Past Featured Trip Reports

Casey had his one good eyeball on Pico De Orizaba for a long time. We both had designs on more technical peaks in the 6000 meter range in the future, but I had never been above 14,500 - thought it might be wise to do a walk-up or two way above that, and see how my head was. The Mexican volcanoes turned out to be a perfect way to get a little higher and see some beautiful scenery. This is the tale of our final peak.

Like with any international trip, you've got a bit of planning to sort out before you take off. A few weeks before we left, I was sitting in my private jet in Hollywood (San Diego), going over a few last minute items. Did I have enough gear for this trip? Did I have the right gear for this trip? In reality, I was just trying to find any reason to go to REI so I could outfit myself for all the photo opportunities I knew I would pose for on the mountain. Because I'm only 32, I rely heavily on my parents to spoil me with REI shopping sprees - I rang them on my pocket phone to make sure they'd increased the balance on my REI visa, and away I went. 7 hours later, I (my parents) were $7,000 poorer, and I had 4 new helmets, one of every piece of arcteryx outerwear they had, and a packet of GU. Let's go!

I used to be an elevation snob and typically only hiked to peaks that were greater than 10,000 feet. Then listsofjohn came along and I discovered that lower elevation peaks could be more fun and more challenging because I had to figure out how to get to them. Most local peaks of significant height have been climbed by thousands of people, routes are well established, and there are guide books to help you find your way. This is not the case for the smaller, more obscure peaks on which there is no information at all.

Sometimes it's easy, and a quick look at a 7.5 min topo map is enough, but some peaks require more thought. The aptly named Island Mountain was one such peak. When I first noticed it on a map, I dismissed it out of hand. It's located in the southeast corner of Strawberry Reservoir which looked big and deep.

Trips to theWind Rivers have become an annual tradition for me, my family and friends. Despite growing up in Wyoming and having an avid interest in rock climbing I was lateto summit my first route in the Wind River Range. The ascent came in 2011 with a climb of the South Buttress on Pingora. My partner and I intended to climb the East Ridge of Wolf's Head the same day but it was not to be. CJ and Jed Wittacker and I returned in July of 2012 to reclaim our prize, the stunning East Ridge of Wolf's Head.

We left Salt Lake City at 6am and put the accelerator down toward Rock Springs. After a late truck stop breakfast we were soon headed north across the sage covered plains and hills of southwest Wyoming. Before long the southern reaches of the Wind Rivers came into view. A sight I have grown to love and crave. It felt good to have gravel under the tires as we veered off the highway. Pronghorn watched curiously as we sped across the winding dirt tracks. The hills gave way to aspens and pines and by 12pm we were at the Big Sandy trailhead. With double ropes, an alpine rack and light overnight gear on our backs we tromped our way to the meadows around Big Sandy Lake. As it was only 2pm we decided a quick route on Haystack was in order. We made our way to the base of the route but were thwarted by incredible winds and light rain. Disappointed we made

A winter Presidential Traverse from, South to North. My friend Jeramy and I have done the Presidential traverse several times now, in both the summer and the winter. The last time we tried it, things got hectic with weather and logistics. We decided for another go at it, mainly to try out the new four-season tent we had just thrown down on. What better way than some new england winter mountaineering! We always end up doing the trip south to north to cut down on the drive home at the end. So without futher adu.

So if you remember my last trip report about Mount Whitney I said that trip was inspired by a friend of mine. This trip was also inspired by the same person. She posted on Facebook way back in December asking if anyone wanted to do Pico de Orizaba in March. I told her the days I'd be able to go (which is my spring break) and she was all for it. Unfortunately like my last trip, she was unable to come but my roommate joined in and we bought our plane tickets bound for Mexico City. It cost me round trip $600 for the tickets. This was my very first international trip and at first I was a little bit worried about traveling in Mexico but after all was said and done, I felt very safe, and had the time of my life there and met many very nice people along the way.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." --Lao-Tzu

Snowmass Mountain was my last Colorado Fourteener. I had visited the notion every once in a while in finishing on a particular mountain or peak but eventually gave up on that idea. The process of finishing this journey was one of almost randomness. I would accompany friends on their trips where sometimes, the peaks in question were ones I needed to complete ‘my list’ and sometimes, the goals were summits I had already graced. So in my quest to finish, I had already stacked up a decent amount of repeat summits on various mountains. Even from my naïve beginnings, I’ve always looked at the mountains not as something ‘to do’, to ‘bide my time’ as it were, but a place that I needed to explore because of the discovery and adventure that waited. Lists of course, will rise up eventually and provide some kind of focus, and they’re great in terms of attaining direction but for me, it’s always been about the experience; which is why repeating various summits or even going for a simple walk in the mountains is tantamount to why I go through the trouble at all. But as it turned out, Snowmass Mountain was a choice I considered to finish on.

The direction of my interests this winter have taken me on a series of open faces for the most part. Each outing has filled my memory with indelible impressions to draw upon during the week; a respite when I need a mental break from the daily routine. Memories of frigid blasts of the air rushing up a mountainside, views down iced faces--the sound of crampons biting into ice. Thus far, the climbs have been in less than stellar conditions. This climb, however, found me under a deep blue sky and a bright sun that took the edge off the cold temperatures and gusty winds. Our quarry was another expansive face: Pyramid Peak’s South Face (really southeastern). NP had been contemplating this for quite some time, gathering beta last summer.

A few hours after returning to Huaraz, there was a knock on my door. It was Lyngve. I hadn't met him in person yet, but a while back he had sent me a message after reading that I was looking for mountaineering partners. He collected country high points and, right after Chimborazo, he wanted to climb Huascarán Sur.

Having lots of time in Peru, my agenda was simple: I just wanted to climb lots of alpine routes. I didn't have a long wish list. Should I still have any particular desires near the end of my stay, I planned to hire a guide, but until then I just went with the flow. Whenever I met someone who wanted to climb a route that I thought was within my capabilities, I was game.

In August 2011, I had the opportunity to make the drive from the Wasatch Front to our home in Albuquerque solo, without kids and without time restraints--so I opted to take the longer, more scenic route through Grand Junction and on south by way of the Million Dollar Highway. This longer route gave me a taste of the San Juans and convinced me that more time was needed to explore them. Flash forward to August 2012, I made plans to meet up with my buddy, Will, from Utah with whom I had hiked Kings Peak (UT) and Mt. Elbert (CO) over the past few years. We decided to hike Wetterhorn, but because we also wanted to climb Mt. Sneffels, we decided to backpack in from the northwest. This would give us an opportunity to see a side of Wetterhorn not seen from the standard route to the south. What I didn't realize ahead of time was just how amazing the surrounding terrain was and how much solitute you can find even near a popular 14er.

After meeting up at the Subway in Ridgeway, Colorado, we drove up into the beautiful Cimmarron Range towards Owl Creek Pass. Right after reaching the Pass, we turned right and headed south up the West Fork of the Cimarron basin and our trailhead.

In late July 2012, I decided to resign my job and move out of my residence. I did so to fulfill a dream of mine by traveling the United States and living out of my tent. I was not driven to summit as many peaks as I could, or visit as many individual states as I could. It was all to be a spontaneous, wandering journey taken day by day without rigid plans or agendas. Simply stated, when there was a mountain, canyon, desert, forest, beach, or other wilderness area nearby that beckoned to me, I would go there.

My wilderness travels lasted for the better part of three months, until cold winter days and nights eventually chased me indoors. Of the countless wonders I saw along the way, I tried to capture some of the better ones on camera. Of the many thoughts and activities I embraced, I tried to record most of them in my daily journal.