What are we actually doing out here? Sometimes I get this question on an expedition as we’re shuffling in a seemingly endless slog up a steep mountainside. Sometimes it comes with a breath of realization and awe after a day... READ MORE

Passing through Idaho, it’s not uncommon to be in awe of the harsh beauty and wild existence of what’s flashing by your window. By the time you’re outside and are greeted with the smell of sagebrush, towering canyon walls and... READ MORE

When I called up Becky Clough, I told her I was writing a piece about the unexpected and unscheduled things that can happen on expeditions and how students learn from it. “Yeah, as in everyday,” she replied with a laugh.... READ MORE

On day one, students, tense and apprehensive, load their belongings into my van at the airport, unsuspecting of the magnitude of the experience they are about to have. When we unload at the trailhead, they grip their trekking poles and... READ MORE

Three weeks before I was supposed to leave for my Outdoor Educator expedition, I typed up an email saying I couldn’t commit to 50 days in the wilderness and would need to unenroll. I left it in my drafts folder... READ MORE

When I was 22, I was really confused. I’ve never been good at planning—mostly because I never knew what I should be planning for. During my freshman year of college, I was completely overwhelmed by how many people seemed like... READ MORE

During my second job out of college, I was working a corporate job located in the middle of Midtown Manhattan. I was adulting. I had a desk, clients, business cards, a blackberry (I’ve totally just dated myself!) and even an intern.... READ MORE

That evening we had decided to turn back. “We” consisted of myself, two other co-Instructors and nine high school students on a 22-day rafting and mountaineering expedition on the Deschutes River and in the Three Sisters Wilderness of Central Oregon.... READ MORE

Keilani Lai-Hipp didn’t grow up camping. “I was a beach baby,” she explained. Her one exposure to camping had been on a southwest road trip, tagging along with her brother, an avid climber—far from their home in Boston. During that... READ MORE

What? That’s right, you read the title correctly. It may sound funny, but mountaineering and music are not actually that far apart from one another. Both are inspiring, engaging and better with friends. First things first, do you know what... READ MORE