Visiting Lassen Volcanic National Park and climbing the peak in summer represents a very achievable adventure for families with kids. Here’s a family adventure we took in August 2020 with our then 6 and 9 year olds and several other…
Best Bay Area Climbs, Hikes & Summits
The best Bay Area climbs offer views of the San Francisco Bay, Pacific Ocean, or both. The elevation gains of the following trails are more than Everest Camp 1 to the Mount Everest summit. Several summits also cross the Bay…
Flattop Mountain Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Flattop Mountain is an excellent introduction to Rocky Mountain National Park. The 8.8 mile out and back trail passes a bit of everything including alpine lakes, forest, treeline, and tundra. The trail starts at the Bear Lake Trailhead at 9475…
#Tokyosnow Photo Essay on Woolx Journal
I recently visited Tokyo for a worktrip. During my stay, Tokyo had its biggest snow in over four years and coldest temperatures in over 40 years. Enjoy my photo essay of Tokyo Snow (drift) featured on the Woolx Journal. The…
Hiking the English Countryside in Oxfordshire
Cozy pubs, pastoral views, and historic sites make hiking the English countryside unique. My first English outdoor adventure took place two years ago climbing in the Lake District. Following in Wordsworth’s footsteps, my friend and I climbed the highest peak…
Cycling & Hiking Big Sur along CA 1 without Cars
Visiting the Big Sur delivers a unique experience due to limited access. Landslides, fires, and floods buffeted the region over the last 12 months. CA 1 Northern auto access is closed to a bridge outage at Big Sur. Southern access…
Visiting Chinese National Parks in Sichuan and Yunnan
I recently returned from an outstanding family trip to Southwest China. We visited the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan. Both provinces border Tibet and are traditional crossroads. Yunnan is further south and borders Burma and Laos. Sichuan had many important…
Big Basin State Park Packrafting on Waddell Creek
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…
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…