Mountain Motivation: Jeremy Talbott
Jeremy Talbott in his happy place. Photo by Rich Loftin.
Q&A on What Keeps People Healthy, Happy, Motivated Every Day
By Michelle LeBlanc- Valdez Adventure Alliance
What turns you on? I mean, what is that thing that makes you light up and connect with joy? Sometimes when I go through the Q and A with people from the hood the answer lies in a favorite sport, sometimes the energy comes from a recovery process, sometimes it’s a morning routine. For each of us it’s different. One of the things I think each of us have in common, however, is that love of the outdoors and being immersed in nature. Whichever way you want to do it.
For Jeremy documenting his adventures and capturing the beauty of the terrain and other athletes carries an undeniable energy. Totally good vibes you get to share when you get to share his work or get to talk about it all. It made me ask myself: What’s my niche? What am I passionate about? And how can I do this with grace and humility?
These days, being isolated like so many of us are, it’s important to remember we have commonality and passion and goals. Even if we feel like no one will notice if we procrastinate. I’m inspired by Jeremy’s work and passion for photography. You can look him up on the Insta-G if you want to check out his work. Go to @frontier_49. What keeps YOU motivated every day? Let us know!
What is your name and what do you do?
Jeremy Talbott - Ports and Harbor Director for the City of Valdez and also own a side hustle: Frontier 49 imagery videography and drones.
What keeps you motivated every day?
I get motivated just living here in Alaska - it’s always something different. There's always something going on no matter what season it is. When I first moved here in the winter time it wasn’t always like that. Now with some of the expanded opportunities that I do with friends with snow machining and getting out in the backcountry, I really look forward to all seasons, not just spring, fall and summer.
What is your morning routine?
Sleeping. No. Most days I’m up. I'm a photographer so if I'm not at work for the city - which I'm usually at work by 7:30, 8 o’clock in the morning and I usually work until 6pm - but if I'm out on the weekends, I'm out by sunrise to get sunrise shots. Most of the wildlife that I shoot is up and out early in the morning or late in the evening. So sometimes that’s my morning routine - just get up and meet the sun.
What is your favorite sport?
My favorite sport is snowmachining. I really look forward to that.
What is your recovery process?
My recovery starts before I even go out. I’m a pretty big guy and so for me I have to start conditioning before the season so I’ll start stretching and working out. Specifically my arm muscles and stuff that I would use for snow machining. And so afterwards it's a lot of stretching, lots of heat and hot showers. When I get in I stretch those muscles and get ready to go again because usually when it’s good in the Chugach, it’s good and you gotta go every day. And then there would be a few days where you get a reset - you get a lot of snow coming in and those are your down days. But when opportunity knocks, you gotta be ready to go every day.
What are your recovery foods?
I change my diet day to day. I drink a lot of water. I'm probably not the healthiest eater. Well, I'm a carnivore. A lot of mooseburgers and salmon. A lot of seafood.
Are you a book person or movie person?
I started out life as a movie person, but now I’m a complete book person.
What are you reading/watching right now - or - your favorite?
Right now I'm just finishing up a Louis L’Amour novel, Last of the Breed. He is usually cowboy stuff. This is about a military pilot in the late 70’s that escaped from a gulag in Russia and is navigating across Siberia to get back to Alaska to get back home to the United States.
Do prefer human power modes of transport or engine power?
Either! I like my mountain bike and I also like anything motorized as well.
How do you splurge?
With camera lenses!