I didn’t plan this. It kinda just unfurled as I flowed through the small decisions I was making. But three things happened to me on Christmas Day 2014 that made it absolutely magical: I visited the Real Santa in his village under the Arctic Circle in Finland I had a highway encounter with a whiteContinue reading “How I saw Santa, a White reindeer & the Northern Lights on Christmas Day”
Tag Archives: Travel
Meditating on Mt St Helens
Change is the only constant. Sometimes even a mountain defaces itself to find it’s true expression. Doesn’t this look so distinguished? A photo posted by Sameer Halai (@sameerhalai) on Mar 8, 2015 at 5:50pm PDT
Mt Stuart Quadcopter Aerial Video
I climbed Mt Stuart recently. It’s so ragged and awesome I still can’t believe I actually made it up to the summit with that crazy 4,000+ ft exposure on the north side. I took my drone with me to the summit but it was too windy to use it there. So I desended 300ft andContinue reading “Mt Stuart Quadcopter Aerial Video”
I want my Mountain back. Mt Rainier shut down
Because of the government shut down all National Parks, including Mt. Rainier, are shut down. Due to websites being considered non-essential, they can’t even update the website to let people know what to expect. Turns out, the roads have been blocked, gates have been locked and it’s not possible to drive into the National ParkContinue reading “I want my Mountain back. Mt Rainier shut down”
Seattle is the sum of the city and its surroundings
Seattle is a growing city with a lot to offer with all its wilderness parks, great restaurants and bars and nightlife. However, just 25 miles in any direction, you experience things I always thought you would need a vacation to access. My wife and I have internalized the Seattle lifestyle and incorporated a lot ofContinue reading “Seattle is the sum of the city and its surroundings”
Transit of Space Needle across Seattle Great Wheel
Pulling into Seattle on the big dolly that is the ferry renders some cool natural parallax video action.
Milky Way over Mt. Rainier with climbers making summit attempt
Growing up in Mumbai, I remember seeing stars above me. I remember vividly that I could see the 30 brightest stars in the Northen Hemisphere as I knew them by name and could find them at night. In the 90s, light pollution came and you couldn’t see anymore. Yet, nothing is more awestriking yet relativelyContinue reading “Milky Way over Mt. Rainier with climbers making summit attempt”
Climbing Mt. Adams in one day
It can be done in one day but it’s more comfortable to do it in two. But if you plan on two days then you end up carrying more weight which slows you down and justifies doing it in two days. So it’s a cyclical argument. We decided to summit Mt Adams in one day. ConservativeContinue reading “Climbing Mt. Adams in one day”
Sunrise and Sunset in Seattle with Olympics and Cascades
Seattle gets beautiful sunrises and sunsets. With the Cascade mountains and Lake Washington in the East and the Olympics and the Puget Sound in the West, it can be pretty breathtaking. One of the views below is from my bedroom!
A night in a Snow Cave on Mt. Rainier on New Year’s day
Jen and I don’t really attach much significance to days like New Years day. However, why pass on a nice extended weekend to get out and have some fun? We decided to go snow camping on Mt. Rainier. We had been to Mt. Rainier many times before but had never camped overnight, and never reallyContinue reading “A night in a Snow Cave on Mt. Rainier on New Year’s day”