Motivations: Climbing Mt McKinley

With my wide-rimmed cowboy-like hat and handkerchief across my face along with all kinds of weapons dangling from my harness I felt like an outlaw in the wild west. My gear jingled with each step and I could draw an ice screw like a handgun. We donned our packs and hitched our sleds and we were ready for battle. A battle with Mount McKinley. We buried two days worth of food at base camp and marked the cache with a bamboo wand and a flag provided by the Park Service with our name on it. We would use this food if we came back to Base Camp during a storm and had to wait a while for a flight out.

Full Story by Matthew Gilbertson

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Adventures in Hiking and Biking

Few mountain names strike as much fear into the hearts of mountaineers as “The Peak Above the Nubble.” Some brave hikers even refer to it as “Trail-less, Nameless Peak.” Browsing the New England Hundred Highest Mountains list one day Eric and I came across this foreboding mountain and decided we would see what the hype is all about. We found out that old “Nubble Peak” had a

few tricks up its sleeve.

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Through our bike ride from Alaska to Montana in 2008 we discovered that cycling is a good way to see the country. It’s four times faster than walking and it’s much stealthier than driving a car. You feel the sense of accomplishment of seeing the world by your own power instead of the power of gasoline. You don’t just see the scenery, you feel it. You sweat every uphill and roar down every downhill; you curse every rainstorm and cherish every tailwind. When you want to camp it’s easy: you find a flat spot and plunge into the bushes. If you’re good at “stealth camping” the only thing you actually need to pay for is food and the occasional bike part. After the summer of 2008 we were looking for the next spectacular place to go for a long ride…

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