Author Archives: John

Myers called a good one and I am very pleased that he did. He met me, along with Howard after work on Friday. We took the Steenhatchie canoe over the dragon on a warm, summer afternoon.  It’s a long story … Continued

  When we got off the big Uhuru summit of Kilimanjaro we took a shower at the hotel in Moshi. I was now in full blown respiratory distress and spent the afternoon/ night in a fever. Imagine being in a … Continued

Kilimanjaro July 3-18 2019. Long on our bucket list, Kili loomed like a storm cloud over my climbing resume. Everyone had finished it at some point. Brian Moran told me it was his favorite of them all. Many thwarted attempts … Continued

It was a hard fought battle but the three of us, Howard, Laurel and I reached the roof of Africa marking personal altitude records for them and number 4 of the Seven summits for me. Details forthcoming as we are … Continued

It took us a full day to get here. Knoxville to Atlanta, then Amsterdam to Moshi. Evans was there to collect us after a protracted customs experience and his hospitality was quite welcomed by the three of us. So far … Continued

Yesterday, Howard and I made a quick hit trip up to the Chimneys. It is a ritual for me to scale the Chimneys prior to a climb somewhere and last year it was good luck.  Laurel and I will be … Continued

Carol Evans, Reid Hartsell and John Becker were so kind as to have me speak in detail about outdoor opportunities in East Tennessee and my training in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness. John asked some great questions and we laughed as I … Continued

Hike with John Quillen   Would love to have you join me and Legacy Parks to share a great trail on which I trained for many mountain adventures right in the heart of Knoxville. Free to the public. RSVP is … Continued

An edited version of this story was published in Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine, June 2019     Below is my full account of our summit push, Mt. Everest in May of 2018.     Redemption on Top of the World … Continued