After the memory card fills with morning barrels or a dead camera battery, I swim to shore to exchange my camera for a surfboard. Getting back to the van, my partner is dancing to some of her favorite tunes and she makes her morning coffee. The way her smile touches her ears as she sips that mud water, releases a net-full of butterflies into my belly.

The starry skies of the Baja blanket the beach we slept upon. The waves have been out of this world and our bodies are sore from the onslaught of surf sessions. The morning's goal, start surfing waves before the sun rises over the mountains. 

In a split second while you are walking down the street, the cartoon lightbulb flashes on. Your mind and heart eagerly agree that the idea is perfect, the timing is right, and you should do it. So, you sit down, take out your notebook, and jot down the idea so clear you see straight to the bottom. Looking up from your notebook you notice the sun has faded into the night sky. Can I really do this? The argument begins.

My childhood dreams were simple; see the world and become a writer. Today, becoming a writer is easy, just self-publish from your laptop to your website using the free wifi at the local library… hair-flip, checkmark. However, seeing the world requires me to actually get my rear-end off the couch. 

Leaving behind my basecamp, I swung my boots out of the tent, buckled up my snow shoes, and shlepped my day pack over my shoulder. Filled with excitement and a good amount of fear—the winter and myself have not mixed well—I was on a photo mission. What was I trying to capture? A frozen Merced Lake reflection in the Yosemite wilderness.

My alarm went off at 5:00 am. At first, I groan, hit the snooze button, and rolled over. Then my mind took over, Are you going to waste this morning? Are you going to be lazy, or are you going to get up and get wet? Throwing back the sheets, the cold steals my comfort. Sitting on the edge of my bed with my head in my hands, stand up in three, two… 

Yosemite Falls can be seen throughout a large portion of Yosemite Valley including from the Yosemite Chapel, Merced River Bank Yosemite Valley Lodge and even high above the valley from Glacier Point. You might think it’s visibility is why this waterfall gets its namesake, however that is not the case. Yosemite Falls get’s it namesake because it is the tallest and strongest flowing waterfall in all of Yosemite Valley. This makes it the centerpiece of Yosemite.

The mountains have become my classroom and these words are lessons I’ve extrapolated from my education.

Yosemite National Park is the birthplace of American rock climbing, known for its humbling granite walls, carved by glacials. Rock climbing in Yosemite National Park should be a must visit for any rock climber because of the stellar granite splitters, the long routes, and history these walls hold. From El Capitan to Half Dome to Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite rock climbing is diverse in it’s grades and access. Often the climbing will challenge rock climbers not only by the grade, but the style, mental and physical endurance it takes to climb in Yosemite National Park

The mountains have become my classroom and these words are lessons I’ve extrapolated from my education.

Santa Cruz, CA is known for its would class surfing along the Pacific Coast Highway, but to those non-locals, few know that there is more to offer than the beach. Driving over Highway 17 into Santa Cruz, you are crossing the Santa Cruz Mountains. These intercostals house redwood forests, oak trees perfect for climbing, rolling hills of grass, and miles of hiking trails. If you pack a picnic and head out for a walk, you can find your own slice of heaven, just go looking.

“Hey! You coming with us this weekend right?” I asked my best buddy on the phone. Our plan was to road trip to South Lake Tahoe for a long weekend of rock climbing. Even though I grew up in the Lake Tahoe area, my childhood was mostly spent swimming in a pool, chasing a dream of college sports. Since graduating, I left the pool behind and picked up rock climbing. Now, I am not very good, but gym climbing is quite boring to me, so getting outside for multi-pitch rock climbing itches my adventure needs.

The coarse granite erratics that surround South Lake Tahoe make for a rock climbers dream. Positioned with views few could dream up, when you climb on the boulders of around Lake Tahoe, you are left breathless from the views and thin air. Not to mention a few cuts into your skin as you discover the gorgeous boulders bite back, viciously, as you work your way to the top. One of the best parts, the temps. As late spring rolls around and the snow melts, the boulders come alive and the project is perfect until the next snow.