Cautionary Tales: With Denali looming, we spent six days skiing and climbing at Root Canal Glacier, a prong of ice surrounded by towering walls of granite in the heart of the Alaska Range.
Cautionary Tales: The most memorable winter moments aren’t always the bomber days spent skiing long and hard.
Cautionary Tales: I can't say the warning signs weren't there. But this bushwhack off the Johnson Pass Trail was one to remember.
I didn't set out to become a Junior Nordic skier at age 28. But sometimes, that's how the Cookie Tour crumbles.
Cautionary Tales: There's no feeling like that moment you wake up in the morning on a camping trip and realize something has gone terribly wrong.
Cautionary Tales: When you have a poor track record with bicycles, riding a fat-tire bike loaded with overnight gear is a lesson in character building.
Cautionary Tales: Sometimes, it takes a bag of leftover holiday ham to remind you that you can find a taste of home anywhere if you look hard enough.
Cautionary Tales: On the virtues of checking out minor annoyances — an itch here, an uncomfortable hot spot there — sooner rather than later.
Cautionary Tales: In fourth grade, Chicago kid Jim Dore resolved to get to Alaska, one way or another. Thirteen years later, Dore crafted his plan -- which involved an $89 inflatable raft bought from Sears.
Consider this an installment of "Cautionary Tales: City Edition."
Cautionary Tales: Here are some of the most memorable misadventures and lessons learned readers have shared.
Cautionary Tales: If you're not used being belayed by a climbing partner, every moment you're roped up can feel like a life-or-death situation. Relax.
Cautionary Tales: Here's a breakdown of different winter trail conditions, and what I'll use to make backcountry travel less of a headache.
Cautionary Tales: After a particularly frigid day skiing at Turnagain Pass, my hands and feet will never feel the same in the cold again.
Cautionary Tales: Sometimes, honesty is the best policy in the outdoors. At other times, denial will keep you going past your breaking point.
Cautionary Tales: You've read about my tales of woe in the backcountry. Here are some of the most memorable stories readers have shared with me.
Cautionary Tales: When a thick layer of ice comes between me and my drinking water, I must learn to adapt.
Cautionary Tales: Anything I want to keep during a trip needs to be secured safely within my backpack. Everything else is fair game for Mother Nature.
Cautionary Tales: I've often been asked why I enjoy venturing into the outdoors by myself. Truth be told, it's not for everyone.
Cautionary Tales: Hiking the Granite Tors Trail on a late-summer day, I wanted to shake my fist at every friend who told me Fairbanks wasn't worth visiting.
