Well, it’s Weds now. I’ve been in Guatemala for 8 days. I’ve been sweating for the vast majority of that time. It’s hot a humid here. I’m writing this from the home of the owner of the raft company. It’s a simple home, but the location is tough to beat. I’ve got the sound of the Lanquin river about 6 feet below me and two feet behind. The view is of some undeveloped mountains and the loudest sounds, other than the river, are some sprinkles of rain on the tin …

Hmmm.  Weird accents are showing up.  Sorry about that.  Not sure what to do, since they aren’t in what I’m seeing. 

Today I woke early,and went for a walk. I bought a tamale, wrapped in banana leaf and a bit different than the tamales I’m used to. Went back to the hotel. Annalise was ready to move on to Lanquin, so Iris and I walked her to the bus stop, and then we walked to a different spot, where we caught a mini-bus to a small village 8 km away. …

I woke up tuesday morning around 8 a.m. and sliced off some gluten-free bread for toast.  I sat down at the computer, and started to think about my day.  I needed to run a  few errands, return my library book, and pack for my trip to Guatemala.  Kim came out, and mentioned the new hands-free cell phone law, and I said, “Well, you don’t have to worry until tommorow.”
She said, “No it starts today.”
I said, “July 1 is tommorow.”
Kim, “No today is july 1″
My heart sank and I got …

John Day River
A few months ago, my old climbing buddy Brian emailed me. I hadn’t seen him in 8 or more years, but we’ve stayed in touch. He’s retired from climbing these days, but has taken up rafting with enthusiasm. He was listing his plans for the next few months, and I invited Kim and myself along. The trip grew into a full week vacation for Kim and I.
I was busy the week leading up to the trip, and didn’t get everything as organized as I …

Kim and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary this weekend with a lovely weekend in Yosemite. Saturday morning we got up early, and drove there in time to get in a climb.

Kim is a super strong climber, but is still pretty new to traditional lead climbing. On Saturday she did her first long multipitch where she led everything, and she did an awesome, awesome job. I was very proud of her.
We stayed in Camp Curry, which was interesting, then rose and had an awesome brunch at the famous Awahnee hotel. …

I was looking in my Picassa albums, and saw a folder of pictures that Nickolaus and Melissa Brown (brother and sister) had sent me. They were our trailmates on the Inca Trail when we went to Peru last fall, and were awesome. Loved them both. They had a few cool shots that I hope they don’t mind me sharing here.

In January 2000, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Nepal to complete field research for my masters thesis in point of use drinking water treatment. I fell in love with the country and traveled back at the end of the year to spend a month trekking, rafting, and traveling. Nepal is one of the most beautiful places I have seen. However, I think it skims the heavens for more reasons than just being the home of Everest. Here are some photos:

I’ve got more photos, so I’ll …

(click slideshow for larger images)

Kim and I were in San Antonio for my Grandfather’s funeral last weekend. It was a sad weekend, of course, but it was nice to see my family so much.
On Sunday morning, my parents were going over some stuff with my Grandma, so Kim and I took the morning and went to downtown San Antonio. We visited several historical sites, including a cathedral built by the Spanish missionaries in the 1700’s, and the Alamo, a famous battle site in Texas …

In 2007, we had a fantastic trip to Peru. This is Geoff’s story about the trip. Make sure you see Kim’s as well.

Kim’s funny story about our trip to Peru in 2007. Make sure you also see Geoff’s Story and the photo albums.