Crag Hunting
There’s a chill to the air now. It didn’t pause to introduce itself gradually– no, one day it slid surreptitiously up our shirt sleeves and down our shorts and summer was over in the Pacific Northwest. 100 mph winds are…
Why I Can’t Quit Climbing
Each of the three times that I’ve come back to climbing after a break this summer, I’ve thought about how I want to quit. I especially want to quit trad climbing, with its fiddly gear and unknown safety margin, but…
How to Ride a Mountain Bike
[divider_line] Prepare At home, pay attention to your bike. Or don’t. Groom it well: Inspect and smooth its sore joints and strong stanchions. It has many ailments, always one thing after another, but that’s the price of admission. They’re strange beasts,…
A Letter from Sunrise Camp.
Sometimes, life runs away from you. Too much this, a little more of that, and next thing you know, the horse has bucked the reins and you don’t know where you’re riding off to. This summer has been a roller-coaster…
West Ridge of Prusik Peak in a Day
The West Ridge of Prusik Peak can change a fella’s mind. One week ago, while setting a top-rope at Rocky Butte with a wicked hangover, I was thinking about selling most of my climbing gear. “I like sport climbing”, I told…
Climbing Illumination Rock
Memory is a poor record. Four years ago, Alex Ragus and I decided that it would be a good idea to go rock climbing on Illumination Rock. We went, and I swore that I would never repeat the experience. But…
Climbing Mt Hood By Bike
There is no end to the adventure available within a single day. It’s a fact so easy to forget, when my day can so easily glide by in a mindless stream of must-do’s and have-to’s, interrupted by entertaining media and…
Mt Rainier Speed Record Broken by Dorais Bros (3:57:55)
Yesterday, the Dorais brothers (good Salt Lake City ski mountaineering folks) blasted through their earlier time to set a new record on Mt Rainier. This came on the heels of a recent update to that record on May 20th, which…
Trail Factor 50K Trail Run Recap
Two days ago, I did a bad thing to my legs. At least, that’s what they’re telling me today. Not that I’ve stretched or anything, but to bend and tie my shoes is a trial, and to descend stairs is…
Local Heroes – Northwest Alpine
This is just a quick note before some coming articles. The Trail Factor 50k went down yesterday in the pouring rain and deep mud. More on that to follow as soon as I can walk again. Reflection on training strategy,…