Short Adventure Stories
June 18, 2022 View looking over the saddle for the first time and then back the valley I just came up A group of day hikers sat at the saddle as I approached. They said kind things to me as I finally got a look into Deadfall Meadows. Glorious alpine lakes and rocky terrain stretched... Continue Reading →
June 18, 2022 It poured all night. The rain was gentle against the top of the camper and I slept pretty well once all the campground kids stopped howling and screaming at the night sky. My alarm woke me abruptly at 0530. No more time to waste. Just needed to get the simple things ready... Continue Reading →
November 13, 2021 Signs pointed us to the left and back down again to the next aid station. The road and gravity led us downhill at a run. My body still protested, but at least I had gravity working with me now. The sun now high in the sky and unblocked by trees beamed down... Continue Reading →
November 13, 2021 It had been a strange journey to get there. It almost felt like the weight of my 30-year odyssey on this Earth had hung in the balance. The limits of everything that I knew and was comfortable in were changing and I was shifting toward accomplishing a goal that, to me, looked... Continue Reading →
March 20, 2021 Frost covered the ground as I left the western parking lot at Pinnacles National Park. I had no idea how many layers I should be wearing in temperatures like this. It was mostly was due to inexperience in colder temperatures, but also sheer stubbornness against being cold. I was going to get... Continue Reading →
May 15, 2021 Very rarely do I have $8 in cash in my wallet. I took that $8 as a sign that I finally needed to visit the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. I had gone to the park before before but was left dejected without any cash and the entrance gate with a... Continue Reading →
March 7, 2020 I felt calm. Only a little nervous. There was nothing to compare this to, so no reason to stress. It was going to go how it was going to go now that I was here at the start line. Michael and I at the start line. For six months straight I ran... Continue Reading →
April 18, 2021 “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth Every step started to feel awful. My insides protesting, my muscles tightening. Am I going to finish this? Can I even make it up this hill? “I’m sorry I signed us up for this,” I heard myself say out... Continue Reading →
March 27, 2021 3 weeks later I headed back to the house. I was prepared to help my aunt with the finalization of her packing. This would be her last weekend at the house. I packed my running gear, a new lightweight jacket, gloves, headlamp, water bottles, vest, and snacks. I planned a route based... Continue Reading →
March 6, 2021 The shadow always loomed large, but I never seemed to notice it before. It’s almost like I now see mountains differently than I did before. Like I did not notice them or just thought they were a nice backdrop in an ever changing landscape. Now I look at them and wonder if... Continue Reading →
Finding Wildness 