How I Got the Itch to Escape

I’m kind of into escape, but not in the usual way. I like escape of the room type. In an escape room, you and your team must make your way through a series of puzzles, locks, and riddles, usually in less than 60 minutes, in order to achieve some noble feat (for example, find a plague antidote and save humankind from extinction).
In March 2019, my family members humored me by doing an escape room for my husband’s birthday. That experience was so grin-provoking and brain-tickling, I skipped out saying, “I know what the game needs to be THIS year!” (Our annual winter Asp family gathering has included a game every year since Tom, Gerry, and Jessie created a loads of fun murder mystery, complete with Santa, Cindy Lou, some rather improper alibis, and… but I digress. Sort of.) It was so fun creating that first escape room, then hosting friends and family plucky enough to try to tackle it, my brain started churning on SO many escape possibilities! My playful and mildly irresponsible goofiness eventually evolved into Escape for Good, our ‘at our home made and played, ideally for a good cause, inspired by Los Ángeles Rudos’ escape adventures.

In late July 2021, my tenacious and resourceful niece, Karin, and I attempted a thru-hike of the Enchantments, unaware that I started the hike with low sodium levels. Just after Aasgard Pass, we encountered three lively, enthusiastic young men bounding joyfully down the trail, and chatted with them as we played cat and mouse in the early part of the basin. We didn’t realize at the time that they were really three angels disguised as hikers. And they (and their families waiting at home) didn’t realize they would soon unfold their wings and become angels on a mission, as my sodium levels gradually fell to the point of becoming life-threatening. By early the next morning, these three angels had compromised their plans, their comfort, and their own safety to ensure Karin and I both made it out of the Enchantments alive. The generous Wobber and Ouchi clans camping at Nada Lake, the rangers and police , the helicopter crew from Whidbey, and the stellar MICU team at Harborview are also very much to thank. But these three angels-in-the-guise-of-men made huge sacrifices, and stuck with Karin and I from the moment they realized something was wrong to the point at which they released us into the care of others. Days later, as I lay in my bed at Harborview, buoyed by gratitude, I dubbed these men ‘Los Ángeles Rudos’ (rough English translation: The Bad-a-- Angels).

In his roles as a husband, dad, son, friend, leader, instigator of fun, runner, software developer engineer, DJ (@dj_eddel)… Edgard’s heart leads him through life so quickly that only his problem-solving and analytical dexterity (and his wife, Karina) have kept him out of harm’s way. His brain is the only being on earth fast enough to keep pace with his heart. Well, maybe second to his amazing wife, who is fast enough to stay a step ahead. And his family, which is always there to catch his heart if it falls.

The voice of balance, Gustavo tells you all the reasons it is crazy to take on something difficult, then commits completely - and keeps finding it in himself to continue beyond normal limits. Reflective and unassuming, Gustavo downplays his accomplishments because he can only fly over mountaintops (even while carrying two overnight packs and a day pack), since he is dreaming all the while about his standard of making it 'to the stars and beyond.'

Quiet yet powerful, including powerfully connected to the depths and heights of this world and beyond. It has been difficult for me to separate the man from the angel, since in the Enchantments Tomás sensed when I was slipping away, and each time beckoned my return to this world. His life energy kept me alive as ‘I’ and my body became more and more disconnected, and as I wandered farther and farther from my body. Tomás seemed to reach toward me, connect, then pull me back to this physical world. In his photography (@tommyodyssey) and in his presence, the mortal and the mystical meet.

My admiration for these men has only grown as I have come to know them and their families. They inspire me to live my best life, and in their honor I am on a quest to make good use of my self and my time in this world – to the greatest extent possible, in the most ways and contexts possible. (Well, THAT ought to keep me out of trouble for a while!) Escape for Good is part of this quest, inspired by Los Ángeles Rudos. 

1. If you have not already done so, pick an escape room, gather some buddies with whom to do it, and contact me to set up a date and time for your escape adventure.
2. THE ‘GOOD’ PART: This is totally optional - a suggestion rather than an expectation. But if you wish, you can... Pick a good cause, big or small, worldwide or as local as your home, individually or with your buddies, to which you would like to donate time, energy, or money. Amount does not matter. The point is simply to do some good in the world, in a way that works for you. This could include being extra kind to someone for a day, picking up a piece of litter, or any other action that betters the world - because every act of kindness does.
3. Do this good thing on your own, not through me, please. This is an honor system, so you don’t need to tell me about it. However, I am very interested in hearing, and if I have my act together there will someday be a link here so you can post the positive action you took. I love hearing about awesome things people do, and it always inspires me.
4. THE ‘ESCAPE’ PART: Puzzle, ponder, and laugh your way through one of the escape rooms! 

These escape rooms would be not have been built without the creativity, practical assistance, and grinning encouragement of my fellow adventurer, Eric Asp. Thank you hugely, Eric, for both the ‘showing up’ and the ‘escaping’ aspects of how we navigate our life together.