As a teenager, I wandered the woods of western Pennsylvania with my dad, a bow, and a quiver of arrows. I never had much luck with the bow, that is, my shots at game more often than not ended with a disheartening crack of cedar against rock. However, I gained an appreciation for the natural world, and by the end of high school I felt the pull of the wilderness whenever my life became too hectic. The words of Thoreau rang in my ears:
"Rise free from care before the dawn, and seek adventures. Let the noon find thee by other lakes, and the night overtake thee everywhere at home. There are no larger fields than these, no worthier games than may here be played. Grow wild according to thy nature, like these sedges and brakes, which will never become English hay."
- Henry David Thoreau, Walden
In my first few days as a college student, I discovered the Pitt Outdoors Club. My life changed quickly, adopting backpacking and climbing as a release from the "real world" of classes and . In the wilderness I found I could escape to a place where my decisions mattered. My life hung on strands of 11mm rope, or teetered on the edge of a cliff as I rappelled slowly into the void.
Now I consider myself a climber. I travel around the world, never leaving my trad rack at home. Some students party in Cancun; I spend my spring break waking up in the Adirondacks at 4am to -30 degree temps and climbing ice. My goals revolve around the mountains...the Tetons, the Wind Rivers, the Torres of Patagonia, China's Tianshan...these will be my playgrounds.
Trip Reports and Photos
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2008
- Great Sand Dunes National Park April 4-6
- Flattop Powder Day March 30
- Hiking by Jaws January 8
- West Creek Falls January 11
- Snowcaving with Kate and Brian January 19-20
- Jewel Lake with Wes and Matt January 27
- A Failed Yurt Trip February 2
- Skiing Flattop February 10
- Another Attempt on Longs North Face in Winter February 24
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2007
- Ouray with Andrew, Matt, and Emily February 1-5
- Mexico April 4-9
- Mummy Hague Traverse with Matt B. May 18-20
- Keyhole Hike for Discovery June 9
- Craig's Visit July 8-12
- Climbing and Hiking with Abby August 8, 14
- Lawn Lake with James Frank August 17-19
- Guiding Long's Peak August 23
- Acadia for Matt and Emily's Wedding September 15-17
- Curecanti and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison October 4-8
- Florida over Thanksgiving
- Hidden Falls with James, December 7
- Mount Bierstadt 14,060', December 15
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2006
- Snowshoeing and Ice Skating with the Girls, February 3
- Skiing (or trying to) Flattop, February 14
- Ouray! February 24-27
- Hiking Twin Sisters, April 2nd
- Hourglass Couloir on Fairchild Mountain, April 21
- Longs Peak North Face, 1st Attempt with JS, April 28
- Hiking Estes Cone, April 31
- Longs Peak North Face, 2nd Attempt, May 12
- Dragontail with Todd and Justin, May 19
- Stettner-Ford on the Grand Teton with Todd and Justin, May 25-28
- Jurassic Park sport climbing with Jakub and Abby, June 18
- Magical Chrome Plated with Abby, June 23
- First time sailing, July 27
- Sailing Boyd Lake, July 29
- Longs Peak North Face, 3rd Attempt - Successful! August 11
- Sailing Cherry Creek with JS, August 26
- Hiking Chapin Peak, August 27
- Climbing All Mixed Up, November 3
- Skiing Hidden Valley with JS, Matt, and Emily, November 5
- Lincoln Falls Ice with JS, Matt, Emily, and Andrew, November 18
- Jewel Lake Ice with Jen, John, and Cliff December 10
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2005
- Schenley Park Ice Climbing with JS, January 28
- Hidden Falls, March 20
- Apryle hiking Loch Vale, March 25
- Jewel Lake ice, March 27
- Dragontail with Jesse Bernier, April 24
- Skiing Flattop East Face, June 14
- Kor's Flake on Sundance, June 18
- Better than Love on Hallett Peak, July 2
- Spiral Route and South Face of Notchtop, July 15
- Diamond attempt, August 6
- Conundrum Hot Springs in Aspen, August 19
- Climbing Lumpy with Jeremy and Dana, September 2
- Split lip at Hidden Falls, December 11
- Ice at Lincoln with Andrew, December 12
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2004
- NOLS Patagonia and climbing in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru!
- Coopers with Apryle, August 22, 2004
- Apryle at Eldo, etc, September 3-5, 2004
- Waging weekend warfare in the Fall of 2004
- Seneca with Apryle and Turtle, October 13, 2004
- Big Fall at Seneca, October 17th, 2004
- Unrelenting Verticality at Seneca, October 31st 2004
- Apryle at Red Rocks with Dan, November 2004
- Breaking into Winter in the Dolly Sods, December 2004
- Pharaoh Mountain Ice - New Years '04/'05
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2003
- POC Winter Seneca, January 2003
- 'Daks Spring Break - Trap Dyke on Colden, March 2003
- Tetons, Wind River Range, and Devil's Tower - July and August
- Sailing Lake Arthur, Moraine State Park, October 5
- Kayaking the Slippery Rock Creek with Speedy, October 12
- Winter Seneca by Rob Bailey, November 14-16
- Aiding Crack of Dawn, Dec. 5-6 withth photos!
- Ice Climbing at Frankenstein, Mid-December
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2002
- Red Rocks Spring Break, March 2002
- Seven day climbing trip with five other Pitt Outdoors Club members. Climbed several short trad routes at Red Rocks, drove to Joshua Tree due to poor weather at Red Rocks. Notable routes include Double Cross (5.7), Papa Woolsey (5.10b)
- Apryle's Australian Climbing
- Wet at Wallface, Scared at the Gunks, May 2002
- Canoeing the Allegheny, July 2002
- Hiking the North Fork Trail with Matt Belfoure, July 29th 2002
- Climbing at Phoenix Mountain, Beijing, October 2002
- Adirondak Winter Backpacking, December 20002
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2001
- Day Hike at Quebec Run, January 2001
- Snowshoeing in the Laurel Highlands, January 2001
- Backpacking Jefferson National Forest, March 3-11 2001
- Spring Seneca 2001
- Summer and Fall 2001 Photos
- Fall Seneca, October 2001
- Post-Finals Seneca, December 2001
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2000
- Climbing at Seneca with Phil Sidel, October 2000
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