Ukraine…”1,000 explosionen” was the last line of a bus news message. My German is extremely limited but I whispered to my husband, “I think Russia just invaded Ukraine.” Only one of us paid for an international cell plan for our trip so my husband pulled out his phone to confirm the news. The bus message … Continue reading When War Strikes while you’re Overseas
I’ve come across some interesting things while hiking, this by far was the saddest and most shocking. Continue reading An Unsuspected Message in the Porkies
Somewhere in a small mountain in Colorado, you’ll find… not much. There is no Starbucks, no hustle and bustle of workers, no car horns, not even much of a cross walk. But there is an artist who maintains his small studio in this town. Upon entering the artwork jumps out at you, war planes, cars … Continue reading The Two Brained Artist – Colorado
When I imagine 2020 I see a downward spiral, a tumultuous tornado. It seems that no matter what your life situation is at least one event this year whether it be the violence, pandemic or election has caused you sadness pain, anger and grief. It feels like we’re literally tumbling off a peak wondering when … Continue reading 2020 Falling off A Mountain – Literally
And there I was at the top of Harvard. This top was a small span of big boulders that simply had no pathway to climb beyond. I remembered all the cool things people do on summits on Instagram, make meals, drink a summit beer, take fun photos. Here I was on my first summit, and … Continue reading Skip The Summit Beer
When staying in the Lauterbrunnen valley we kept our eyes on the horizon searching for a glimpse of something we knew we’d never see stateside, a BASE jumper. A glimpse was a pretty accurate description as the likelihood of spotting a person free falling among the 500 meter cliffs in the valley is comparable to … Continue reading Adventure Anecdotes: “Switzerland Doesn’t Care How you Die”
If you’re a seasoned hiker/climber you might be reading this headline and think “Oh no!” this could end really bad. Well this story doesn’t end too bad. As a competitive person I wanted to add a 14er to my list of accomplishments. I honestly thought you could hardly call yourself a good hiker without hitting … Continue reading Rookie Mistake – Altitude? No Problem
“Ouh ouh ouh!” The noise was loud; it sounded like a caw, but more like a monkey. It was 2:15 am. It was right by my head outside of our tent 10 miles into the Teton backcountry. It was night one of our three-night, four day trek around the backside of the Tetons. So far … Continue reading Rookie Mistake – Trekking Pole Placement
Thursday March 12th: All day I was on edge as the hospital I worked in was getting rid of students. First it was PT, then OT, then med and by the end of the day myself in cardiac rehab was added to the list of “postponed” internships. To say I was devastated was an understatement. … Continue reading A COVID “almost” Opportunity
There is nothing terribly glamorous about backpacking. It’s an all out war on your body between high temperatures, low temperatures, paths with too much up, your knees screaming about too much down, too much weight on your back, too many hours spent walking. It’s hard work all the time. Once you’re done walking for the … Continue reading The Backpacking Hangover
TheReyOutdoors - Exercise cures the body. Nature cures the soul. 