Why a blog?...

...That's a good question. I never considered myself a blogger, which I guess would make sense since I have never blogged or attempted to blog before. Maybe it is more applicable for me to say that I never entertained the idea of being a blogger, that is until recently.

The idea came not long after I started planning my summer road-trip with my good friend/former teammate/former (future?) roomate/soon-to-be fellow coach/fellow Medina City Schools Employee, Gus (Brian) Dudek. Well, the plan for that summer road trip has turned into a 6 week adventure and now includes multiple people, various ventures, many pick-ups and drop-offs at airports, and much more. So, what better way for those who care (maybe no one?) about what is going on this summer than to follow a blog?

At the time of this writing (Friday, May 30th, 2014) I am in the throes of planning the "trip" this summer and the preparation, coupled with the end of school, has me as excited as ever to get into the back-country/high-country of the mountain west. A few of the highlights planned for the summer are as follows:

• Road-tripping from southwest Ohio to Divide, Colorado with my little sister, Calleigh, and spending a week with her. She will be entering her senior year of college this coming fall: hard to believe.We will be visiting old friends, rock climbing, and enjoying the place we used to live. 
• 3 day backpacking trip in the Colleigate Peaks Wilderness of Colorado with good friend and former teammate Joe McCoy. Other than simply enjoying the solitude, mountain air, and beauty, one of the main objects of the trip will be summitting Mt. Yale. A mountain which stands at 14,196 feet above sea level. 
• 3 day backpacking trip into the depths of the Grand Canyon with Gus and another good friend former teammate, Andy Knapp. We will be camping next to the Colorado River at the floor of the canyon for two nights and exploring much of what that great natural wonder has to offer. 
• 3 days of backpacking in the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho. 
• 4 days of backpacking in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. The Wind River Range is a remote mountain range in the western half of the state and is, I think, one of the best kept secrets (shhhhhhhh!!) when it comes to backpacking and mountain expeditions. 

Again, I hope to keep this blog updated regularly with recaps, plans and pictures. I'm not sure how accessible the internet will be for many parts of this trip, but I will do my best so stay tuned. 

As John Muir once said, "The mountains are calling and I must go."