The Cenote Ik Kil was as different from the Cenote Maya as New York is from Los Angeles. You can’t even compare the two, and I recommend going to both places if you can. Ik Kil is much larger and more designed for tourists due to being so close Chichen Ixta. Since I was going…
Tag: outdoor adventures
kayaking the three rivers
As I was walking along the downtown riverfront of Pittsburgh, yellow kayaks were sporadically appearing up and down the three rivers that surround the city center. After a quick search, I easily found Venture Outdoors next to the baseball stadium, filled out the paperwork of liability, and was on the water. The waters were calm, more…
Rappelling into the Cenote Maya
“Have you rappelled before?” “Once, but not a free fall rappel…” “You’ll be fine amigo. Keep one hand down by your cuco (butt) and keep the other one free, up in the air, waving and giving the thumbs up. Ok?” Just like that, the instructions were given in friendly Mexican fashion, and I was teetering…
Mayan shaman blessing
As we are walking along, our guide Saul explains how the land around the Cenote Maya is sacred to the Mayan people. We are heading to get a blessing from the local Shaman before we can enter the Cenote area…. Wisdom of many years is apparent on the Shaman’s friendly face. As he starts his…
Thor’s Well
The walk among the slippery rocks was a treacherous trail, yet one will risk life and limb to see the work of the mighty God Thor. His mighty hammer crashed down upon these rocks in anger at the creatures that wouldn’t obey his word, creating the deep and mighty Well. Those that doubted Thor’s power…
chasing Nature’s shadows and light
On morning’s first light, I rise from the confines of a warm sleeping bag and unzip the tent door. Today I will be chasing the changing light and shadows of an Autumn day in Yellowstone. I hike a frosty trail to the summit overlooking Yellowstone lake. The steam escaping the volcanic fury deep beneath the…
time to take the final plunge
So today is my birthday, you can hold the applause. Although it really was just another trying and frustrating day in the world of American Capitalism and the Healthcare system, as the evening started to unfold I remembered back… back to Africa and what happened there this last summer. I faced one of my greatest…
that’s one Giant Canyon Swing!
I don’t really recall how the Glenwood Caverns thrill rides popped onto my radar, but all it took was one look at the Giant Canyon Swing and I knew I’d be Colorado bound sooner rather than later. Being at an elevation over 7,000 feet, swinging 1,300 feet over the Colorado river at speeds up to…
the small sounds of the past in the Finger Lakes….
I get off the Interstate as quickly as possible to avoid the New York toll roads. Within minutes the landscape transforms into rolling hills intertwined with snowdrifts of varying heights. Here towns aren’t called towns, they are villages. Villages lost in time, in an area known as the Finger Lakes. Villages established in the late…
the Banff Mountain Film Festival
Admittedly, the last time I saw one of those extreme outdoor sports films would have been back in high school in the 1980’s, when Warren Miller was being shown on screen in our high school auditorium. So when I found out that the Banff Mountain Film Festival World tour was coming to the SLC, I…
snow hiking
It’s lovely when you just finish your second cup of joe at work, and HR comes in to tell you it’s a holiday so go home.Yeah….we’ve never gotten President’s Day off before, but who am I to argue? It’s a beautiful day to snowshoe! By mid-morning I’m at the entrance to the Donut Falls trail…
back to Brighton
The words kept ringing in my head… powder…shred…mountains….speed… It was long past the time for me to get back onto the mountain, strap on my ski’s, and rip down a trail in the greatest snow on earth. This year brings me back to a favorite resort of mine, yet one I haven’t been to in…