Thoughts from the trail, the road, and the moments in between.

2024 was a year of investing in myself both personally and professionally. One of the biggest steps I took this year was applying to, committing to, and completing The Futurist Project’s Leadership Academy. This six-month program identifies and unites 30 emerging leaders across, and adjacent to, the outdoor industry. Every year, the program brings together diverse individuals — ranging in age, experience, places of work, and stages in their careers — to create a dynamic learning space where ideas flourish and innovative solutions are born.

I recently researched, wrote, and published a three-part series, in English and Spanish, for Osprey that’s been a journey and tale years in the making. In short, the story is that of Claudio Fidani, his 40+ years managing a remote mountain hut in the Argentine Andes, and the relationship he and his five children have with each other, the mountain hut, and nature in general. On occasion, as I share new stories, family, friends, colleagues, and others are curious as to how I came to connect with, know, and tell the story. For this particular story with and about the Fidani family and Refugio Jakob, I decided to write a blog post with the backstory.

Last year, after my dad passed away, as I was writing the eulogy for his memorial service, I asked my mom and sister to share memories with me that, to each of them, captured or conveyed who Dad was, what he valued and how he lived his life. Mom shared a memory that has stuck with me—and has, in moments since, become a part of my life, too.

Earlier this year, my friend Mayura Sen and I were both feeling a bit stumped creatively. We weren’t finding the creative time, space, energy, and inspiration we once had—each in our own ways, each for our own reasons. So we connected in early February to chat about creativity and the creative slumps we were in. Mayura is a visual artist. I’m a writer, a wordsmith. I can’t quite remember what we spoke about that day. A mix of the above, I suppose. But the text messages that followed were synchronistic, serendipitous and just … a little bit magic.

On Sunday, February 14, 2021, I was baptized at Kensington Church in Traverse City, Michigan. That morning, I shared the following words – my testimony – with my family, friends and members of the church.