Riding Buses

Our Nepal team didn't have a whole lot of time to rest; we had to keep moving. The day after we arrived we took a bus 6 hours to the next largest city in Nepal, Pokhara. It was intense. Imagine if you will the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National park only with all the vehicles that are allowed on the GSH (trucks, buses, etc) bumper to bumper. At least this was how it was descending out of the big city. The majority of the time of the trip was in the first quarter of the distance because of the slow moving traffic.

Enjoying the views of the countryside out the window of the bus. 

Trucks and buses in Nepal were very funny: they all had custom paint jobs and sported English phrases like "Miss You" or "See You". These were painted on the back presumably referring to "I'll see ya later because I just passed you...". I was surprised that I never saw "Eat Dust", but they might be have a little less road angst than we have in the US. There were also many religious symbols. By the way they drive it is easy to understand why drivers would want to believe in something outside themselves to protect them. Most of the vehicles we saw also had custom horns that had multiple tones as if it were going up and down a chromatic scale. Each was unique and got your attention pretty fast. And they used them a lot too, more as a form of communication than in anger or surprise as we do in the States. I wish this culture of driving we have would change. (I've started to use the horn on my scooter in this fashion: using it proactively to let people know I'm there rather than "yelling" at someone who cuts me off.)

Colorful truck we are following and about to pass. The back says "SPORTS".

And that's the front after we passed it. 

Finally, the drivers also had a system of passing: the faster truck or bus would come up behind the slower one and honk, then the front driver would use the turn signal to indicate whether it was safe to pass or not. When passing you used the horn to let the other driver or motorcycle that they were moving back into the left lane. Oh yeah, did I mention that yet? They drive on the left side of the road in Nepal, from the British colonial influence. That didn't help me sit any more still or comfortably in my seat...

My first official plate of dal-baht. I got better at eating it. Notice the fork: I was still a novice at this point. 

We had two major breaks on the trip: one for a bathroom break and one for lunch. And I say major because we also stopped within the first two hours of driving for a pit stop on the side of the road. Guys just piled out and peed off the side of the road. Sorry ladies, modesty meant you had to wait for the "major" stop. Lunch on this day was our first experience with dal-baht. Baht means rice in Nepali (and Hindi I think) and dal is a lentil stew-thing. It was pretty good, thankfully, because we ate it for 2 days straight at the beginning of our trek. People in Nepal eat dal-baht with their hands too! Pretty fun. You should try it sometime...

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. We arrived into Pokhara right after a large rainstorm hit and dropped larger than marble-sized hail. Glad we were in the bus and not on the trail. It was the start of the monsoon season, so we expected a little rain. The unfortunate downside was clouds shrouded what was supposed to be our amazing view of the surrounding mountains: the Annapurna group and Manaslu range. Even when we came back from the trek we never saw the famous view. But I bought a poster to remember what it should have been like.

Colorful boats on the lake in Pokhara. Notice the cloudy skies. Darn.

We walked around the town a bit that evening and did some souvenir scouting. There was a beautiful lake and we walked down to the water front. And we found a place that served Illy coffee, a really famous brand in Italy. Several of us ordered espressos and they were amazing! Maybe the best latte I've ever had. (Sorry Larkin) Then it was dinner and off to bed.

The next day we got on a different bus that took us to our trailhead. We drove for an hour and a half on a road similar to the GSH but with only one paved lane in the middle. Our bus passed oncoming traffic and vehicles going the same direction with two wheels on the gravel shoulder. Scary! We dropped Jeff's trekking team off 30 minutes in, prayed for their success and safety, and then continued over the next ridge to our beginning location, Birethanti.  We went through the village passing out tracts and greeting people as we went. Namaste is hello, and that's about as much Nepali as we knew at that point.

Checking in at the beginning of the trek.

Kids running off to school for the day.

We had to check-in and show our trekking permits and then we were off on the trail. The first bit was a two track road that locals use to get supplies into their villages. Tourists have complained because it took away from the original natural beauty that can be found in a trail, but now the villagers can get their goods to market in Pokhara and get a fair price and they are better able to get quick medical help. Past a certain point though supplies and goods were either packed around by people or teams of mules. I was so amazed by the people here. You could say that the trails and roads and villages were literally built on the backs of the people. They are tough.

The start of the trail (or road). 

Team 2 Legit to Quit: (l to r) Thomas, Dustin, Sean, Colter, Andrew, Shemiah

Mules coming down a flight of steps. The village at the top of the stairs is where we ate lunch. 

 We hiked about 2 or 3 hours and then had lunch (dal-baht). Then we climbed up lots of stairs, close to 2000 feet of them, to where we planned to stay the night in Ulleri. On the way we got caught in a rainstorm complemented with hail. We were forced to take shelter in under the roof of a tea house (Nepali version of hotel/restaurant) and wait it out. Then we were treated with the most beautiful rainbow that I have ever seen: very vibrant colors and a complete bow across the sky. What a reminder of God's mercy for us, a promise that he gives us life and life to the full.

At the bottom of the picture is the village where we ate lunch.

"Wel Come to Ulleri" (they couldn't seem to understand that Welcome is one word.)

We arrived and checked into our tea house. The rooms had beds with mattresses and even blankets if you wanted but I used my sleeping bag since I had carried it all that way. That night we were able to play the Saber device recording for a group of kids at a children's home. They loved it! And it was fun to greet them and ask them simple questions like "what is your name?" and "how old are you?" in Nepali. Out team was also attacked by leeches that night! Nasty buggers! Then it was dinner (dal-baht) and off to bed to get ready for the next day.

Squatty-Potty. Gotta love it. 

Traveling to Nepal

I'll be the first to admit that traveling halfway around the world is a marathon and isn't for the weak at heart. We began our trip on Sunday May 5th by driving to Billings for the night since we had to be at the airport by about 4 am on Monday morning. Monday definitely started early, but checking our bags went rather smoothly. It was a pretty routine flight to Seattle and then we settled in for a 7 hour layover for our flight to Tokyo. We filled our time with scavenger hunts, pushup contests, and shuttle-train rides.

Hanging in the Seattle airport. If you've been to the SEA-TAC airport you know the giant double-curved glass window that is on the right.

The flight to Tokyo was our longest at about 10 hours. I watched a couple of movies and had a nap. Our food seemed good for plane fare: curried chicken and rice for dinner then a fruit cup and egg english muffin sandwich for a pre-arrival meal. It was two hour stop in Tokyo before flying to Bangkok (7 hour flight). Airports in countries other than the US are very funny: you have to go through security when you get off the plane before you enter the airport, then you have to get your bags checked again right before you get on the plane. I feel bad for people that try and buy duty-free items and then have to throw them away before getting on their next flight.

Scott modeling some Japanese candies in the airport.

Sleeping in the airport. Our group just kind of took over...

We then slept in the Bangkok airport on various cushions, couches, and chairs, having taken blankets and pillows from our last flight. Some of us had our backpacking sleeping pads with us to sleep on too. Then it was off to Nepal, another long flight of 4+ hours. So what does one do? Well, you write in your journal, you read a little of your Bible, and you watch another movie. Oh, and did I mention gawk at Everest out the window? We all had seats on the right (north) side of the aircraft and got to see the Himalayas as we came into Kathmandu. After all that we were very happy to be on the ground in another country again rather than in the limbo of an airport.

The airport architecture was really interesting. I think it's the largest single terminal airport in the world (by area). 

Trip Itinerary

We have our tickets finalized for our travel to Nepal, so at least we know how we will be getting to Kathmandu, just not necessarily how we will feel when we get there.
Here's our (abbreviated) itinerary:

• Flight from Billings, MT to Seattle, WA on the morning of May 6th.
• Fly from Seattle to Tokyo, Japan (longest flight, tickets seem to say 26 hours...!)
• Tokyo to Bangkok, Thailand (long layover in the airport overnight)
• Bangkok to Kathmandu, Nepal Woo hoo! At our final destination at midday on the 8th of May, tired and flight-weary but pumped to be in Nepal. (at least that's the hope) 

On the way back, we retrace our steps and arrive in Billings on May 21st mid-afternoon. Then we drive back to Bozeman to crash in our own beds. Somehow I feel like that will be very nice...

Please Pray: 

• Pray that our travels will go smoothly
• Pray that we will arrive to Kathmandu with all our bags of supplies for the villagers
• Pray for our health on the planes and in airports that we might be strong and have energy to do the work we are going to accomplish. 

Going to Nepal

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6


My life has been full of adventure recently, and God isn't stopping anytime
soon: He is sending me to Nepal! He has given me an incredible opportunity to use my
passion of the mountains and my expedition skills directly for his service. I am going
as a team leader on a short-term mission with Vision Beyond Borders (VBB). I am so
excited to be preparing to carry supplies and the Word to people in remote villages at
17,000 feet in the Himalayas!

We plan to leave on May 6th and be gone for about two weeks returning the
22nd. We will fly into the capital Kathmandu and spend a first day getting oriented to the
culture. As an activity, we will be given guided tours of Hindu and Buddhist temples. I
have heard that these are very dark and evil places, very unlike our Western perception
of these religions. The VBB staff feels like we should experience this dark side of the
beliefs prevalent in the society we are trying to reach.

Then our trip will essentially be split into two parts. The first and largest chunk
of time will be spent carrying the gospel message recorded in the Nepali language into
high altitude villages. This will likely be the first time that these people will have heard
the amazing news of Jesus! The gospel is recorded onto hand wind audio players and
we’ve heard that a single device can bring an entire village to Christ! Teams returning
less than a year later have found that many people will have memorized the entire
message. We will take vans and buses on about a two day journey to the highest
town to which we can drive. Then we will spend the next week or so hiking back to
Kathmandu, stopping at villages along the way.

After we return from the mountains, we will fly to Vietnam for the second part
of our trip. We will spent 2-3 days smuggling Bibles into Laos where God's word is
banned. Churches and Christians are so hungry to have Bibles that they are willing
to risk their lives to take Bibles across the border. If locals get caught they face the
loss of a limb or death. I am so excited to be able to aid them in their efforts in relative
safety. VBB has done this before and assures us that as an American we have a sort
of immunity. If we get caught with Bibles crossing into Laos we are pulled aside into a
room, yelled at in a language we can’t understand for an hour, and then released with
our bag of Bibles on the Vietnam side. Then we pick up our bag and try to cross again.

For any of this to work, from our trip preparations to our plane travel to crossing
the border with illegal Bibles, I need people to cover me and my team in prayer. Please
consider committing to being on my team of prayer warriors and start praying now until
we get home safely.


Things to actively pray for starting now:

1. Our preparations: (spiritual, physical, and emotional) to be adequate and not
stressful
2. Travel: that it would be safe and efficient
3. People in Nepal: that they might be open to the message of the gospel
4. For God to provide our team with the necessary funds
5. That God would be with those that we leave behind, giving them peace about our
safety

Return from the South

We are about to return to our lives in the United States. Darn. Back to normal life. It´s been pretty nice to live in this wonderland of Christmas break between semesters of school, traveling to see both family and the wonders of Patagonia.
We had a great day at the Glacier yesterday, albeit different than expected. It was warm and sunny when we left El Calafate but cloudy, rainy and chilly when we arrived. The bus schedule was such that we had about 4 1/2 hours to view the glacier and walk the labrinth of the board walk. It seems as though this would be very enjoyable on a hot, sunny day: sitting on the benches and watching the glacier calve off into the lake. But it wasn´t warm and nice, which also meant the glacier wasn´t very active either. We did see some large chunks of ice fall in and can only imagine the spectacle the forming of a large iceberg would be to see.
I (Colter) am in the lobby of our hostel/hotel as I write this, using the free computer access that they offer. We have 20 minutes until our shuttle to the airport arrives. Our flight from Calafate leaves at 2:30 (or 10:30 Bozeman time) and lands in Buenos Aires around 5:30. Then we leave BA close to 11, flying all night, landing in Dallas, going through the circus of customs before jumping up to Kansas City. We hope to escape the airport a bit with Muna and Dad and then scratch off the last bit of our journey home that evening. We´ll be pooped, but grateful to be home, sleep in our own bed, and see Kyler.
This is not the end of our adventures. No, not in the least. Alli and I are already beginning to plot our next excursions and the things we want to see and experience next. Where, you might ask? Well, you´ll just have to keep in touch and stay tuned...

Back to El Calafate

Hola todos! Hello everybody!
For those of you eagerly awaiting news from our trip, wait no more. We have made it out of Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, took a rest day in Puerto Natales, and then fishing for a day. Now we are back in Argentina for the next couple of days in the city of El Calafate.
We had absolutely amazing weather in the Park while backpacking. We feel so lucky! And we have a ton of pictures to wade through and share in the near future. Highlights of our backpacking trip include a view of Las Torres, a sunny day in the French Valley cirque, hiking high above the Grey Glacier, and views of all the prominent peaks under blue skies with fresh snow on them. Oh yeah, and we road a boat from our last camp within 50 feet of the front of the Glacier and were served drinks chilled with glacier ice. Living in the lap of luxury.
We went fishing with two guides yesterday and I had the most amazing morning of fly fishing Ive ever had! The afternoon wasnt so good but we still had a great time. That was a pretty cool birthday present... The rest of our down time since we came back to civilization has included sleeping in, eating wonderful hostel breakfasts, tasting the local flavor (including an Argentinian twist on classic sushi, gelato ice cream, empanadas, and a sandwich cookie called an alfahore).
Tomorrow we have bus tickets to go to Perito Moreno glacier in Argentinias Glacier National Park. It´s supposed to be one of the most active glaciers in the world, with ice calving off the front of the glacier into the water every 5 minutes. Can´t wait! Then we leave El Calafate on Monday and begin our whirlwind trip home so that I can go to class on Wednesday.
I´m on the hostel computer so no pictures right now, sorry. We´ll get them up soon, promise!

Year 2012 Wrap Up

Since I have basically failed to blog since June I'll try and catch you all up to my world over the past six months:

I went to the Young Life property Washington Family Ranch (affectionately referred to as WaFaRa) for a week in June with my high school buddies for summer camp. As advertised, it easily qualifies as one of the best weeks of my life.

The guys in my cabin at camp. They are awesome!

I asked my girlfriend to marry me while at the top of Bridger Bowl Ski Area, fulfilling a life-long goal to propose with a ring-pop.

I worked for 7 weeks of my summer in Lewistown, MT. My research work with Western Transportation Institute involved building a test road at an old B-52 landing strip. It was a frustratingly long process where the contractor underbid the job and took them much longer than expected.

The "Trench": an imitation of a weak road base that we strengthened with plastic meshes. 

We had a family reunion on the Oregon Coast. So good to see everyone and share Alli with my family!

School started again in August and I had a pretty full load trying to take 3 graduate classes, teach 2 sections of lab, and work part-time for WTI. I wound up telling my boss that I couldn't work any more of the semester in October.

The highlight of my hunting season was killing my first antelope opening day the beginning of October. I had a blast chasing elk through the woods, and was relatively successful finding them. However, I was still unable to close the deal on any opportunities. There's always hope for next year...

Hunting in Anaconda with Alli before Thanksgiving.

I married the love of my life on November 10, 2012. I never thought that this would be the first thing checked off my bucket list made almost 3 years ago.

We visited Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving in Kalispell, had a birthday celebration for Alli, and we both got our first tattoos! Although I won't admit to any tears, I will assure you that commitment like that hurts really bad.

Alli and I just recently found out that we received an honorable mention in an outdoor adventure checklist contest we entered. There was a list of 20 activities to be accomplished in the Bozeman area and we completed 14. We got a shout out as the love-bird couple who did the tasks together and got engaged along the way. No prize money, but there's always next year...

Alli and I on the top of Hyalite Peak the last weekend in September, one of the tasks for the Outside Bozeman Hitlist contest. 

The semester of school refused to die and I spent an inordinate amount of time in my office at school trying to finish several papers, projects, and reports. After I finished we left for a weekend trip to Kalispell, and then flew to Kansas City to visit Alli's parents and grandparents.

Our final adventure of the year is our Honeymoon! We leave on Monday for South America for some Feliz Navidades! We plan to see the sites, taking it all in as we backpack and flyfish in the area of Puerto Natales and El Calafate. More updates of our trip to follow.

Christmas Travels

So it's been a while since I've been blogging and hopefully this trip will encourage me to pick it up again. This should be your one stop shop for all the adventure stories of Colter and Alli; the first being our honeymoon trip to Patagonia. We hope to be able to blog throughout our time in South America.
This is the first test blogging with smartphone so likely it'll be short but hopefully fun. This should be an indication of how our blogging will be throughout the trip.
Well we are off and running on the first part of our journey to Kansas City. There's been a little hiccough in the weather but seems like we'll make it okay. The perk is we've been bumped to first class which is a new experience for me.

Cousin Visit and Home for Easter

My cousin Luke flew in from California this Spring to check out MSU. I tried to do my best to show him all that Bozeman had to offer in an effort to convince him that he needs to come to Montana to go to school. We'll see if my efforts pay off.

Luke throwing down on the Gallagator Boulder, a 5 minute walk from my house. 

We went skiing on Saturday down in Big Sky, and it was raining. Poo! I think we were soaked before we even got out of the truck. And the snow conditions were icy, visibility was poor...yuk. So we went inside, ate some snacks and had some hot cocoa, before venturing out again when the rain seemed to abate a bit. 

All smiles and excitement in the lodge at Big Sky.

And wouldn't you know: it turned out to be an amazing day! Great spring snow conditions and we ran into a friendly Big Sky local, Karen, who gave us a ripping tour of the upper mountain. We wound up skiing until 5 in the evening. Not bad for such a crummy start.

Luke hanging out on the chair with our new-found friend Karen. We met her on a ride up a triple chair and she was willing to ski with us most of the day, giving us a tour of a lot of highlights of the mountain. Lucky to run into her. 

At the top of our last run. It got washed out but Lone Peak was finally shining through the clouds.  Such a good day: after leaving the truck in a rain shower, it only got better and turned out to be difficult to leave.

After skiing at Big Sky the night before we ate stacked enchiladas and watched A River Runs Through It that night. So the next day I had to take Luke to some of the scene locations from the movie. Luke is here messing around on the steps of the "Missoula Police Department."

Easter means a three-day weekend for us college students at Montana State, and I took the opportunity to travel home for the Parental visit. I was hoping to ski at Big Mountain, catch up with good friends, tour the sites of the Flathead Valley, and share them with someone special. 

This might be breaking news for some of you that I haven't had the chance to talk to recently, but I am dating the coolest gal I have ever met. You might be thinking, "Colter has a girlfriend?! I thought he'd never find a girl." Well, you're not alone, I thought that for a long time too. I've had pretty high criteria, high standards, that no one seemed to be able to attain. Then Alli came along and knocked me off my feet and my life will never be the same again. She came home with me to meet Mom and Dad and find out more about my past. Luckily it seems like she likes what she found.

Viewing the Flathead Valley from Lone Pine State Park. 

Skiing while it was snowing at Big Mountain. It's hard not to smile on a day like that.

Dying Easter eggs Saturday night.

Alli and I heated our ski boot liners for a better fit. Cinderella can have her glass slippers, my gal would rather have perfect fitting ski boots. Does that give you a picture of why I've fallen for her?

We got to see my sister Larkin while on our way back to Bozeman. Wow, aren't I lucky? Flanked by two gorgeous gals, smiles all around!

The Spring Semester of school wrapped up well, with vacations and trips like Spring Break in DC and then Easter in Kalispell as highlights. The final push juggling teaching, research, and coursework was pretty rough, but I passed everything with flying colors and transitioned into full-time work for the summer. Who'd have thought that working 40 hours a week would feel like a vacation! Now it's on to climbing, fishing, running, biking, hiking, and paddling. The problem will forever be deciding which activity to do...

Heading Home

I left Yreka, CA behind after a joy-filled good bye with my auntie and headed North toward Salem, OR. Thankfully my headlights held tough while I drove through some pretty nasty, rainy weather. After driving around town several times due to my inaccurate interpretation of my friend Kim's directions, I finally made it to her house. We hung out with her roommates for a bit that evening and then talked fairly late, catching up on life and sharing our hopes for the future. it would be fair to say that Kim is going to go far in life because of her encouraging nature, commitment to others, and love for the people around her. I awoke that next morning for breakfast among new friends and headed off toward home on the final stretch of my journey.

The weather was holding well and I was on the home stretch. Minus the fact that I couldn't listen to the radio because the roar of my "hole-y" muffler was so loud, it was a good drive. I was initially worried about getting over the pass into Montana, but I got through early enough that the road surface hadn't froze yet. My final stop before making it back to Kalispell was in St. Regis, where I filled up on fuel, sunflower seeds, and my usual gas station coffee laced with hot chocolate. Unfortunately, my headlights would not turn on when I started my pickup and no amount of jiggling of wires, whispered coaxing words, or yelling harsh insults would get them to light my way home. Thus I spent my last night on the road sleeping in the back of my truck in the parking lot of the Travel Center listening to country music blaring from the loud speaker. Home was so close I could feel it, and all I could do was wait for the light of the morning.

I woke up before sunrise the next morning and drowned my disappointment in some huckleberry pancakes. Then I made the final slog home. And what a Home-Coming! The valley had gotten some early season snow and I was able to head up to the ski resort after Dad got off work to hike the mountain with some friends and get in the first turns of the season. If my trip around the West had been a giant sundae, then skiing the day I got home was a giant cherry on top!

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As I sit here and write this final post almost a year since I made the journey, I can't help but reflect on how amazing this experience it was. I feel extremely lucky to have been able to take the time off of work and school to visit beautiful natural sights and wonders that I had been curious about for some time. I drove a lot of miles to hike in deep canyons, ponder big trees, scale beautiful granite rock, and ride technical slickrock. It has proved to be a sort of "sampler trip:" I hit the hot spots and didn't spend too much time in any one particular area, but I know places that I want to travel back to and spend a longer period of time exploring.

As fun as hiking, running, climbing, and riding is beautiful places is, I don't think it would have been the same without all the special people that I was able to visit along the way. It has reminded me of the importance of involving other people in my adventures and to use life experiences to build lasting relationships with those whom with I travel through life. My hope is to grow from this great adventure; to let the miles of  this road trip work on me and mold me into a better person.

Green Wine Country, Deep Blue Ocean, and White Mountains: Adventures in Northern California

Ocean in view: Oh the Joy!

The morning after arriving at my Aunt and Uncle's house continued to be special. I was treated like a prince and it was as if my arrival made the world stand still and should have been called a national holiday! We had a wonderful breakfast, Luke skipped his first class at the High School , and I went with the four of them to drop both Luke and Hope off at school. Then I spent the morning with Craig fiddling with the lights on my pickup before scooting further north to see a good friend from College.

Lil' Champ and I rolled into Potter Valley feeling somewhat out of place. I  immediately felt like this sleepy little town was a place you could go to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life, which might be a good description of what my friend Amanda had done. We met up at her house and scurried off to the foothills to ramble among the green grasses and damp earth of autumn in California. We followed truck trails, cow trails, deer trails, and no trails, climbing up to a gorgeous viewpoint of the town below, all the while having the kind of warm, friendly, and open conversation that I have come to crave from my friends. Amanda jumps up on this boulder at one point and declares to me and the world that she had planted a meadow full of wild flowers and hoped to see them sprout in the coming spring. She's so fun! After the "ramble," the rest of the evening with filled with lab puppies, wonderful homemade food and wine with Amanda's sister, and even deeper conversation.

The next morning, after some not-quite-tearful goodbyes, I continued my journey around the West by driving west to the coast. I wandered up the coastal highway through amazingly beautiful country, eventually finding my way to the Redwoods National Park (RNP), the 12th National Park of my trip. Earlier, in Southern California, I stopped by the Sequoia National Park and saw the biggest trees of my life. It is my understanding that Sequoias are an inland variation of the Coastal Redwoods found in Northern California in Humboldt State Park and the RNP. If the Sequoias are the largest trees in the world by shear bulk, the Redwoods certainly give any other species a run for their money in a "tallest tree" contest.

National Park number 12 of my trip: the Redwoods.

The woods of the RNP are almost rainforest-like compared to the forests back home in Montana. Green is the primary color with life exploding all around you in the form of grass, moss, ferns, and the like. And I even got to see wildlife. This trip coming on the tails of a somewhat frustrating archery season chasing elk, I have a mix of emotions seeing the wily wapiti in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton areas, and now in the Redwoods. It is a remarkably freeing feeling when I can witness elk in their native habitat and appreciate them for what they are: a beautiful creature of the forest, strong and powerful, and masters of survival, without the pressure of the harvest that hunting usually brings. It is definitely a different enjoyment, but one that I could come to appreciate.

That's me, and yes, I'm hugging a tree. A really big tree.

Evidently the elk are rather ferocious in Northern
California...and they know it! The sign says "Wild Elk:
Do not approach or Feed."

Epic self-timer photo. Took me a couple of takes. But
isn't that sunset beautiful?

If you continue through the Park toward Crescent City, you'll come to the ocean and I happened to do just that as the sun was setting. It was gorgeous! Being a mountain boy from land-locked Montana I don't get to see the ocean very much, which made this that much more enjoyable. There is something about the sea that sparks the imagination and gives joy to the spirit; a view to the horizon, a salty breeze, and foamy waves crashing on the shore makes one believe they can do anything.

I enjoyed the sunset until the light no longer painted the sky with color and drove North through Crescent City, "around the horn" through Grants Pass, Medford, and back down to visit my Auntie Ingrid and Uncle Mike. Once again, I cannot express the gratitude that I  have for such a wonderful loving family scattered across the country. My aunt and uncle welcomed me into their home with some great food and even better conversation. The only thing that ended our time together that first night was my "glazed look." I had been on the road all day and was falling asleep in my chair. I hope that Uncle Mike will find a way to forgive me; it was because I was tired and not because of his pontifications that were making my eyes droopy.

Looking up the standard climbers' route of Shasta with
the alpine climbers' cabin in the foreground. 

Yet another coincidence on my trip increased the enjoyment factor exponentially: Ingrid happened to have the day off of work the next day. She took me on a tour to see Mt. Shasta and hike around at its base. There was a lot of snow around and we had some fun route finding among the fresh smelling pine trees in the crisp autumn air of the volcanic highlands. There is something about fresh air, hiking and snacky-food that stimulates the mind, body, and spirit, but then again I just love being outside. She sent me off alone at one point to go see the climbers' cabin and race around the woods in the snow, then I met her back at the parking lot. We then went to a late lunch at a wonderful little cafe that was even on a little on the ritzy side. I felt honored to have such a treat, especially when the two of us just sauntered in dressed in our boots and hiking clothing!

Inside the climbers' cabin. It's something like Craig and
Luke's favorite vacation spot and a local to which I want
to return.

Photo with my wonderful Auntie Ingrid in front of
Mt. Shasts.

From girls to future goals and dreams our conversations covered a lot of miles. We also had a great time defining a new term: phisching (pronounced fish-king). A blending of the words phishing and scheming, it's a tool in the "scheming process", all about gathering information/data about other people's interests and schedules upon which to formulate a plan for an adventure involving said people. Among certain circles of friends I've come to be known as the "Scheming Monster," a title of which I am proud.  However, I was surprised to find how much of a Scheming Monster Ingrid is in her own right. Perhaps these tendencies in ourselves can be traced to influential people in both our lives, people with names like Ron, Ann, Tabitha, and Duane. I am proud of my heritage for sure.

I don't know if I had ever spent one-on-one time like that with my favorite Hansen auntie, and I will remember our time together forever.

Denali Teaser

For all of you that have been waiting for an update on Denali, here it is. It's not much, but at least it will push the SPOT post out of view, eh?

Dad and I got back to Anchorage on July 6th and Kalispell on the 8th. It was nice to have some time to decompress and adjust back to "normal" life. Thanks to my friends Ben and Katie for being such amazing hosts and ushering us back into civilization with good food, good convo, and loaned bikes!

In summary, we spent a total of three weeks on the Mountain, reaching a high point of 18,200 feet at Denali Pass before being turned around by the weather. I would be misleading you if I said that I'm not disappointed about not gaining the top. However, the skills gained in mountaineering and expedition camping will be invaluable and the time spent with my dad will be something that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

As a teaser, here are a couple photos:

Work, Weddings, and other Wildness

I've been a bad blogger recently, so apologies to any of you who have been eagerly awaiting updates on my life. I looked back at my newest post previous to this one and it's dated May 8th, the day before I started work for the Forest Service. Starting work has been a blessing and a curse in that it's wonderful to start working again and putting away money for school this Fall, but dramatically shrunk my free time. Alas, my career as a ski bum and free-lance writer has come to an end. Creative writing quickly took the back burner to more pressing things like sleep, training, church and friend activities, and Denali preparation.

Work has been great so far. Our crew was in a sort of pre-season mode for much of the first couple of weeks since the snow on the ground prevented us from getting very far off the valley floor on system roads. Once underway though we've made a great deal of progress on all our projects. I'm specifically in a semi-leadership position on a small crew that is surveying old logging roads acquired by the Forest Service in the past year. We are to map the roads on a GPS, record any important features along the way, and judge the soil erosion/water management risk level of the road.

The past month has also been a whirlwind of traveling, as is evidenced by my current location: on a hotel bed in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The first big trip cam Memorial Day weekend with a trip to Dallas for my college roommate and good friend's wedding. Marc and Bonni are finally hitched after what seemed like ages of holding off until both had graduated college, amidst two separate years of being apart. It was a giant reunion for my group of friends from ACU and what an incredible joy it was to see familiar faces. It was the hottest day in Dallas/Ft. Worth yet that year (it hit 104 the afternoon of the outside wedding), but we wetted some eyes in a touching ceremony and then burned the house down in a rockin' dance-party reception dinner.

This weekend I am in Los Alamos for another of my best friend's wedding. Nathan and Sarah are some of the coolest people I know: their love for adventure, each other, and God is infectious. I had never been a Best Man before and with the honor came some responsibilities that induced some stress. The other Groomsman and I creatively delivered the ring to the Groom via a frisbee and tradition had it that I gave a toast during the tea-time reception. However, never have I been to a more fun wedding! Everything about it was a great reflection on the type of people Nathan and Sarah are. It was a huge family/friend reunion all over again and my spirit is soaring in the clouds. Just as a heads up, single ladies and aspiring matchmakers alike, I caught the garter...

Abbey Road anyone? Marc, Nathan, and Ryan heading to the baseball stadium, just one part of a sweet Bachelor party.

The Rangers stadium. An interesting conglomeration of the facades and styles of several other ballparks around the Country.

Me and my escort for the Marc's wedding, my good friend Amanda.

First dance!

The groomsmen at Nathan's wedding. I humbly claim that we were the "life of the party..." 

Both weddings were great excuses for reunions. Amanda, myself, Marc, and Bonni.

The debut performance of "The Pickles and the Groomsmen" during the wedding reception. We sang "All I Want is You" from the movie Juno. 

The happy couple with the BM.

The decorated car. We made it as gaudy as possible and hid the keys. With both of them thoroughly confused, Sarah's dad drove up in a new Mini-Cooper for them to drive to Albuquerque.

Saying goodbye in the hotel. 

Tomorrow begins the journey back home, where I will frantically make last minute packing and gear decisions with my dad before we head out to Alaska on Tuesday. Start your "praying engines," because we're going to need them all.