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...
San Diego Up Close
I had already written an extensive post about recommendations for visiting San Diego, but since then, I have frequently returned to visit family and speak at conferences. I will periodically share new images and tiny details from the trips with fresh recommendations. Soak in the succulents & cacti. (Sep. 2023) San Diego's Mediterranean climate is...
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...
Barbados: A Tale of Two Coasts
A fan pushes warm, humid air around the room. The first hint of hazy morning light seeps through slatted wooden blinds, the bright blue curtains puffing in and out in the morning breeze. I hear palms rustling and waves crashing and rolling onto a beach. I get out of bed and shuffle to the window....
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...
Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota
It appears that 2022 is the year I visit national parks experiencing extraordinary flooding events. In the spring, massive flooding washed out vast parts of Yellowstone National Park just after I visited during record snow. And recently, I visited Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota just after historic flooding caused by heavy rains and snowmelt in...
50 Miles on the Flint Hills Nature Trail
My two fitness goals this year were to summit another 14,000-foot peak and do a 50-mile hike in four days. I completed Huron Peak in Colorado in August. My first attempt at the 50-mile hike was in May on the Knobstone Trail in Indiana but got rained out among other challenges. When it came time...
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...
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...
Camping & Hiking in Summit County, Colorado
This Summit County, Colorado camping and hiking trip seemed like it had all the odds stacked against it from day one. It’s been more than a year in the making with our friends Lori and Ronnie. Last year, we had to cancel when our dog fell ill. This year, our friends nearly had to cancel,...
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...
How to Spend 2 Days in Cirencester, Gloucestershire (Cotswolds, UK)
After a busy week racing around London and Brighton for work and fun, we knew we would be wiped out and be grateful for a few days respite in a quieter, scenic part of the country. That led us to the Cotswolds, or more specifically, the little town of Cirencester. Cirencester (pronounced “see-rehn-sester”), with its...