I've spent a lot of time in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains - hiking through them twice on the Pacific Crest Trail (in both snow-free and snow-covered conditions) and making countless other (shorter) trips in via both the eastern and western slopes. The 400 mi / 640 km long range is home to
2020: What’s On The Agenda
Over the past few years, my yearly predicted agendas have grown in both their detail and their accuracy (2017, 2018, 2019). I'm sure some version of me considers this to be a bad thing, but I've come to terms with the fact that having an idea of what I would like to do and accomplish each year
Thirty Year Updates
Five years ago, I celebrated my first (and possibly only) quarter-century of life by writing up a bucket list (despite my disdain for this term and said lists). Most of the things on this list are quite arbitrary as I was just trying to imagine things I thought would be cool to do. I've since come
2019: What’s On The Agenda
I am a huge proponent of using the "no plan is the best plan" life strategy as a means of lazily masking my unwillingness to engage in thinking about the future. So far so good. That said, I find predicting my plan for the year less an exercise in preparation and more a tool for me to look back
Japan Alps Traverse: Route Expectations
The start of my Japanese Alps Traverse is less than a week away and I have been looking into the route a bit more since, you know, I should probably know where I'm going. My starting point will be Ichiburi Station (市振駅), a train station) in the south of Niigata Prefecture (新潟県). This station is
Thru-hiking The Japanese Alps
A lot of my hiking endeavors began with me thinking to myself, "Hmm, that thing would be cool to do," and last November, I thought to myself, "Hmm, traversing the entire Japanese Alps would be cool." I got super into planning a traverse of Japan's Alps for exactly two days before I gave up,
2018: What’s On The Agenda
Now that we're well on our way on another journey around the sun (or at least that's what the scientists tell us - have you personally really ever observed any direct evidence of this? Think about it...), it's time to take a closer look at what to expect in the year ahead. For the first time in a
Countdown To The Continental Divide Trail
If you're reading this then it means it's already too late. I've officially begun the CDT. Yes, today, Saturday, April 29, (so many commas) is the day I arrive at Crazy Cook monument in the Bootheel of New Mexico to begin my second walk across the Fragmented Provinces of Earth's Northwest
The Continental Divide Trail: Three Months Out
In three months (give or take a few days) I expect to be dropped off in the New Mexico Bootheel to begin what will (in all likelihood) be the most physically and mentally challenging months of my entire life (and possibly the death of me). Yes, in three months time I will be doing something that I