Some personal thoughts on chasing; the "chase" for social media glory and keeping it all in perspective (TL;DR/soapbox alert!)

[Jordan A.]

The March 31 Iowa High Risk was particularly haunting; a chase partner arrived in Iowa an hour ahead of me and I decided that an area southeast of New Sharon looked good about 1 hour-ish before the Big One. However, reaching town, I mistakenly made a right turn and headed north, stumbling onto two cells that were severe. It was getting to that time of day when you think "maybe this is it," so I went for them.

About an hour later I get the update that my partner (located where I had pinpointed earlier) was watching an EF4 and a second tornado. I made a run for it but backed off. I offered congrats to my partner on his first-ever tornadoes. One partner high on life, the other in the dumps. But I got my redemption soon enough as my cousin and I caught the Table Grove IL EF1 and Lewistown IL EF3 from some distance days later.

As a Wisconsin-based hobby chaser, it took years to really appreciate the storms for what they are, their structure and other properties. As a former volunteer firefighter, helping clean up storm debris all night really developed a new appreciation for everything storm-related. I no longer lament on not catching a tornado on some days; there's lightning, hail, and again, amazing structure one can document and share with close friends and family (which is my extent of the experience).

It was nice to find this feed and see some things I can relate to. Not sure anything I shared helps at all, but at least we can agree on things lol. Have a great day everyone

 

[Jeff Duda]

I've always thought phrases like "never stop chasing" and "when it's May you chase" were bullshit aggro/crypto-bro phrases. Sure, if you have no actual job or thing going on in your life and you can afford to live out of your car or in hotels for 90+ days out of every year, then there's no reason not to chase every single day from 1 March - 30 June. I can't do that, and I've never chased with anyone who could. I've also seen plenty of days in May that have little to no convective activity and many busts in May. So, you don't always chase in May and there could be plenty of reasons to not chase a given setup, unless you truly are thrilled by any condensing water vapor.

I have found myself chasing less and less these days. Since I moved out to Colorado in 2018 it has become harder for me to chase. Not necessarily just because the high plains have been pretty quiet since then, but also because increased requirements of blowing $100 on gas for 10 hours on the road and 500 miles of driving for pipsqueak storms and dangerous driving just to get anywhere near decent tornadoes anymore has taken its toll on sapping my will to continue the hobby.

In the early 2010s it felt a lot easier. I was also younger and had fewer adult responsibilities. I also lived closer to the action and didn't have to travel as far to see things.

None of that is the case anymore. Some of the thrill I used to get while chasing and seeing bigtime storms has left my soul. Perhaps that is because the juice hasn't been worth the squeeze for years now. Maybe if we had some good years within proximity to me, that zest would return. I don't actually know.

I do think the social media and personality cult aspect that has cropped up over the past 15 years is part of it. Too many egos, and too many people more interested in feeding that neural cycle of getting likes and attention. So many people don't seem to be in it for love of the game. Hell...I traveled to some national parks out west in April 2021. One day I drove across northern Arizona between stops and went through Monument Valley. I had been through there before, but not in many years and I wanted to get some pictures. I stop at the Monument Valley pullout on US-163. Even on this April day (there happened to be virga and showers around...rare, and adding to the view), there were many people there standing on the road taking selfies. At one point some mildly-attractive Instagram half-babes arrived and stood in the middle of the road with what appeared to be a professional photographer photographing them doing goofy yoga poses on the road. I made sure to take my dear sweet time walking behind them (interrupting their view of the monuments to the west) to get my own shots. I knew they had the right to be there and all, but this attitude of going out into nature just to self-aggrandize is a drone strike on my soul. I saw the same thing in Bryce Canyon NP - a short trail out to Tropic Ditch Falls on the east side of the park. Friggin' young people walking out there in flip-flops just to get a selfie in front of the waterfall. There was a damn line to get an open shot of it! I'm not entirely innocent of some of this - I take selfies at exotic locations, too. It especially helps when you're single and looking to have those shots to attract others. However, I didn't make my trip just about that; I get my shot and then I move on quickly.

I've also seen some chasers bitch and complain on social media when activity is down during the typical peak of the season. Pretty much all of these people are people who I presume only came onto the scene within the past few years because I'd never heard of them before. That means they're new to it. Somewhere along the line they must have gotten the idea that storm chasing is a 24/7 thrill rave with nearly constant action! Gee, I wonder where they could have gotten that idea. When I feel like speaking up, I give these people a mantra of mine:

Don't put all your eggs in one basket; diversify your portfolio.

When you put all your time, attention, and effort into one thing, you become one-dimensionally dependent on that one thing paying off. When that one thing is out of your control and it doesn't pan out, you get severely disappointed. It's great to be a passionate storm chaser hobbyist, but find other hobbies and passions in your life. For one, you generally will not get to chase much (if at all) from September-February, so that's 6 months of the year you should be ready to fill with other things. But even during the main tornado season you're going to have large droughts of activity. If you live by the storm/tornado, you'll die by the storm/tornado, too. Don't set yourself up for that kind of disappointment. Have a backup plan.

 

[JamesCaruso]

Don't put all your eggs in one basket; diversify your portfolio.

When you put all your time, attention, and effort into one thing, you become one-dimensionally dependent on that one thing paying off. When that one thing is out of your control and it doesn't pan out, you get severely disappointed. It's great to be a passionate storm chaser hobbyist, but find other hobbies and passions in your life. For one, you generally will not get to chase much (if at all) from September-February, so that's 6 months of the year you should be ready to fill with other things. But even during the main tornado season you're going to have large droughts of activity. If you live by the storm/tornado, you'll die by the storm/tornado, too. Don't set yourself up for that kind of disappointment. Have a backup plan.

Well said Jeff. Many times over the years, I have lamented having so much emotional investment in a pursuit that is subject to the vagaries of the weather. And even when the weather cooperates, success is dependent on numerous other things that are not controllable: available roads to stay in position; road closures; chaser convergence; terrain; traffic; train crossings; etc.

Yet the aspects of randomness and non-controllable variables are also part of the appeal, aren’t they? If we ever get to the point that the time and place of tornados can be accurately forecasted, chasing would lose its appeal to me.

I agree that it’s important to have other hobbies. But I have yet to find anything that has the unique combination of intellectual stimulation, exhilaration, adrenaline, beauty, and connection to nature that storm chasing offers. (Surfing comes to mind, but I don’t live at the shore and I’m not so sure that’s an age-appropriate activity, especially since I have no prior experience in it). Chasing is something I can only do for two weeks each year. My life is satisfying and full outside of that, but regardless I still look forward to that two weeks, and when things don’t pan out, it is profoundly disappointing, no matter what else I might have to look forward to when it’s over. It is an awful feeling to have to wait a whole year to try again. Which gets back to the unfortunate situation of having so much emotional investment in a lousy two weeks when success/failure is largely out of one’s control. It’s almost as if I’d be better off quitting entirely. Believe me, I’ve thought about it… But the thought never lasts long.

Your point about six months (at least) of no chasing is why I never understood anyone wanting to live on the Plains specifically for chasing. It’s just not something you can do enough days of the year to make it a significant variable in where you choose to live…

 

[Andy Wehrle]

Well said Jeff. Many times over the years, I have lamented having so much emotional investment in a pursuit that is subject to the vagaries of the weather. And even when the weather cooperates, success is dependent on numerous other things that are not controllable: available roads to stay in position; road closures; chaser convergence; terrain; traffic; train crossings; etc.

I nearly had my Keota chase ruined by a Union Pacific train in Blairstown, IA. The gates were down and it was creeping up very slowly. Fortunately it stopped and after 30 seconds, the signals timed out and the gates went up. One of my other hobbies is railfanning, and usually I wish I could randomly stumble across trains more often than I do while driving around for other purposes, but this time I was like "PLEASE NO, NOT NOW!!!"

 

[Tony Laubach]

I'm gonna add a few more thoughts as I close out this 12-day stint...

I've found an odd perk to being a professional storm chaser (and when I say professional, I mean I have an employer who pays me to do this, not freelancing). It's been a grind, and that grind has been a slump, this trip. I've notched a few stat-padders, but it's been miss and after miss for me through this stretch. And even the aspects of chasing I enjoy outside the job haven't been there (i.e. the good photography). Add to the mix a blown transmission, which put me in a vehicle that I had to go out of my way to avoid hail (another love of mine), and that also put me out of position a time or two last week.

But this perk... my paycheck doesn't change, and despite me missing the main shows each day, I made good TV. I had great live reports, a whole bucket full of good video, and while I didn't get the grade-A stuff, I thought my job performance was always spot-on. And to my credit, more times than not, I was where the action was... most of the time. Everything stays consistent where it counts, and that's the wallet. Doesn't matter if I drive into a wedge or sit under blue skies.

It's rewarding in that sense, I guess... it's helped ease the burden of carrying this slump on my shoulders knowing that there is SOMETHING coming out of all this that's positive. I mean, if I were doing a bad job, I wouldn't be out, right? I've certainly got the dream gig, and doing so for a company who values what I bring to the table. Honestly it's the first time in a long career in media I have truly felt that. I go to bed each night knowing I did the best I can, and I made the best of the hands I was dealt that day, and in turn, I did a good job. I truly care about that, and it keeps me going and keeps me finding ways to ensure I make good TeeVee, even when I'm not making good chasing. It's been an unexpected reward, particularly the last couple of years. While I certainly hope to turn the slump around, I at least feel like I accomplished something out there, even as personally I get a bit disappointed. It's chasing... you'll be on top of the world one day (Ottumwa) and back at the bottom the next (the last two days).

On a separate note, but semi-related to the thread... yesterday, after being behind that massive tornado as it passed east of Scribner, I got stopped by down power poles. Relating to the job, I quickly grabbed some footage of those as I was navigating as far east through them as I could. Once I hit the dead end, I went to three-point turn around, and when I got faced west... BOOM... a weak satellite tornado moving right up the road gave me a big wet, ear-popping kiss, then we went on our separate ways. It's why we always say keep your head on a swivel when you're in close proximity to a big tornado, even after it as moved on. In my defense, I either couldn't see it or it hadn't formed yet when I went to make my turn-around as I scanned the western view, mainly for other vehicles, but certainly made a point to check "the sky". Alas, it was a harmless encounter, in fact the tornado didn't even damage the already damaged power poles. Jeff Duda, I know you know about these... (cough2008cough). We both can attest to those little buggers.

So why bring that up... I've been hesitant to even post anything. Last night, I did post a screen grab on my facebook. Pretty subtle, hardly attention-grabbing post as the image (which is below) would hardly be recognizable without a sizable explanation as to what the hell it was you were looking at. I don't feel any shame about it, and actually it was innocent enough, probably would be worth posting as a reminder. I certainly was not in the path of a monster tornado or driving recklessly in zero visibility, drove into a tornado, etc. I was "just there". And above all else, fortunately the thing was weak, probably even weaker than the Tipton vortex that hit our mesonets in 2008. And let me add, the video is kind of boring, I forgot to scream and make a scene. Actually I was silent, and perhaps even chuckled to myself under my breath. But my point in sharing this, I feel the polar opposite of this new era of zero-metering mentality, in terms of sharing it. I think most who do this type of thing do it for glory and clicks and all that. I just don't care about all that, so I'm trying to find a justification to even post the video in the first place. I'm so glad I have aged to the point where I got too old for this shit before it got popular LOL

 

[Shane Adams]

I feel like such an outlier. My entire chasing career, chasing is all I've wanted. For 15 years I was able to make a name for myself with virtually zero assets/resources other than a couple great friends and unrelenting passion. I was happy to give up every normal life perk to be able to do it. Then Life caught up. More responsibility. A move. "Life" issues out of my control. This killed my chase career from 2014-present. During the awful time, I kept trying (and failing) to come up with clever ways to make money at chasing. Internet shows. Podcasts. Selling videos (laughing). Crowd sourcing. For a decade, I'd been banging my head against a wall trying to figure out how all these other people had done it.

The point I reached when I was my most miserable seems to be the same point at which you all found peace: lesser focus on chasing, more focus on outside things. Less ability to chase. Less importance on chasing. Basically, chasing becomes just another "if I feel like it/have the time" endeavor.

But I've recently had an epiphany. I realized that 10 years of trying to make money (while spending a shitload) from chasing had aided in the downfall of my career. Then I thought back to the 15 years I kicked ass, and realized the only thing I was putting my time/energy/money into *was* chasing. I was so happy living in a cheap 1-bedroom box apartment with an air matress, 13-inch TV on a cardboard box, and a VCR....and being a successful chaser. The past decade of collecting "life stuff" and "perks" and all the garbage normal people covet, at the cost of destroying my dream, made me as miserable as I've ever been. I don't want a big house. I don't want a family. I don't want vacations in other countries. I just want to chase tornadoes.

So as you all come to terms with the fact you're slowly letting go/fading away from the world of chasing, I'm preparing to get back into it as deep as I can. Instead of trying to create ways to make money, and in doing so, spending money....I'm gonna put my money into chasing. Gas. Hotels. Vehicle maintenance. I spent ten years proving what I always knew, that nothing Life has to offer me means anything without chasing. So starting in 2024, I go back to being me. Living to chase, chasing to live. Putting *meaning* behind those words, not just some clever tagline on social media spewed by those who have no clue what commitment to the craft really means.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

Welcome back, Shane!

 

[Todd Lemery]

Glad you’re back Shane. At the end of the day, when you’re thinking about picking out coffins, you don’t want to be laying there thinking about all the things you wanted to do, but it’s too late. Love your family and think about all the cool stuff you’ve seen and done. Life is to be enjoyed and not spent chasing whatever other people covet. Just do you!

 

[JamesCaruso]

These "lifestyle-design" decisions are very interesting to me. As someone who has taken the more conventional path, I have always been intrigued by people with the courage to live differently to chase their dreams, ever since a trip to the US Virgin Islands as a younger man, when I met a snorkel tour operator, and a former hedge-fund trader that became a bartender at a beach bar (of course, the latter had already made enough money to make it possible, so it probably wasn't all that "courageous"...)

I have spent my 27-year chase career lamenting that my chasing opportunities were limited to a lousy two-week chase vacation every year. Still, I don't regret any of the choices I have made. I like the balance. I do wish I had a little more flexibility in my schedule, and that the balance had tilted a little more toward chasing, but at the same time I can't name anything that I would have been willing to give up just to chase more. The snorkel tour operator, the beach bartender, the skier that lives in the mountains, the surfer that lives on the beach, can all do what they love more days than not. But chasing opportunities are simply too infrequent. They occur on a tiny minority of days. This past year I finally had the ability to spend up to four weeks on the Plains, and I left after two anyway, because nothing was going on. Of course, I get it, it's precisely because the opportunities are so rare that we want to be able to capitalize on them when they occur.

I think many of us living more conventional lives struggle with another side of our personality that wants to escape the rat race, whether it's to chase or to live on a Caribbean island. Few of us are willing, or courageous enough, to give up the trappings of the former to pursue the latter. For some, it is also a deeper question of the meaning of life, finding purpose, etc. Personally, I derive much of that from my Catholic Christian faith, which lends particular purpose to my family life. And now my son chases with me, which is awesome. Professional obligations remain my primary constraint, but at this point retirement is within a three to five year range, so I'll just stay the course. Even if I wanted to redesign my life to be more chasing-centric, it would probably take a few years to accomplish that, so I lose nothing staying the course. I'm hoping to take advantage of remote work in 2024 to enable a longer stretch on the Plains - hopefully the weather cooperates this time. The dependency on the vagaries of weather is what makes chasing a shifting foundation.