EP 34: Roger Volkmann — Five Principles of Life, Tough vs. Strong, and Devils Tower
Roger Volkmann is a retired Orthopedic Surgeon and a lifelong climber. Roger suffered a severe stroke in 2010 at age 55 and was not expected to walk again. Through sheer grit and determination, he managed not only to walk again but to climb. We talked about his stroke, his five principles of life, climbing in the Midwest as a kid, and his three attempts to summit Devils Tower after the stroke.
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Show Notes:
http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/roger-volkmann
Roger’s Five Principles of Life:
1 – Life is Movement
2 – Tough is Better Than Strong
3 – Work Pays Off
4 – People are Inherently Good
5 – God Listens to Prayer
Nuggets:
2:38 – Building the spiral staircase for Roger’s treehouse
3:44 – Wood projects, and Roger’s retirement plan
4:59 – Stage 1 of Roger’s incident: the carotid dissection, and the bike crash
10:10 – Losing the farm in an F5 tornado, missing teeth, and going back to work on Monday
12:47 – The seizure, transferring to St. Paul Hospital, and the frozen skull bone
17:16 – Waking up into a nightmare, “a state of denial and a state of confusion”, vomiting, hiccups, and losing feeling in his leg
20:53 – Roger’s first two principles of life, and tough vs. strong
22:56 – Roger’s third principle of life, taking a jet back to Wenatchee, and falling down unannounced
27:37 – The Paris Marathon, rewiring the brain, and ambulating
30:49 – “Unpromising moments”, and re-learning how to walk
32:43 – Roger’s physical therapist, caffeine, and walking The Loop trail w/ Grace
35:14 – Cutting his teeth climbing at Devils Tower
36:36 – The goal to re-climb Devils Tower after the stroke
38:02 – Small goals, climbing at Vantage, and re-learning how to tie his shoes one-handed
40:03 – Climbing one-handed, milestones, and attempting “The Tower” for the first time post-stroke
43:25 – Roger’s fourth principle of life, and finding what you look for in people
44:28 – More about the first attempt on Devils Tower, Roger’s worse climbing experience (being lowered in the dark), and rain and lightning
47:00 – The second failed attempt, and the third (and successful) attempt on Devils Tower post-stroke
59:59 – Left side neglect, disinhibition, and impatience
1:04:39 – Praying to make it through the day, and doing one constructive thing per day
1:05:57 – Roger’s fifth principle of life, squeaky pears, and a home math problem
1:09:59 – Climbing the dairy barn at age 10 and vaulting through the hay door
1:13:44 – Bird boxes and climbing trees
1:17:26 – Climbing silos
1:20:50 – Climbing ‘Aortic Arch’ (A1)
1:23:02 – A Patron Question, “More work more reward”, and effort vs. work
1:25:55 – Gratitude
1:27:06 – Roger’s next goal
1:27:49 – Returning to Devils Tower to be a tourist, Roger’s prosthesis, and Fat Tire beer
