INSTAGRAM

These last few days have been some of my toughest days in the mountains, but also some of the best. I’ve seen the strength of these massive stone monoliths, and finding the right path through them is both challenging and humbling. ⁣ ⁣ There’s something to be said about companionship in the mountains. It’s good to have a second opinion on routes. Or a voice telling you “you got this” when you feel like you really don’t got this at all. Or someone to just run next to while you’re boulder hopping as fast as you can with the biggest smile on your face. ⁣ ⁣ But there’s also something to be said about experiencing an adventure like this alone. It’s a meditation, a way to find the utmost peace. It’s a way to find incredible exhilaration as you crane your neck to even see the tippy top of the towering peaks. It’s a way to find confidence. It’s a way to just be free. ⁣ ⁣ I’ll take any excuse to get outside because that’s what’s important to me. If I put up reasons to “not go out today” all the time, I’d be pretty unhappy. Sometimes you just have to say screw it, and even if everything seems to be going against you, you just walk out the door and do the damn thing. Go walk a trail. Go climb a mountain. Go do whatever the hell makes you happy.
Heading back to this place tonight. I’ll probably stay 5 days, but who knows, just gonna pack a ton of food and see when I feel like coming back. ⁣ ⁣ The past few days have been some of the best of this year. Putting in hard days on the trail and really getting somewhere. As of today I’ve hiked over 165 miles on this trip at an average of about 20 mile days. I stood on top of Ol Snowy mountain and tracked my progress across the backcountry of Washington. ⁣ ⁣ This has all been good. Really good. And much needed. There have been some bummers - my knee is still giving me trouble, I lost my spoon and ate all my food with a tent stake for a few days, and the mosquitos! But every second of struggle is wiped away when I see the alpine lakes, faraway peaks, and fog filling the valley. Stoked for a few hundred more miles in one of my favorite places on earth. ⁣ ⁣ And... I’m gonna climb that damn mountain. I tried to get up Mt. Daniels last year and it got away. Not this time
Woke up for a summit of Mt. Adams this morning and reached the summit about 6am. It had me reminiscing on this mountain mission with some good folk. Here’s chef Mike whipping up a gourmet dinner
Awhile back I took a trip to the coast with @slowtide and @111watches and a group of good people. We got in some hiking, a little surfing, and lots of laughs. This collaboration is pretty cool, with both @Slowtide and @111watches being eco-friendly - the collection features a solar powered watch with a sweet wristband and a towel made from post-consumer waste with a beautiful double sided print design. Check out my story for a few more photos!
Sitting here thinking. What about? Well I’ll tell ya - I’ve been thinking about endless dusty roads, strips of dirt you can run till your tires wear down and your long outta gas. I’ve been thinking of trails, more miles than I’ll ever be able to walk. Weaving in and out of mountains, meandering by the ocean, and probably to places I’ve not even imagined. I’ve been thinking about what’s next, what’s after this trail, even before I’m off it. Where to go, what to do, why does it feel I’m running late to places I’ve not even planned for. I guess the anticipation is just that big, and I’m itching to go. Tomorrow I’m back out on the trail and I couldn’t be more stoked to keep moving.
Waking up at 4:30 in the morning to tackle a trail to an amazing place is always worth it. @Kashi’s GO cereal has 10-12g of protein for any adventure to keep you rambling on with wherever the trail takes ya. Kashi is running a sweepstakes: enter by posting an image of your GO ____ moment and tagging #kashigosweepstakes (Full rules at http://stories.kashi.com/en_US/articles/kashi-go-sweepstakes.html)#ad
The day I headed out on the trail was the most miles I’d ever hiked in a day. It was also the start of consistently cranking out miles like I’d never done before. After 3 full days on the trail I’ve almost hiked more miles in a single trip than any other. So this trip is a lot of firsts. It’s been beautiful so far, even though I’ve been tucked away in the woods for most of it. I’ve battled a billion mosquitos, and I have the bites to prove it. ⁣ ⁣ Today I was hiking out my 15 miles to town and I hurt my knee. Sharp pain accompanied every step, and I gritted my teeth through 9 miles to get to the road. I hitched into town and had the Doc look at it. Luckily, he said it looks alright. Just a few days of rest, IB Profen, ice and I’ll be back on the trail, headed into the beautiful Goat Rocks wilderness. ⁣ ⁣ In the meantime, you can find me feet kicked up in the little town of Trout Lake - home of some of the kindest folks you’ll meet. The type of place where the locals sit on the front porch of the general store and shoot the shit in the lazy evening sun. The type of place with small, homey diners with the best huckleberry pie and coffee that keeps flowing. It’s a slow sleepy town, and a good place to get a little rest.
Welp, going hiking. See y’all in a bit. Also, I got my new field journal for ya folks if you want to check out what I was up to in June.
I’m supposed to be doing 548 different things but instead I’m watching Stranger Things