Climbing at New River Gorge Memorial Day Weekend

This article may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!I joined a small group of twelve or so DC area climbers who were taking advantage of the long Memorial Day Weekend to make the more than five-hour drive to the popular New River Gorge …

Going from a Traditional Hiker to an Ultralight Backpacker

It’s been almost three years since my first backpacking trip out here on the East Coast. I had been living in DC for almost two years with not much exploration of nature beyond the Beltway. Being from the Northwest I had initially kind of (unfairly) dismissed the hiking and backpacking opportunities available here in the Mid-Atlantic. Well, after so much …

The lovely lenticular that prevented us from summiting Mount Hood

Climbing Mount Hood in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains

I’m out in Washington State for work right now, and a few weeks back me and a couple climbing acquaintances out of Portland penciled in Easter weekend to make an attempt climbing Mount Hood. Things were looking doubtful for awhile there with all the snow that was dumping throughout the Cascades, the avy conditions, and the general weather pattern, but …

AIARE Level I Avalanche Safety Course

Avalanche! What to Expect During an AIARE Level I Course

I headed back up to New Hampshire for the third time in the past few months, but this time it was for an AIARE Level 1 avalanche safety course. The course was organized and financially supported by the Potomac Mountain Club, our local climbing club in Washington DC. The course appealed to me because this course was to focus more …

Catskills Ice Climbing: Stoney Clove and Deep Notch

My buddy Sameer and I headed up to New York over the long weekend in search of some Catskills ice climbing opportunities. We made a brief pit stop in New York City on the drive up from Washington D.C. so we could camp out in the living room of his friend’s apartment in the Bushwick neighborhood. After a quick NYC …