Mountains are the coolest. Created by the most dramatic of geologic forces – the clashing of tectonic plates or the volcanic uprising of lava from the Earth’s interior – mountains are perhaps Mother Nature’s best geographic gift to the world. They are playgrounds for adventurers, landmarks for explorers, protectors from invaders, metaphors for the human […]
The bright, pulsating lights attract my eyes; the smell of moving, sweating bodies assails my nose; the air tastes like thick clouds of smoke until the crisp, fall breeze wipes it clean. But my senses struggle to distinguish between touch and sound, confused by noise so powerful it is a physical force, a collective heartbeat […]
When we’re traveling, there are moments that don’t seem real. Granted, most of the time I go along in my own world, disorganized thoughts drifting happily from the vapid to the existential and back again. But then I look up from the trail and everything stops. The world grows still and a part of me […]
It’s past 8 o’clock at night and the warm summer sun is just starting its lazy descent behind the serene mountains. Seemingly tangible rays of light are reflected on the surface of the crystal clear water of Rio Azul, flowing down from the mountains and sustaining the city of El Bolson far below. Fish dance […]
Michael: I think today was my favorite day in Japan. Taylor: Really?! Why? Michael: Because it wasn’t so bad… not like the other days. …… My scarf blows in my face, obstructing my vision. It’s too cold to take my hands out of my pockets so I just wait for the gust to die down. […]
I am not going to die here. This I know. Well, I’m at least 85% sure. I tell myself that the slimy creatures brushing against my legs are just fish… just huge cave-dwelling fish… and fish don’t eat humans. But that huge yellow snake that we saw a moment ago, deftly slithering through the water […]
A flash of lightning illuminates the giant karst towers that guard Tonsai’s white crescent beach in the teal Andaman Sea. A strong wind brings temporary relief from the heat and humidity that wrap around us like a thick blanket. The energy of an approaching storm is tangible… We sit cross-legged on bamboo benches at an […]
I awake gasping for breath. Panic rises in my chest as claustrophobia closes in around me. I thrust my nose and eyes out of the dark cocoon that is my sleeping bag and, as I inhale the frigid air, I talk myself down. Again. “Chill out, Taylor. You’re in the Himalaya.” Periodic breathing, also known […]
Khumbu (Mt. Everest) Region Beta Version Any climbing trip to the Khumbu region of Nepal is a rather involved and expeditionary undertaking, despite good trails and copious amount of teahouses and people. Expect incredible mountains. Expect cold temperatures. Expect to be dirty, smelly, and sucking air most of the time. And expect hordes of Gortex-clad, […]
I sit on a balcony at our hostel overlooking an overgrown garden, the bushes and vines suffocating old plastic tables and chairs. On the other side of this small jungle, seven men butcher a hog on a large sheet of tin; the same tin used for fences, gates and roofs all around Kathmandu. It’s hard […]