the blog

“There is something extremely gratifying about doing things that are a little harder… I like having to do things… What’s this obsession with ease?”

We all love making plans, or at least I sure do. In these challenging times it’s easy to say: “use this time to plan the next thing.” But maybe what’s more valuable is to use this time to understand how to be happy now, here, exactly where we are. Some big trip doesn’t have to be around the corner to prove our value of happiness, we don’t always have to be one upping each other and ourselves. I’m not saying don’t strive for self improvement, just thinking that it’s worth remembering that our lives are lived in the present, not in the future.

Be patient. You don’t know what someone else has been through.
Be kind. A little goes a long way, a lot can change the world.
Be honest. Your word defines who you are, don’t compromise it.

Good things take time. We lay the groundwork through days, months, even years, eventually seeing some parts come to fruition, and some fall away. The journey of life is a perpetual transition and growing process.

A trip of this magnitude has the opportunity to really change a person. Long quiet moments for intentional thought, reading, writing, learning; finding intention and positivity in being completely content in my current place, not thinking about the next trip or what else I could be doing. Eric and I shared hours of deep conversation, belly-aching laughter, and a few honest tears. We were pushed into a type of self sufficiency that is rarely experienced in the world these days. While there were more positives than I can recall, seasickness, rain, unsteady wave action, and two hurricanes also plagued our time and were often top of mind when working through each day. Even those, though, are no comparison to the feeling of the trip coming to an end, that simplicity fading back into modern normalcy. To me, that is the hardest part of any expedition, when it ends.

It’s really hard to argue with sunrises over the ocean.

I’ll chalk that up to one of the better experiences I may ever have.

A few moments in time, captured on film.

When trying to photograph an animal as large as a Whale Shark, even a wide angle lens doesn’t do them justice. While they don’t seem to move too fast, they can go from right next to you to gone in the blink of an eye. @briannamadia had been thinking about seeing the whale sharks here in La Paz for several years, and the opportunity to see someone’s face when they first get in the water with something of that scale and age, it’s really something special.

Made it exactly where we needed to be. Photo by @crooked.finger.designs

One thing I’ll always love about winter is the plethora of different ways to experience the same weather phenomenon, frozen water. It really all ties back to that in the end.
Whether you’re ski touring, ice climbing, or generally alpine-ing, pushing yourself to experience these places not only takes knowledge but also the attitude to get yourself out of a warm bed to push into the higher regions.
I am continuing to partner with @backcountry in hopes to encourage you to get outside and find your backcountry, wherever that may be. Use code WILL15 for 15% off your first purchase at backcountry.com! (exclusions apply ) #findyourbackcountry

I love how a single photograph can transport you back to a memory, which is one of the reasons I’ve always called my photography journey as one of collecting memories, more so to preserve a slice of time, to commit it to my history.

We’ll be here for a while if you need me. Except there’s no cell signal…

No point in moving too fast in these parts.

Deep in one of the finger canyons of Lake Powell, a little taste of what the Glen Canyon was before the dam.

Perched perfectly above the sea.

This is one of those special spots that you think about all year in anticipation of returning.

Soon to be Baja bound… This is seeming to be an annual trip, each one growing from the time before. It’s a place that seems to have infinite possibilities, but finding those places that draw you back time and time again has been an ideal way to experience a place.