Before I left for three-hours the other day, I told my three-year-old son that his favorite babysitter was going to come hang out with him. Because he adores her, I was surprised at his answer and the vehemence with which it was said, “This is dumb. I don’t like her. No, you can’t go.” It … More Fear and Courage
The other day I was working at my desk when I felt like pressure tipped the scales and slid into anxiety. I had a client project that wasn’t going well, something that I tried to do for a friend didn’t turn out as I hoped, the holiday bills were adding up and I had strange … More Climbing Out Of My Gunk
One of the guides that I climbed mountains with, Phil, taught the skill of weighing objective risks versus subjective risks. Objective risks in the mountains include avalanche danger, weather forecast, rock fall areas, and navigating around crevasses. It is because of objective risk that we’d often leave for the summit in the middle of the … More Life: Risky Business
Shortly after I returned from Everest Base Camp in 2001, I went with my dad to hear Beck Weathers speak. Anyone that has read Jon Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air or any of the other books about the 1996 disaster on Everest, is probably familiar with his story. Here’s my abridged version: Beck was a … More The Power of Stories
When I was climbing mountains, I’d regularly sign up for a guided climbing trips, sometimes with a friend and sometimes by myself. It was a great way to travel and also get to climb a mountain or two. Typically we’d all converge in a meeting place and do the initial meet and greet and then … More The Feeling of Community
Recently I found myself in the position of carrying my 2-year-old on my shoulders while I dragged my 6-year-old along in a sled. We were hurrying back through the falling snow and the howling wind to the car after our foray into the first snow of the season turned the corner into too cold. My … More The Rest Step
In 2006 I went to a book reading and slide show by legendary alpine climber Ed Viesturs. He’d just published his book about summiting the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 meters (26,264 feet) without supplemental oxygen, No Shortcuts to the Top and my friends and I had a front row seat for his show. We … More The Usefulness of Play
By Ellen Jayne | Have you ever had something you based your whole life on taken away from you? … More Finding Another True Love