Stories from the ridgeline
Reflections on fatherhood, faith, healing, leadership, adventure, and the spaces between expectation and reality.
August 17, 2025
Holding the Map When you hike with someone who’s carrying the only map, you follow their lead. You watch the trail they choose, the pace they set, the way they decide whether to push forward or pause. In relationships, many women hold a similar kind of influence in the emotional landscapes of the men they […]
August 5, 2025
The Approach: A Trail of Firsts Some trails leave more than footprints. They leave quiet evidence on the heart; signs that we’re braver and stronger than we ever believed. On July 16th, my son Ben and I stood at the trailhead of Mount Bierstadt, one of Colorado’s revered 14ers, rising 14,060 feet into the thin, […]
August 2, 2025
Let Curiosity Lead the Way Some birthdays are like ridgeline pauses: quiet, reflective, a moment to take in the view. Others feel like full-on jungle treks: chaotic, electric, and alive with riddles you never saw coming. This year? It was the jungle. After a slow morning with Gracie wandering the Denver Art Museum, where brushstrokes […]
July 27, 2025
Some hikes test your legs. Others test your lungs. But the rare ones, like the climb of Torreys Peak with my daughter, test your heart. We started late and unhurried. Trusting the forecast that promised clear skies through midday, we planned to summit and descend both Grays and Torreys before the storm rolled in. We […]
July 24, 2025
When you learn how to navigate in the wild, you learn more than just how to read a map. You are taught that a map and compass are more than just tools; they’re a kind of truth. You learn that getting from Point A to Point B isn’t just about moving. It’s about moving true. […]
July 18, 2025
Heat, Humility, and the Ascent The trail wasn’t long, just 3.6 miles on paper but under a heavy sun and 90% humidity, it might as well have been 200 miles. I was guiding a group of kids, teaching them to climb. But before we ever touched the face, the mountain tested our mettle. Every step […]
July 15, 2025
At the edge of Harpers Ferry, where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers entwine, I once stood with admiration and something stirring in my chest. The sun shimmered off the water like a whispered promise. Two distinct rivers, each with their own origin, power, and path, converged into one. That moment felt sacred. As I sat […]
July 10, 2025
Some Storms You Don’t See Coming We had barely made it through the gates of Busch Gardens when the skies turned. The kids and I had planned for a day packed with thrill rides, laughter, and all the sugary snacks. But within 45 minutes, thunder rolled in and the rides shut down. Still hopeful, we […]
June 29, 2025
There comes a point in the journey of faith where you stop trying to fix yourself and finally admit: “I can’t feel anything anymore.” In my last post, The Anatomy of a Hard Heart, I shared the quiet signs of spiritual and emotional shutdown. What it looks like when pain piles up and the heart […]
June 11, 2025
Life moves fast. The trail gets steep. The weather shifts. Fatigue sets in. And if I don’t pause to take stock, I get dangerously close to losing my footing. That’s where journaling comes in. It helps me slow down. It’s like setting up camp after a long hike; the moment when you take off the […]
