Travel
What's here?
Pictures and stories from
trips that I've been fortunate to go on.
Summer 2006
Last year痴 ride was such a success that there will be 2 GYGIG rides this year; a Hudson River
Valley ride for the third year in a row and a new ride in the Pacific Northwest.
Hilary, Emily and I are training to ride in the Pacific Northwest event.
We will be pedaling a 210 mile loop on the scenic roads North of Seattle from August 18th to 20th, 2006.
Fall 2005
Follow our trip through Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. Destinations included
Sedona, Arizona, a hike up the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Mountains, Wupatki National Monument, Page, Arizona,
a Navajo guided tour of the Upper Antelope Slot Canyon, a visit to the Grand Canyon's South Rim, a visit to Zion
National Park, and a day-trip to Red Rocks National Conservation Area outside Las Vegas.
This fall we were also able to return to Acadia National Park for the first since our wedding.
Summer 2005
Some pictures and summary of the ride by Hilary. For those who don't know about GYGIG, here is a
description of the ride:
Get Your Guts in Gear - The Ride for Crohn's & Colitis is a 3-day, 210-mile cycling event created to raise
awareness about Crohn痴 disease, ulcerative colitis, and the needs of people living with ostomies. The Ride also
raises funds for research, education, patient support, and advocacy work for Crohn痴 disease and ulcerative
colitis, and empowers those affected by the diseases. - www.ibdride.org
Hilary and I did the ride for the first time this year. Despite being unsure about
raising more money than either of us ever had, we ended up exceeding our fundraising expectations.
In addition, the ride took on more meaning as we shared experiences with others who are affected by the diseases
in one way or another. Many thanks to our sponsors for their support and donations.
A big thanks also goes out to the generous volunteers (Thanks Emily!) who made the ride possible.
Spring 2003
From June 17 to June 21, during my self-prescribed break from reality between graduation and starting work, I
flew to the state of Washington to attempt to summit Mt. Rainier. Rainier stands at 14,410 feet above sea level
and is home to the largest collection of active glaciers in the contiguous 48 states. Thousands of people attempt the
summit every year, with only about half being successful - most are turned back by the weather while others, undoubtedly,
by the sheer magnitude and elevation of the mountain. We started at
Paradise, and
then gained 9,000 feet of elevation over 9 miles to become three more of those Mt. Rainier has allowed to summit it.
My partners included a good friend of
mine from college, Zach, and his friend, Peter. We agreed to climb Mount Rainier unguided, which roughly half the mountain's
climbers do. Zach had the most experience in winter mountaineering, followed by Peter and then myself. Together we were
our own guides; each responsible not only for ourselves, but for each other as well. Many factors
influenced my decision to go on this trip, but I'd say that my teammates were a large part of what convinced me that we could
succeed.
To mentally prepare during the months preceding the trip, I read two good books about Rainier,
The Challenge of Rainier by Dee Molenaar
and The Measure of a Mountain by Bruce Barcott, in addition to visiting many climbers' web sites with stories from Rainier. I
also turned to Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills as a
comprehensive reference on several aspects of mountaineering, including roped glacier travel, cramponing techniques,
and crevasse navigation and rescue skills.
Continue on the journey to see pictures and summaries
from each day. I hope you enjoy the pictures that I attempt to capture
the beauty and
otherworldliness of the mountain with.
Spring 2003
Trip report from our "spring break" in Joshua Tree National Park, CA. Hilary wanted to go to Cancun and I
wanted to go skiing in Wyoming, so we compromised and ended up scaling the rocks of J-Tree for a week away from
work and school.
Fall 2002
To relive our road trip experience,
this fall Hilary and I took a long weekend trip to Acadia
National Park in Maine.
Summer 2002
Follow Hilary and me
along our three week journey cross-county. Our
goal was to see as much of the
U.S. as possible, specifically the National Parks in western U.S.
We
ended up having an absolutely amazing trip. And
of course, a three-week road trip wouldn't be complete without some mishaps along
the way.
We visited 9 National Parks (Badlands, Yellowstone, Crater Lake,
Redwoods, Yosemite, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and Rocky
Mtn.) and 7 major cities (Chicago, Seattle, Portland, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Colorado Springs).
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