High places inspire me; they challenge my spirit, inspire me to closely observe and participate in the natural world, and serve an essential role in supporting life on this planet. The more time I spend in the mountains, the more I feel responsible for stewarding alpine environments to the best of my abilities. That’s how …
Sustainable Summits Conference Inspires Responsible Alpine Recreation Read More »
I hiked up the steep trail to the top of a volcanic canyon in northern Chile to fetch water, which flowed through a slim canal to the village 10 kilometers downstream. The buzz of altitude and midday desert sun slowed me down, and it was so dry that my sweat evaporated before it could cool …
Four Traits Climbers Develop in the Northwest That Can Come in Handy Across the Globe Read More »
Susan Hales describes the details of some of her more memorable swims vividly. She has been attacked by a merganser. She has been inspected by river otters. She has pulled herself out of the water on the brink of storms. A typical day in the water for Hales is adventurous by most others’ standards. Take, …
Life in Water: What Drives this Local Swimmer to Hit the Lake Whenever She Can Read More »
My throat itched and I could feel a thin layer of soot building in my nose from a nearby wildfire as we wound through a smoky canyon at McClellan Conservation Area. We hiked toward a moderate crack my friend Kevin Klim was in the process of developing as a new route. He had spent hours …
To Bolt or Not to Bolt: Time for a Conversation on Local Climbing Ethics? Read More »
Mount Shasta is one of those irresistible peaks that beckon from highways and airplanes, and I finally had the chance to climb it last May. The conditions were much like John Muir described them in his 1877 Harper’s Magazine account of his adventure on this massive icon in the northern California landscape: “The crisp icy …
Recommendations for creating a home garden for cold-weather greens and the benefits of using a greenhouse hoop house.
