In his important* book What It Is Like to Go To War, Vietnam War veteran Karl Marlantes takes a moment to describe an old NCO (non-commissioned officer), ‘Gunny Mike’. The year is 1969. I've either taken directly from, or paraphrased Marlantes below - Gunny Mike was close to
Another essay by my pal Chrissie Oken. She's a climbing ranger in Denali National Park There is nothing quite like the exquisite stupidity that comes with experience. The same ease that allows us to function smoothly after years of repetition can also slip us into surprisingly dangerous situations
Q: When is it wrong to be right? A: When it almost kills you. A few years ago, an avalanche forecaster well north of here issued an Avalanche Warning. When people rolled their eyes at the boy crying wolf, he doubled down and decided to prove himself right. Pretty soon,
I spent many years in this cabin in Lupine Meadows, but in many ways, I was only a guest. ❄️ The bats and the mice wonder When their guest will leave. The pronghorn, too, were seasonal guests.
(previously published last winter in The Avalanche Review) WARNING! Books like these are not for everyone. They’re only for people interested in how to make better decisions, not just in the alpine or the backcountry, but in our day to day lives. There was an era when the conventional
(I’ve adapted Los Dos Reyes y Los Dos Laberintos de Borges). Long ago, in a faraway land, there lived two brothers, kings who ruled his own kingdom and between these kingdoms rested an uneasy detente, for the brothers only pretended to get along. The one-eyed king lived in
Whenever we are confronted with an important decision, *Conventional Wisdom* dictates that we look at and weigh various options, minimize the risks, and set forth upon a course of action. But there are certain situations when, as long time cop and risk consultant Gordon Graham describes, there’s “No time
We were in Alaska last week visiting friends. One of our stops was in Talkeetna to see Tucker and Chrissie. They are climbing rangers for Denali National Park. Chrissie let me publish her essay Ante Ora Parentum here; though she previously published it on the Denali Dispatch page. You'
“After my brother's death, my father never walked very well again. He had to struggle to lift his feet, and, when he did get them up, they came down slightly out of control. From time to time, (my brother) Paul’s right hand had to be reaffirmed; then
Basho traveled north from his home in Edo (Tokyo) in spring 1689; his masterpiece from the 1500 mile walk is called Narrow Road to the Deep North. Another translation is Journey to the Interior. He writes, At Hiraizumi, I remember these lines from the 8th-century Chinese poet Tu Fu:
Mr. Hardesty, Patches of winter snow still linger above 1000m, while the mountains are covered in fresh greenery, with kobushi magnolias and wild cherry blossoms in bloom. Just like the Wasatch Range, it is a beautiful season here. The Niseko Avalanche Information was born out of sheer necessity. Forty years
My journey to find Akitaya has led me to some unexpected delights. One of the people whom I hoped could provide a path was Shinya-san. He turns 80 years old next year and has been - to oversimplify - the avalanche and mountain weather forecaster (link) in Niseko, Hokkaido since the