QUESTIONING MY DECISION TO HIKE THE SIERRAWhen we met in a coffee shop in the Northern California town of Truckee, it had been a month since I had seen my friend Mandy. She, along...
OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL SLEEPI slept under a bridge Thursday, and thought nothing of it. The bridge, vibrating with the constant traffic of Interstate 15 above tons...
A DESERT OASISFrom my snowy perch two miles above Palm Springs, I read a letter sent from my uncle, who lives in one of the homes that twinkled on the...
THE FLOWER OF THE CACTUSWe slept in a wind tunnel posing as a grassy field Saturday night. The constant barrage of gusts made it impossible to sleep, and we...
ULTRALIGHTS AND MICROSPIKESBeyond snow levels in the High Sierra, there isn’t a topic I’ve spent more time researching than gear. Countless blogs and books are...
WHAT IS THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL?My mom still calls it the “PCP.” We’re heading to the airport now, meeting up with my hiking buddy Alex and his family before the two of...
