Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “North America”
This post, while mostly written in my voice, was a collaborative effort between Andrew Commander and myself. A middle-aged flight instructor, a student, and a multi-million dollar corporation walk into a bar… What do they have in common? Nope, not a joke, and the student almost couldn’t get in because he was under-age. I’ll leave the bar unnamed to protect …
I’ve written briefly about this hike in my post, Five great early winter hikes in Salt Lake City, but I didn’t discuss it in depth. I didn’t share how this simple, beautiful, trail has helped me feel and process my emotions. It’s odd to think of a trail as a friend, but I do. I’ve grown a lot since moving …
Seriously overworked with a case of sleep deprivation, I drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon for a needed break at Snowbird Ski Resort. My plan…meet with fellow blogger Joshua Riggins for an afternoon of Oktoberfest fun, connect with the Ski Utah crew for dinner on Hidden Peak, enjoy drinks at Aerie, and spend the night in the Cliff Lodge. My hair …
Do you know that deep grind you get in your gut you get before you face something that scares you? I know it well. It hits me before I do something related to heights, or when facing an emotional challenge. Okay, there are times I’d rather roll uncontrolled down a steep mountain than face a something emotionally painful. This week …
A couple of summers ago I visited Glacier National Park and hiked to Red Eagle Lake. I’d already put on a lot of miles before that 17-mile day. The mosquitoes were relentless at the beginning of the hike and I had a lot on mind. Basically, I questioned myself for heading out. When I got to this bridge, it felt …
It is not the eye that understands, but the mind. ~ African proverb A rocky knife-edge rose up ahead of me like the spine of a large monster. Okay, I’m being a little dramatic because I really don’t like heights. I stood there alone, wondering if this really was the trail to Mount Raymond. “Seriously, what the….?” I muttered under …
An invasion of plant life dressed in bright uniforms of red, purple, yellow, pink and white took over the Alta Ski Area this summer. A contingent of hummingbirds and bumblebees provided additional support to the assault… Okay, I’ll stop with the silliness. “Stunning, vibrant, and off the rails,” are a few of the terms I’ve heard used to describe the …
Rarely do we get to express ourselves as purely as we’d like to but when it does happen, it’s truly a thing of beauty! Recently, many things have been put into an intricate perspective for me and I am continually learning how grow with them. It seems all too often we get trapped in a negative space when others aren’t …
The outdoors has long been my place of solace, the place where I go to work through emotions or simply revel in gratitude. Typically, I need to be solo to reap those benefits. The Active Explorer’s new climbing contributor, Brandon Aegerter, has also expressed a need for solo time in his post Climbing: From personal challenge to a way of …
Fires near Salt Lake City have filled the valley with an unpleasant haze recently. Last night after dinner, my friend and I drove to the top of Millcreek Canyon, mostly to correct he fact that I had never been there. To our surprise, the visit was timed perfectly to catch a sunset made more dramatic by smoke in the atmosphere. …