Part 2: 2026 – Five weeks biking through Europe: Alps Adventures, Bikepacking the French and Italian Alps, the Tour de France, and Sharing the Ride with Friends
Some trips are about checking destinations off a list. Others are about the moments that happen between those destinations—the people you share them with, the unexpected problems that become funny stories later, the meals that somehow taste better after a … Continued
Part 1: 2026 – Five weeks biking through Europe: Catalonia by Bike: Ten Incredible Days with Friends, the Tour de France, and Legendary Climbs
Some trips are about checking destinations off a list. Others are about the moments that happen between those destinations—the people you share them with, the unexpected problems that become funny stories later, the meals that somehow taste better after a … Continued
Backpacking Then and Now – From 40 to 15
In college, we often camped with friends—but that camping was really just an excuse to drink beer all day. After grad school, we got into backpacking as a way to truly enjoy the outdoors and explore the amazing terrain of … Continued
Softrock: A Four-Day Tour of Hardrock’s Mountains & Mines
The Hardrock 100 is one of the legendary 100-mile ultras, famous for its staggering climbing (33,000+ feet), thin air (13 summits over 13,000 feet, including 14,048-foot Handies Peak), and a loop through the San Juan Mountains that doubles as a … Continued
The Risk Paradox: Does Experience Make Us Safer or More Vulnerable?
I originally sat down to write about risk as a way of processing a year with far too many avalanche fatalities. I ended up with far more to say and write than I had planned, and I ended up with … Continued
The Land of the Rising Powder
Japan is known as the Land of the Rising Sun because it’s one of the first places in the world to see the sunrise. Utah’s license plate claims The Greatest Snow on Earth®, but Hokkaido wouldn’t be known as JaPow … Continued
Packrafting the Big Ditch
My first encounter with the Grand Canyon was a Thanksgiving backpacking trip in 1997. As a relatively new backpacker, this was the hardest backpack trip Emily and I had ever done. After moving to Utah and taking up ultra running, … Continued
Beaches and Palaces – Southern India – Part 3
While the hills were hot, it was far cooler than the beach and it was tough to be back in the heat. When we got to Mararikulam we checked into the homestay, had lunch, and then went to the beach. … Continued
Southern India – Part 2: Kochi and Idukki – Coasts and Plantations
Kochi – The Queen of the Arabian City. We arrived in Kochi and immediately felt the intense heat and humidity. It was overwhelming from the first step out of the airport. We had 2 days to explore Kochi before heading … Continued
Back to the Subcontinent – Southern India – Part 1: Bangalore and Diwali
Ahhh – India. Our first visit in 2002 was our first big travel experience spending 7 months in Southeast Asia with most of that in Nepal. At that time, we walked across the border from Nepal to India and then … Continued