One of my favorites. We stayed in a Curry Village cabin and left around 5am under headlight. We summited the Half Dome around 1pm, mid-September hike. Cables are tough,  it then agiain the sub dome is too. We hiked up along both of the major falls and back down the JMT.  ... View more

I mentioned it in another post, but I introduced all my daughters around the same age. I would involve them in pitching the backyard tent on a Friday night. They’d play in it; they’d play around it. We wouldn’t camp in it until the following night. The anticipation was too much. Also, I’d throw in a special activity before the official camp. Something we never do like campfire hot chocolate, s’mores, weenie roasting. ... View more

I’ve got all girls ... 13, 7, and 5. Each got initiated around 3 1/2. We’d pitch the tent in the backyard on a Friday but camp on a Saturday night to build up a little anticipation. I’d usually incorporate another activity we seldom do, such as S’mores, pond fishing or campfire hot chocolate. I agree that you have to make comfort the top priority the first few outings. ... View more

Sawyer mini with a couple Smart water bottles is tough to beat. Keep one capped and the Sawyer on the other. It’s been a few years since we were last at El Tovar. ... View more

I like all kinds of music, but surprisingly settle into longer runs with the help of artists like Buble or Avett Bro. For audiobooks, it’s weird but I like the Zombie apocalypse genre. For podcasts, which are increasingly my go to, I like to hear from disciplines people, such as D Goggins or Jocko. ... View more