Living peoples, not dying languages: Inside the fight to preserve and revitalize Quechua and other Indigenous languages in the Andes
By Heather Physioc In a rustic adobe building in the Andean mountainside, cool light filters in through small windows that look out over a misty valley below. The hut is constructed from bricks of mud mixed with straw and highland grasses. The roof is corrugated sheet steel and thatch. The clay walls are brushed white...
Photography from O’ahu, Hawaii in September
Family and work travel can be unproductive for many photographers. Fast-paced itineraries and going with the flow of a group make it tougher to spend time crafting the ideal image with perfect light and composition. So we take on a different kind of challenge - making something beautiful with a speedy snap. Managed expectations and...
Mountain goats on the McCullough Gulch Trail hike in Colorado
Something always stands between me and the goats. I haul all my stupid, heavy photography gear on my back for miles into thinning air, hoping I'll spot their white fur against the rocky ridges. Then, every time I see them, something terrible happens that keeps me from them. I nearly crap my pants on Grays,...
River reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park
Why would any sane, rational human being leave the comfort of their home with air conditioning and plumbing, strap 40 pounds of gear onto their back, and haul it 10 miles into the wilderness on foot to sleep on the ground, and eat dehydrated food for days? Under threat of bear activity and a “mountain...
Peru Creek: Crapping in a Bag & Other Stories
This is a story about defeat, joy, and grief. It is full of adventure and misadventure, with a touch of prescience. Twists and turns. Bathroom humor. Summit season 2022 was unsuccessful, but mountain season was a hit. Buckle up; it's a ride. This year has been a lesson in coping with the unexpected. Every trip...
Paradise Valley, Montana: A Cabin at the Foot of Emigrant Peak
This story is continued from Western Kitsch: The Black Hills of South Dakota. After our gripping adventure rerouting several hours out of our way from the Black Hills, we pushed on to Billings and then Livingston. Just 30 miles from our final destination, the snow began to fall. In my tiny Prius, we slowed to...
Western Kitsch: The Black Hills, South Dakota
We daydreamed about visiting Badlands area for years. We were drawn by the mystique of its wide open spaces, curious about its strange, striated western landscape. We were eager to discover its legendary herds of bison. In April, we finally set forth on our great Northern road trip with the dog in tow. 50mph winds...
Hiking Huron Peak 14er in Colorado
Fear has been a consistent companion in my life. At age 10, I negotiated my way out of the deep end of the pool during swim lessons at day camp. I was later than all my friends to take the training wheels off my bicycle. My lifelong friend Molly remembered me as an anxious kid...
White Sands National Park, New Mexico
The last time I saw White Sands was more than two decades ago, when it was still a national monument. My younger brother and I spent several of our summers living in New Mexico with our mom. One of the highlights was some of the road trips we took to all different parts of the...
Small Town America: Antimony, Utah
I said I wanted peace, quiet, and serenity. Did I ever find it in Antimony, Utah. The population of this tiny town is just over 100 residents, and the cows and sheep far outnumber the people. The area is mainly vast ranch land nestled at the foot of Table Mountain. It's also a popular destination...
Finding Perspective at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
I booked this cottage in Montrose, Colorado because I needed a place to stay close to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. But also because goats. Quaint farm lodging with goats beats lodging without goats 100 percent of the time. There were at least three different varieties of goats that the homeowners keep as...
Autumn in Rocky Mountain National Park
I have long hoped to string together a series of national parks to form a road trip. With the Covid pandemic still raging around the world, travel difficult and risky, and lots of time to daydream, I pieced together a three-week road trip that would take me to no less than nine national parks. My...
“Humble Peak”
I'm terrified of heights. My partner asked me, "Then why do you do it?" (Hike to the top of tall mountains, he meant.) "Because I'm terrified of heights," I replied. All my life, I have lived in a mild state of fear. The fear of plummeting to my death from the edge of a cliff....
Camping & Hiking Quandary Peak in Colorado
We have isolated for months in response to COVID-19. All our trips have are canceled. Work jaunts to cities around the country for speaking engagements tabled. Celebratory vacations for my husband’s 40th birthday and my little brother’s 30th birthday overseas – canceled. It was relatively easy for the first three months to stay isolated, consistently...
Mount Rainier & Ashford, WA
Mount Rainier has called to me since the first time I saw it with my own eyes nearly 15 years ago. I plan to hike the 93-mile Wonderland Trail around the perimeter of this mountain someday. This 14,411-foot stratovolcano and glacial peak towers over Seattle and Tacoma in Washington state on the days when "the...
My First 14er: Pikes Peak, Colorado
Growing up, I felt like my bond with my brother Cody was close. Granted, our four-year age gap meant that we were in middle school, high school and college at different times, we ran in separate friend groups, and we didn't have much in common. Regardless, I have always felt a deep loyalty to and...
How to Spend a Long Weekend in San Diego
I found myself back in San Diego, California for the second spring in a row for a conference. Last year, my sister-in-law and her three kids were living in Coronado while her husband was out to sea. This year, I'm flying solo in San Diego with a day or so to kill on either side...