Hello World! Or, My First 50 Feet of Free Soloing El Capitan (Sort Of)

Hey everyone, and welcome to kennyjacobs.com! If you're reading this, you've likely found your way here because you're interested in outdoor adventures, perhaps a dive into some tech rabbit holes, or maybe just curious about whatever new obsession has captured my attention this week. Consider this my official "Hello World!" post, a digital handshake, if you will.

I'm Kenny Jacobs, and I believe the best version of myself emerges when I'm deep in the process of learning, applying that knowledge with my own creativity, and sharing what I’ve discovered. That cycle of growth truly drives me, whether I’m tackling a new coding challenge or, as you might gather from the picture above, staring up at something intimidatingly vertical.

Speaking of intimidating, let's address the elephant in the room, or rather, the granite monolith in the frame. Yes, that's me, ostensibly "free soloing" El Capitan. Or, to be more accurate, that's me attempting to recreate the sheer, unadulterated terror and awe inspired by Alex Honnold's incredible feat, but applied to something considerably less life-threatening. Think of it less as a death-defying climb and more as a very ambitious hop onto a slightly-too-tall rock, perhaps inspired by a recent viewing of Free Solo and an abundance of caffeine.

In truth, those first 50 feet were mostly psychological. And by "psychological," I mean my brain screaming, "Kenny, what are you doing? Get down from there before you sprain an ankle on a perfectly flat surface!" The actual climbing involved more scrambling than actual free solo technique, and a healthy dose of imagination. No ropes, no gear, just me and my incredibly good judgment (mostly).

But here’s the real takeaway, and it ties into everything this site is about: that Bias for Action my guiding principles talk about. It’s easy to watch a documentary like Free Solo and think, "Wow, that's amazing, I could never do that." And you'd be right, most of us (myself included, beyond 50 feet) absolutely couldn't. But the spirit of pushing boundaries, even if those boundaries are just the edge of your comfort zone, is universal.

This website is my own El Capitan, in a way. It's a place where I'll be sharing my actual outdoor adventures (which usually involve ropes, and definitely less terror), my dives into tech and AI, and whatever new skill or hobby has me completely absorbed. It's about that Relentless Pursuit of growth, even if sometimes that pursuit involves a slightly comedic attempt at replicating a world-class climb.

So, stick around. Let's explore some real adventures together, geek out over new tech, and maybe even inspire each other to take those first (safe) 50 feet towards something new.

What's your "first 50 feet" challenge? Let me know in the comments!