in Asheville, is that they have all been pretty short. In the Spring, I rode a bike park called Kanuga, but it was more of a shoot for Sierra than a ride. We did two laps that totalled 7.99 miles. The first time riding Lower Black was 9.92 miles, but thats just because the route required a couple miles of road time from the staging area. That same trip, I did get a lap on Big Rock, but flatted and ended up only getting 4.25 miles. This ride was not going to be much different. After adding some extra credit on a trail called Sycamore, we maxed out at 6.49 miles. The next day I rode a spot called trace Ridge and that was only 8.27 miles.

I say all this to explain that mountain biking has become a secondary reason for traveling to Asheville. The people have quickly worked their way into my heart. Maybe it was spending the holidays alone and arriving with a need for connection, but I would consider my friends in Asheville to be some of my best friends already. Watch these videos of my ride at Lower Black with the boys:

The part that came next is not in the videos, but is probably the most exciting. That night, I planned on staying on my buddy’s property and had been driving for about an hour when I finally found it. I actually had driven passed it several times because there was really no telling that it was a camp spot at all. Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed. It was tiny, right on the street, and very not flat. We all know how I feel about that!

The spot that wasn’t really a spot

Now, it was late. I was getting hungry and tired and needed to find home for the night. I wanted something near a body of water, a river or lake or creek or something. I found Wilson’s Riverfront RV Park and headed straight there. Keyword Riverfront. This turned out to be quite the mistake.

I arrived and cracked a beer immediately. A device mounted to the wall in the van that tells me what I need to do to get things level. It connects to an app on my phone and I maneuver the van around, trying to get her as flat as possible. I have blocks I can drive up onto to raise each wheel as needed, but if I don’t need to use them, I certainly don’t. Getting in and out of the van to place them is a lot of work, especially if it’s only for one night. Once flat enough, I shut the engine off and began setting up camp mode, pulling the curtain and swiveling the seats. I made dinner while listening to the Rich Eisen Show and nestled in for the night again. It’s nice having an actual camp spot. I know no one is gonna bother.

River flooding campsite

A loud crack shook me from my sleep. What was that? I opened the side door to realize that tree had been snapped from its roots and pulled into the swirling river, which now overflowing the banks and overrunning my campsite. An emergency alert sounded on my phone just then. Flooding!!! I needed to get out of there and quick. Another advantage of the van is that there is no dealing with a trailer or anything. You pull the curtain and drive. A man hobbled over to me as I pulled away. I stopped and rolled down the window. “Ok good. I was just coming to tell you to maybe move.” He seemed to be accustomed to sort of thing happening. I was not and chuckled in my head, looking back at my campsite which was now underwater. If I had waited for him to come knocking, I would have been in a serious situation. “Thanks man,” I acknowledged, “I’m heading to higher ground, driving passed other campers frantically hooking up their trailers.

The clouds parted

I searched RV parks nearby and in just a few minutes, had a spot up on a hill with a view. The clouds parted and the sun lit the distant mountains with gold. I sat and reflected on what was just an insane experience. I took the opportunity of being at an RV park to fill my water tank, clean out my toilet, and charge everything up to 100%. After a nice dinner with my friends that night, I hit the road in the morning, sad to leave, but excited to return someday.

Cozy van

Driving home into the sunset

The Odd Human Dichotomy

Surfing is difficult for me. I get pounded out there, but it’s SO worth it!

Motivation is a tricky thing. It comes and goes like the wind. We can wake up ready to save the world or with some serious Netflix ambition. I cannot say what works for others and all I know is how I, personally, get myself to place the next foot in front of the previous. One thing, that is consistent for all, is that true motivation is not something we feel. When the Muse visits, it’s easy to be motivated. It’s when we don’t feel like it, but stick to the commitments we’ve made to ourselves, regardless of how we feel, when true motivation is found.

For me, as an aging athlete, motivation is tied closely with physical energy. I’ve lived hard and my body feels like it. So for me, the most important factor in finding motivation is taking care of myself so that I will have physical energy. This means proper sleep and nutrition. It means sticking to a regimen of body maintenance and recovery. This is the foundation, the skeleton of my day to day. In the days when I don’t feel like doing anything, at least I do this.

Obstacles makes things interesting

The next most important factor is hope. There are many motivators, but hope is the most powerful. For me, this means having goals. If I have something that I’m working towards, something to look forward to, then there is purpose and direction for what I do every day. My goals tend to be adventures that I want to go on. Acquiring, developing, and researching gear I need for said adventures is a big part of that. A lot of the time, it's small things, like working on my bike or cleaning my van. In the days I don’t feel like doing anything, at least I can do the small things that work towards my goals.

Sometimes, we experience set backs or just don’t have the will. In those times, I do a few things to keep moving. The first is to stick to what I call my Minimal List. If I just complete the things on the list, whether I feel like it or not, then at least I will feel ok with myself. Here’s the list:

  1. Wake up before 8

  2. Eat something healthy

  3. Get outside and move for at least 30mins

  4. Complete one outside errand

  5. Complete one household task

That’s it! This can be different for everyone. When, I wake up not wanting to do anything at all, my inner monolog goes like this, “All you gotta do is wake up before 8.” I pull myself out of bed. “Good job. Now all you gotta do is make a smoothie.” Done. “OK awesome. Let's just get outside for 30mins,” and so on.

This was a tough trip, but what learned was necessary.

The second thing I do, when I’m going from one thing to the next and feeling like I just want to lay down, is whisper to myself, over and over again, these exact words, “Just keep going. Just keep going” For some reason, this works for me. Now, my natural inclination is whisper to myself, “You are a looser,” so I guess this makes sense. At least I’m not bringing myself down. It does more than that though. An object in motion tends to stay in motion and it reminds me that if I get to the next step, then the step after that might not be so hard to make.

The third thing I do is remind myself that my life is not about me. If you have family, this is an easy one. If you are like me and don’t, then it can be bit more complicated. I have a unique situation where I can just do the things I love and people are stoked. Being paralyzed is an odd gift in that way. All I can say is that when you put yourself out there, you give others permission to do the same. It can be as simple as that. When I do, all it takes is one person telling me how I motivated them and its on!

Latest podcast episode giving more detail on my trip to Port Angeles and the San Juan Islands

It's important to remind ourselves that its ok to do nothing sometimes though. That day binging a show with the blinds drawn is a necessary and important part of our life cycles. Life is funny in that way. The pendulum swings. I like to allow myself to wallow. I like to embrace loneliness. The really weird thing is that sometimes, when I dig deep enough into those types of feelings, I reach ground water. If I’m watching a sunset, feeling sad, it seems oddly more beautiful in a way. If I’m sipping a scotch, lonely late at night, the scotch oddly tastes much better.

This is being human. It’s beautiful. For me, its important to do little things to keep moving because there is a lot I want to accomplish, but remembering the odd dichotomy of human nature helps me accept myself as I am.

Family - Announcing 2021 Sponsors

Family - Announcing 2021 Sponsors

Family. That’s what I tell potential sponsors is important to me. I don’t think anyone yet has really understood what I mean when I say that. I know this because I usually get baffled looks. I see and feel energy turn off instantly. So, I’d like to get to the heart of it here. I know I don’t fit the usual mold, and it can be difficult for a marketing executive or team manager to see me as a serious value. Let me explain by starting with the more obvious reasons why and then moving onto the less obvious, but more important.

100% posted this pic from Sea Otter in 2018 and it got more likes than any other photo they posted that year.

  • Because I am an adaptive athlete, I rouse a different kind of engagement than non-adaptive athletes do. A shot or video of an adaptive athlete evokes a myriad of emotions—motivation, gratefulness, even fear—but it generally does not sell product the way a fantastical shot of a non‑adaptive pro does. When a person stops on a social media shot and can envision themselves in that climactic pro‑moment, they are compelled to click “add to cart.” A shot of an adaptive athlete is inspiring, but it may not create a feeling of wanting to do what the athlete is doing the way that they are doing it.

  • I am a non-competitive, multi-sport adventure athlete who is dedicating his life to making trails accessible to all riders, similar to the way the ADA made buildings accessible for all in 1990, and providing information to adaptive riders so that they can ride with less anxiety. That’s pretty difficult to fit into any ambassador mold. Ambassador applications usually ask for competition results and schedules, but my effort is not spent on one-and-done races. (I do ride in events, but more for fun and networking than for competing). My motivation is being in the wild, my competition is surviving the danger of going into the heart of it, and my mission is to pave the way for future adaptive athletes to do it safely. I concentrate my efforts on planning several-day adventures, building teams of strong support riders, and venturing into the unknown with cameras on. This leads to some really fun, well-documented content. But the bigger picture—the more important picture—is that the content is inciting change. It is raising awareness about obstacles on trails and with gear and equipment, and it is engaging outdoor organizations around the country.

  • I am not looking for a sponsor to supply me with gear. Don’t get me wrong—I certainly appreciate it, but what I need at this point is a sponsor who sees the wide-reaching effects of the work I have started and who can also see that I have built it up as much as any one man can. For the mission to grow, it needs the kind of support that only a sponsor and team can provide.

The days of paid sponsorships and free gear, without hustle, are over. Athletes can no longer rely solely on talent—they’ve gotta be hungry and adhere to a vigilant work ethic. This is the era of the one-man-band. Athletes need to be photographers, video editors, writers, publicists, and statisticians, all the while understanding when it’s time to put the camera away and be what they are meant to be. In my experience, support, structure and accountability can help when all this gets overwhelming.

I see sponsorship as a family. Family members see one another’s talents and support each other in becoming the best they can be. The family unit can build something larger than any one member could. The family home is a refuge.  Similarly, sponsorship gives teams of athletes an opportunity to come together at events, to help draw attention to the label at trade shows, and to share products and accomplishments.

This is very important to me. Maybe its rooted in having a family that takes little interest in what I do. Regardless of where it comes from, all too often I’ve spent hours hanging out at trade show booths, no one really caring whether i’m there. I follow-up, but it kind of feels like begging. The gear finally arrives, and then I get ghosted. Every quarter, I provide sponsors with a deliverables email FULL of high quality content, and it rarely gets used. The sponsor who does not see me as a charity case, who understands my value by declaring to the world how proud they are to have me on their team, is the family I want.

Enter ZOIC. They produce products I believe in, and at the same time, they believe in me. That is why I am so moved to be a part of the ZOIC team and would like to officially announce my adoption into the family.

Paul Wyandt, one of the owners of ZOIC, asked how they could support me. Immediately, I got all the feels—feelings of wanting to be seen and understood, of being excited to see and support others in the same way, of joining something larger than myself. Paul shared fun ideas of making custom gear—not to necessarily sell to others, although that would be awesome—but to improve my experience on the trail as an adaptive rider. 

He listened to me. 

Let me repeat that so that I can hear myself say it again. HE LISTENED TO ME. 

Off-Camber

That is a thing we all could probably do better at. Listening. When we listen to our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters—when we seek to be a good son, daughter, parent, or friend and perceive others’ needs—then the world becomes a better place. One person at a time. One thought at a time.

Once Paul and I agreed to be family, he took the initiative to schedule a shoot and make an announcement. They want to tell the world how proud they are to have me as part of their family. That feels good. Not only that, but they make good stuff. It’s one thing to be family, but to believe so strongly in the product as well! For example, I have literally been on a search for the perfect pant for over five years now. A functional pant, long enough for my legs, without a bunch of excess material in the thigh, made of a breathable material that I can easily wipe crumbs off of (haha). In fact, I originally contacted Zoic Co-Owner Eric Swenson because I wanted to try their Edge Pant. My search has ended. Excess material is a thing of the past. Slim fit and functional is the way now. They nailed it with these pants. I donated all my other pants to the thrift store and wear the Edge every day for everything.

Underneath the perfect pant, I wear the ZOIC bibs. This is one of the pieces of gear I bought for full retail on my own accord before ever talking with them. I bought two of them actually and donated all my other bibs to the thrift store for two reasons: (1) they have what I call a dick flap (they call it a quick relief fly—choose which phrase you like better); this is genius, game changer on the trail, and (2) the straps run along the outside of my pecs, not over my nipples. This is much more comfortable. No nipple rubbage. It also produces an unintended positive result: it reminds me to pull my shoulders back and sit with better posture.

Speeding into 2021

If you watch my videos or follow me, you may have a noticed a recent upgrade in what I’m wearing—that’s all ZOIC! 

Above and beyond the gear, they are supporting my channel monetarily by supplying a discount code for my viewers. Use code ‘JPMCGHEE20’ during checkout at www.zoic.com for 20% OFF! This code is also an affiliate code, so now YOU can feel good buying ZOIC gear. They are good people, making good stuff. Plus, when you buy ZOIC, you are supporting the channel.

I’m also working with a handful of other companies this year. These are all companies you can feel good about buying gear from because they support me. Here they are, listed in no particular order:


Ambassador Contracts: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, VanDoit, Maxxis, Koroyd, Mammoth Mountain

Affiliates (Business Partners)*: ZOIC (JPMCGHEE20), SportRx (JEREMY10), Ryders Eyewear (jeremymcghee30off), Just Live CBD (jeremy15), GÜP Industries (theunpavement)

Friends/Flow/Pro-Deal (no contract): GoPro, Thule, CushCore, Rev Grips, Fasst Co, Spinergy, Hands on Concepts, My Lucas Oil, Ridge Merino, Patagonia, Honey Stinger

*Use these discount codes at checkout