Musings
Last Adventurer
#preservethegood

As you’ve seen above, #preservethegood could mean anything – it could mean helping someone in a time of need; it could be picking up trash on a trail, or a wilderness area; it could be educating people on leave no trace principles; it could be making a difference in any way you want; and it could be just about anything you want as long as you are focused in keeping the magic and the unique positive things in this world and this life. In terms of tangible things, I encourage you, my readers and followers to use the hashtag when you post a photo of something amazing; or when you’re talking about something exceptional you – or someone else has done to improve the world. I look forward to seeing how all of you end up preserving the good in 2015, and you can rest assured that as always, I will keep preserving the good where I find it as well, because as Plato says, “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” 

#preservethegood
Hiking, State Parks
Last Adventurer
Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

As I mentioned previously, Waimea Canyon is a site that is most definitely one of the “must-view” locations on Kauai, and in the world; and as I also mentioned, the best way to experience it is to hike it. While there are many great hikes through the canyon, the best hike in my book is the Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls. It is the best hike to me because at four miles roundtrip, it is accessible, it has stunning views of the canyon from inside the canyon, and it ends at the top Waipoo Falls. It also allows the hiker the chance to swim in a waterfall, which is a once in a lifetime experience.

Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

IIAWT

, ,

Current Conditions Humphreys Peak, March 2014

, ,
Current Conditions Humphreys Peak, March 2014

Last Friday (3/7/14), I went back into Arizona to meet up with two of my In Ice Axe We Trust co-hosts, @jestheccc and @moosefish to climb Humphreys Peak in winter. As Jes has done an excellent job discussing the backstory to the climb on her blog, I’m going to stick to just the facts relating to the climb, and the conditions. In short, the most difficult part of this climb was finding the snow and ice, as there was none to climb upon for several weeks prior. As I’ve discussed before on my blog, California is experiencing an extreme drought this year; and these conditions have extended into Arizona. Fortunately for us, the week before the climb, both Arizona and California received a number of small storms that did drop some snow in the higher elevations. While the storm totals weren’t as high as everyone would have hoped, they were enough to cover Humphreys with snow down past the standard Humphreys Peak Trailhead at the Arizona Snowbowl (elevation 9,200).

, , ,

Gear Review: TETON Sports ComfortLite Pillow

, , ,
Gear Review: TETON Sports ComfortLite Pillow

Disclaimer: as part of my co-hosting duties on In Ice Axe We Trust, I was provided a free Comfortlite Pillow from TETON Sports. On the recent IIAWT expedition to Death Valley, I tried it out. I liked it so much, I decided to write up this promotional bit that you’ll find below. If it doesn’t convince you to get one, I don’t know what will.

IIAWT Preview/Recap Casaval Ridge, September 2013

Sunrise, Mt. Shasta

Sunrise, Mt. Shasta

A couple months ago we had some of those dreaded "technical difficulties" that every Podcast, Videocast, or other online production dreads. Fortunately, we were able to sort out the problems, and even better, our guest Michael Buturla, was still willing to come on the show even after we wasted an hour on one of his Wednesdays! So tonight, we'll be going back in time to do the show that we never did, and we'll be talking the infamous Casaval Ridge on Mt. Shasta, one of the truly great mountaineering routes in the United States. If you're interested in learning more about our guest, or his climb of Casaval Ridge, click here and here to read his trip reports; and if you're interested as to what he's been climbing recently, check out this great trip report of climbing the Grand Teton that he wrote this year. As always, if you want to listen, you can find us on iTunes, or here

.

. 

, ,

IIAWT Preview/Recap - Mt. Kilimanjaro, August 2013

, ,

Good news everybody! Tonight, there will be another great IIAWT podcast - except this time, the podcast will have a new twist. That's right: on tonight's episode, IIAWT is packing their ice axes and heading off the continent to discuss one of the behemoths of worldwide mountaineering: Mt. Kilimanjaro. On tonight's episode, we will be talking with a long-time friend of the show, JestheCCC about her recent successful climb of the highest peak in Africa. This show will cover everything an intermediate mountaineer will need to know about planning an expedition to one of the seven summits; and it will also cover what one would need to know about how to successfully train for and how to successfully summit the highest mountain in Africa. If you're interested in learning more about JestheCCC and her climb, either before the show; or after the show, read her blog here, about: 1) Preparing to Climb Kilimanjaro; 2) Part One of Climbing the Mountain; 3) Part Two of Climbing the Mountain; and 4) Wrap Up of Climbing the Mountain. Also, if you're interested in learning more about Jes' partners and sponsors in climbing the mountain, you'll want to check out them here: 1) K2Adventures (at Twitter here); 2) TETON Sports (at Twitter here); and 3) Sly Fox Foods (at Twitter here). Tune in here for what will be a great show, or on iTunes!

 

,

IIAWT Preview/Recap July 2013

,
Mt. Wilson, San Juan Mountain Range, Colorado

Mt. Wilson, San Juan Mountain Range, Colorado

Good news everybody! On Saturday, July 27, 2013 IIAWT will be back from our podcasting vacation. Since it's summertime, it's an excellent time to talk about a great mountaineering location, the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. We're also happy to be bringing back our expert on the Rocky Mountains and its various ranges, Bob Doucette, who will definitely have some great insights on this area and how to train for these peaks. In case you're interested in a preview of what we'll be discussing tomorrow, or want to follow along with the show, or if you end up hearing the show after it records live on July 27, 2013, or if you're just interested in reading more of Bob's work, check out these links here:

Trail Reports of the San Juan Mountains: Mt. Sneffels and Matterhorn Peak; Some of Bob's Thoughts on Training, Exercise and Diet; IIAWT's Favorite Trail Report of Bob's: Torrey's Peak via Kelso Ridge;  and Bob's Original Appearance on IIAWT. Tune in here, and see you in the mountains!