adventure daily.
Back in mid-December, we got a snowstorm that dumped about a foot of snow and was amazingly not followed by an inch of freezing rain as seems to be the norm the last few years. This meant that we actually had some time to enjoy pristine, fluffy powder before the inevitable melting or ice crust …
I took a break from my run and stood in the middle of the trail, looking at the unending ribbon of slush-covered rocks ahead. My feet and ankles were starting to ache from sliding and trying to catch my balance. I'd gone about 2 miles but it felt like 10. I looked at my phone for …
I awoke to a slightly different light coming through our bedroom window, and I had a hunch. I sat up, peering into the outside world. My hunch was right---a thin layer of white powder covered the ground. We had received the first snow of the season, the first snow in our new house. Evan and …
It's been a little while since I've had a really great long mountain bike ride. The kind of ride that beats you up but makes you giddy with laughter, the kind that makes your legs burn but your body and soul feel alive, the kind that leaves you feeling exhausted yet truly satisfied and happy. Today …
Continue reading "One of those really great mountain bike rides."
I recently read an article about the Danish concept of “hygge,” a word with no exact English translation, but which means something like “coziness” or “togetherness.” The article focused on how this concept is used in Danish culture as a way to get through the dark, cold days of winter with high spirits. Last Sunday, …
Winter snuck up on me this year. It seems like just yesterday that I was returning home from Japan, with the end of summer and all of fall ahead of me. The leaves were still green, the air was still warm, and friends gathered around the fire pit outside. Now, the first snow of the …
After over a week of getting acquainted with Japan and Matsumoto, figuring out a confusing and somewhat frustrating permit process, and experimenting with potential food options for backcountry camping in Japan (a task that turned out to be a lot harder than you would think), we finally embarked to the mountains in an attempt to …
helena kotala 