Appalachian Trail 2022

Appalachian Trail 2022

May 11 - November 2, 2022

We flip-flop thru-hike the Appalachian Trail: Amicalola Falls, GA to Grayson Highlands, VA; Katahdin, ME to Grayson Highlands, VA


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Pacific Northwest Trail

 Pacific Northwest Trail

June 25 - August 6, 2021

We hike the PNT in two parts:

Part I: June 25 - August 6, 2021

Part II: To Be Determined


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Arizona Trail 2021

Arizona Trail

February 12 - April 12, 2021

We hike the Arizona Trail, northbound, in the Spring of 2021

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Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) and Acetabular Labral Tear

In May of 2018, on the last day of our Camino de Santiago hike, I developed severe pain in my right hip. I searched the internet for accounts of other long-distance hikers dealing with hip pain; I only found one. I decided I would record my journey with this hip pain. Frankly, writing out what was going on and how I felt about it helped me dissipate some of the pent up energy and frustration I was experiencing. Maybe my experiences will be of interest to another long-distance hiker in the future dealing with the same thing. For the first year, I didn't know exactly what was causing the pain; I didn't get a diagnosis of Pincer FAI until a year later, so, fair warning, I speculated a lot prior to the diagnosis.

Camino de Santiago - Camino Frances

Camino de Santiago: Camino Frances

April 23 - May 20, 2018

We hike the Camino de Santiago, Camino Frances route


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Paris 2018

Paris 2018

April 16 - 22, 2018

Five days in Paris


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Washington, D.C.

Washington D.C.

February 8-13, 2018

Our first visit to the Capitol, we spend six days taking in the memorials and museums.

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Aurora Borealis photo collection

I'm really missing Alaska winter, especially the Aurora Borealis, so I thought I'd put together a collection of some of the photos I took of the Aurora Borealis over the two years we lived in Alaska.

1/7/15; Eagle River

Pacific Crest Trail 2017

Pacific Crest Trail 2017

April 27 - September , 2017

Hiking from the Mexican border to the Canadian border through California, Oregon, & Washington.

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Annapurna Circuit, Nepal 2017

Annapurna Circuit

March 15 - April 2, 2017

115-mile loop around the Annapurna Massif, Nepal

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Tolovana Hotsprings

For our last weekend in Alaska, we celebrated by going to Tolovana Hotsprings with some friends. Tolovana is a series of hot springs that come out of the ground on the slopes of Tolovana Dome, 45 miles northwest of Fairbanks. Located on private property, the owners piped the natural hot water into three separate tubs and built three well-equipped rustic cabins nearby. They rent the cabins out year round. There is no road access to the area so one must drive 100 miles north of Fairbanks, then XC ski, snowshoe, or snowmachine 11 miles over Tolovana Dome to get to the cabins (In the summer one can hike, ATV, or canoe in). Our friends rented out all three cabins so we got a group together to head out and enjoy the Alaska interior in February! Here's a photo-journal of our weekend at Tolovana Hot Springs!

Go to our Smugmug account to see all our Photos From This Trip

Japan 2016

JAPAN 2016

October 28 - November 8, 2016


We visit Kalyn's brother in Osaka

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Cambodia 2016

Cambodia 2016

October 13-27, 2016

We get SCUBA certified on Koh Rong Sanloem Island, Sihanoukville, then visit Ankgor Wat in Siem Reap

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Arctic Caribou Hunt

Arctic Caribou Hunt 2016

August 25-29, 2016

We drive the entire Dalton Highway to Deadhorse, AK, then spend a few days hunting for caribou in the Brooks Mountains.

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Dad visits Alaska

Dad Visits Alaska 2016

August 1-9, 2016


We go on a fishing float on the Kenai river with friends, then visit Homer before coming back to Anchorage for blueberry picking


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Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska 2016

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 2016

June 15-28, 2018

We join friends for a South-to-North traverse of the Brooks Mountains in ANWR

Video from the trip here

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Denali Highway Overnight Cycle

Denali Highway Bikepack Overnight

May 7-8, 2016

Kalyn joins Kristy for a 19 mile, one-night, out-and-back bikepack on the Denali Highway

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2016 Iditarod Volunteering

A friend of mine volunteers with the Iditarod every year. This year she brought me on board to help with the sled dog races:

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Wednesday, February 17, 2016:

Spent a couple hours loading the musher's food/supply drop with Stacey, her husband Jansen, and their friend Lucy.  Alaska Dispatch News did a nice little article on what we did.  Local TV news station bit here.  Official Iditarod photos from the day are here.

The Warehouse: Mushers drop off piles of supply bags, we weigh them and sort by drop-off location

Impersonating Ivan the Big Loaf, honorary volunteer

Wrapped pallets of Musher's supplies ready to be flown out to different checkpoints

Maui 2016

Maui 2016

February 25 - March 2, 2016

A break from Alaska's winter

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7.1 Earthquake

At 1:30 AM an earthquake struck Old Iliamna, 162 miles from Anchorage.  It registered 7.1 on the Richter scale.  We were at work.  Mat was on the first floor, I was on the second.  The building started shaking distinctly, which indicated it was a larger earthquake.  Earthquakes happen very frequently in Alaska, which is something I hadn't realized.  We have an earthquake in the 3-4 range almost every month.  When they occur while at work, I will see equipment sway but not actually feel the building move.  Tonight I felt the building move quite noticeably, which meant it was a big earthquake.  After about 30 seconds, the real shaking started.  Drawers pulled out of their slots, booms swayed in the rooms, carts & equipment jumped around, and my confused patient yelled at me to stop rattling her bed.  All the nurses jumped up and ran under door jams.  This major shaking lasted for a number of seconds followed by large ripple or wave movements until the end (which actually felt pretty cool, being heaved up & down).  The whole earthquake lasted 72 seconds.  It was pretty terrifying mostly because Barley was home alone and we didn't know what kind of condition the house was in or the roads home for that matter.  Reports came trickling in of only minor damage throughout the city, no major disruptions (unlike the damage reported on the Kenai).  The hospital itself sustained some cracked walls and a broken water pipe.  Adrenaline was coursing through everyone's veins for a while afterwards.  After that shift, I caught a flight to Seattle to visit my family.  Mat went home and found Barley in good spirits and minimal disruption to the house; turns out places built on bedrock felt less movement than places built on the mud & sand flats of downtown Anchorage. 

Map of epicenter location

Lots of videos show dramatic swaying of buildings but the best descriptor I've found is my friends' recording of the earthquake.  He has an app to record sleep talking and it kicked on to record the entire earthquake.