The journal
Honest reflections on fatherhood, faith, healing, leadership, adventure, and the space between expectation and reality.
Featured story
Begin here
The Weight of the Pack Every long hike begins the same way: with a pack heavy enough to question your judgment.We start with everything we might need. Extra socks, backup batteries, snacks for every craving. There’s comfort in…
Read the storyMore from the journal
Keep walking
The Gift and the Chain I’ve never liked receiving gifts. If the five love languages were laid out like a mountain range, receiving gifts would…
Read the story
The Weight of the Pack Every hiker learns the same lesson the hard way: what you carry matters. As a young Boy Scout, I often…
Read the story
When the Trail Disappears It’s strange how quickly the world can vanish. One moment you’re following a well-marked trail, the crunch of gravel steady beneath…
Read the story
The Myth of Grit People often tell me I’m resilient. They mean it as a compliment. A nod to my ability to take the hits…
Read the story
The Myth of Arrival: The Hollow Wind on the Ridge From below, the summit gleams like salvation. The peak whispers its promises: just a little…
Read the story
The Trailhead I remember road marches during my Army days at Fort Benning, Georgia. We’d start around 2 a.m., moving out under the stars into…
Read the story
The Winding Trail Life doesn’t always unfurl like a neatly drawn map. The lines we sketch as children (graduate, build a career, marry, raise children,…
Read the story
I’ve spent nights in the mountains where the fire was my only anchor. The wind cut sharp, the dark pressed in, and no matter how…
Read the story
Freedom With Boundaries Shortly after the first wave of COVID-19, something unexpected happened in the wide-open spaces of America. The National Park Service began closing…
Read the storyBeyond the journal
Continue the journey through The Anatomy of a Hard Heart, or begin a conversation about the road you are walking.
