Not all adventures turn out as planned. I recently hiked and packrafted Waddell Creek in Big Basin State Park. Big Basin is California’s oldest State Park. The 30+ mile Skyline to the Sea trail bisects Big Basin as it descends…
Packrafting Pescadero Creek
Packrafting Pescadero Creek is an ideal spot for my first packrafting adventure. First, Pescadero State Beach protects a unique ecosystem. The state beach & adjacent & Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve protect the mouth of Pescadero Creek, the largest marsh between…
Angel Island Backpacking with Kids
San Francisco Bay’s Angel Island served as a Native American hunting area, an Army Base, the West Coast Ellis Island, and a Nike Missile Base. Today, Angel Island is a California State Park. I recently backpacked ~2 miles with four…
My Mexico Ixta Climb Featured on Woolx
Enjoy this photo essay of my Mexico climb on the Woolx website – link is below. If you’d like to read more about my Woolx experience, please read my recent review. #woolxinaction Photo Essay – Climbing Iztaccihuatl
Why live a life that’s perceived as mad – #questionmadness
Why live a life that’s perceived as mad? This summer I stood at over 15,000 feet in a thunderstorm on a Mexican volcano. Twelve hours previously, I slept soundly in my Bay Area home at sea level. With thunder cascading…
Halloween Themed Hike: Caves, Crags, Spiders, & Bats at Pinnacles National Park
Outdoors California is a treasure trove with coastal mountains, redwoods, the Sierra/Cascades, and the desert. People often drive past the Central California on their way to somewhere else. Pinnacles National Park, about 30 miles South of Hollister, is an excellent…
Take What is Given: Weather & Weekend Adventures
Life has been especially busy recently with family and work. This Thursday night and Friday, I’m planning a 24 hour adventure to a California National Park. My original plan was to leave Thursday night, summit an objective on Friday, and return…
Climbing Ixta & the Mexican Volcanoes
Mexico City has the best high mountain access in North America. Three volcanoes over 15,000’ lie within 50 miles of Mexico City: 1) Nevado de Toluca at 15,390 feet, 2) Iztaccihuatl (Ixta) at 17,159’, and 3) Popocatepetl (Popo) at 17,887 feet. Orizaba,…
Best Weather Sites for Outdoor Adventures
While “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” an accurate forecast helps planning for outdoor adventures. Everest & 8000m peak expeditions have documented how forecasts help improve summit attempts. These forecasts help more modest trips…
Meru – Best Climbing Film
On the mountain I am a solid class 3/class 4 climber. At home I am a world class armchair mountaineer. My bookshelf is filled with mountaineering stories, pioneering tales, and climbing videos. Early on Saturday morning, I watched Meru on…