Leave No Trace (aka Leave No TP)
Let's talk trash. No, seriously. I want to talk to you about trash. Specifically, I want to talk about toilet paper. It's amazing (and very upsetting) how much trash I find along the trail on any given hike. On one hike in the Great Smoky Mountains I stopped at a very popular waterfall, admired the scenery along with all the other day hikers, then continued on the trail. I came around a corner and there in front of me, ON THE TRAIL, were several piles of used toilet paper. It
Anxiety and Hope
I've been on an emotional bungee jump lately. At first I'm enjoying the ride, thinking "This is so exciting! Weeeeee!" but then there's the moment when reality hits and I think "Oh God, have I made a terrible mistake?!" but then I'm rebounded back up into the air thinking "This is so great! I'm having all the fun!" closely followed by the fall back to earth thinking "Holy crap what have I done?". You get the idea. It's exhausting. Let me explain. As the fundraising deadline f
The Lure of Everest
Every April I start getting Everest fever. Not the fever to climb Everest but the insatiable fever to read about and know everything that's going on during the climbing season. You probably already know that at 29,035' Mt Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth. And you are probably aware that over the years Everest has become more accessible to aspiring mountaineers, and each season the debate on if Mt Everest is now too accessible is reinvigorated. I've found it interestin
