**Pause for the cause**: taking a moment to appreciate the beautiful Zinnias that Ryan has grown in our front yard.

A Fine Balance

June 30, 2022 in Personal

“You know what’s crazy?”

Ryan looks up from his bowl of noodles. We’re sitting on our back porch, enjoying an unseasonably cool summer evening and some languid conversation over homemade Udon.

“What’s crazy?” he asks.

“I could be in the middle of the South Atlantic right now,” I say, shaking my head in disbelief. “Think of all the things we’ve done in the past month – none of it would have happened if I had gone on that expedition.”

Ryan twirls the thick noodles around his chopsticks and nods in agreement.

“Yeah, that was a good call.”

**Leave your troubles at sea level.** Enjoying the view from my favorite spot on the Woody Ridge Trail [photo by Ryan Hurley]

Let Go

November 22, 2021 in Personal

I open my email and let out a long sigh. At the top of my inbox is a message titled “Alvin SVE postponed.”

This is not good.

Our chief scientist has just sent a long, detailed message to our whole expedition team. In it, he explains what has gone wrong with the submersible:

“…a problem was encountered with the sub that has resulted in an all-stop of activities… Obviously it is imperative to sort this out before any dive activities resume, and it is not clear at this point how long that process will take, although it is more likely to be months than days.”

We are scheduled to fly down to Puerto Rico four days from now. After months and months of planning, our history-making expedition to take HOV Alvin deeper than ever before is now postponed indefinitely. At this point, no one can say when (or if) the expedition will happen.

Austin and I take in the epic view from my favorite spot on the Woody Ridge Trail.

Every Day is Sibling Day

April 17, 2018 in Mountains

"Today is Sibling Day!" I shake my head in disbelief. "We forgot again!"

Austin and I are closer than most siblings I know, but we almost always forget to mark "Sibling Day" on our calendars. More often than not, we happen to be together on April 10th, doing something awesome.

I didn't take a photo at that moment, but if I had, it would have captured the identical grins on our faces.

The Pago Files | Part Ten: Post Script

March 28, 2018 in Mountains

Throughout our time in Antarctica, I never felt homesick. I never wished I wasn’t there. But I did spend a few nights tossing and turning—either from the lurching of the ship or the turbulence of my own mind.

In those moments, as I squirmed around in the small bunk, I allowed my thoughts to drift to my "happy place"—not my bed, not my house in Chapel Hill—but my little orange tent, the Creamsicle.

Now, as I pull my sleeping bag up to my face and breathe in the cold, crisp mountain air, I can't believe I'm finally here.

Hikers on Mt. Mitchell during freezing temperatures.

Ringing in the New Year Right

January 07, 2018 in Mountains

On the last day of 2017, at a trailhead deep in the Black Mountains, the temperature hovers right around 20 degrees. We have a big crew - 10 people bundled up in all the warm clothing they own. Armed with snacks, hand warmers, a thermos of tea, and a flask of bourbon, we're preparing to do a nine mile hike with over 6,000 feet of elevation change in temperatures that will only decrease as we climb higher.