Posts by Andrew Skurka

I am 37-years-old and live in the heart of the Canadian Rockies in Golden, British Columbia, with my wife T. I have an insatiable passion for both outdoor adventure and gear, which has led me into ambitious gear projects and even more ambitious sufferfest trips (where my perpetual optimism tends to get me through). After…

I am 61 years old but don’t let that impress you, I live in a 40 something brain and body. I live in Monument, Colorado and have two grown daughters and 4 amazing grandkids who call me “Gramps. Since retiring from a long and successful career in Asia as a Senior Executive for major paper,…

I live in Helena, Montana, with my husband Matt and our two kids, Kennedy (12) and Cameron (10). We are outdoor fun hogs, spending most of our time skiing, mountain biking, and backpacking in the Northern Rockies. I work for Gaia GPS, which is a new and exciting career — in late-2019 I resigned as…

The open application period for our 2021 trips has been open for a week, and I’d like to share some numbers that will help to set the expectations of those who have already applied and those who are considering it. Overall Demand for next season has been even stronger than I’d hoped. Honestly, I’m delighted,…

I’m 60 years-old and live in Washington, DC, with my wife and adventuring partner, Alison. I have two children and two grandchildren. Five years ago I retired as an environmental engineer, and now focus mostly on Adventure Alan, one of the oldest and most respected sources for ultralight backpacking. Since joining Andrew’s program in 2012, I…

I live in Seattle with my wife, Katie and Australian Shepherd, Crash Bandipooch. I work as an ultrarunning coach and Andrew’s Program Manager for both his guided trips and the online planning course. I’ve set Fastest Known Times on the 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail (52 days, supported in 2014), the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail (45 days, self-supported in…

Yesterday I switched on the Application Form for our 2021 guiding season. Each year I do this, part of me still wonders, “Will anyone even sign up?” Thankfully, there’s been no basis for this concern — some new applicants always find us, and some alumni always return. The more significant challenge usually is finding everyone…

This will be Jessica’s fourth season with us. She’s a full-time yoga teacher, and also organizes whitewater-and-yoga expeditions on the Colorado, Salmon, and Tatshenshini Rivers. After completing the Triple Crown of thru-hiking in the early-2000’s, she’s gone on to traverse Iceland, complete the Arizona Trail, and climb dozens of peaks in the Cascades and Olympics,…

Scott has taught backpacking skills for over 20 years with NOLS, where he helped develop the NOLS lightweight backpacking program. In that capacity, he’s backpacked and trained a diverse range of participants including NASA Astronauts, MBA students, US Marines, and Google directors.

This pandemic has been dynamic since spring 2020, and I expect it to remain so in 2021. As the circumstances change throughout the season, our protocols will also change. I’m optimistic that mass vaccinations, widespread rapid testing, and effective therapeutics will destroy this virus in 2021, but until real progress is made I’m looking at…