Behind the Handle - Highlining Yosemite with Travis Burke

It was that moment of realizing like this is a leap of faith and I just have to be mentally and physically confident that I can I can achieve this and I can land it. My heart was going crazy just beating super fast. I was I was anxious and afraid and nervous and excited and I knew there was only a certain amount of time left before the sun set and there was not really time for me to second guess myself. My name is Travis. I'm a photographer, adventurer, and dream chaser. One of the best things and the thing that I'm most proud of about this van is 1A that it's stayed within the family and it was my grandmother's van but also that I did almost all of the work to this van myself. My van's name I kind of kept personal. Her actual name is Betty the Gray Wolf. My grandma who gave me the van obviously it wouldn't have been possible without her and her name is Betty. My other grandma passed away quite a few years ago but when I was growing up she kind of inspired me to always be creative, artistic, and always kind of told me that I could do anything like anything was possible. I've actually been skateboarding since I was three years old. That was the first time I got on a skateboard and for quite a few years it was just something fun that I didn't take too serious but it wasn't until about high school I actually got really into it and kind of took over my life. You know I wasn't making good money at the time. I was like I have no idea how I'm going to make this happen. I worked as a busboy, a waiter. I worked for a fire safety company and that was one of the more unique jobs where through the night after they would close down the kitchen I would crawl up into the ventilation systems above the stoves and just spend the night scraping the grease off of the inside walls. By the time I had built out my van it took three or four months and I was getting ready to leave actually the night of my birthday and I remember pulling out my phone and looking at my bank account and I literally had $81.10 to my name. It was those moments where I kind of had to just subconsciously go back to all the things that I preach or that I've learned in the past of like okay this is the leap of faith the moment of truth like you have to just commit and I was halfway to the van and my mom called my name she was like Travis and I looked back and I could see her standing in the doorway just silhouetted with the lights from the inside shining behind her and I was like yeah and she just said you made it. Trust yourself, your instincts, and your skill levels and just kind of go for it and don't second guess anything. Oh my god it kind of made me realize here my mom was saying Travis you made it and I had you know I had not even enough money to buy a full tank of gas. To her it wasn't about the money or the fame or their success or being you know a lawyer anything like that it was that I was chasing my dreams following my passions and just doing what I loved and so I think that was one of the coolest things that I think a parent can say to their child is just that they're proud of them you know in her own words I think that's what she was saying to me so that meant the world to me. It's a sandwich making machine. Thank you Zeke. Nobody just get up and walks like you sit there and struggle and fall but I knew at the same time that I wouldn't make it to the level I wanted to be at unless I took that leap of faith. It's been the best moments of my life.