Author Archives: John

I reached the summit of icy Pico de Orizaba at 8 am on January 3. It was a 7 hour solo push from 14 k to 18.6 k and nearly 11 hours roundtrip. Laurel, having succumbed to acute mountain sickness … Continued

It was a grueling but worthwhile ascent of 14600 foot La Malinche. It’s best described as two thousand feet straight up to the tree line. Then above the Treeline you get on a scree slope that is quite slippery . … Continued

Puebla It is good to be back in this beautiful city. After landing in Mexico City Christmas night we grabbed a few hours sleep and hopped on a bus to Puebla the next morning. Laurel is getting her first taste … Continued

  I have unfinished business down there in Mexico in the form of a summit of it’s highest point, Citlatepetel, also known as Orizaba.  Rising to 18,500 feet above the Mexican plain, this dormant giant claims the title of  North … Continued

Wouldn’t it be great if you were able to get a 500 acre piece of land from your county, lease it for $15 and turn around and whore it out to whatever for profit entity you wish? Oh, and did … Continued

    http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2016/12/14/ijams-consider-private-boats-meads-quarry-lake/95156944/   Ijams to consider private boats on Mead’s Quarry Lake Travis Dorman , travis.dorman@knoxnews.com 5:42 p.m. EST December 14, 2016 Mead’s Quarry Lake (Photo: Travis Dorman) Ijams Nature Center’s Board of Directors will discuss Thursday whether to … Continued

Portions of scarred land along the spur on 12/10. Some sort of fire retardant spray, I imagine. It’s hard to believe that the relatively small fire we witnessed and videoed after Eagle Creek grew to the tragic event in Gatlinburg. … Continued

I am giving a free digital download of my last book, Father of Ice Mountains to all who have followed these exploits over the years. It is an account of my ski ascent of 24,747 foot Muztagh Ata in the Chinese … Continued

Laurel, Wayne and I steer the “Steenhatchie” through low waters of Eagle Creek on Sunday. But wait? Who is Wayne? And how did Laurel get here and why did I lose a passenger? Questions Questions. It all began on Wednesday. … Continued

On our return from Eagle Creek we passed the impressive blaze presently consuming part of the Chimney Tops trail. I enjoy watching all of nature, the good and bad. As long as I am not a recipient of the warm … Continued