Recent Writing and Updates
Last summer I turned 33, and I ran the Spirit of Gettysburg 5k with Jackie and Calvin. Four years earlier I ran the same race as a bachelor with no kids--not even a dog. This time around, I had a lot more on my mind, as I describe in the Race+Places essay in the June 2012 issue of Runner's World.
First off, oil shale isn't oil. It's a rock. That's one of the ideas I explain in a
press document I wrote (and designed) for the National Parks Conservation Association. As
the BLM considers whether to extend oil shale leases to the doorsteps of our national parks, the NPCA is using my writing to get the word out. And it worked: The New York Times "Green" blog picked up the story a few days later.
What are the biggest hang-ups for beginner runners? I should know them by heart, but I still interviewed a half-dozen coaches and running experts to write this no-more excuses guide for newbie runners. How much, how far, and how to avoid injuries--it's all in the May 2012 issue of
Runner's World.
My first spring in Salt Lake City is a busy one as I finish features for
Runner's World,
Backpacker,
Outside,
Spirit, as well as a media pamphlet on oil shale development for the
National Parks Conservation Association.
I did, however, escape for a few days in March to complete a
22-mile backpack loop in southern Utah's Capitol Reef National Park.
During the February-to-March 2012 Utah legislative session I volunteered with the Utah Health Policy Project, a plucky nonprofit seeking to protect and expand health care coverage to the state's most vulnerable citizens. I got animated about this
short policy video I created to lobby against a bill that end-runs health care reform.
Can veteran backpackers still get lost? You bet. Last fall, Ross Mason, a Houston-based graphic designer, got 20 miles off course in New Mexico's Gila Wilderness. Only his pre-trip safety measures--like designating an emergency check-in contact--enabled his rescue after four days of struggling to survive. Learn from Mason's mistakes in my latest Case Study in the November 2011 issue of
Backpacker.
Since autumn is when I'm outdoors the most, writing my latest Backpacker article on
extending your hiking season into October and November was like sharing my favorite secrets. In the article I explain how to plan a warmer route, and why white-gas stoves are better in colder temps. Check it out in the October 2011
"Survival" issue.
For the last 22 months I led Citizenship Lancaster—a free, weekly class that prepares immigrants for the
U.S. naturalization exam. With my friend Michael, we taught over 100 students and helped 20 become new U.S. citizens (read this newspaper article about one of them). Then, take a practice test to see how much you know. Note: In June we turned over administration of the class to three new teachers.
This summer the editors at
Runner's World asked me investigate the hidden world of race fees.
My infographically illustrated findings appear in the magazine's August 2011 issue. Interviewing marathon directors, economists, and running analysts helped me answer questions like: Why are entry fees for races rising so fast? Where does the money go? And are most races over-priced? Look for more of my articles in RW coming soon.
Backpacker magazine debuted a new Survival department in the May 2011 issue. I wrote two articles--a challenging quiz and an hour-by-hour diagnosis of the ordeal endured by Michael Hays, an Ohio hiker who got lost on Katahdin for four days in May 2010. Soldiers learn to fight better by studying past wars--so why can't hikers learn to be safer and more confident by learning from other's harrowing mistakes. Look for more survival articles by me in the future issues of Backpacker.
Do New York Times columnists read Backpacker? Anne Eisenberg does.
That's why she interviewed me for her
January 2011 column about new gadgets that enable satellite reception for smartphones—even at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I explained how terrain and distance block cell coverage deep in the backcountry, a problem these new devices overcome. The trick, however, is making sure you never need to call 911 in the first place.
I'm blogging as Prof. Hike at Backpacker.com these days. I focus on the informative and irreverant. For instance, the 5 Unwritten Rules of Trail Etiquette , and what to do if you need
Gearoholics Anonymous. Other posts explore Aron Ralston's survival epic in The Instinctive 127 Hours , and how satellites will change the nature of search-and-rescue in The End of Off-the-Grid. Head to class at Backpacker.com
I recently I wrote my first book--The Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking which was published on April 6, 2010. The tight-deadlined project kept me inside and at my computer all summer, but I celebrated its completion with a backpacking trip in California's Sequoia National Park in early October 2009.
