A grand fir sprouted unsteadily, seemingly too tall for it’s girth. At well over 200-feet, it was in record territory. Farther on, a towering Sitka spruce dug roots into a hollowed stump shell of a redwood that was once nearly … Read More
Turning fifty years of age is a milestone to be celebrated. And if you are a kayaker, what better way to crown the life landmark than by kayaking? Such was the rationale of my love, Lisa Gelczis, who announced in … Read More
We listened. In the backyard, over a world atlas, at a corner table of a breakfast café; we listened, because Olo had a story, many stories, to tell. Despite his marginal English, the Polish explorer spoke tirelessly, bellowing tales of … Read More
The woods had a magical fairy-land feel, like a gnome in a jaunty top-hat might come jumping out any minute. Rising from the mossy floor were conical silver firs, stout Sitka spruce, and towering Douglas firs, all filtering sunlight into … Read More
He was the first human I’d seen all day, and he wore a Green Bay Packers jacket. I lauded his team’s world champion status, but football was far from his mind on the lonely trail. “I didn’t know which way … Read More
Local wisdom says the Main Salmon “washes out” at high water, leaving the rocks sufficiently buried to create a smooth linear flow. Having recently run the river at high water during my 2009 source to sea journey, I repeatedly affirmed … Read More
I was a bit uneasy clipping into a rope with no belay device, but it had worked for the two guys in front of me, so I took one last look at the bolted anchor, sent a trusting glance to … Read More
As I blissfully paddled past the portage eddy, a chorus of warning shouts called after me in several languages; German, French, English. I didn’t understand many of the words, but I got the point—eddy out dude! The unrunnable falls were … Read More
But oh what the desert hides! Hidden beneath this high desert are narrow gorges, and for a brief time each spring, the slots carry snowmelt from the Mogollon Plateau. The runoff snakes between the walls, creating mazes of incongruous, tumbling … Read More
We had no intention of setting a record on Oak Creek. And it’s not the type of title we want to repeat, either—longest shuttle ever. The much-anticipated storm over Presidents Day weekend brought the creek up, and the roads down. … Read More