Perhaps you’re at the side of a river. It’s evening and you’ve just noticed that the campsite you were planning to sleep at is taken already. Or maybe you’re standing at a trail junction and looking at a sign that... READ MORE

A few weeks ago, I was standing in a circle with five dirt-covered adolescents just outside Marble, Colorado. With Aspen leaves still dripping from the early morning’s downpour, I told the students that the 15-day mountaineering course they had just... READ MORE

The first day of any expedition is nerve-wracking, thinking about the future days together with your crew—the miles not yet traveled and skills waiting to be mastered. You’re apt to see everyone’s true selves, which will be a mixture of... READ MORE

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