INSTAFEED – COLIN MEAGHER PHOTO

meagherdude

I met Aaron Turner years before his ALS journey be

I met Aaron Turner years before his ALS journey began. He was the straight talking, crusty but immensely kind hearted mechanic every bike shop has. We talked shit. He ridiculed some of my adventures and gear choices. I poked fun at his utter and complete lack of fashion. Somehow, despite our differences, we forged a friendship. Not a super close one, but one of deep mutual respect—although we’d still poke fun at each other.
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When Aaron got his diagnosis, he reached out to me. And we became closer. In many ways we inspired each other to be better, to live more meaningful lives, and to savor what we have.
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Yesterday, Aaron took his final breath, surrounded by friends & family who loved him and whom he loved in turn. It was a fitting ending, although far, far too soon for a person of his caliber.
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I offer up a simple toast to his immense soul. Life is too short. Enjoy every moment. LIVE every moment. Like Aaron. Rest In Peace. You will be missed. #fuckals

Support me in the 2022 Ride to Defeat ALS! I’m t

Support me in the 2022 Ride to Defeat ALS! I’m trying to raise $5k to help find a cure and to help support those affected by this terminal disease. Link in my bio! #fuckals

Great weekend in Ashland with the kiddos upholding

Great weekend in Ashland with the kiddos upholding the racing tradition and both landing on the box! @hazelh_nut came home with the win, while @hudson_forrest got second place. So proud of these two 🎉
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#brakesjustslowyoudown #pinittowinit

Seems as though yesterday these two minions were s

Seems as though yesterday these two minions were so small. Stoked to see them today, wrapping up sixth (@hazelh_nut )and eighth (@hudson_forrest ) grade! #theygrowupsofast #kids #allgoodinthehood

It’s the little things this time of year. #forag

It’s the little things this time of year. #foragedfood #getitwhileyoucan #morels #yum

#throwbackthursday post of @cammccaul throwing dow

#throwbackthursday post of @cammccaul throwing down at the 2008 Crankworx #joyride. Since Cam’s been announcing at #redbullrampage for a few years people have maybe forgotten how good and influential he was when he pinned a number on. @cammccaul , we salute you, buddy! #tbt #crankworx #toothelimit #memories #goodtimes #supersonic

Happy Earthday! . . I’ve been extremely blessed

Happy Earthday!
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I’ve been extremely blessed to see a lot of what our amazing planet has to offer. From this humble perspective I urge you: Go explore. Experience the world. And help keep it safe. #getoutside #savorlifeintensely #seeyourplanet #earthday

First date with this trouble maker was exactly 8 y

First date with this trouble maker was exactly 8 years ago today! Needless to say, something made both of us pause. And then a second date. A third. And so on. Somewhere in there was a move from Seattle to Hood River. Then a ring. Maybe it’s been 8 years but it almost feels like yesterday. #lovetheoneyourewith.

Ever since I set eyes on this girl, I was hooked.

Ever since I set eyes on this girl, I was hooked. Since that first shoot, there’s been countless adventures, a lot of sunrises and sunsets, me getting dropped into the deep end of being a parent, a lot of silly moments, love, laughter, tears, and joy. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Happy Anniversary to my true love😘!
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#lovetheoneyourewith

Doing my best to keep it clean this weekend. But i

Doing my best to keep it clean this weekend. But if getting outside means playing in the mud? Well, I heartily endorse getting dirty, then 😂. #getdirty #getoutside #playinthedirt #dontforgettosmile

#throwbackthursday pic of @chris_kovarik shredding

#throwbackthursday pic of @chris_kovarik shredding the Mt St Anne DH track in July of 2009.
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This style of racing image kind of marks the end of an era. 1) cameras were getting good enough that you didn’t need to use artificial lighting in the woods. Obviously, used right, you could get some unique captures, but they were starting to not be absolutely a must have to cover a race. 2) at about this time, the UCI went from 2days of practice, then qualies in the am, race in the pm to one day of practice, a qualifying day, and then a race day. This meant ‘your’ riders went from doing 6-8 runs per practice day, 2-3 pre qualifying, then qualie and race to 6-8 in one day, 2 pre qualifying, and 2pre race. So all of the sudden, you as a shooter now had 12-14 chances to get your shots instead of 16-20 chances. Meaning you no longer had time to waste setting lights. Rather, it was now shoot and move. 3) time marches on. As a result of these two factors, a more gritty, ‘editorial’ style of shooting races evolved: images got darker, rawer, rougher vs the quasi commercial look of this shot.
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Me? I loved the lights, but I also loved the grit. But I definitely loved not hauling around a bunch of lighting gear anymore. I swapped that out for a 300 f/2.8 cannon instead. It was nice to know I could bust out the lights when needed, but the 300 made its own magic.
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#karver #getafterit #brakesjustslowyoudown #dreamsaremadeofthis

It took me a while to put together this post. Four

It took me a while to put together this post. Four years, in fact.
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Today, March 8, marks the four year anniversary of my ALS diagnosis. It’s been a helluva journey so far. I’ve been “lucky” with my terminal diagnosis: my flavor of ALS is moving pretty slowly. I can still drive, and mostly take care of myself—although buttoning my pants and pulling a simple t-shirt over my head have both gone by the wayside. By contrast, people I’ve met on my journey who also suffered from this disease have moved on. So I’m lucky. I’ve had a LOT more time to share with my family, time to support my friends, and time to slow down and figure myself out. So yeah, I’ve been lucky to be unlucky.
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Life is sweet. Savor every moment. Be kind. Love the ones who are important. Try and make a difference. And do something every day that makes you feel alive. These are some of the lessons I’ve learned. There’s loads more, but I’ll save those for year five.
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Thanks to my wife and family for all their support. They make the journey worth it.
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📸by @tylerroemer & @dylanvanweelden Thanks guys👍🏼

Humbled to have received this award from @defeatal

Humbled to have received this award from @defeatalsoregon yesterday. And it wasn’t just me: everyone who’s helped fundraise by joining or donating to @colins.crew deserves a piece of this award, as well as companies and individuals who helped sponsor this event:
@mervinmfg
@fotomaxizoomdweebie
@girosnow
@dain_zaffke
@one_mfg
@mc_matt_cummins
@eye_b_long
@folsomskis
@pfriembeer
@doublemountain
@mounthoodmeadows
@providenceoregon
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Special thanks to my wife, @nikkirohan_ & stepson, @hudson_forrest for coming up to play in the snow!

Many people don’t realize how much effort goes i

Many people don’t realize how much effort goes into creating an image like this. They just see a pretty picture. For the blink of an eye, it’s showing up in your Instagram feed. Then it’s on to the next viral image.
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But the imagery myself and fellow photographers like @eye_b_long, @raptorriga, @grant_gunderson, @aledilullophotography , @mattiasfredrikssonphotography produce isn’t easy to craft. There’s the training to not only shoot, but to get to location while schlepping the gear you need, the planning, and having motivated and like minded talent for capturing the action. It can take literally years for all the factors to line up exactly right.
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Take the first photo. Getting this required 3 failed attempts, each spaced a year apart. Then rising at 3 am to start driving to the trailhead (ALS had by this point made simple car camping difficult at best, and we didn’t yet have a camper van), the pre dawn approach with the sketchy exposed scramble a third of the way up, and then the straight the hell up trail that led to that first image. With a camera pack, water, food, etc. Then there’s getting back out after getting the goods.
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I think you can see by the last shot, though, that at the end of the day, it’s worth it.
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#gettingthegoods #itsnevereasy #lovemylife #tequilaismycoffee #swearequity #getoutside #singletrack #fstopblues #lifeinthemountains #snapshots

Have a blast dropping into the weekend, and enjoy

Have a blast dropping into the weekend, and enjoy the respite from the grind! Me? I’ll be planning my next adventure. #singletrack #getoutside #droppingin #aslongasicanseethelight #funhogging #outmybackdoor

#throwbackthursday image from a piece I did for @b

#throwbackthursday image from a piece I did for @bikemag about alt bike culture way back in 2005. Tallbikes, swing bikes, chopper bikes…there’s a whole wide world of crazy two wheeled ideas out there. Amazing how creative people can be. #freedommachine #freedomofexpression #lifeontwowheels #sunset #silhouettechallenge #bikesarerad

I love care packages from @one_mfg! There’s a lo

I love care packages from @one_mfg! There’s a lot going on here: from simple ski/snowboard tuning tools to stomp pads to high tech speed waxes to a sweet ass beanie! #paystohavefriends #offtowork #getoutside #geterdone #fasteronsnow #shredtastic #winterplayground #waxonwaxoff

#throwbackthursday on a Friday 😂 image of @nikk

#throwbackthursday on a Friday 😂 image of @nikkirohan_ making a contribution to the hwy 97 “shoe tree” somewhere north of Reno, NV. #tbt #huckit #notalone #shoetree #seeninthewild

#throwback to the last shoot I did as an ignorant,

#throwback to the last shoot I did as an ignorant, blissfully unaware, happy go lucky photographer. A month and a bit after this image was snapped, I received the shocking statement at the doctor’s office: “You have a degenerative motor neuron disorder—most likely ALS.”
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@nikkirohan_ & I went to a subdued lunch. I didn’t get drunk. I took it in stride. 31 blood tests, 2 MRIs, 1 CatScan, and 1 lumbar puncture later, and reality set in: I had ALS. A terminal disease.
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Since then…hell yes, I’ve gotten drunk 😂. But more importantly, my adventure partner @nikkirohan_ and I got hitched. Which blew me away—she could’ve run, but she’s in it for the long haul. We’ve built a house with the generous support of my family, and made a family with the love of my wife and the minions. We’ve ridden bikes in exotic places. Had a final ride for me about 6 months after riding bikes any longer was flat out dumb—what can I say? I like bikes 😂. But in short, I’ve kept living life. Kept traveling. Kept adventuring. All with the support of the best thing I’ve ever found: my family. #youonlygoaroundonce #livelife #nowhiteflags #tequilaismycoffee

It’s been a full speed ahead for the distant adv

It’s been a full speed ahead for the distant adventures of life with this crew: the family I met and joined seven years ago. In that time there’s been adventures, disagreements, love, and everything in between. As we head into this Holiday Season I’m incredibly grateful for their love and support. In the words of Buzz Lightyear, “To infinity and beyond!”
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#lovetheoneyourewith #adventure #family #journiesbeginwithonestep #holdontight #dontletgo #whiskeyismyyoga #tequilaismycoffee

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