My Adventures

Five years ago on July 29, 2011 my friend Brenda and I completed the Ptarmigan Traverse in the North Cascades of Washington.  I wrote about our experience together on my previous blog (Toward The Mountaintop Inch By Inch), and to celebrate our 5-year-Ptarmigan-versary, I thought I would share the story again.  It's funny looking back how much I've changed/improved in the realm of hiking and mountaineering (i.e. I haven't carried a 49lb pack since, and I never will again - what was I thinking?!), but...

“There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.” — Rumi A few years ago I saw a photograph from the Wind River Range in Wyoming, and I decided that I needed to go.  I did countless hours of research, poured over maps and scoured the internet for trip reports before settling on a route.  We decided to do a 50-ish mile loop, starting at the Big Sandy Opening, near Pinedale, Wyoming.  While some of the route was on maintained trails, much of the route required off-trail...

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.” — J.K. Rowling We have a folder in our "pictures" library on the computer entitled, "2015 Silent Lake Failure".  I write a lot about our adventures, and I try hard not to sugarcoat the reality of mountaineering and backpacking.  Sure, there are definitely those, "hair blowing in the wind at sunset" moments, but there are...

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” — Roald Dahl A friend once told me that she knew why I liked mountain climbing and being in the wilderness so much, "They're your secret places, that's why", she stated as a matter of fact.  At the time, I really didn't understand what she was talking about.  How could a place on...

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” — Dr. Seuss Sometimes, when you only have two days off before a business trip, sleeping in a snow cave sounds like a really good idea.  It doesn't take much to convince me to go on an adventure - especially when it involves something new.  I had never built and/or slept in a snow cave in my life, but when my friend Brenda proposed the idea, I thought, "Sure,...

“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.” —...

“My favorite part was when Brenda went bat$hit and started screaming obscenities.”” — Aaron Allison Mt. Challenger lies in the Picket Range of the North Cascades.  Fred Beckey, author of the Cascade Alpine Guide writes, "“Because of the rugged terrain, the Picket Range has remained the wildest and most unexplored region in the North Cascades. It is not an area for the wilderness novice…the length of climbs, combined with steep mixed terrain and variable conditions, demands all around competence and fitness.” I have some history with Mt. Challenger...