Musings on Travel and Life
The fire danced, flames strong and healthy against the night. It its glow, people rested in a loose circle, sitting on chairs and benches and whatever else they could find. Behind them, more people stood, and further out, on a courtyard of gravel and dust, a dance party shifted and ebbed. People moved in singles …
I’m in the mountains, on a relaxed day-hike. Most of my group is climbing a steep, technical peak that is almost all glacier, but I wanted something mellower, without the stress and choices of real mountaineering. My friend Cassandra was in a similar mood, and she’s joined me for a day of open ridgeline, easy …
Six years ago, my friend died mountaineering. A person I’d shared food and hugs and life with was gone. I’ve been reflecting, in the weeks since the anniversary. I see the mountains we hiked and the cliffs we climbed, but the images are faded, like old photos weathered by sun. I hear some of …
Six years ago yesterday, a close friend of mine died mountaineering. I started writing to process this, and it’s one of the things that helped me heal. A few months after the death, I wrote a piece called Mountains Aren’t Spiritual, reflecting on here death. Here were the original words: For the first time, someone …
Imagine a world where you could see your family without thinking. Imagine being able to sit in a restaurant or drink in a bar; to share a coffee indoors with the stranger from Tinder, to let your traveling friends sleep on your couch. Imagine starting a Friday without plans and ending it with your living …