Recent posts

15Jan 202621 Jan 2026

100-mile Ice Skate in Katmai National Park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXqoUVId6lk Alaska experienced a sustained cold spell throughout December, which froze many lakes without snow cover. I tracked satellite imagery…

7Aug 20258 Aug 2025

Western Brooks Range to Point Lay, Alaska

Another passenger on the flight to Kotzebue stopped at my row and introduced himself as Colin Arisman. Colin is an…

13Jan 202517 Jan 2025

Bad Date Ideas in Boston

I met Amy on the subway from Boston’s Logan Airport. I struck up a conversation with her son (6 years…

River Rescue Knives

5 Jul 202231 Jul 2024

I teach swiftwater rescue and benefit from observing the pros and cons of various river knives and knife placement. In summary: Anyone working or paddling on rivers should carry a…

ski…

Koyuk to Kotzebue: Arctic Contrasts

20 Apr 202220 Apr 2022

Arctic Contrasts While skiing from Koyuk to Kotzebue, northwest Alaska, I was struck by a number of arctic contrasts. Caribou antlers and office chairs 170 miles, six days Green grass…

ski…

McGrath to Nulato

18 Apr 202218 Apr 2022

https://vimeo.com/700133701 I didn't expect it, but the highlights of this solo ski trip were all social. I only met a handful of folks during my nine days on the Iditarod…

ski…

Koyuk to Unalakleet

30 Mar 202231 Mar 2022

https://vimeo.com/694236685 Back at the house in Unalakleet, Laureli Ivanoff said, "Timm. You know I'm not a worrier, right? Well, right after you left, I heard that my cousin in Shaktoolik…

blog

Self-publishing an Instructional Book: Part II (marketing and sales until the handoff to Mountaineers Books)

Disclaimer: I expect that this will only be of interest to folks that are self-publishing a book. If this is you, be sure to start with Part I, about the…

South Fork Matanuska Loop

24 Sep 20219 Feb 2022

This has got to be a candidate for the best true packraft loop around, especially during the autumn. The loop is best done in two nights: 18 mile hike, 16…

The American Whitewater Accident Database

24 Sep 202124 Sep 2021

In September of 2021, American Whitewater (AW) updated their accident database to include "packraft" as an available boat type. Why is this exciting? This update allows us an unprecedented tool…

blog

If my book was a playlist…

16 Sep 202116 Sep 2021

I have a very early memory (as a 6-year-old? 8?) of my mom using lyrics from a Beatles song to teach me not to trust strangers. I was about to…

safety

Shallow Water Crossings (Wading)

I returned home after a day of swiftwater rescue practice to messages about a hunter whose body was recovered in the Wrangell Mountains (Alaska). Friends had shared the news because…