In over your head

A few short words of encouragement in difficult times. Lessons from sea kayaking in Alaska that can help you though a stormy time in your life.

Alphabet Adventures: World Travels from A to Z

Highlights of special places visited around the world, categorized by letter, with one place representing each letter of the alphabet.

Herschel Island Odyssey-Driving the Dempster Highway through the Canadian Arctic

chronicle of a trip up the lonely Dempster Highway to its end in Inuvik, NWT and a bush plane trip to remote Herschel Island in the Arctic Ocean off the northern coast of Yukon.

The Language of the LAND

Tips for reading landscapes and cultures, understanding language, and connecting to places that you visit or want to travel to.

Cari-BOO and Ice Biking in Canada’s Northwest Territories

“There’s TWO places you’ve got to experience before you die”, the old man I met on the Chilkoot Trail told me. Boy, was he right! Two years after that meeting, my friends and I were bike-packing the Canol Heritage Trail through the Mackenzie Mountains, in a remote corner of Canada’s Northwest Territories. The Canol “Road”

You and I on Your First Alaskan Sea Kayak Expedition

I’ll never forget your first sea kayak expedition in Alaska. There were moments of serene beauty and there were moments of sheer terror. I remember how excited you were during the time you were first planning your trip. I also remember meeting you for the first time and how nervous and uneasy you felt the

Sumdum Mountain and Sumdum Glacier: What’s in a name?

While giving a lecture about the Natural History of Southeast Alaska at a local museum, I explained the forces which shaped much of the beautiful landscape of the area. Then, towards the end of the presentation, I quickly flipped through a couple of pictures and declared, “this is a shot of Sumdum Mountain” and the

The Blowhole of the Earth

The blowhole of the Earth is not a geological phenomenon, as one might first think. There are many volcanic regions of the world where you might find a geyser or a fumarole, which many would consider to be earth blowholes. The blowhole of the Earth I am referring to is a biological phenomenon. The occurrence

Pinniped Politics in Southeast Alaska

a day of clandestine viewing of a sea lion colony in Southeast Alaska and observations on their culture

The consequences of casual, concise Klondike encounters

How many times do we have casual encounters with a stranger? We may exchange pleasantries in line at the grocery checkout, or acknowledge a stranger walking by on the opposite sidewalk. We presume that these brief encounters are not meaningful. However, two people who have had a profound influence on my life were strangers who