A few months ago, I walked into your season pass office and filled out a…
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Another Partly-Irish St. Patrick’s Day
I made a phone call to my grandmother every March 17th for a decade and…
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A Postcard From The Confluence
I am sitting at the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers at the…
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The Art Of ‘Getting Old’
Frank led up the first pitch of El Matador as I fed out rope, the…
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Skiing: A Bumpy Love Story
I leaned on my poles at the intersection of Why Not and Vagabond, green and…
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The Dawn Wall And The Idea of ‘Wasting Time’
A week ago, two guys finished climbing an astronomically difficult 3,000-foot route on El Capitan as…
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Thanks, Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder turned 50 the day before Christmas Eve, as musicians and regular folks often…
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In Praise Of The Real Conversation
I scrolled through my iPhone photos from the past year and found a couple shots…
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Considering Gratitude
Mike and I arrived at Lincoln Falls to see a dozen people spread across the…
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How To Be A Writer: One Story
Every few weeks, I get an e-mail or a Facebook message from someone who has…
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Notes From A #VanLife
One Saturday last May, I slid a key into the lock on a scrappy little…
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The Definition Of Adventure
As I descended the corniced summit ridge, I saw a climber coming up the same…
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Those Who Can Change Lives, Teach
In August 2011, my old 7th-grade Geography teacher, Mr. Button, sent me a message saying…
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The Benefits Of Discomfort
About a year ago, psychologist and author Kelly McGonigal gave a TED Talk on “How…
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The Toughest, Goofiest Lady I Knew, 1927-2014
My grandmother died at 6:07 p.m. June 24, in an intensive care unit room full…
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The Lost Art Of Dreaming Over Maps
I was talking to my friend Mark about mountain biking a while back when he…
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Don’t Focus On The Dog Shit
In the span of a few minutes yesterday morning, I read about a shotgun-wielding man…
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Hiking Is Cool
Do you ever think hiking doesn’t get much respect anymore? Wait, better question: Remember that…
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Tough As A Mother
My mom threw up at the climbing gym, just after I lowered her from the…
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What Story Are You Telling Yourself?
Chad Kellogg died in Patagonia on Valentine’s Day this year, at 42 years old. I…
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How To Climb A Hill
I was in the audience during a presentation at the Green Mountain College Adventure Education…
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The Man’s Guide to Being A ‘Real Man’
You probably read a few news stories over the past couple weeks about the rising…
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The Not-So-Bad Bad Day
Rob at Green Garage in Denver understands the art of telling someone how expensive their…
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Semi-Rad.com Is 3 Years Old Today. Thanks For Reading.
Three years ago, on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011, I clicked “publish” on a blog post…
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Do Things And Make Things Next Year
My parents gave me Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York book for a holiday gift,…
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The Grand Canyon Guide To Parent-Child Relationships
I hopped over a stream crossing the Bright Angel Trail, taking a big step from…
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Tyler Durden, Yvon Chouinard, And Growing Up
I watched Fight Club the other night for the first time in over a decade,…
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