Category Archives: Travel

Spotting a mourning dove, a symbol of hope, renewal, and peace, in Colorado

Spotted this mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) soaking up the Colorado skies in Montrose. Often mistaken for just another pigeon, these elegant birds carry a bit of mystery and meaning wherever they perch. Despite their soft, sorrowful coo (which gives them their name), mourning doves are actually symbols of hope, renewal, and peace across many cultures.Continue reading “Spotting a mourning dove, a symbol of hope, renewal, and peace, in Colorado”

Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay in Hawaii

Hanauma Bay is a marine embayment formed within a tuff ring and located along the southeast coast of the Island of Oʻahu in the Hawaiian Islands. By the 1990s, over-tourism was a major issue at the Bay causing deterioration of the coral reefs and the ecosystem around them. Over the last 25 years conservation effortsContinue reading “Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay in Hawaii”

Overnight snow camping with infants on Mt Lassen

We went snow camping with our infant twins recently. It was a great experience for us and them :) We managed to fit all of us inside our two person mountaineering tent It was 38°F/3°C outside and we were camped on snow. We had a two person sleeping bag which did a good job ofContinue reading “Overnight snow camping with infants on Mt Lassen”

The Russian Woodpecker in Chernobyl

I was recently in Ukraine and I decided to visit Chernobyl. I did not know anything about this giant antenna system, the “Russian Woodpecker” until I got here. And it’s incredible. In 1976 the world heard for the first time the eerie woodpecker-like repetitive pulse coming from these transmitters in present day Ukraine. Conspiracy theoriesContinue reading “The Russian Woodpecker in Chernobyl”

How we organize and store our backcountry gear at home

There are two main reasons why it helps to neatly organize backcountry gear: 1) everything in its place and a place for everything makes it easier to find things and you “lose” things less often 2) unpacking completely and packing each time before an outing ensures full awareness of the gear on you, important discussionsContinue reading “How we organize and store our backcountry gear at home”

Shooting the lava flows in Hawai’i in 4K HDR

I spent several hours near the volcanic lava flows in the Big Island of Hawaii. I am trying to share those videos in 4K HDR and it’s been fascinating to learn how hard it is to access today as different OSes and devices will render a different variant depending on various factors. Here’s the 4KContinue reading “Shooting the lava flows in Hawai’i in 4K HDR”

Offsetting CO2 from flights

So if you are a frequent flyer types, here’s some quick back of the envelope math. About 50k miles a year usually corresponds to gold status with most airline programs (star alliance, skyteam etc). I haven’t done any rigorous calculations yet but it appears that flying that much would generate about 13 tons of CO2.Continue reading “Offsetting CO2 from flights”

When I almost lost my hand to dead flamingoes in Tanzania

For those who were following along at the time, it’s been 5yrs now since I almost lost my right hand! For those who came in later, here’s what happened. This may be a little graphic so please only continue if such content doesn’t bother you. I caught an infection in Tanzania that started developing symptomsContinue reading “When I almost lost my hand to dead flamingoes in Tanzania”

Finding the Beauty in Failure: at the summit of Mt Hood in Oregon

Elevation: 10,600ft / 3,200m Standing just below the summit of Mt Hood in Oregon, we are looking up at the climbers making the final approach. This is one of my favorite pictures. This is a picture of me not summitting Mt. Hood in Oregon. We had been training for the whole season. Mt Hood isContinue reading “Finding the Beauty in Failure: at the summit of Mt Hood in Oregon”