After graduating college and spending a month on the PCT, I received an exciting invitation. It was from my badass mountain biker/backcountry skier/climber/ER doc (sound familiar?) cousin-in-law Tom, and it was for a week-long backpacking trip in the High Sierra.…
Click here for Part II It has finally started to turn cold here in the UpperLeft USA, and the Fall chill has everyone thinking about their favorite sport: CYCLOCROSS. Forget that. Fall is a season for ski stoke and impatient…
I’ve been spending the summer living and working at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL, pronounced “rumble”) in Gothic, CO. Life is good. First of all, I get to pursue my love for ecology while being immersed in an inspiring…
Three weeks ago I was chasing a burnt orange sunset over Sonora Pass with my friend Andrew, trail name Sunshine. Sonora Pass marks the northern terminus of the High Sierra mountain range and mile 1017 on the Pacific Crest Trail. We…
I ran into my new landlord at 6:30 am this morning as I was unloading my Uhaul trailer in the rain. “Damn”, he muttered, “I was hoping you’d be lazier and I would have time to take photos of the…
It is true for many endeavors that mistakes are a catalyst for learning and growth. Two Sundays ago I made a mistake and broke of one of the most important ski mountaineering commandments: Thou Shalt Not Get Cliffed Out. My hope…
My dream of a Wy’East Face ski descent has been parked in the closet for a while. The first time that I saw the Wy’East Face was as a freshman at Reed College, in 2006. Riding the Vista chair at Mt…
Route: Suksdorf Ridge TH: Cold Springs campground. Road to trailhead is unimproved. High clearance and AWD recommended. Map: Green Trails Maps 367S. Strava track here. Stats: Approx. 12.5mi and 6700′ vert car to car. Gear: Entirely non technical, but crampons…
Spring is in full swing, and that means at least two things: Trails across the Pacific Northwest are drying and calling out to runners weary of winter mud and wet pavement. Volcanoes are basking under a hot sun and shine like…
Idaho’s Sawtooth mountains hide just an hour North of the bland and boring I-84 corridor. Like so much in Idaho, they’re unknown, neglected, and assumed to be inferior to the bounty of nearby Utah and Washington. But hidden beyond Boise’s…