Other EXPEDITIONS

As I made that final phone call home before we disappeared for 30 days into the vast Wyoming backcountry, the furthest thing from my mind was that I would be standing atop Cloud Peak (13,167’) in the Bighorn National Forest less than 20 days later...

Those early NOLS and Outward Bound experiences coupled with my time in Boulder, at the University of Colorado, gave me a great appreciation for the mountains. However, it wasn’t until I moved to Portland, OR, for work early in my career that I truly developed a passion for mountaineering that would take me all over the world, into some of the toughest and most inhospitable environments imaginable, and truly set me on my path to Everest...

Mt. Adams is a big mountain and is actually three times more massive than Mt. Rainier, which is one of the tallest peaks in the continental U.S. Most people climb Mt. Adams in a two-day push, which is the way that Clay and I did it the previous year. Time was tight for this climb with the Hewlett-Packard guys though, so I decided to use the same one-day strategy as I had the previous weekend, which would be tough given this team’s limited experience...

We arrived at our acclimatization camp on the lower flanks of Orizaba just as the sun was setting. The sky lit up in the most majestic oranges, purples and reds due to the fact that Popo (a nearby volcano) had erupted just days earlier. The brilliant light on the horizon with the mountain looming high above us made for an exceptional campground. Day one was complete and we were exactly where we had planned to be, giving us a legitimate shot at the summit...

I made four trips in three years to my two favorite towns that the European Alps have to offer: Chamonix, France, and Grindelwald, Switzerland. These unforgettable trips included a climb of Mont Blanc du Tacul with my brother, ice climbing in a cave in the French countryside, and a climb of Mont Blanc on the infamous 9/11/2001...

After two Alaskan climbing expeditions in 2002 and 2004 to climb Denali, it was time to experience a new region of the world. I convinced my climbing partners, Jay & Luis, to join me in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru to attempt three peaks in quick succession starting with Artesonraju (19,767’)...

In preparation for the trip, we all read the various guidebooks and recommendations to help us during our stay in this interesting and beautiful and impoverished country. One of the first things you read in said books is that you should only take the GREEN taxis upon arrival in Lima. The others run the risk of being a bit more sinister and opportunistic. Well, having been there before, I was somewhat (over) confident and managed, within minutes of our midnight arrival in Lima, to get us entangled with a less than reputable “taxi service"...

Watching this mountain of a man, gripping the wall with one hand, while trying to get his other hand to stop cramping by placing his thumb against his upper teeth and stretching it out, before quickly switching and trying with the other hand, was a sight to behold. Nonetheless, cursing mightily into the significant winds that day, Craig powered through and soon thereafter we sat on the summit enjoying the views with the thumb cramps already a fading memory...

Mountaineering is an inherently dangerous undertaking that has many underlying risks, so, we do not head into the hills lightly and typically work hard to mitigate any and all hazards as much as is possible.

That said, in July 2013, I joined some long-time climbing partners on a climb of Mt. Jefferson in central Oregon. Mt. Jefferson is a difficult peak and as a result is not often climbed. It is known for its rotten, volcanic rock while it’s ridges and faces are quite steep...