Hiking

We had one last day in Kathmandu, and we had missions. Mission one: Manoj needed shoes. The man had spent three weeks walking slowly behind Pokin over …

We woke up very early at Surke and braced for the worst, because the weather report had promised the worst. Then we looked outside. It was not the …

The trek was officially behind us. We’d said the goodbyes, handed out the red envelopes, eaten the farewell dinner under the golden dragon …

Time to say goodbye to the Gurkha Inn. The plan was simple. Hike from Phakding back up to Lukla, get there early, and have a buffer day before Steve …

Remember this? A speck of a monastery floating in the mist on a far ridge above the village, a whole valley away. Back when we first spotted it, it …

A few more nights in Phakding. The plan: let Pokin and Po On finish recovering before we head down to Lukla, meet back up with Steve and Alice, and …

Rest day in Phakding. Pokin and Po On are recovering. Nicholas is about 40% better but still coughing. Everyone’s supposed to be taking it easy. …

Nicholas spent the evening listening to Pokin cough. Tengboche is at 3,860 meters (12,664 feet). Lower than where they’d been, and the heated …

Nicholas came straight off the mountain to breakfast. No shower. No change of clothes. Sleeping bag rolled up, camera packed, ready to go. The plan …

The group split up this morning. Steve, Alice, and DB headed out early for Chukhung, continuing the Three Passes route as planned. Nicholas, Pokin, Po …

Rest day in Dingboche. And by “rest day” I mean “hike straight up a mountain to 5,000 meters (16,404 feet) for fun.” The logic …

We woke up in Tengboche to the kind of morning that makes you briefly forget you’ve been coughing for three days. Blue skies, mountains …

The plan was to hike from Namche to Deboche today. That didn’t happen. But what did happen was arguably better, at least for a bear who …

We’re still up at the cabin in Brian Head while Nicholas and Pokin do their Everest Base Camp training thing. Every day it’s the same …

We’re up at a cabin in Brian Head, Utah. Nicholas and Pokin are doing their Everest Base Camp training thing, which apparently means finding any …

Let me set the scene. My bud and Pokin are in Cedar City, Utah, doing their daily hike training for Everest Base Camp. They pick a trail. The …

My bud has been on a training kick lately. Something about a big trek coming up that apparently requires him to haul a massive camera bag up mountains …

Here’s how this happened. Drew calls Nicholas on a Wednesday night. “Hey, I’m going to be stuck at a resort in Kauai for a few days …

Bruce had been working out of the home office for weeks, and we’d already dragged him to Bryce Canyon and Zion. But we weren’t done with …

Day two of the Bruce visit. After Bryce (where I was cruelly left behind), we headed back to Zion. Our usual routine: bike the canyon, hike the …

We’d barely recovered from Pokong’s visit when the next houseguest arrived. Bruce, one of Nicholas’s engineers from Colombia, came …

When we were last in Hong Kong, Nicholas asked Pokin’s brother Pokong why he’d never come to visit. Then he told him to come. Then he told …

The whole reason we went to Jeju was this mountain. Hallasan. South Korea’s highest peak. 1,950 meters of volcanic rock with a crater lake at …

Five of us went to Mammoth Lakes for Pokin’s birthday. Nicholas, Pokin, Po On, Eric, and me. None of us had ever been there. Pokin wanted …

Day 3 in the Salzburg region. We’d already hiked Kapuzinerberg, wandered the fortress walls, and gotten chased off the Untersberg by lightning. …

After yesterday’s failed Sound of Music pilgrimage, Nicholas decided that if the famous hills wouldn’t have him, he’d find his own …

It’s been a while since I last visited the Grand Canyon, and one thing I was upset about last time was that I didn’t get to go down. Sure, …

Today was a leisurely day with the gang where we got to stroll around the trails and go on a hike. My bud spent some of that time going on an ebike …

At this point we’ve been in Iceland for a number of days, and that volcano that Pokin dragged us over here to see has been staying mum. Not a …

This morning Pokin actually read up on the Aurora Borealis in Iceland. Turns out, while September and March are supposed to be the best times to see …

Today we are hiking Joffre Lakes, another of my mountain haunts. Pokin’s been wanting to come here since she went to SFU, so she was pleased to …

We’re in town for our friend Mike’s wedding up near Whistler, and I’m taking the time to show my bud the mountains I grew up flying …

Today my bud and I are taking a break from gaming Super Sumi Sunday. Instead, we’re going camping! My bud’s been wanting to have some …

The alarm went off at 4:30. At least I think it did. I sort of remember getting rolled into a bag. Pokin and Nick left the hotel room, and met the …

After three nights in San Juan, we made our way towards the island of Ometepe, home to those two active volcanoes in the middle of Lake Nicaragua - …

With Nicholas’ friend Daniel in town, I’m being let out of my hotel prison a lot more often than usual. Today we got to go hiking on one …

Not that I minded sharing a tent, but every bear wants his own private tent sometimes. Finally I got my own. Now I’m ready for any kind of …

While visiting the White Sands National Monument to ask about the missile testing, we learned we could back country camp at White Sands. Camping in …

After our visit to Carlsbad Caverns, we were supposed to go and look for food. Unfortunately Carlsbad Caverns isn’t really near anything so we …

Turns out I didn’t need to stop in Roswell. There were aliens in White’s City as well. And a bear for good measure.

Pokin’s dad lives across a reservoir from the tallest mountain in Shenzhen - 梧桐山, or Wutong Mountain. And the family thought it fitting to do a …

It’s Sunday and sunny and I’m going for a walk with my bear bud Nicholas to Spencer’s Butte. On arrival, I’m quite pleased to …

Later in the afternoon, it was back in the car and out to Maunga Tere vaka, yet another extinct volcano and the tallest point on Easter Island at 507m …