The Bad, The Ugly and the Good Idea

Ski Mountaineering in the Wasatch Mountains, Utah (February 2023)

Bryan:  Well, we’ll find out pretty soon…

Me:  If this is a bad idea?

Bryan:  Yep.

We had been assessing the snow quality for the entire two hour approach to the base of the climb up to the couloir. As we skinned from the car along a wide road that suddenly narrowed to a hiking path, the snow progressively got deeper and “better”. Sure, there was some nice, fluffy, fresh powder from the snowfall overnight. But only about 5 inches below this delightful powder was an undeniable crusty layer. And that crust varied from mildly crunchy to rock hard depending on where we stabbed our ski poles. That’s a very quick and dirty and non-scientific way to determine snow quality and how much “fun” our impending ski turns are going to be. To understand what I mean about this, think about baking brownies. When the timer goes off to signal that the brownies are done, you stab the brownies in the middle of the pan with a toothpick. When you remove the toothpick, what does it look like? If it’s clean with no gooey, unbaked batter spindling off of it then the brownies are finished baking. This is a “good” assessment. If the toothpick is a gooey mess, this is “bad” because they’re not finished baking. Now let’s apply this to snow evaluation. If you stab the snow with your ski pole and it comes out clean when you remove it, that means the snow is dry and fluffy and your ski turns are going to be so tasty that you’ll be salivating for the rest of the day just thinking about it. If, on the other hand, you stab the snow and your ski pole removes a crunchy crust or gooey slush, then you are going to have a very memorable day but for very different reasons. In short, rather than a smooth, creamy ride down the mountain you are going to feel more like you are riding one of those mechanical bulls in a cowboy bar. Does this sound like fun to you? Hold that thought.

Now let’s get back to the couloir. On the climb up we were increasingly hopeful that we would find some “good” snow in this narrow chute. After all we did find some great pockets of fluffy powder in places as we zigzagged our way higher and higher up the steep slope. We also found a lot of nasty crust but why dwell on the negative, right? I guess we figured there was just as much chance of finding powder as there was of finding crust in the couloir. And the sun was shining so bright that it cut right through the cold air as it warmed my face and hands. It was a beautiful day. So why not just take the chance and go for it? What’s the worst that could happen? As it turns out, it was both a bad idea and a great idea. How could it be both? Well, there’s a simple answer that explains this very clearly. Perspective. 

The pure, raw sensory input that we were getting from the snow conditions was objectively bad. Actually, it was downright horrible! As we entered the bottom of the couloir we immediately realized that we had to remove our skis. The snow was so steep and hard that our skins could no longer “bite” to give us any grip. It was like trying to walk up a sliding board that was just freshly greased with wax paper (remember doing that as a kid?). So we took off our skis, attached them to our backpacks and started kicking steps up the steep, snowy funnel. And this is where things got really interesting. One step would plunge us to the depth of our hips while the next step would feel like kicking into concrete. Unable to find any sort of rhythm we simply decided to drop to our knees and pseudo-crawl-kick our way up the slope. After about 50 ft of this nonsense we managed to burn about 5000 calories while going exactly nowhere. We barely got a quarter of the way up the couloir and the snow just kept getting worse. The snow was so bad, in fact, that we realized that we would have to slide down much of it. Imagine trying to ski down a concrete sidewalk. Just turn to one side and scrape and slide on your ski edges. That’s what we were facing. So we decided to stop climbing any further and survival ski back down to the powder immediately below the chute. 

The initial ski down the couloir went exactly as expected. It was ugly for lack of a better word. Scrape, scrape, slide, jump-turn, scrape, almost fall, scrape, stop, curse and regroup. Repeat as many times as necessary. Then we actually found some nice powder turns from the base of the couloir all the way back down to the skin track. For good measure, however, the mountain was perfectly booby-trapped with randomly placed solid ice chunks just below the snow surface. Were these the best snow conditions for skiing that I’ve ever had? No, not by a long shot. But it was a fun and very memorable day. 

Now I ask you, was our decision to ski the couloir a good idea or a bad idea? That depends on your perspective. If you only care about the quality of the snow and the resulting quality of your ski turns, then you would likely say that it was a bad idea. But for me, the actual skiing part of skiing is of secondary importance. I really enjoy spending time in the mountains, especially with friends. And I really enjoy pushing myself to do new and challenging things. And I really love to take photos. If we had simply given up and decided not to try to ski the couloir due to imperfect snow quality then we would have robbed ourselves of a very fun and memorable experience. I also happened to get a few really great photos that I would not have gotten otherwise. 

So was it a good or bad idea? I answer that it was unquestionably a terrible idea to ski that couloir in those conditions. The snow was garbage and not even capable of skiing. The external sensory input from the mountain told us that very clearly. But we decided to do it anyway. By pushing past our negative expectations we were able to create a positive experience out of imperfect conditions. Simply stated, we used the power of perspective to turn a negative into a big positive. The mountains provide endless opportunities for fun and personal growth but ultimately the mountains do not care about your day. So it’s entirely up to you to find your own bliss. And I promise you can have fun in the mountains every single day if you’re willing. The decision to go is always a great idea.

Silence Do Good

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My buddy Brian enjoying a quiet evening deep in the remote wilderness of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (July 2021)

Try not to hear anything. Seriously, give it a try. Try to hear absolutely nothing. Pure Silence. Not a single sound. It’s difficult, right? In fact, it’s so difficult that it’s nearly impossible.

A few days ago I was working hard at my computer editing videos for a client, then I heard the familiar churgling sounds in my stomach. It was time to take a break and eat lunch.

Normally I put one of my bluetooth earbuds into one ear and listen to a podcast or grab my iPad to watch a documentary while I prepare a meal. But this time, for whatever reason, I just walked into the kitchen and started making my lunch without grabbling any form of entertainment. Immediately I noticed sounds that I had muted for so long that I had almost forgotten them. The beep of the oven, the “thwang” of the pan, the “swoosh” of my socks across the hardwood floor, the crinkle of the cheese wrapper, the creak of the house and the list goes on. That’s when I realized that was the quietest it had been for me in a while. And then I realized that was the quietest it could get in my everyday life.

I tried for the next 10 minutes to be completely silent to see if it was possible to hear no sounds at all. I didn’t move. I heard a car go by the house. Then another. And another and another. The heater kicked off during its cycling process. The house creaked again. The hot baking sheet “thwanged” as it was cooling (good ol’ physics). Then I noticed my heartbeat. Then my breathing. My ears “crinkled” as I swallowed. This felt good. I may have failed in my experiment to find true silence by reducing all noises to zero. But I dialed down any external noises as much as I was able to control and found it to be pleasantly calming.

My mind started scrolling through memories of the many days and hours that I have spent in the mountains in Alaska. This little experiment reminded of one of the most greatest gifts that anyone can get in remote wilderness areas…..silence. Our modern world has lost nearly all of what would be considered true wilderness. By this I mean getting off the grid, so far away from roads, towns and cell phone towers that nobody can hear you tweet. The only sounds are naturally occurring ones. There’s nothing man-made creating any noise whatsoever.

I remember the first time I was dropped off in the Alaska wilderness. As the hum of the bush plane faded into the distance the first thing I noticed was the deafening lack of noise. It was honestly pretty unsettling at first. Up until that point my brain had never experienced that level of silence. I realized how vulnerable I was. But then I quickly felt a wave of relief crashing over me. I never knew how noisy my life had been.

Now fast forward 13 years since I first stepped foot in Alaska and I can honestly say that experiencing multiple consecutive days of silence is one of the main reasons I spend so much time in the wilds of the Last Frontier every year. My normal, modern American life is filled with noises all day long. There are so many noises all around us and it’s not even possible to turn them off. Even in the smallest of rural towns, we still largely live in communities with lots of machinery and many forms of digital technology. Our neighbors are just as busy as we are each and every day running the rat race with cars, phones, garbage trucks, airplanes and everything else that makes sound. Not even a trip to a designated wilderness area like a national park or a local hiking trail can guarantee a break from urban noise. Most of our outdoor spaces are often filled with people trying to escape their own hustle and bustle.

But there are a few truly remote places left on Earth that aren’t filled with noise pollution. The vast wilderness of Alaska is not only filled with some of the most stunning scenery in the world but it is home to one of the most rare and precious gems…..Silence with a capital ‘S’. Of course it isn’t completely quiet. The birds chirp, the wind whirls, the creeks babble. The sounds of nature are all around you but they are all that you will hear (and possibly the occasional hum of a bush plane overhead). But that’s it. No industrial sounds, no vehicle sounds, no smartphone notification pings. It’s a nice break from the constant bombardment of disruptive, arrhythmic noises that fill our tech-fueled daily lives.

On a final note, it’s worth mentioning that the more recent noise of social media is not only escalating but it’s becoming a serious problem. No, I’m not suggesting that we all delete our social media accounts. I use social media and enjoy the positive attributes of sharing my work to help promote my business and see what my friends are posting. But it’s the darker side of social media that has become quite problematic. I’m talking about the constant noise of partisan finger-pointing, echo chamber soap-boxing and cancel culture torch-bearing that fills our feeds every single day. This behavior is appalling and destructive. It’s nothing but noise and it’s worth avoiding. So whenever you find yourself getting sucked too far down the social media rabbit hole, I recommend that you just stop, turn off your phone and sit in silence. Better yet, go outside and go for a walk or run. Find the least noisy place that you can. You’ll always feel better for it.

Silence is necessary for a healthy brain and there is science to support this. Our minds are in a constant state of alert from the continuous onslaught of daily urban noise. We need a noise-free break every so often to recharge our batteries. Sitting in silence, particularly the quiet of nature, has a calming effect on the brain. Obviously, the more you do it the better. However, spending even a few quiet days in wilderness just once each year can have lasting positive effects on our mental and physical health.

I know what some of you are probably thinking, “Won’t I be bored?”. How could a life without Netflix, YouTube or Instagram not be boring, right? Trust me, once you are sitting on the ground, sipping hot coffee in the cool, crisp mountain air while watching the sun rise above the horizon, you won’t even think or care about anything else. Silence is the loudest sound you’ll hear and you’ll be happy for it.

Day Three: Where the Magic Happens

Me, really tired but smiling ear-to-ear on Day Three of a really difficult backpacking trip in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (July 2021)

I recently renamed my blog “Day Three”. So what the heck does that mean anyway?

I’ll keep this short and sweet because I’m going to dive deeper into the meaning in future posts. Simply put, Day Three refers to the point in any travel journey where you feel fully immersed. In the days (or weeks) leading up to your trip we all feel some stress and anxiety over the planning and packing. There are a million and one things to do before a trip: booking flights, finding lodging, planning routes, etc. Then the travel date comes. And a whole new set of stressors is ignited. Why? Because that first day of traveling means that you are leaving the confines of your home, your little space of familiarity, your comfort zone.

I’ve found through many years of traveling and spending time in remote wilderness that I am never able to fully relax and feel like I’m “in it” unless I spend a certain minimum number of consecutive days in my new environment. That magic number is always three. Without fail, I always feel a transformation on Day Three of my trip. On that third day I wake up with mixed feelings of fatigue and boosted energy. The previous two days of navigating a new place with new people, figuring out where to go and what to do and dealing with any inevitable problems that always threaten those well-oiled travel plans is, well, downright tiring. And if my plans happen to include some sort of physically-demanding exercise like backpacking, then the stress and strain of covering long distances over difficult terrain with heavy weight on my back crush my energy levels even more. So it’s easy to imagine where the physical and mental exhaustion come from but how could the stress of traveling actually give me, or you, more energy?

The boost in energy that I feel, and that you surely will as well, on Day Three arises from the simplicity of a singular focus that eventually develops. We humans have a tendency to seek out comfort. It’s a survival instinct that’s hardwired in our DNA. There’s nothing wrong with that per se. But in this modern age that we live in, we are rarely ever challenged to be uncomfortable. We have so many systems and safeguards built into our daily climate-controlled lives that we simply don’t have to be uncomfortable unless we want to. So? What’s wrong with that? Well, through modern technology we are so used to being comfortable nearly every minute of our lives that our brains try to prevent us from doing anything unfamiliar or uncertain. Being uncomfortable is hard. But being comfortable all the time is numbing. That’s because any routine activity allows the brain to go into autopilot mode. On autopilot you no longer have to think. So your mind starts to drift away from the present moment and focuses on all of the future chores and tasks that need to be done. And the consequence of this is that you often aren’t even able to enjoy whatever you are doing. It’s mundane. It’s easy. It’s boring.

There is no better way to add excitement to your life than to travel. Going somewhere new is exciting because it’s different than anything you know. It takes planning, studying and learning about your new destination. It’s an adventure! But…..there’s a catch. Now think about the first day of any trip. Are you still thinking about all of the things you have to do back home? Of course you are. We all do this. Our jobs, families, friends, chores and any number of things fill our daily to-do lists. And those to-do items that you left unfulfilled are still demanding your immediate attention at the beginning of your travels. Those unfinished, important tasks now can’t be attended to while you are away from home. Your brain just can’t stop thinking about them no matter how hard you try. This causes you to feel anxious. That anxiety quickly turns to stress. And that stress makes you feel uncomfortable.

I don’t know about you but I always can’t wait to get through the first day of a trip. My head just isn’t in it yet. I’m still checking emails and social media (if there is internet service) and I’m still thinking about the things I have to do back home. And the discomfort of not being familiar with my new environment only adds to the stress. But fast forward to Day Three. Now I’m just tired enough and far-removed enough from the comforts of my home that I start to embrace my new surroundings. I’m beginning to feel immersed in my trip. I’ve experienced this over and over and over in my travels. And, as a professional mountain guide for 12 years, I have witnessed this same Day Three-induced euphoric transformation in hundreds of people from all walks of life from all over the world. No matter your age, gender, culture, religion, political affiliation or whether you’re a cat or dog person, this phenomenon seems to be pretty darn universal.

So what’s going on here anyway? What is so special about Day Three of your trip? There’s something liberating about gaining just enough familiarity with a new environment that you no longer feel like a complete stranger in a strange land but you also don’t feel completely at home either. The adventure starts to feel less intimidating and more enjoyable. But it still demands your full attention because you’re still in a new environment. This is the moment that you stop thinking about home and start focusing entirely on your new place. Instead of having a thousand things to do in your normal, daily life at home you now only have one thing to think about. You now only care about how to survive in your new environment and how to have fun doing it. Your life goes from being complex to simple. You’re still uncomfortable, but you are getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable. And that feels good. It’s a load off your shoulders. It just takes a few days to get there. And that’s the catch. The brain is a machine that is constantly processing information 24/7. And through our busy technology-filled daily lives our brains can start to feel overworked through overstimulation. Your brain just needs time to adjust, to relax and to forget every now and again. It needs to reboot. And that rebooting takes a certain amount of time. One day isn’t long enough. Not even two days will do. Three days is the sweet spot.

Day Three is where the magic happens in a trip. It’s the moment where you’ve pushed past the boundaries of your current comfort zone and stop feeling overly worried about the unknown. You stop fretting over all of the many stressors of your normal daily life and and start reveling in the simpler pleasures you experience during your new adventure. You are learning new things, picking up new skills and becoming more confident in your abilities. In turn, you start to feel stronger, you feel more prepared to deal with uncertainty and you ultimately feel a deeper sense of satisfaction with life. I’ve found traveling to be the most reliable way to achieve this. And the further you get from the modern conveniences of urban civilization, i.e. going into a wilderness area, the better and more gratifying the result. So I urge you plan at least one challenging trip each year that is a minimum of three days long. And when you get to that magical Day Three just sit back and smile. Trust me, there’s nothing else you’ll want (or need) to do!

Masks Aren't Just for Pandemics

Brian Sachs eating breakfast while being eaten by a swarm of mosquitos, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (2020)

Not wearing a mask anymore? Trust me, fully vaccinated or not you will be begging to wear one if you dare backpack in Alaska.

We’ve all become accustomed to wearing a facemask over the past year during the COVID pandemic. As a protective measure to prevent the spread of the virus, masks were quickly mandated for those entering any public space. Businesses, government buildings and public transportation denied entry to anyone refusing to wear one. In fact, grabbing your mask as you left the front door soon became as commonplace as grabbing your keys and wallet.

Although many people viewed masks as little more than an inconvenience, others felt strongly that the requirement to wear one was a impinging on their freedom to make their own choices. Luckily, due to an aggressive vaccination program in the United States, the requirement to wear a mask in public is becoming less common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of late June 2021 over 152 million Americans have been fully vaccinated. This represents nearly half of the US population. So we can now breathe a sigh of relief as we can finally ditch those pesky masks and fill our lungs with fresh air in public again. Not to mention we get to greet one another with a visible smile again!

Starting to see a light at the end of this COVID gauntlet sure does feel good. And not having to choke on my own breath behind a cloth mask anymore feels downright liberating. But nothing feels so freeing as escaping the noise and stressors of daily urban life to get outside for a little dose of nature. Now that travel restrictions are easing more and more every month it’s time to dig out that backpack and hiking boots and immerse yourself in Alaska’s legendary wilderness. You know, that bucket list trip you’ve always dreamed of taking?

I highly recommend visiting Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in southeast Alaska. Although it is America’s largest national park, few people have ever even heard of it. So that means you can avoid the big crowds regularly seen at the more popular parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone and Denali. That means that once the bushplane drops you off in the middle of nowhere, the first thing you will notice as the hum of the plane fades in the distance is the quiet. You will here utter silence, save the random bird chirping, leaves rustling in the wind or creek babbling. All of your senses will heighten as the tension in your shoulders relaxes. I’ll admit, although it can be quite unnerving at first, you will quickly become aware of a really rare experience in our modern times. I promise that you will smile in delight at the realization that you are truly alone. Or are you?

Flipping up the mosquito head net to take bites of food, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (2020)

Just as you start to settle into your new blissful environment you may just be greeted by the camp host. Or more likely hundreds of little camp hosts. Depending on where you are and the time of year the mosquitos can quite bad. To say that they are legendary in Alaska would be an understatement. After all, mossies aren’t affectionately referred to as the Alaska State Bird for nothing.

I have been guiding and exploring the wilderness of Wrangell-St. Elias for over a decade and have always included a mosquito head net in my backpack. While hiking and moving around they typically aren’t a problem. As soon as you stop, however, they will attack immediately. So the most essential piece of gear that you can bring to ensure a relaxing, enjoyable campsite at the end of a long day is a mesh head net that weighs less than 2 ounces and stuffs down to the size of toddler’s fist.

Because I’m so used to carrying a head net on my Alaska trips I don’t typically give it much thought beyond it being a necessary item to bring like my tent or sleeping bag. But things were different last year. In the summer of 2020 the world had only recently been thrust into a global pandemic. Aside from the risk of becoming ill or dying, we were forced to make sacrifices necessary to prevent the spread and mitigate the damage caused by this virus. One of the simplest and effective strategies was to enforce the wearing of an approved face mask in public spaces. I was certainly happy to do my part by wearing one but breathing into a mask for long periods of time is not enjoyable. It becomes hot and uncomfortable and downright annoying after a while.

So when I could finally go out into a public space for a whole week but not be around any people except for my backpacking client I was elated. We had both been tested and confirmed negative for contracting the virus right before the trip so we could safely enjoy the Alaska wilderness without wearing our masks. Ironically, on the very first day of our 7-day trip the mosquitos were so bad that we eventually had to wear our head nets during the last couple of hours hiking. I can’t remember one other time in all my years of backpacking in the Wrangells that I had to do that! Really? So you mean to tell me I can finally take off my mask but now I need to wear another one?

These were some of the worst mosquito conditions I had ever seen. Anytime we would stop to take a drink of water we our heads were immediately engulfed by a massive swarm of those little bloodsuckers. So that meant we had to quickly lift the head net to take an even quicker gulp of water before too many mosquitos could attack our faces. As we continued toward our camp destination they relentlessly bit our bare arms and even managed to pierce through our clothing. Thwack. Slap. Ouch. Swat. Dammit!!! We repeated this little mantra for a couple of hours. All we knew was that the mosquitos were so vicious that they were maddening.

As we set up camp we realized that we would have to eat dinner as quickly as possible and then retreat to the safety of our tents. The bugs were just too bad to sit outside and enjoy the evening. We were ravenously hungry after 11 hours of hiking with heavy packs over a really steep, rocky mountain pass so we honestly didn’t care. But our hours long battle with trying to drink water through the mosquito cloud meant that eating our dinner without simultaneously becoming dinner was going to be a challenge. I’d like to say that we fought the good fight and enjoyed our meal but that would be a lie. As I recall, we ate so fast that I barely remember eating at all. And not only did I continue to collect more mosquito bites I’m pretty sure I bit into a few as well.

Prepared for mosquitos on the last night of our trip, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (2020)

We continued to battle the mosquitos for the rest of the week but never were they even close in numbers as that first day. So I still wonder what was it about that day? Why were they so bad then but not any other day? Why were they so bad this year versus any of the other years? I simply don’t know the answers. But there is one thing that I do know. It’s a lesson that I’ve learned over and over in this wild place. Alaska always gives you exactly what you need. I thought that I needed to get away from the madness of the pandemic. I thought that I would find a freedom that was stolen from me and the rest of the world by a tiny virus. But there is no true escape from our hardships. In trying you will only trade one problem for another. In this case, one tiny virus for one tiny mosquito. One mask for another. All you can do is accept the situation and make the most of it.

Thwack! Damn mosquitos.

UPDATE: I wrote this article in the Spring of 2021 just before leaving for Alaska to guide for the summer. And to my surprise, I found that the bugs were much worse than than the previous summer (2020). Summer of 2021 was definitely the worst bug year that I have experienced my 12 year guiding career. Not only were the mosquitoes vicious but the little flies were even worse. Those flies relentlessly tried to enter the eyes, ears and nose. They didn’t bite, they just targeted the most sensitive and vulnerable areas of the face. I’m pleased to say that I really wasn’t even bothered by them. “Whatever”, I thought. After living through a pandemic for over a year I had definitely developed a new sense of gratitude. I was just happy to be in the most beautiful wilderness in the world. Besides, I brought my trusty headnet and it protected me from being eaten alive. What more could I want? Thwack, dammit!

Brian and I marveling at the swarm of mosquitoes and flies behind the protection of our headnets, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (July 2021)

I Thought I Screwed Up This Shot, But Then I Saw Bigfoot!

I made a mistake when changing lenses on my camera that produced a black vignette on this otherwise award-winning photo

Technically, this photo is a mistake. After switching lenses on my camera I forgot to change a crucial setting in my camera. This error resulted in a black vignette in the first photo that I shot. For you photographers out there, I put a crop lens on my full-frame camera without adjusting the lens compensation. Normally I would curse this photo as rubbage and toss it into the digital trash. BUT my error actually turned out to be a very “happy accident” as we artist types like to say.

I see Bigfoot! No, it’s obviously not the real Bigfoot. It’s my photographer buddy Barry Reese (https://www.barryreesephoto.com/). But the vignette combined with Barry’s pose while walking in the forest reminded me of that old, iconic Bigfoot photo that we all have burned into our memories. If you are the one or two people in the entire world who isn’t familiar with frame 352 from the legendary 1967 film by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin then see below for the photo and link to the film on YouTube.

Film on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OBTUQI60yqQ

Frame 352 from the Patterson-Gimlin film (1967) allegedly provided the first real evidence for the existence of the legendary Sasquatch, a.k.a Bigfoot, in northern California

Other than getting a glimpse into the wacky depths of my creative brain, what is the importance of all of this? I used to worry a lot about making mistakes. Because I have always been so driven and motivated to succeed in everything that I do, I tend to have little patience for anything that could delay my progress as a professional. I do not like to waste time and I also don’t want to look (or feel) like I don’t know what I am doing. Fortunately, many years of being an artist have gotten me quite used to making a lot of mistakes and failing over and over again. Screwing up used to make me feel like an imposter rather than a pro. But eventually I learned to embrace my mistakes because they always provide an opportunity to learn something. Failure is just part of the process of growing. Put another way, you cannot improve without making mistakes. And put another way, sometimes you have to take ten steps backward to take 1 step forward.

In the case of the above photo, I was actually happy that I made such a rookie mistake when swapping lenses on my camera because it revealed a pretty interesting effect that I can use intentionally in future photos. I learned a new skill because I’m such a screw-up!

Although I am talking about photography here, this is a lesson that can be applied to anything that we do in life. Making mistakes is usually frustrating at best but I urge you to occasionally push yourself past your comfort zone with the goal of actually making mistakes. When the dust settles you will absolutely learn something new that will help you improve. And that improvement will always make you feel stronger. Now go out and do something that you’ve always wanted to do but never did due to a fear of failure. And say ‘hi’ to Bigfoot for me!

Make Every FRAME COUNT: 2 important reasons you should take that dream vacation (after the pandemic is over of course!)

Sunset during a backpacking trip in the remote Alaska wilderness, Wrangell-St. Elias Nationsl Park (July 2020)

If there is one thing that the COVID pandemic has taught me, it’s that time is our most precious resource.

We have inherited this world full of places so breathtakingly beautiful that they almost seem too impossible to be real. Ok, let’s get a show of hands. Who has been in awe of National Geographic magazine since you were a child? Who loves to watch any wildlife documentary narrated by David Attenborough? Who has a running list of all of the National Parks you have visited and the ones you still need to see? Who dreams of taking a vacation to far away places like Alaska, Nepal or Thailand? Of course you have! Now that we’ve agreed that we all want to visit wild places I am going to give you two reasons why you should:

1. Nature is beautiful and it always will be

While modern technology combined with increasing urbanization has allowed us to be more digitally connected, our attention seems to be focusing more down and in toward our brightly backlit screens rather than up and out toward the sunlit natural world. Yes, the things we view on-screen are fun and artistically beautiful but ultimately they are no substitute for standing in a mountain meadow or walking barefoot on a beach. I love digital technology as much as anyone. Heck, I’m writing this article on my computer while streaming Netflix in the background right now! BUT I also know that I need to disconnect from the matrix regularly and go play in the outdoors. Our brains are not wired to be wired all the time. So much constant digital stimuli is overwhelming. Picking up our smartphones repeatedly over and over and over throughout the day to get online actually makes us more stressed out.

Why? The more time we spend in the digital world the less connected we become from the natural world. This is a problem because the digital world isn’t real. And since it isn’t real the only way we can enter the digital realm is through an avatar, a fabricated version of our earthly self. This is fun and exciting because we can build our avatar in any way that we choose. We can be anything that we want. But, I’ll say it again, the problem is that it isn’t real. So the more time we “exist” through our avatars the less time we invest in our real living bodies. And that makes us ultimately more unhappy. But don’t worry, there’s an easy cure. Nothing beats a walk in the woods to clear your head and soothe your soul (save the instagram stories post until you get back home though!). Humans have a primal connection to nature so we need to spend time in the outdoors regularly.

2. We all take time for granted

Simply put, go today because you might not be able to go tomorrow. I know I’m certainly guilty of putting things off until a later date because I’ve just been too busy. However, the flaw in this thinking is that I have always trusted time to be this great friend that I can always count on to be there when I need it. I never would have thought in a million years that I wouldn’t be able to just hop on a plane and go to Japan whenever I want to. I have too many things going on this year so I’ll just go next year, right? Well, unfortunately that freedom of travel that we all once enjoyed is now gone due to the COVID pandemic. And it’s very likely that travel restrictions will limit our travel options for at least another year. So I’m viewing this as my own personal wake up call. There will certainly be a tomorrow but that tomorrow may not look anything like today. Time is not something to be taken for granted because it keeps moving forward even if we are not.

When the pandemic is finally over and borders start to open their arms to tourists again, I for one plan to take those trips I have been talking about for years. My camera better be ready to put in some serious work because I’m going to finally get those dream photos of the wild places that have patiently been waiting on my list. And when I raise my lens to take the shot I’m going to make every FRAME COUNT!

There's a Place for Wild Spaces

Taking a break while backpacking through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

I’m back!!! The past two months have been so busy that I haven’t been able to pick up my camera much or even get outside and enjoy the mountains as I normally do. But now the smoke is finally clearing and I am gearing up for Spring and Summer travels. As my excitement is brewing I thought I would start by spotlighting Alaska since it has been such an integral part of my life for the last decade.

As I am planning my next Alaska adventure I realized I have only revealed a handful of my photos from last summer. So I am going to start finally showing off the many reasons why I think that 1) Alaska is one of the most special and incredible places on planet Earth and 2) why I think that you should visit Alaska at least once in your lifetime.

To accomplish this task I will be publishing new photos every week and highlighting different yet unique features of Alaska. It is truly one of the most wild places you could imagine. Although it’s becoming more and more difficult to find “true wilderness” for various reasons, mighty Alaska is a bastion of freedom in the form of places so remote that you can go for days or weeks without seeing another person. These places are so beautiful and hostile that they will take your breath away and force you to confront the thoughts and feelings stirring in the deepest confines of your primitive brain. Simply put, Alaska is the place where you WILL lose yourself and find yourself at the same time.

We as human beings need wild places like this to exist. Join me over the next several weeks as I guide you through America’s Last Frontier and hopefully inspire you to finally buy that plane ticket to Alaska!!!

“Sunset” behind Mt. Blackburn as viewed from the Kennicott Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Where Do You Want to Go?

Backpackers on a glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (Summer 2019).

Where do you want to go? Where have you always dreamed of traveling? What are those things and places that you have seen in books, photos, movies, etc. and always wanted to see?

I know that you all have an answer to those questions. We all have that dream vacation that we’ve been wanting to take. Well, we are at the very beginning of a whole new decade: 2020. I hope to encourage you to travel this year and start the new 20’s off with a bang. Make it epic. Make it that once-in-a-lifetime trip. Make it that trip that makes you want to quit your job!

I’m going to do my part in helping you to make that dream trip come true. I have been fortunate to have traveled to a lot of other-worldly places that most people have probably only seen in the pages of National Geographic. I quit my job a long time ago so that I could see all of the epic places on my list and I have even been a mountain guide in Alaska for ten years. So I am going to use my travel knowledge to help you plan your adventures by writing weekly blog posts about various topics.

I will start things off by highlighting my favorite place on this planet: Alaska. Join me for the next several weeks as I guide you on a tour of America’s Last Frontier!

Burn the Past

Today is the last day of 2019. Tomorrow is the start of a brand new year.

2019 was a BIG year for me. I actually accomplished a lot both professionally and personally. I have made huge strides in building my freelance business. I ticked off a lot of things on my To Do list for the year. And I am proud of everything that I have accomplished.

However, the list of things that I didn’t accomplish is much greater than the things that I did successfully complete. I won’t go into detail because I want to keep this short and to-the-point. All I want to say about my so-called failures for 2019 is “So What?”. So I didn’t successfully achieve everything that I set out to do this year. I didn’t do this. I didn’t do that. But I do know that I worked my butt off. I worked really hard. I think that I intentionally write a To Do list for the year that I know that I can never complete. This pushes me to work hard, then work harder and then work even harder. So I know that the handful of successes that I did have this past year probably would have never had a chance to happen without the support of all of my failures. Failure is integral to success!

So my advice to all of you is to BURN THE PAST. Forget about the things you didn’t do in 2019 and celebrate the wins that you did have. 2020 is an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over. How awesome is that!!! Reassess your goals for the coming year and forget about the last year. I know am.

2019 has been a great year. It has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, successes and failures. I am proud of everything that I have accomplished and frustrated (but motivated!) by the things that I have not. So here is to my New Year. 2020. I am already hitting the ground sprinting. 2019, it’s been great knowing you. But your only a memory and it’s time to go. I have a lot of work to do.

Happy New Year!!!

Reason for the Ski Season

Carly shredding with a big ol’ smile!

It is December 23rd, the eve before the eve of Christmas. This is one of the busiest days of the year. Just leave the house and go, well, anywhere. People are buzzing around shopping for last minute gifts, buying food for family gatherings and doing whatever else needs to be done before all of the holiday festivities begin tomorrow and will pretty much continue until New Year’s Day.

I try to avoid going anywhere in public on this day because it is complete chaos. There are simply too many people that are frantically trying to get what they need and go where they need to go at the last minute. This, unfortunately, causes a lot of stress and hurry that often seems to lead to frustration, anger and even nasty behavior.

Believe me, I understand. I really do understand. We all work hard, lead pretty hectic lives and have A LOT of responsibilities. And we all want to make sure that we have a happy, fun time on the holidays. So I encourage you all to slow down, take a deep breath and actively embrace the spirit of the holiday season. If you are in a hurry to get that last minute gift at Target, pause for just a second to hold the door open for the person behind you. If you need to get those last few food items at Trader Joe’s, please drive slowly in the parking lot to avoid hitting one of the hundreds of other very nice people who are walking or parking around you.

And regardless of how busy you likely are during the holidays, don’t forget to call up your friends or family and go outside for some exercise and fresh air. Trust me, you will feel so much more alive and in the holiday spirit after spending some time in the outdoors with your loved ones. Ski, hike, run, bike, walk or whatever your passion. It doesn’t matter, just GO.OUTSIDE!!!

And if you do happen to be a ski-o-phile like moi, then go hit the slopes or the backcountry with your friends. But when you do, don’t forget the most important thing. The reason for the ski season is to have fun, celebrate life with the people who mean the most to you and appreciate your good fortunes. Basically, shred that mountain wearing the biggest, brightest, happiest grin you can!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Calling an Audible

2019 has been a very big year for me. Although it feels like the year has flown by at lightning-like speed I am actually really amazed (and impressed!) with how much I have accomplished. When I think about the reason why I have been even more productive than normal, I am reminded by this photo that I took in Alaska back in July. I was guiding a backpacking trip and had an ironclad plan that was sure to blow my clients’ minds. Then, the night before our trip, a once in a year event, called a jokulhlaup, happened that caused a beautiful display of nature’s power. A large lake on the side of a glacier drained leaving skyscraper-sized icebergs beached next it (as seen in the photo). So I made the decision to change our plans so my clients could witness this relatively rare event. Needless to say they were not disappointed! So the one difference that I noticed this past year is that I learned the value in calling an audible every now and then.

I have always been a very motivated person, a really hard worker who is always trying to learn new things. As an independent freelance Illustrator I hustle a lot. In fact, I am always doing something. If I am not working on art, I am trying to find new clients or working on any number of the things that are necessary to run a small business. I never really relax in the traditional sense because I tend to get bored very quickly and feel an overwhelming urge to move. In fact, I struggle to even sit through an entire movie that I am “watching” on Netflix as I am working on photo editing, illustration projects or other business things. So I seem to be ideally suited for the stress and strain of the freelance lifestyle. However, despite my penchant for thriving in an ever changing environment, I came to the realization a year ago that I am not immune to the soul draining effects of every freelancer’s nemesis: BURNOUT.

Honestly, I had never truly experienced burnout before so I didn’t even know what was happening at first. I just knew that I had lost my passion for art. I had been a working Illustrator for a few years and always had a burning to desire create art, create more art and then still create more art over and over every single day. I love drawing and painting and always have as far as I can remember. But then one day in October 2018 that fire in my belly suddenly just fizzled out. It happened so suddenly that I was taken aback. What the hell just happened?!? Why do I not want to make art anymore? Why do I dread the mere thought of picking up a pencil, pen or brush? And more importantly, how do I get my passion back? Oh crap, what do I do now?

As one might expect I just tried to power through and write off my feelings (or lack thereof) in hopes that somehow things would change back to normal. But surprise, surprise things only got worse! And besides, Albert Einstein said it best, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”. So it was at that pivotal moment that I realized that I needed a change.

Early in November 2019 I bought my first “real” camera. I had been thinking about learning photography for years but was never quite ready to commit to it. After all, committing my life to one artistic medium was surely enough. Or so I thought. I then realized I had (over)worked myself to the point of being wholly dissatisfied with any drawing, painting or illustration that I created. Everything I made sucked (at least it did to me) and I felt like my energy had been sucked dry. I clearly needed to step away from illustration and take a break. But I also needed to do art. I NEEDED to make something damn it!!! Creating art is like breathing air for me. I can’t just stop. I can’t survive without it because it’s woven into my DNA.

So I had an epiphany just as immediately as I was smacked down with burnout. I had a grand plan for continuing with my illustration career. I was fully committed and following the playbook, steadily advancing down the field. But then I suddenly realized that the game simply wasn’t working for me anymore. My perfect playbook just wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do anymore. So I finally said screw it, I’m calling an audible.

That day in November just one year ago represents a sort of rebirth for me as an artist. I now have two artistic mediums, illustration and photography, that feed off of and inform one another. And following a three month break from illustration to focus on photography I was inspired to not only start drawing and painting again, but I had discovered a passion for making illustrated maps. My burnout had been my subconscious brain telling me that I was on the wrong path. So in taking a break from illustration and picking up a camera I was able to still create art but look at the world through a different lens (pun completely intended!). Learning to create art through photography helped me to advance and grow as an illustrator. And I suspect that the reverse will also be true in the coming years.

So I will say it again, this past year has been a big one. I started to learn photography and I have already started to make some money with it. This second creative medium reignited my passion for illustration and allowed me to evolve as an artist. My entire vision for my professional career has been forever altered by this experience. I am so excited for 2020 to see what I accomplish in the next year. But whatever the future has in store for me, I know that from now on, when I feel stuck, frustrated, bored or burned out, I am definitely going to call an audible!

It's Always the Right Time

I can’t believe we almost didn’t go. My good friend Paige and I planned to go backcountry skiing today for our first outing of this new winter. Looking out the window this morning, I couldn’t even see the mountains. The sky was gray and cloudy, the air was cool and damp and the mountains were hiding behind a low fog that was sandwiched between the clouds above and the legendary Salt Lake inversion below.

After waiting until 9 am we decided to just go for it anyway. Conditions looked less than inspiring for a day in the mountains. Now you have to understand, we are spoiled. Yup, really spoiled when it comes to weather. Utah winters generally bless us with sunny days and several feet of dry, fluffy powder. Skiing here is like dancing on a cloud with the warm sun shining on your face. That’s why outdoorsy people like us move out here. That’s why we both moved here anyway.

Sooooooooo, we decided to just go anyway and enjoy our time in the mountains regardless of the conditions. We both just wanted to get outside in the fresh air and strap on our skis for the first time this season. And I have been traveling for the last month so we just wanted to hang out and catch up on life.

Barely two seconds into our day we knew that we made the right decision. We both felt noticeably out of “ski shape” but the gliding movement as we climbed up the mountain felt good, it felt right. As we settled into our rhythm of talking and climbing, climbing and talking, we suddenly found ourselves above the treeline and staring at the open slopes of the upper mountain. Much to our surprise and dismay, the snow just seemed to almost disappear. The feet of snow that we found from the parking lot all the way through the trees suddenly reduced to mere inches. Big scrubby bushes and long grasses replaced the glorious powder that we expected to find at the mountain top. The monster snow storm that ravaged much of the southwest last week was clearly no match for the punishing Wasatch winds. Nearly all of our blessed snow had literally been blown off the top of the mountain!

The funny thing is that neither of us even cared. We had had so much fun up to that point and were looking forward to finally turning around and seeing if our legs “remembered” how to ski from last year. And the scene was sort of eerie-looking so I was happy to have found some motivation to finally break out my camera. When I framed the shot I knew I had a photo that perfectly captured narrative of our day.

Although the snow conditions weren’t exactly perfect they were good enough to ski and have fun doing it. But most importantly, I was reminded of the reason that do ski in the first place. And it’s the same reason that take photographs. And it’s the same reason that I like to go into the outdoors. And it’s the same reason that I do anything in my life. Getting outside and enjoying nature, breathing fresh air and sharing my experiences with friends is the only reason that I will ever need.

My motivation as a photographer, illustrator, mountain guide, outdoor advocate, friend and human being is to explore and experience the beauty of the natural world and share it with all of you. I know that I am privileged to travel to remote and beautiful places of the world that may not be possible for many people. So my hope is that I can inspire you to get outside and explore this special place we call Earth more often. Conditions may not always be perfect but it’s always the right time get out there!