December 6, 2016

Familiarity

“Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity” —David Whyte

August 11, 2016

Mouth of the Hoh River

Mouth of the Hoh; voice in the dark. The mighty Pacific—twice daily—reaches into you.

July 31, 2016

Halfway | Glacier National Park

How many gallons have washed over these stones? How many sunrises have thrown their pastel light off the water’s surface?

July 17, 2016

Last Light on the Elwha | Olympic National Park

I am sitting along the bank of the Elwha River on the north end of the Olympic Peninsula, feet in the frigid glacial water.

March 13, 2016

Red Feathers, Ox Bow County Park

Was the changing of seasons responsible for this pile of red feathers?

March 6, 2016

Cracked Ice

I walked through my favorite and closest park today for a good bit of the afternoon.

February 21, 2016

Winter at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

In the thick of winter, the Great Lakes become an icy, open air temple.

February 18, 2016

New Zealand Road Trip | Franz Josef & Lake Matheson

We crossed over the Haast Pass and down into a wholly different New Zealand.

January 28, 2016

New Zealand Road Trip | Queenstown

Queenstown, the self-described adrenaline capital of the world, is a bustling alpine village.

January 27, 2016

New Zealand Road Trip | Haast Pass & Blue Pools

The road from Queenstown to Franz Josef winds up, through, and down the Southern Alps to the West Coast.

January 19, 2016

New Zealand Road Trip | Milford Sound and Fjordland

The road to Milford Sound reminded me of the road to Zion National Park in the states.

January 15, 2016

New Zealand Road Trip | Key Summit

I stood on a little alpine meadow with thick, wet moss on every surface, a small, clear pond directly at my feet, and 360-degree views of snow capped mountains.

January 14, 2016

New Zealand Road Trip | Arthur’s Pass National Park

Flying into Christchurch to cloudy and windy conditions, I made the choice to head inland in hopes of a great sunrise.

July 20, 2015

Great 48: Arizona

Straight off of Whitney, we had an 11-hour drive to Arizona’s high point, Humphreys Peak.

July 18, 2015

Great 48: Clamoring through the Southwest

We were fully out of the upper West, out of high meadows and glaciers.

July 10, 2015

Great 48: The Nevada Desert

In a world full of products and places and experiences that promise satisfaction, the desert promises nothing.

July 6, 2015

Great 48: Fanfare for No Man (and Common Men)

Late on this Independence Day weekend, I’m thinking back to my time on Mt. Whitney, the lower 48’s highest point.

July 3, 2015

Great 48: Utah

Our hike into Utah’s Uinta Mountains for King’s Peak began at 10:30 pm.

July 3, 2015

Great 48: Wyoming

Wyoming’s Gannett Peak was the last of the technical climbs that concerned Josh.

June 30, 2015

Great 48: Idaho & Montana

After the late and nerve-wracking return of Josh & Lindsay from Mt. Hood and our harried ground-beef-juice cooler contamination conundrum, we were all situated and in the car.

June 26, 2015

Great 48: Summit of Rainier to Mt. Hood

I woke up to pink cirrus clouds outside the rear hatch of our minivan.

June 26, 2015

Great 48: Rainier

When we arrived in the Paradise Lodge parking lot at the foot of Rainier, we were met with a strange mix of heavily-outfitted climbers.

June 22, 2015

Great 48: Day -1 & Day 0

Sunday saw another glorious brunch of fresh salmon, farewells with my friend, Kristen, and the train from Seattle to Portland.

June 22, 2015

Great 48 T-minus 2 Days | Elkhart to Seattle to Mt. Rainier National Park

Saturday started in South Bend, Indiana, and ended 20 hours later with a long hike off of an alpine meadow under Rainier.