Adventures with less
After years of writing about my adventures, I decided to put together a video to see if I could capture the feel of a typical packrafting trip. I think the video below is a fairly accurate depiction of what many of my trips look like these days. It is almost 20 minutes long (think feature … Read more
“Happy Halloween Ike! I enjoyed reading your most recent blog post. What an incredible experience. My curious mind has to know…how does the photographer follow you? Is he rafting as well? I’d like to do some solo hiking/camping in the spring possibly out west. Any favorite destinations?” (3 hours later) “Or….you can let me buy … Read more
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’ We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. -Alfred, Lord Tennyson It was 3 … Read more
A cold trickle of water ran through my hair and down the side of my face. I swiped it away irritably as I stomped past what probably would have been some of the Adirondacks’ crown jewels. I tried not to let the weather get to me, but I didn’t always succeed. The forecast now called … Read more
For as long as I could remember, I had been asking myself, “What next?” Now, as my girls were getting older, it was becoming increasingly important to me that the time I put into planning my adventures should not come at the cost of family exploration. So it was that on the last day of … Read more
Published in Backpacking Light, March 2014 “We’ll be fine”, I said, not very confidently. Doug had just asked me how far I thought we’d get before the car ran out of gas. I wasn’t sure, but had that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that we weren’t going to get very far. The … Read more
Published in Backpacking Light Magazine, December 2013. It had initially been titled “Twenty Shades of Gray” in reference to the winter skies over Lake Superior, but they thought the title too provocative. J raised an eyebrow inquisitively. She must have noticed the look of longing that had flitted across my face. “You’re not planning something … Read more
There’s no doubt that ultralight hikers like titles associated with arbitrary base-weights. First there was UL, then SUL (super ultralight), and when that became too commonplace, along came XUL (extreme ultralight) and RUL (ridiculously ultralight). Recently, the concept of M-SUL (mountain SUL) was introduced for those who prefer not to make the arbitrary 5 lb … Read more
Originally published in Backpacking Light Magazine, October 2013 I had pored over the squiggly blue lines for hours, trying to make them connect. Packrafting changes the way you look at a map for sure. Now my eyes were always first drawn to the waterways, those wilderness superhighways. What would they look like? Could they be … Read more
Originally published March 2013 The internet is a great and terrible tool for communication. It brings together people with diverse backgrounds, geographic ranges, and interests who all share a love for backcountry travel. Unfortunately, forum members come to the table with their own set of assumptions, and absent the subtleties of facial expression and other … Read more