When the Bikes Vanished: There was a time when a pile of bikes at someone’s house meant the neighborhood had awoken. That was our trailhead: pickup games, scraped knees on driveways, and the steady hum of collective mischief. We climbed […]
The Search for Something Sacred When I was in high school, I was a Boy Scout. One summer at camp, a few friends and I decided we were going to do something bold. Something that felt half adventurous and half […]
The Approach: A Trail of Firsts Some trails leave more than footprints. They leave quiet evidence on the heart; signs that we’re braver and stronger than we ever believed. On July 16th, my son Ben and I stood at the […]
Let Curiosity Lead the Way Some birthdays are like ridgeline pauses: quiet, reflective, a moment to take in the view. Others feel like full-on jungle treks: chaotic, electric, and alive with riddles you never saw coming. This year? It was […]
Some birthdays pass like cairns on the trail, small markers on the long road of life. Not ignored, but not celebrated either. For years, mine have felt that way. Just another step forward, another page turned. But this year was […]
Some hikes test your legs. Others test your lungs. But the rare ones, like the climb of Torreys Peak with my daughter, test your heart. We started late and unhurried. Trusting the forecast that promised clear skies through midday, we […]
When you learn how to navigate in the wild, you learn more than just how to read a map. You are taught that a map and compass are more than just tools; they’re a kind of truth. You learn that […]
In 2023 while hiking Mt. Elbert with my daughter, I learned about the cruel nature of false summits. From the trail head, we could see what looked like the peak glinting in the sun. Every muscle in our legs burned […]
Heat, Humility, and the Ascent The trail wasn’t long, just 3.6 miles on paper but under a heavy sun and 90% humidity, it might as well have been 200 miles. I was guiding a group of kids, teaching them to […]
At the edge of Harpers Ferry, where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers entwine, I once stood with admiration and something stirring in my chest. The sun shimmered off the water like a whispered promise. Two distinct rivers, each with their […]
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