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Koyuk, AK A few hours out of Buckland things felt like they were really coming together. It was calm, sunny, and in the high-10’s—ideal Nordic skiing temps. My kick-and-glide rhythm felt expert-like compared to when I skied out of Kotzebue 100 miles earlier. For the first time on this trip, my mind began to drift,…
Buckland, AK It was -25° F when I started this trip on Sunday. It warmed up some, to -15°, but it was offset (and then some) by the 10 MPH crosswind from the west. Monday wasn’t much better — it was -20° F in the morning and -10 deg F mid-day. The weather finally broke…
Kotzebue, AK The contents of my pack are almost entirely need based. During this trip, my legitimate needs will include staying hydrated and nourished, keeping my body temperature regulated, and traveling efficiently and safely over the land–snow-covered tundra, glacier-fed rivers, and dense alder forests. I can think of only one item, my camera, which can…
In February and March 2009 I hiked from Arches National Park to the Grand Canyon, which I traversed from east to west. The trip was 800 miles long and took about 4.5 weeks. I finished a day earlier than I anticipated, on Tuesday March 17th, and could think of few better things to do with…
Special thanks to Rob O’Dea Photography for letting me include a few of his images on this page. Pulling into Twin Lakes on the inbound leg (mile 60). It’s uncommon to see ultra-runners carrying trekking poles, which, frankly, bewilders me — trekking poles are invaluable during the climbs, especially steep ones: they allowed me to…
Approaching the Twin Lakes aid station for the second time (at mile 60.5) I spotted my housemate, Kristen. “I feel like crap,” I told her. Pointing to my bloated stomach, which made it look as if I’d done more training for the race at the local bar than on the local trails, I explained, “Nothing…
My last day in South Africa started with another pre-breakfast game drive. Somewhat sadly it was devoid of big animals, which I think everyone was disappointed by since it was our last morning at the lodge—we were all hoping that nature would put on a magical show for us, like in the YouTube video Battle…
We began the day with the customary pre-breakfast game drive. The fall air was crisp and I was happy that the stadium-style bench seats on the Land Cruiser were supplied with wool blankets. The rangers bantered among each other (e.g. KG to his fellow ranger: “Friend, you are the best ranger at Sabi Sabi. But…
My second and third nights in Kruger were spent at the Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge, one of the aforementioned privately-owned reserves that shares a fenceless boundary with public land. Sabi Sabi is apparently a hotbed for wildlife due to a relative abundance of water in the area, and as a result it’s one of the…
The reward for a wicked early-morning flight from Cape Town was landing in Phalaborwa, a small city just outside of Kruger National Park, by mid-afternoon. Adél took a “save the best for last” approach in planning the itinerary, and South Africa’s premier tourist destination—the home of its lions and tigers and elephants, oh my—was going…
