Recent posts

8May 202310 May 2023

Boat control: Why it matters and how to get it

There is a frequent debate within the rescue/instruction community about what really matters in swiftwater safety. The conflict is that…

Big water, little boat: Tatshenshini River to Yakutat

My shared birthday buddy Jeremy Wood invited Sarah and me on a Tatshenshini float trip, Southeast Alaska, in August. Sarah…

26Apr 202327 Apr 2023

Kotzebue to Kivalina

https://youtu.be/zc_bM6vGuv8 The 85-mile stretch of Chukchi coast between Kotzebue and Kivalina was the final remote leg in my Molly of…

Boat control: Why it matters and how to get it

8 May 202310 May 2023

There is a frequent debate within the rescue/instruction community about what really matters in swiftwater safety. The conflict is that we can spend a lot of time practicing technical systems…

Big water, little boat: Tatshenshini River to Yakutat

My shared birthday buddy Jeremy Wood invited Sarah and me on a Tatshenshini float trip, Southeast Alaska, in August. Sarah was excited about the scenery and I was excited to…

ski

Kotzebue to Kivalina

26 Apr 202327 Apr 2023

https://youtu.be/zc_bM6vGuv8 The 85-mile stretch of Chukchi coast between Kotzebue and Kivalina was the final remote leg in my Molly of Denali-inspired 3,500-mile route from Kaktovik to Juneau. It has taken…

Lake Clark Skate Date

4 Apr 20235 Apr 2023

Lake Clark, and Lake Clark National Park, is a precious pocket of Alaska bound by the Chigmit, Neacola, and Alaska Ranges. The tallest mountains rise 10,000 feet from rugged beaches,…

Trusting Tustumena

20 Mar 202324 Mar 2023

Tustumena is the largest lake in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (and one of the ten largest in Alaska), three hours south of Anchorage. The Dena'ina name is reported as…

A battle between great tapes … who will be the last one standing?

1 Mar 202322 Mar 2023

A battle of epic proportions! During my first long cross-country ski of the winter, I ended up using both of the MVP tapes in my repair kit. I was skiing…

Remote Weather History via visualcrossing.com

13 Feb 202321 Feb 2023

My preparation for outings benefits from knowing the recent weather history of remote locations. Remote forecasts are easy, but what actually happened? This time of year, I'm most interested in…

Navigating Pressure Ridges at Skilak Lake

We caught a brief window of skating on Skilak Lake last week. The prominent hazards turned out to be pressure ridges—zones of cracked ice under compression. This post contains: The…

One Boot for All: Backcountry Ski Boots For … Everything

2 Feb 20236 Mar 2023

I wear backcountry ski boots in places where folks don't expect to see them—cross-country ski trails, ice skating, and ice climbing. "What's the deal with those big boots?" The deal…