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!Climbing Magazine called it “Must watch”, Reel Rock Film Tour said “It’s pretty epic!”, and Youtube user rocaybeta exclaimed “excellent!!! I literally cried”. A few weeks ago I put together a short, humorous video I …
Backpacking Coyote Gulch in Grand Staircase Escalante
I spent a few days exploring Grand Staircase-Escalante while I was on my Utah national park road trip. One of the unexpected highlights for me was backpacking Coyote Gulch just off of Hole-in-the-Rock Road… though it is technically in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, most begin the Coyote Gulch hike within Grand-Staircase Escalante. This was a hike that came …
Climbing Mount Stuart via the Upper North Ridge
Classic–one of the select routes chosen for inclusion in the Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, one of just six in the Pacific Northwest. The Upper North Ride of Mount Stuart (9,415′, Grade IV, 5.9) is widely considered to be one of the premiere alpine rock routes in Washington State. Full Value–longer approach, glacier crossing, open air bivvies, 18 or …
Visiting the Ghost Town of Bodie California
Bodie California is a small ghost town located in the hills of the Sierra Nevadas, not too far from the incredible Mono Lake. What was once a thriving mining town with a few thousand residents and around 2,000 standing structures has since been reduced to a city of standing decaying. At its peak there were more than 64 saloons that …
Climbing Mount Rainier via the Kautz Glacier Route
Climbing Mount Rainier was something that had been in my sights for a number of years, training in glacier travel and gradually bigger mountains. I’d even put in an attempt on the Kautz Glacier Route before but got turned away by the weather. This mountain still loomed large in my imagination in the years to follow and I’d find myself …
Living a Remarkable Life: Dreams, Doing Things, and Memories
I spent July 4th weekend in the hipster capital of the world, Portland, Oregon, to attend the so-called World Domination Summit (WDS). The what? Yeah, it’s a sightly audacious name that brings up thoughts of Pinky and the Brain or Dr. Evil, but rather than taking over the world, we were talking about how to live a remarkable life. For …
Climbing Mount Whitney via the East Buttress
Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the continental United States, and the East Buttress route is considered an absolute classic. When the opportunity presented itself for unexpectedly climbing Mount Whitney, I couldn’t resist. While I was hanging out in Lone Pine, California, I met up with an old DC climbing buddy, Ryder, who was just making the move …
How to Afford Travel Without a Trust Fund
One of the questions I most frequently receive is “How are you able to afford to take a year off to travel, mess around, and not work?” One of the (basically) homeless, alcoholic retirees living on the shores of Lake Mead near Las Vegas put it as such: “Oh, his daddy’s got money, that’s how he’s out here traveling…” Some …