Stories from the ridgeline
Reflections on fatherhood, faith, healing, leadership, adventure, and the spaces between expectation and reality.
September 7, 2026
Above the Tree Line In 2023, my daughter Anna and I stood on the summit of Torreys Peak in Colorado. We had spent hours climbing toward that moment. The trail had been clear, our bodies felt strong, and when we finally stepped onto the summit, we had what every climber works for: the view, the […]
August 30, 2026
I have carried a trauma bag for years. It goes with me on adventures because I’ve learned that the wilderness rarely asks permission before something goes wrong. Rivers change. Rocks move. People fall. Bones break. Kayaks flip. Weather turns. A peaceful afternoon can become an emergency in seconds. So I prepare. Inside the bag are […]
May 24, 2026
Somewhere along the trail of growing up, many of us learned how to say, I’m sorry. We learned the words. We learned the posture. We learned how to look down at our shoes, mumble through the moment, and wait for the adult in the room to decide the conflict was over. But very few of […]
May 10, 2026
There’s something both sobering and seductive about unfolding a trail map before a climb. At first glance, all you see are lines. Contour marks.Elevation gains.Switchbacks.Distance.Warnings. Sometimes, those lines alone are enough to make you question whether the journey is worth it. The terrain may appear too steep.The route too long.The climb too demanding. From the […]
May 2, 2026
A father and teacher’s reflection on lockdown, trauma, and helping children heal Some moments divide life into two worlds: the side of the door where fear first arrives, and the other side where healing must begin. April 30, 2026 began like any other school day. Sixth grade lunch. A familiar rhythm. A predictable stretch of […]
January 18, 2026
Deep Questions Yesterday in my sixth-grade English class, we were talking about emotions. Not the tidy, laminated-chart versions that live on classroom walls and get trotted out during advisory periods; but the real ones. Anxiety. Fear. The feelings that arrive without asking, settle into the body, and refuse to leave quietly. The kind that tighten […]
January 7, 2026
Several years ago, I wrote my eulogy. Not because I was morbid.Not because I was giving up.But because I wanted a compass. I wasn’t trying to predict how my life would turn out. I was trying to decide (before the fog rolled in) who I wanted to be when the trail got hard, the weather […]
August 29, 2025
Freedom With Boundaries Shortly after the first wave of COVID-19, something unexpected happened in the wide-open spaces of America. The National Park Service began closing gates, not because the wilderness was unsafe, but because it had become too crowded. With gyms, restaurants, and theaters shut down, millions of people turned to the only open sanctuary […]
August 23, 2025
The Rope Between Us If you’ve ever stood at the base of a rock wall with a rope in your hands, you know the weight of responsibility. The climber ties in, checks the knots, and calls down the words that matter most: “On belay?” You respond with steady confidence: “Belay is on.” That simple exchange […]
August 13, 2025
When the Bikes Vanished: There was a time when a pile of bikes at someone’s house meant the neighborhood had awoken. That was our trailhead: pickup games, scraped knees on driveways, and the steady hum of collective mischief. We climbed the day together, step by sunlit step. But those piles have disappeared. Now, for many […]
