Current Conditions, Meysan Lakes Trail, November 2015

Current Conditions, Meysan Lakes Trail, November 2015

Last Friday, I took a morning off to see how things were looking up at the higher elevations. Rather than head up the Whitney Portal Trail, I went up the Meysan Lakes Trail instead. Over the years, I’ve found that the main danger of such an early season hike is traversing the iced over parking lot for the campground early in the morning. Fortunately, I was able to not slip on the inch of black ice present, and I did make it to the trailhead, which was partially covered in places with one-three inches of iced out snow.

Book Review: The Ghosts of K2-the Epic Saga of the First Ascent

Book Review: The Ghosts of K2-the Epic Saga of the First Ascent

Amongst the general public, Mount Everest will always be “the mountain” – a place that is fascinating and amazing. However, among mountaineers, “the mountain” will always be K2. This is no slight to Everest – it will always be one of the seven summits, and it will always be the world’s tallest mountain. But in 2015, while Mount Everest remains a challenge because it is the tallest mountain on the planet, it also is a place where many of the challenges have been minimized due to the proliferation of professional guide services, and “mountain tourism”. While K2 has experienced some of the changes in the field of mountaineering, even today it remains one of the most dangerous climbs a mountaineer can undertake.

Key Summit

Key Summit

From the sand dunes of the Farewell Spit, to the volcanic terrain of Tongariro National Park, to the lush forests of Rakiura National Park and the tropical beaches of Abel Tasman, New Zealand has almost every type of backcountry terrain that a hiker could want. With so many picturesque and jaw dropping locations, it is hard to find first, a bad hike in all of New Zealand, and second, “the best” hike in all of New Zealand. However, if you are a person who likes superlatives and stunning alpine views, the best hike in all of the three islands of New Zealand (North, South, and Stewart) might just be Key Summit.

Sunrise at Jamul Kiln

Sunrise at Jamul Kiln

San Diego has a lot of great secret spots. Recently, I was lucky enough to re-visit one of my favorites, the Jamul Kiln on a sunrise trail run. The information about the kiln is located here, if you are interested, and if not, enjoy some of the shots I took of this wilderness area and historic structure. 

Iceland's Abandoned Farmhouses

Iceland's Abandoned Farmhouses

It is without question that Iceland is the land of ice, snow, and beautiful wilderness expanses. But what people do not know about Iceland is that it is also a land where myth and magic intersect with reality. While Iceland is a sophisticated modern country, it is also a place where long-held traditional beliefs about fairies, ghosts, and elves (Huldufólk – “hidden people”) are still accepted and believed. While there are numerous Icelandic tales that are still believed, the strongest beliefs are reserved for the Huldufólk. Even through the twentieth century, and into the twenty-first century, road construction has been diverted – or altered to avoid disturbing the Huldufólk. While such beliefs may seem odd to many people, all one has to do is journey outside of Reykjavik in order to see that Iceland is a place where such things could exist.

Hiking Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Hiking Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

When Christopher Columbus explored Costa Rica’s eastern Coast in 1502, he re-named the area Costa Rica – or “rich coast” because he believed the area contained large amounts of valuable minerals. Although Europeans never found the large amounts of valuable minerals that they had envisioned, today Costa Rica lives up to its name because of the large – and rich amount of biodiversity present in the country. While there are many areas of Costa Rica that have incredible amounts of biodiversity, and great hiking, the area with the most biodiversity – and accessible biodiversity is the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.

Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon

Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon

There are some places in the world that have to be seen to be believed. In such places, descriptions such as “amazing”, “fantastic”, and “awesome”, inevitably fall short. These are the places in the world where words fail, and the eyes are left with a visual phantasmagorical feast. These are the destinations that provide once in a lifetime experiences; and these are the destinations that make travelling worthwhile and inspirational. One of these destinations is the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon in Iceland.