Porters Ski Field Winter 2012 — “Shiddaduduh” Hayden Gemmell points out to a skier as they are getting on the tow line. The skier turns around and gives Hayden a…
Tag: NOLS
25-27 November 2012 — Blue sky is somewhere above. Christian sits in “my” vestibule and pumps the Whisperlite. The smell of white gas permeates the tent. Then comes the soft…
19 September 2012 — Patience mattered today. Patience actually matters everyday, but it came to the forefront of my mind today. Leon needed it from me. Others did as well.…
The nighttime silence of the Cameron River valley seeps in through the yellow fabric of our tent. The pale green glow of the light on the Timex watch I wear…
0300 Hours October 3, 2012. “Red tent, close your vestibule” I yell over the howling outside of my tent. The weather forecast the day before had called for 100+ kilometers/hour…
The brewpub could easily have been in Boulder, Seattle, or Squamish. The food, beer and atmosphere were the same. High wooden rafters and exposed duct work presided over a broad,…
Finishing a course is usually a mixed blessing for me. Life is decidedly simpler in the mountains or out at the crag. The simpleness of living and working is one…
“Hey Dane do you mind if Kyle and I climb a few pitches?” I ask as Dane descends from the Morning Glory Wall with a gaggle of students. The sun…
“What’s your gut say?” Patrick asks me as we stand on the west edge of the Upper Fremont Glacier; dark clouds billow over Fremont and Jackson, blocking out the deep…
“The tent pole bag is over there” I gesture toward the side of the tent in the frosty, predawn darkness. Patrick gives me a blank look, then reaches down and…
Being a field instructor for the NOLS is like being in Never Never Land. Most of us work hard to get here. We build our resumes, pay for courses, usually…
“Can I make an appointment for an oil change?” “Sure I got something available tomorrow afternoon.” “Mmmm, that won’t work, I need the 8th of August.” “Oh, that is a…
“Whoa, look. People. With shovels!” I exclaim as the band of brothers that is a Wind River Mountaineering course and I wander along an absurdly snowy creek ten miles into…