Exploring the beauty of California, one mountain and wine glass at a time (but not at the same time)
with Dogtooth in the background. We climbed all Three Sisters, then scrambled across to find a quartz field before the saddle. Coming down from the peak, there was a 400+ sheer drop - I suddenly became scared of heights. Can't wait till the next
A little morning stretch/yoga session prior to our backpack into the .
Spent the weekend in the into Cliff Lake. We bagged the Three Sisters and Dogtooth peaks, with quite a bit of 3rd class climbing. Our camp was right by the lake, where we swam, fished, and relaxed by the lake.. Great weekend.
Sometimes you hang out in caves and stare at stuff.
Life is good up here. Got to enjoy a delightful evening with some old friends at . So grateful for amazing places and amazing people
Feb 20, 2016 - Another fantastic snow hike with . We ended up at Timber Mountain after yet another hiker fell 100 yards, just past Ice House Saddle. Several of our leaders helped with the Helicopter airlift out. I took a . Name the peak in the background..
Feb 08, 2016 - (I'm the dude on the left) I didn't watch the Super Bowl yesterday - I spent an another amazing weekend in with our students. We went over map and navigation skills, as well as a bunch of rock and safety techniques. We also successfully got to the summit of with our students. In light of all the recent events at and , I would HIGHLY recommend anyone who wants to know more about wilderness travel to take this course
Jan 24, 2016 - I spent three weeks living amongst Buddhist monks in a temple in this past June, learning and practicing meditation. I was remembering one of the lessons we learned:
If you want mangoes, plant a mango tree
If you want an orange, plant an orange tree.
So many people want happiness, but are planting seeds of anger, resentment, jealously, and hate.
Your actions, your words, and YOUR THOUGHTS determine your state.
Jan 10, 2016 - a magical day in the snow. So lucky to live in a place where you can go from the snow to the sand in just an hour.
Jan 10, 2016 - Having a comfortable bed makes getting out of bed on days like this difficult. But an adventure awaits
Jan 01, 2016 - . 2016 could not have gotten off to a better start. is such an amazing place to reflect and take in the gorgeous scenery.
Dec 31, 2015 - I'll be spending my at one of my favorite places - (Josue Tree 😉).. Enjoy the festivities, and I hope #2016 brings you all the success and happiness that you deserve.
Oct 18, 2015 - Only climbing this weekend; no wining. Spent the weekend at Joshua Tree finishing up an Advanced Mountaineering course. Joshua Tree is one of my favorite places - it has a magical energy that helps you forget you're 2 hours from the craziness of Los Angeles
Dec 26, 2015 - I'm back on the "good Tio" list. Buy a kid a push-pop, and he'll be your bff.
Dec 23, 2015 - It's difficult to keep the attention of a two year old: one minute you're playing with toy cars; the next minute they ignore you to watch Blaze and the Monster Machines
Dec 19, 2015 - A beautiful (almost) winter day in . I had to decide between Xmas shopping or . Which would you choose?
Nov 15, 2015 - I went to one of my favorite spots to reflect on the coming week and the coming year (it's my bday Tuesday).. Big things are in store for me (and for you!) this coming year, and I'm really excited about where my life is headed. I'm saddened by the news of the world; but I made a decision to stay positive and surround myself with those who are like-minded. I wont politicize this post, even though I feel very strongly about the actions that are occurring. Let's enjoy the company of those close to us and the remember to celebrate each and every day. As a good friend often says:
Nov 07, 2015 - Amazing food, amazing drink, amazing people, amazing life
Oct 10, 2015 - We were inspecting a snake skin before a rappel. Even though it was really hot and I was tired from spending the last few days in San Jose, I'm glad our group had fun out there
Oct 10, 2015 - Long, HOT day of climbing in the valley today; it was close to 100 degrees. It We practiced dülfersitz and Munter hitch rappels. Hopefully it's not too hot next week in Joshua Tree.
Sep 18, 2015 - ..With only a few days left, I figured I really should chill for the remaining time I have here; the rainy season finally caught up with me and we've been caught in torrential rains. Well...it cleared up a bit...and I haven't done any rock climbing yet, so I decided to go canyoneering... It was a fun day of rappelling down waterfalls, jumping off of cliffs, and doing other silly things that I'd probably only do in places like .. I head to Saigon in a few hours to finish off my trip.. I'll be home soon.
Sep 13, 2015 - I've been really lucky with the weather for the majority of this trip. Considering it's the "rainy season", it hasn't rained a whole lot. Sometimes it'll pour for an hour or two, but generally it's been pretty fair. It didn't rain at all during my time in Indonesia or Borneo. To think about it, we were really lucky it didn't rain during our into Hoi An. We had just avoided it by 7 minutes - as soon as we gave the keys to our bikes back, it started bombing down. It did rain pretty heavily last night and a typhoon is moving in, but I'm leaving Hoi An today; I fly into HCMC, then I head for the red sands of Mui Ne.
Sep 10, 2015 - I'm really digging . After a few days in Hanoi, I decided to go check out .. I knew it was beautiful, and I heard some of its history and mythology involving dragons...so I signed up for a package that took me out and offered a few activities, where we stayed and slept on a private island. I was hoping to do some rock climbing, but it had been raining all morning, so I looked at my other options. I had never been wake boarding, so I figured I'd give it a shot.. I wasn't too horrible - I was able to stand after the third try.. At night, the water in the bay would light up with phosphorescents if agitated, so naturally we jumped in to light up the water..I've never seen water so brilliant before. The rest of the adventure there was pure debauchery
Sep 12, 2015 - After spending a day in Phong Nha, which is home to the world's largest cave, we booked the only bus out of the town, which was at 4am. We initially were set on Hoi An, but after hearing some stories of the amazing drive it is from Hué to Hoi An, we decided why not?? We arrived in Hué a little after 830, and after a cup of coffee and some negotiating on a price, we rented motorbikes to make the journey to Hoi An.. It was a beautiful journey.
Along the way, we stopped on the side of the road at Lang Co to find a secluded beach. We swam a little and had some noodles and seafood, and we resumed our voyage. We were thrown off our course a few times after getting bad directions from several people, but we finally got to the correct road that takes us over Pass. Prior to making the climb, "J" suggests we fill up. Of the three bikes, only one of the fuel gauges work (hers) and she's running low. The petrol station (which was some dude selling gas on the side of the road in a one litre AquaFina water bottle) charged a little more than normal, so we decided to keep going. Just shy of the top of the pass, I suggest we stop to take a few pics. Its getting cloudy, so we might not have the panorama shot we hoped for... Right at that moment, my bike sputters... and stops. I try to turn it on, pero Nada.. Its out gas.. I wait as the girls go to get me a litre (which ended up costing us four times the going rate), and we're back on the road. Aside from a few minor challenges, it was a magical journey. The view of once you cross over the pass is breathtaking.. We chilled at Danang beach for a while, then finally arrived in Hoi An as the sun started to set. What a great day..
Sept 05, 2015 - The food in Borneo is just amazing. Every afternoon, the local fisherman bring in their boats, along with whatever they caught and sell it fresh off the boat. After a long day at Mt Kinabalu, we treated ourselves to some delicious fish , and sea snail, prepared Sambal style, which had a smokiness similar to chipotle chili. We sat and watched the sun set over the harbor as boys walked around selling durian fruit (which I still can't used to the smell of). Unfortunately, I received some misleading information - the summit at Kinabalu still hasn't reopened after the earthquake they had a few months ago, so I wasn't able to climb it. I'll have to "settle" for diving some more.
August 29, 2015 - There are no motorized vehicles on island, only bicycles and horses. I ended up doing two dives today - a deep water dive where we saw white tipped sharks. The second dive was a drift dive; we saw a few different kinds of sea turtles.. It was an awesome day. I may just stay here to dive and eat fresh seafood every day.
August 28, 2015 - I had a super productive day today.. I bought a new pair of flip flops, after having donated my last ones to a porter on Rinjani volcano who was barefoot. I then went for a dive and saw some white-tip sharks. Afterwards, I ate some fresh barracuda for lunch.. I'm exhausted. Think I'll just rest and read a book on the beach for the rest of the day
August 27, 2015 - . I've been so rushed lately...In the past three weeks, I've been in four different countries (I know I have a bunch of pics to post). It seems like every day, I was on a bus or a plane; or a bus taking me to a plane.. I got to Bali a handful of days ago and thought a nice little hike to the top of would be good for the soul.. Within the first 24 hours, we climbed from essentially sea level to 3726 meters (12,224 feet) to the top of the volcano.. It was not only really steep, but the terrain included everything from loose sand and scree where you would slide down one step for every two steps taken, to some sustained class 3 climbing, using our hands and feet to climb up the "trail." But we made it. Considering I went a few days without sleep, I'm really tired. I'm gonna go chill out on Gili Travagan beach for a few days
August 17, 2015 - After an epic THIRTY TWO hour bus ride from 4000 islands in Southern , we finally arrived in . Never in my life have I had to travel that long...even my initial flight from DC to Nepal was shorter than that. We travelled via bicycle, boat, , mini-bus, sleeper bus, and the back of a truck to get here. But we made it, and as usual, the moment I jumped into the water, it was all worth it. Seriously, I need a private jet.
August 13, 2015 - To say that transportation in Southeast Asia is challenging, would be an understatement. I've had an incident in every country I've visited. I was hoping Cambodia would be the exception... Nope. Making my way up to Laos, I met up with the girls again in Koh Trung, an island on the Mekong river near Kratie. We were relaxing when one of the staff asked who was staying on the island. All three girls are, but I have to head back to the mainland to catch an early bus up to 4000 islands. She says that the last ferry leaves at 5:30. Its a little past 5, so I settle my tab, and say adieu to the girls again. I jump on my bicycle (with the squeaky wheel) and head back to the dock. The people at the dock speak limited English, so when I get there, I sign "boat" in diving signals. The guy signals that the boat left...I try asking around, but either they don't understand me, or they signal that all boats are gone. Hmmm. Minor dilemma. I only brought a day pack and really should get back tonight. I ask a little more and everyone says that no more boats tonight - I have to wait until tomorrow. I ask the local fisherman for a ride, but I'm having a hard time communicating..eventually one nods, as if agreeing to take me.. for five times the going rate. .. I paid up.. Finally heading to 4000 islands the next morning, a five hour trip became a 12 hour adventure and my first land border crossing with it's own set of challenges. Personally, I think it was all coordinated.. Otherwise, I may not have been on the to see this
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June 03, 2015 - There was a pre-wedding celebration in the streets of #Jaisalmer #India. I jumped in and danced for a little bit #WheresJosueNow @natgeo
May 20, 2015 - This family found solace in singing to each other. I had no idea what they were singing; it may have been about the strange dude in their living room #Lati #LifeInLalitpur #Nepal
May 20, 2015 - This kid is too much. #Adorable #Nepal #WheresJosueNow
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