The Rope Between Us If you’ve ever stood at the base of a rock wall with a rope in your hands, you know the weight of responsibility. The climber ties in, checks the knots, and calls down the words that […]
self control
Embers and Ashes In the backcountry, you sometimes stumble upon the remains of an old camp. Blackened stones sag in a broken ring. Ash lies scattered by the wind. No heat or smoke. No hum of voices. It’s a still […]
Holding the Map When you hike with someone who’s carrying the only map, you follow their lead. You watch the trail they choose, the pace they set, the way they decide whether to push forward or pause. In relationships, many […]
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 […]
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 […]
Some Storms You Don’t See Coming We had barely made it through the gates of Busch Gardens when the skies turned. The kids and I had planned for a day packed with thrill rides, laughter, and all the sugary snacks. […]
“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” — Sir Edmund Hillary Somewhere above the tree line, where the air thins and the weather turns with little warning, I learned that the most important gear you carry isn’t on […]
Somewhere along the way, many of us learned that strength meant shutting down.Don’t cry. Don’t flinch. Don’t feel too much. Just get through it.In a world that glorifies toughness, vulnerability looks like weakness. But here’s the truth I’ve come to […]
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About Me
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