Hiking teaches me lessons I didn’t ask for but often need. Chief among them: expectations rarely match reality. Sometimes they’re delightfully surpassed. I map out distances, estimate pace, and anticipate…
When most people prepare for a multi-day adventure—whether it’s a trek to Everest Base Camp, Bhutan’s Snowman Trek, or the Tour du Mont Blanc—their focus tends to be on the…
The hour before a new client session, I get the same knot in my stomach that I sometimes get as I pull into the parking lot of a tough trailhead.…
I have led more Mountaineers hikes than I ever imagined possible—23 of the 43 hikes hikes I've done so far in 2025. And we're only in July. Yet I find…
This season, I’ve been reminded how crucial it is to stay hydrated during hot-weather hikes. One CHS student (Conditioning for Hiking Series) recently visited the ER after a long, exposed…
Milestone Post / A Reflection Essay Blog post 180 is longer than usual. It's a 3,000-word look at how four years of blogging, hiking, and leading have shaped the way…
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity including leading four hikes. Training up to eight clients in a day. Sitting for a neighbor's dog for two days.…
For several weeks I've been reflecting on how widely different I feel on the trail and at work. Why can I feel so totally in control in one area but…
Building sustainable habits is easier when you understand how to "win the day" both vertically and laterally. Inspired by Dr. Cobb’s Sustenance course in the Z-Health curriculum as well as…
Sometimes the most memorable weeks aren’t the ones that go smoothly, but the ones that test our patience, resilience, and creativity. This week, a four-day internet outage forced me to…