J & I hit our 37th high point, King’s Peak in Utah, at 13,528 feet!! I’m ecstatic for 2 reasons. Number one, this is the highest I’ve been since my pulmonary embolism in 2013. I have always struggled at altitude, but ever since my PE, my lungs struggle just a little bit more, sadly. We…
J & I spent Wednesday through Saturday in Salt Lake City at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Show. I mentioned this already, but this is the largest trade show for outdoor brands to showcase their newest products, geared toward every outdoor enthusiast, from backpackers to rock climbers to paddlers to much more, of the spring/summer 2017.…
Guys, you came up with some incredible names for our 1995 Chevy G30 Roadtrek Popular 210. We are incredibly indecisive people, so you actually made it even harder for us to choose “the one,” especially with 34 suggestions! But, after many sleepless nights (kidding), we finally picked a name. In no particular order, here are…
Currently living/working in: We roadtripped most of July, with a few days on either end in Denver. Somehow, I squeezed in a bunch of writing projects and J found some gems in our storage units to sell off. But in August, we will be returning to our contract job at Fenton Ranch in New Mexico, where…
We took our new-to-us Roadtrek on its first 4,000-mile test trip from Colorado to the East Coast (specifically Virginia and New Jersey) and back to Colorado. You know, just a little spin around America. We had a few purposes, mainly to visit our family, friends and Virginia storage unit. But we also wanted to see…
Exciting news folks!!!!!! We said goodbye to Big Bird (our beloved yellow Subaru Baja) last week and welcomed a 1995 Chevy G30 Roadtrek Popular 210 into our family! Ever since we have been spoiled by a decked out Sprinter van thanks to our Backpacker job in 2013, we have been sold on the idea of living…
This past weekend, we explored the highly acclaimed Wind River Range in Bridger National Forest in Wyoming. We hijacked a pre-planned trip with J’s sis, Jamie, and her wifey, Rachel. The short story is that we backpacked 40 miles in 3 days and every mile and every minute lived up to its reputation. But I…
My month-long writer residency at Elsewhere Studios wrapped up what seems to be ages ago (May 30) and once again I thought I’d give you a long overdue post with some quick and dirty stats. While my book is currently collecting dust, I made major progress during my “artist in residence” program at at Elsewhere…
I know the Denali and Alaska blog posts piqued a lot of interest here in May and June, but while Justin was off climbing mountains, I was not just sitting on my butt in Colorado. And while this is a belated post, I still wanted to share. Today we celebrate ‘Murica and I sure do…
Currently living/working in: In limbo! We returned from Alaska June 16 and intended on only spending 1.5 weeks in Colorado … but we are still here. Just lots of adulting going on and we can’t make definitive plans until we sort out a few adult matters. Current mood: These in-between periods are always the most stressful for…
Another guest post from Justin (edited by Patrice of course)! My previous mountaineering experiences helped me predict what to expect on Denali, but as with anything, you really don’t know how it’s really going to be until you are wearing the boots yourself. And since I received lots of questions about life on the mountain,…
This is a guest post written by Justin (okay, it was edited by Patrice)! It’s been about two weeks since my 23-day adventure on North America’s highest peak concluded. I think Patrice did a wonderful job piecing together bits of information to keep you all informed on my team’s progress on the mountain, but I…
We have wrapped up our time in Alaska–sadly. I have been here three times and all three times, I fall deeper in love with the state. Justin’s love for Alaska, on the other hand, is rooted in utero. We really should just move here. Someday. In any case, we shared this last bit of our…
Justin badly needed some recovery time following his 23-day Denali expedition. So we went camping and hiking. Yep, apparently more outdoor exposure cures severely sunburnt lips and frost nipped fingers. We spent 3 nights in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, which is the largest national park in America. To give it some scale, it equals six…
So here’s the scoop. Justin did not summit, choosing to turn around about 400 feet from the top. But that is okay by him and me (of course!). It’s really a summit in my mind being so darn close, but whatevs. And, so freakin admirable that he survived 23 days (pretty much a record for…
Currently living/working in: For the first time in a very long time, J & I have been apart. Just about 3,500 miles apart! I have been in Paonia, Colorado, doing a writer residency program this month and he has been climbing Denali in Alaska. Current mood: Anxious to see my hubby again and for this whole climb…
Justin and his RMI team have been facing some not-so-ideal weather up on Denali (65 MPH winds, -35 degree temps). So they are on day ELEVEN being stuck (but safe) at Camp 3 (14,200 feet). I know those conditions sound extremely harsh, but I did get to speak to Justin and he is in great…
Well, being I won’t have much of an update about Justin while they hunker down waiting out weather at Camp 3 (14,200 feet) this week, I thought it was time to let you know what I’ve been up to! Since May 5, I have been “hunkered down” in Paonia, CO, where I have been living…
I’m happy to report that Justin and his RMI team are plugging along up the mountain!! Weather has been really decent (in Denali terms) and they have made it up to Camp 3 (14,000 feet). Read below to get a sense of the hard, back-breaking work they endure day after day on the mountain. I’m tired…
After going through gear and National Park Service protocols, Justin, Bobby and his team flew from Talkeetna to Kahiltna Glacier with K2 Aviation on Thursday, May 12. It was a beautiful day for flying! J is the 3rd from the left and Bobby is the 5th from the right. (Don’t worry, they didn’t try to…