Who is sTePh?
My Motivations, Climbing Resume, Recovery Story, Photography Equipment, and Publications
I started young. Falling doesn't hurt when you have a diaper on.
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I was 7 years old in this photo, wearing my dad's backpack that is loaded for another family adventure into the mountains.
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Here I am at 11 yrs old on a 2-week family backpack trip in the Wind Rivers, WY. I'm addicted to mountains for life by this point.
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Climbing Liberty Crack, Aug 2009.
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Hi!
My name is Steph Abegg:
Northwest Alpinist—Photographer—Rambler—Math Nerd.
I'm 29 years old.
For as long as I remember, I have been triplely afflicted with an insatiable thirst for adventure, a persistent awe of the natural world, and a need to somehow document the world around me. I feel the most alive when I am in
the mountains and outdoors, immersed in God's amazing handiwork.
On my day to day level of existence, I am a grad student in the math department at Western Washington University in Bellingham, having recently escaped six years of engineering to pursue my dream to become a college math teacher. Yep, I like math. I hope I am destined to be a math teacher who makes math fun!
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I began my website in 2006 as a means to display my nature and adventure photography. Then I started to supplement the photos with detailed notes and beta, and my site evolved into an ever-growing wealth of trip reports from alpine climbs, road trips, and other outdoor exploits. I also use the website as an avenue to present a variety of unique projects I've dreamed up. My website has three primary sections:
□ Climbing Trip Reports
 The bulk of my website is devoted to several trip reports from alpine climbs (and some other adventures) I have done. Mountains have always been a part of my life. My parents met while backpacking in the Olympic Mountains in the summer of 1974, got married within a year, and proceeded to spend much of the 70s and early 80s trekking around Washington's rugged ranges (the photo on the right shows them on the summit of Prusik Peak in 1979). I was born in May 1983, and just three months later they took me on my first overnight (and international!) backpacking trip near Mt. Temple, BC; I was eaten alive by bugs, but reportedly I had a smile on my face the entire time. My first real alpine climb was at the age of 11, when my dad and I climbed Overhanging Tower in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. My technical climbing skills
developed during my undergraduate years at Stanford University (class of '06), situated just a few hours from Yosemite. Since then, I have lived numerous days following and continuing my parents' boot tracks, mountaineering and alpine climbing all over western North America and especially in the close-to-home North Cascades of Washington. A serious climbing accident/injury in September 2010 forced me away from climbing for a couple of years, but I am now back with renewed appreciation, wisdom, energy, and strength. Climb on!
□ Projects
One of my hobbies, I suppose, is displaying data in creative ways. My website has a section devoted to some of my recent projects, which include labeled panoramas, route overlays, posters, diagrams, photo comparisons, statistical studies, and more. This has become a unique and surprisingly popular component of my website.
□ Photography
The original intent of this website (which has clearly developed into much more) was to display a collection of some of my photography. I bought my first point-and-shoot digital camera in 2002 and my first DSLR in 2005 (scroll below for more specific info on my camera and lenses). My recent focus has been on aerial photography and night photography. My photography has appeared in various publications, and I sell photos upon request.
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The scope and size of my website might be intimidating to those first discovering it, but I've endeavored to make it logically organized. Or, if you are the adventurous type, just navigate through the pages on a whim and enjoy whatever armchair adventures you find yourself on!
You can contact me (Steph) at sabegg@gmail.com.
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CLIMBING AND PROFESSIONAL RESUMES
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The trip reports on my website are arranged by location. But it is also interesting to view my adventures in context of when I did them. My first alpine climb was in 1994 (when I was 11 years old!). My alpine adventuring really picked up pace around 2006 and it has been a chronic affliction ever since. For a complete chronological list of my climbing exploits, go to my Trip Report Chronology.
Also, here is a link where you can download my Resume detailing my academic and professional background. Hire me!
 
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MY STORY OF RECOVERY FROM A TIB/FIB FRACTURE
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In September 2010, I suffered a severe tib/fib compound fracture, caused when a rock broke lose while I was climbing Vesper Peak in the North Cascades of Washington. Full of frustrating setbacks and dangerous complications (I nearly lost my foot on two separate occasions), my injury and the resulting recovery was both the most challenging and the most life-enriching mountain I've ever climbed. Click here or on the image below to read my "Recovery Trip Report", a day-to-day account spanning the first year of my recovery.
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PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT
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Cameras
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CURRENT CAMERAS:
- Canon 7D Digital SLR (18.0 MP)
I purchased this digital SLR in February 2012 when my 50D simply wore out. It is my heaviest camera yet (weight is always a concern on my backcountry adventures) but it is worth it for the great photos (and HD video!) it produces. This is my main camera that joins me practically everywhere I go.
- Canon SD1200 IS (10.0 MP)
I've had this slim point-and-shoot since August 2009. This is my current "climbing" camera (perhaps to be phased out by my GoPro helmet camera) that fits in my pocket for quick photos on a technical climb. My climbing cameras usually last about a year before I hit them too hard against a rock.
- GoPro HERO3 Wide-Angle Helmet Cam (Silver Edition, 11 MP, 1080p 30fps)
As a birthday present for myself, I splurged and bought this helmet camera in May 2013. The Hero3 captures professional, cinema-quality wide-angle video, as well as doubles as a standard point and shoot by shooting high resolution stills. Easily mounted on a helmet, the Hero3 is sure to provide some amazing footage and photography on future climbing adventures.
RETIRED CAMERAS:
- Canon PowerShot S30 (3.0 MP)
This was my first digital camera, bought with my high school scholarship money in 2002. Although not an SLR, it had a fully-manual option, which was how I learned how to tweak my own exposure settings. This camera took some pretty good photographs despite its 3MP resolution. It lasted through an impressive number of rigorous mountain adventures from 2002-2006.
- Canon PowerShot A530, Nikon Coolpix 5600, Fujifilm Finepix J10 (5.0 - 8.2 MP)
These are three point-and-shoot cameras corresponding to the climbing seasons of 2007, 2008, and 2009. None took as nice of photos as my previous S30, and the cheapo Fujifilm camera broke on a mellow trail hike. The Nikon Coolpix—a solid and functional camera that still works, just is a bit prehistoric in resolution and bulk—I sometimes still use as my "dashboard camera" on the dashboard of my car or bike just for roadtripping fun.
- Canon 20D Digital SLR (8.2 MP)
This was my first digital SLR, bought in 2005. It would probably still be taking photos (maybe it still is), but it was stolen in May 2007 and insurance replaced it with the 30D.
- Canon 30D Digital SLR (8.2 MP)
This digital SLR was pretty much identical to my stolen 20D. In Jan 2009, I upgraded to the 15.1 megapixel 50D, and my dad is using this camera.
- Canon 50D Digital SLR (15.1 MP)
For three years, from January 2009 to January 2012, this faithful digital SLR joined me on most all of my adventures. After a productive and exciting albeit hard life, it finally just stopped working while doing some winter bushwhacking in the North Cascades; it now holds a permanent place of honor on my camera shelf. This camera impressed me with the quality of the photographs it produced; its only disadvantage was that it was heavy compared to my Rebel.
- Canon Rebel XTi Digital SLR (10.1 MP)
I owned this digital SLR for three years. I initially bought it in April 2008 when I went on my birding roadtrip and needed two cameras to avoid constantly changing lenses. It then became the SLR I took on my more rigorous backcountry adventures (since it is lighter-weight and less expensive than the 50D) until I sold it in April 2011 to a friend.
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Table of my Cameras' Specifications (peach color = current use)
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DIGITAL SLR |
DIGITAL POINT-AND-SHOOT |
HELMET CAM |
| Camera Name |
Canon Digital Rebel XTi (sold) |
Canon EOS 20D (stolen) |
Canon EOS 30D (sold) |
Canon EOS 50D (RIP) |
Canon EOS 7D
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Canon PowerShot S30 (retired) |
Canon PowerShot A530 (retired) |
Canon SD1200 IS |
GoPro HERO3 |
| Lens Mount |
Canon EF/EF-S mount |
Canon EF/EF-S mount |
Canon EF/EF-S mount |
Canon EF/EF-S mount |
Canon EF/EF-S mount |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| Built-in Lens/Zoom |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
35-105mm, f/2.8-4.9, 3.2x digital zoom |
35-140mm, f/2.6-5.5, 4x digital zoom |
35-105mm, f/2.8-4.9, 4x digital zoom |
ƒ/2.8 6-element aspherical glass lens, wide angle |
| Sensor |
22.2 x 14.8 mm CMOS |
22.5 x 15.0 mm CMOS |
22.5 x 15.0 mm CMOS |
22.3mm x 14.9mm CMOS |
22.3 x 14.9 mm CMOS |
1/1.8" CCD |
1/2.5" CCD |
1/2.3" CCD |
1/2.7" HD CMOS |
| Crop factor |
1.6 |
1.6 |
1.6 |
1.6 |
1.6 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| Image Ratio |
3:2 |
3:2 |
3:2 |
3:2 |
3:2 |
4:3 |
4:3 |
4:3 |
16:9
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| Effective pixels |
10.1 MP
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8.2 MP |
8.2 MP |
15.1 MP |
18.0 MP |
3.1 MP |
5.0 MP |
10.0 MP |
11 MP, 1080p
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| Shutter speeds |
1/4000 - 30 sec, bulb |
1/8000 - 30 sec, bulb |
1/8000 - 30 sec, bulb |
1/8000 - 30 sec, bulb |
1/8000 - 30 sec, bulb |
1/1500 - 15sec |
1/2000 - 15sec |
1/1500 - 15sec |
? |
| ISO range |
100-1600 |
100-3200 |
100-3200 |
100-3200 (can expand to 12800) |
100-12800 |
50-800 |
80-800 |
80-1600 |
? |
| Continuous Shooting Speed |
3 fps |
5 fps |
5 fps |
6.3 fps |
8 fps |
1.5 fps |
2.1 fps |
1.4 fps |
24-120 fps |
| Effective flash range |
Up to 43' |
Up to 43' |
Up to 43' |
Up to 43' |
Up to 39' |
Up to 16' |
Up to 11' |
Up to 11'
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N/A
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| Card Type |
CF I/II |
CF I/II |
CF I/II |
CF I/II |
CF I/II |
CF I/II |
SD |
SD |
MicroSD
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| Dimensions (W x H x D) |
5.0 x 3.7 x 2.6" |
5.6 x 4.2 x 2.8" |
5.6 x 4.2 x 2.9" |
5.7 x 4.2 x 2.9" |
5.8 x 4.4 x 2.9" |
4.4 x 2.3 x 1.7" |
3.5 x 2.5 x 1.7" |
3.4 x 2.2 x 0.9" |
3.25 x 3 x 1.75"
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| Weight (body only) |
18 oz (1.1 lb) |
24.2 oz (1.5 lb) |
24.7 oz (1.5 lb) |
26.1 oz (1.6 lb) |
28.9 oz (1.8 lb) |
11.4 oz |
7.8 oz |
4.2 oz |
6.0 oz (/w housing & LCD)
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| Date Purchased |
April 2008 |
May 2005 |
May 2007 |
January 2009 |
February 2012 |
June 2002 |
June 2007 |
August 2009 |
May 2013
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Lenses
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(All of my lenses fit Canon SLRs without a full-frame sensor, like the Rebel or 50D. Only the EF lenses—and not the EF-S lenses—fit the SLRs with full-frame sensors, like the 5D.)
CURRENT LENSES:
- Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Wide angle photography - landscapes, night photos, any other objects. This wide angle lens is now my primary multipurpose/backcountry lens (which had previously been the 17-85mm, see below). The wide angle has added a new perspective to my outdoor photography, and can make even a mediocre photo stand out. (purchased in April 2010)
- Canon EF 24-105mm F/4L IS USM
Standard zoom, multipurpose lens - landscapes, night photos, any other objects. A high-end replacement for my 17-85mm (broken to a 17-42.5mm) with a nice zoom range and super sharp. (purchased in May 2011)
- Canon Telephoto EF 400mm f/5.6L USM
Telephoto photography. This is a great lens, light enough for handheld photography, and in good light gives sharp shots. I use it mostly for photographing birds. (purchased in July 2006)
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Macro photography - bugs, flowers, water drops, etc. I have only compliments for this wonderful lens. (purchased in June 2005)
RETIRED LENSES:
- Canon EF-S 17-85mm F/4.0-5.6 IS USM
Standard zoom, multipurpose lens - landscapes, night photos, any other objects. This lens served me well on many backcountry adventures until I got the 10-22mm wide angle and 24-105mm zoom. (purchased in June 2005, turned into a 17-42.5mm in 2008 when it was dropped, but works fine otherwise!)
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 IS
Standard zoom, multipurpose lens - landscapes, night photos, any other objects. Although not as sharp or versatile as my 10-22mm or 24-105mm lenses, it has the advantage of being a lighter weight and cheaper lens that I use on more rigorous or lengthy backcountry adventures. (purchased in May 2008, sold to friend in April 2011)
- (Lensbaby 12mm Ultra-Wide (Fisheye) Lens with Scout Mount for Canon EF)
Fisheye photography - With its 160° field of view and focal point that nearly touches the lens, the fisheye allows the photographer to capture eye-popping angles, creative focus points, and unique perspectives. I owned this lens for a weekend, but decided to return it due to the fact that the edges of the fisheye image were cropped off by my camera's non-full-frame sensor (plus I couldn't really afford a new lens on a student budget anyway). I will wait until Canon makes an EF-S fisheye or I acquire a full-frame camera, whichever comes first. I can see some real potential for a fisheye lens and photography of starry night skies! (owned for a weekend in Jan 2011)
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Table of my Lens' Specifications (peach color = current use)
| Lens Type |
ULTRA-WIDE ZOOM
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STANDARD ZOOM
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STANDARD ZOOM
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STANDARD ZOOM
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TELEPHOTO |
MACRO |
FISHEYE |
| Lens Name |
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM |
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM |
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS |
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM |
Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM |
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM |
Lensbaby 12mm w/ Scout Mount |
| Focal Length |
10-22 mm |
17-85 mm |
18-55 mm |
24-105 mm |
400 mm |
100 mm |
12 mm |
| Maximum Aperture |
f/3.5-4.5 |
f/4-5.6 |
f/3.5-5.6 |
f/4 |
f/5.6 |
f/2.8 |
f/4 |
| Lens Construction |
13 elements in 10 groups |
17 elements in 12 groups |
11 elements in 9 groups |
18 elements in 13 groups |
7 elements in 6 groups |
12 elements in 8 groups |
6 multi-coated glass elements |
| Diagonal Angle of View |
107°30' - 63°30' |
78°30' - 18°25' |
74°20' - 27°50' |
84° - 23°20'
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6°10' |
24° |
160° |
| Focus Adjustment |
Inner focusing system, with focusing cam |
Inner focusing system, with focusing cam |
AF (DC motor), with manual focus option |
Inner focusing system, with focusing cam |
Inner focusing system, with USM |
Inner focusing system, with USM |
Manual |
| Zoom System |
Ring USM |
Ring USM |
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Ring USM |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| Closest Focusing Distance |
0.79 ft |
1.15 ft |
9.8 in |
1.48 ft
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11.5 ft |
1 ft |
0.5 in |
| Filter Size |
77 mm |
67 mm |
58mm |
77mm |
77 mm |
58 mm |
N/A |
| Max. Diameter x Length |
3.3" x 3.5" |
3.1" x 3.6" |
2.7" x 3.33" |
3.3" x 4.2" |
3.5" x 10.1" |
3.1" x 4.7" |
2.61" x 2.28" (2" x 1.89" w/o mount) |
| Weight |
13.6 oz |
16.8 oz (1.1 lb)
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7.1 oz |
23.6 oz (1.5 lb)
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44.8 oz (2.8 lb) |
21.1 oz (1.3 lb)
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8 oz (5.4 oz w/o mount) |
| Date Purchased |
April 2010
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June 2005 |
May 2008
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May 2011
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July 2006
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June 2005
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January 2011
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Accessories
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- Tripod with ball head (mostly for low-light exposures and bird photography) (4.5 lb)
- Gorilla-pod (a great lightweight tripod for backcountry travel) (8.5 oz)
- Batteries (2.6 oz each for SLR, 0.6 oz each for point and shoot, 1 oz each for helmet cam, 0.5 oz each for AAA, 0.8 each for AA) and Battery chargers (4.4 oz for SLR, 3 oz for point and shoot, 11 oz for helmet cam)
- Memory cards (~0.2-0.5 oz)
- UV Filter for each lens (for protecting lens from scratches) (~2.5 oz each)
- Graduated neutral density filter 4x6", 0.6 (2 stops), soft edge (hand held filter for balancing light intensity in high-contrast scenes) (~8 oz)
- Intervalometer for long-exposure nighttime shots and timelapses (this is a camera remote that allows you to set the exposure length, number of exposures, and interval between exposures; a standard camera remote is sufficient for a single exposure, but the interval feature is great for creating timelapses) (5 oz)
- Canon 430EX II Speedlite Shoe-Mount Flash (an external flash) (11.6 oz)
- GPS photo tracker by AMOD (records a GPS track which can be correlated via time stamp to assign GPS locations to the photos) (1.8 oz)
- Chest harness and carrying case for carrying SLR (very useful for backpacking) (~15 oz)
- Camera pouch with hard shell for point-and-shoot camera or GoPro (I strap it around my shoulder when I climb) (~4.5 oz)
- Helmet strap/mount/tether (have both a strap and fixed mount, with tether just in case) for GoPro helmet cam (strap: 3.2 oz, mount: ~0.8 oz, tether: ~0.5 oz)
- Arctic Butterfly Sensor Cleaning Brush by Visible Dust (for removing those pesky dust specks from the sensor) (~8 oz)
- MacBook Pro computer with Aperture 3 and Photoshop CS2 (for processing, storing, and viewing images)
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Weight of my Backcountry Camera Gear
GEAR
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EVERYTHING
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HEAVY BACKCOUNTRY SETUP
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"LIGHT" BACKCOUNTRY SETUP
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Camera
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Canon 7D SLR
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28.9 oz (1.8 lb)
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1
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1
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Canon SD1200 IS Point-and-shoot
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4.2 oz (0.26 lb)
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GoPro HERO3 helmet cam
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6.0 oz (0.38 lb) (/w housing & LCD)
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1 |
1 |
Lens
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Ultra-wide zoom 10-22mm
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13.6 oz (0.85 lb)
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1 |
1
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Standard zoom 17-85mm
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16.8 oz (1.1 lb)
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Standard zoom 18-55mm
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7.1 oz (0.44 lb)
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Standard zoom 24-105mm
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23.6 oz (1.5 lb)
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1
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Telephoto 400mm
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44.8 oz (2.8 lb)
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Macro 100mm
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21.1 oz (1.3 lb)
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Fisheye 12mm
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8 oz (0.5 lb)
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Accessories
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Tripod
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72 oz (4.5 lb)
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Gorilla Pod
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8.5 oz
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1
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1 |
Batteries
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2.75 oz per SLR battery (4)
0.6 oz per P&S battery (3)
1.0 oz per GoPro battery (5)
0.5 oz per AAA battery (12)
0.8 oz per AA battery (4)
Total = 27 oz (1.7 lb)
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4 SLR + 5 GoPro + 12 AAA
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2 SLR + 3 GoPro + 6 AAA
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Battery chargers
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4.4 oz for SLR charger
3.0 oz for P&S charger
11 oz for GoPro charger
Total = 18.4 oz (1.2 lb)
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Memory cards
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0.5 oz per CF card (4)
0.1 oz per SD card (2)
0.02 oz per MicroSD card (1)
Total = 2.22 oz
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2 CF + 1 MicroSD
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1 CF + 1 MicroSD
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UV Filter for each lens
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6 x 2.5 oz each = 15 oz
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2 |
1
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Graduated ND filter
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8 oz
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Intervalometer
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5 oz
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1 |
1 |
Canon 430EX II Speedlite Shoe-Mount Flash
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11.6 oz
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GPS photo tracker
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1.8 oz
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1
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1
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Chest harness & case for SLR
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16 oz
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1 |
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Camera pouches for P&S & GoPro
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2 x 4.5 oz each = 9 oz
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1 |
1 |
Helmet strap/mount for GoPro
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3.2 oz for strap
0.8 oz for mount
0.5 oz for tether
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strap+mount+tether |
mount+tether |
Lens cases
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4 x 4.5-8 oz each = 24 oz
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1
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Sensor cleaning brush
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8 oz
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TOTAL
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25.3 lb
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9.2 lb
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5.3 lb
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SOME OF MY PUBLICATIONS
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Articles
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LINKS 
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"Vesper Peak Accident/Rescue Report, Sept 2010," which was modified for a submission to the Accidents in North American Mountaineering 2011, an annual publication by the American Alpine Club (in the ANAM, the article is in the Washington section, classified as "Rock Foothold Came Loose—Fall on Rock; Vesper Peak"). The accident report — which is in full form on my website — is a personal account of a climbing accident that left me stranded with a badly broken leg and the ensuing rescue. The article contains an analysis of what went wrong and what went right to get me off the mountain alive.
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"Surviving Recovery: Coping with the challenges of a serious climbing injury," published in the 2011 Northwest Mountaineering Journal, Issue 8 (NOT YET PUBLISHED ?). This article — written by myself — is about the long and windy road of my recovery from a complicated tib/fib fracture I suffered in a climbing accident in September 2010. The story of my recovery is in full form on my website.
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In April 2012, the Mountain Rescue Association's Meridian Newsletter carried an article based upon an interview I did (over a year after the accident) regarding my thoughts and analysis of the decisions made on the fateful day on Vesper. The article was written by Kevin Riddell.
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• Link to accident report (my website).
• Link to Accidents in North American Mountaineering (AAC website).
• Link to "Surviving Recovery" article (NWMJ website). NOT YET PUBLISHED ?
• Link to my day-to-day recovery story (my website).
• Link to Meridian Newsletter on MRA.org.
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"Receding Glaciers, Receding Climbs," published in the 2010 Northwest Mountaineering Journal, Issue 7. This article discusses how glacier recession in the North Cascades has affected climbing routes. There are some fascinating photo comparisons of glaciers in the article and on my website.
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• Link to article (NWMJ website).
• Link to photo comparisons from the article (my website).
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"Mt. Terror Accident Report, July 2009," which was modified for a submission to the Accidents in North American Mountaineering 2010, an annual publication by the American Alpine Club (in the ANAM, the article is in the Washington section, classified as "Falling Rock—Rock Came Loose, Fall on Rock; Pickett Range, Mount Terror"). My accident report—which is in full form on my website—was used as a reference for several newspaper articles in the weeks following the accident. The subject is a near-fatal climbing accident that occurred in July 2009 when a rock broke off the face of the mountain under my partner's foot, who was attached to my rope. Then, an ensuing storm stranded one of our team in a cave on the face of Mt. Terror, beginning a 5-day rescue operation. Fortunately, this is a mountain rescue story with a positive ending, due in large part to a series of crucial decisions and dedication of the rescue team.
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Also, several of my photos from the accident/rescue are published in "Four Nights at the Terror Hilton" in the 2010 Northwest Mountaineering Journal. This article was written by my climbing partner Jason Shilling about the four nights he spent stranded on Mt. Terror.
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In March 2012, the Yakima Herald-Republic newspaper carried an article (written by outdoors editor/writer Scott Sandsberry) about the Mt. Terror accident, and the recent national bravery awards given to the pilot and climbing ranger involved in the rescue. The captivating article was a compilation of interviews of the four of us in the climbing party (Donn, Jason, Steve, and I) as well as of Kelly Bush, the helicopter pilot, and the climbing ranger involved. It made the front page!
- In their May 2013 issue, the Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine published an article (written by Preston Lerner) called "Rescued" which detailed five search-and-rescue missions showcasing the remarkable capabilities of helicopter rescues. The Mt. Terror rescue was one of the featured stories. Accompanying the article was a photo I took of Steve's wild ride short-haul over the North Cascades.
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• Link to 2009 trip/accident report (my website).
• Link to Jason's 2010 article (NWMJ website).
• Link to Accidents in North American Mountaineering (AAC website).
• Link to 2012 front page article (Yakima Herald website).
• A 1-page pdf of the 2013 article that appeared in the Air&Space/Smithsonian magazine.
• Link to Air&Space/Smithsonian website.
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"The Traverse of a Lifetime: A High Ridgeline Tour around Mount Olympus," published in the 2008 Northwest Mountaineering Journal, Issue 5. This is an article about an 8-day cross-country adventure across the Valhallas, Mt. Olympus, Bailey Range, and High Divide in the Olympic Mountains in July 2007.
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• Link to article (NWMJ website).
• Link to my trip report (my website).
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• Link to article (pdf download)
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Photo Appearances in various Guidebooks, Compilations, Magazines, Articles, etc.
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LINKS
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• Link to Utah Road Trip (my website).
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Notecards, sold at the North Cascades Visitor Centers as of Summer 2013. The notecards represent several stunning and unique photos (of flowers, animals, birds, bugs, nightscapes, lookouts, landscapes, aerial mountain photographs, and more) taken in the North Cascades by myself and aerial photographer/pilot John Scurlock.
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• Link to notecards (John's website).
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Several photos on the Saturna Island Tourism Association website. Saturna Island is one of the southernmost islands of the Gulf Island chain in British Columbia, Canada. It is a spectacular place, and my family is fortunate to have built our own cabin out there. 2013.
Also, the museum inside the Foghorn Building at East Point sells a puzzle featuring a photo I took of the foghorn building. The foghorn building was saved from the wrecking ball and converted into a place-based museum by the Saturna Herigage Committee. The FAB contains exhibits about East Point and Saturna Island, the European exploration of the area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the lighthouse, the whales and much more. 2010.
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• Link to Saturna Island Tourism Association website.
• Link to my Saturna Island page (my website).
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Aerial photo of Mebee Pass Fire Lookout on the cover of the Spring 2013 edition of the Forest Fire Lookout Association's quarterly publication Lookout Network, Vol 24, No 1. The magazine included a short article about the lookout, which was built in 1933 and is the last "L-5 cab" type structure known to exist; the article discusses the recent movement to do some restoration work to bolster the fragile 80-year-old walls to prolong the life of this historical structure.
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• Link to Forest Fire Lookout Association website.
• Link to photoset from the flight in February 2013, during which I took this and several other snowy lookout photos (my website).
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• Link to 1859 Oregon Magazine website.
• Link to Oregon Coast Bike Trip trip report where I took the photo (my website).
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• Link to Everett Mountaineers website.
• Link to Three Fingers Lookout trip report where I took one the photos (my website).
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• Link to Adventures NW website.
• Link to more aerial photos from my flight with John Scurlock around Rainier in January 2012 (my website).
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A few photos (including a cover shot!) accompanying an article titled "When Dreams Come True: Climbing in the Bugaboos" in Adventures NW Magazine Fall 2012 issue. Written by my cousin Lisa Toner, the article focuses on a climb of the classic NE Ridge of Bugaboo Spire.
In addition to the photos in the article, several of my Bugaboos photos (both aerial and ground-based) were posted in a gallery on the Adventures NW website.
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• Link to Adventures NW website.
• Link to my Bugaboo Spire trip report (my website).
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Photos in Washington Pass Climbing, a pretty SuperTopo climbing guidebook on the Washington Pass region put together by Ian Nicholson and published in August 2012. Photo appearances include the East Face of Cutthroat Peak, Early Winters Couloir, the start of Minuteman, and the Silver Star Glacier.
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• Link to the guidebook (SuperTopo website).
• Link to some of my Washington Pass climbs (my website).
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Labeled black and white panorama of the entire (Southern and Northern) Picket Range, sold at the North Cascades Visitor Centers as of Summer 2012. The photo was taken from the summit of Luna Peak, one of my all-time favorite mountain panorama vantage points.
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• Link to my labeled panorama page (my website).
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• Link to American Alpine Club website.
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• Link to North Cascades Institute website.
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• Link to NWAC website.
• Link to my aerial photo page (my website).
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• Link to article on the MBVRC website.
• Link to my aerial photo page (my website).
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Photo of Winchester Lookout glowing against a snowy twilight backdrop, accompanied by a short article about a wintertime overnight snowshoe to the lookout to find a quiet place to study for midterms. Featured Landscape of Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Washington Trails Magazine, Washington Trails Association.
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• Link to Winchester Mtn/LO trip report (my website).
• Link to Washington Trails Magazine webpage.
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• Link to Bellingham Mountain Rescue website.
• Link to my aerial photo page (my website).
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Photos from the interiors of Hidden Lake Lookout and Three Fingers Lookout, in Floyd Loomis's article "Phantom Fire" about a strange phenomenon he saw while manning a forest fire lookout in 1976. IDAHO Magazine Vol 11, No 2, November 2011.
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• Link to IDAHO magazine website.
• Link to Hidden Lake Lookout trip report where I took one the photos (my website).
• Link to Three Fingers Lookout trip report where I took one the photos (my website).
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• Link to book (Wolverine Pub).
• Link to John Scurlock''s aerial photography website.
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• Link to Washington Trails Association website.
• Link to my golden larches trip reports (my website).
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• Link to Backcountry Magazine website.
• Link to AOPA website.
• Link to John's website.
• Link to my aerial photo page (my website).
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Aerial photos and video footage that was the subject of two articles on Komo News online Weather Blog at KomoNews.com: "Amazing lenticular clouds — from the other side" (June 2011) and "Video will leave you in awe of Mt. Baker lenticular clouds" (Aug 2011), with text written by Komo Meteorologist Scott Sistek. More of my aerial photos can be found on my website's aerial photo page.
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• Link to first article, Jun 21 (KomoNews.com)
• Link to second article, Aug 2 (KomoNews.com)
• Link to my aerial photo page (my website).
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• Link to Bellingham Mountain Rescue website.
• Link to trip report for Hidden Lake Lookout (my website).
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A couple of photos in Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America. This large-format book is a compilation of iconic and aesthetic ski descents from Alaska to Mount Washington, created by ski mountaineers Chris Davenport, Art Burrows and Penn Newhard, published in November 2010 by Capitol Peak Publishing. I got the full page spread for the Eldorado entry!
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• Link to book (Amazon).
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Photo of Jason Hummel straddling a gaping crevasse on the Boston Glacier, in Jason's article title "Mount Buckner North Face," published in Outdoor Research's online magazine Vertical Culture. This article gives a colorful description of our winter climb and ski descent (well, I boot-kicked down and Kyle Miller split-boarded down) of Buckner's rugged North Face in March 2010.
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• Link to article (Outdoor Research website).
• Link to trip report for Mt. Buckner in the winter (my website).
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"A Five Star Snowcave," a short article accompanied by a photo of a snow-encased Three Fingers Lookout, about a winter climb and night I spent at the lookout. In the Summer 2010 edition of the Forest Fire Lookout Association's quarterly publication Lookout Network, Vol 21, No 2.
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• Link to Forest Fire Lookout Association website.
• Link to trip report for Three Fingers Lookout in the winter (my website).
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"Lookout Night Photography," a short article accompanied by a photo of a snow-encased glowing-windowed Hidden lake Lookout, about a winter night I spent at the lookout. In the Spring 2010 edition of the Forest Fire Lookout Association's quarterly publication Lookout Network, Vol 21, No 1.
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• Link to Forest Fire Lookout Association website.
• Link to trip report for Hidden Lake Lookout in the winter (my website).
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Photo and Drawing of a Tree Swallow in The Siskin, a newsletter of Siskiyou Audubon Society in Josephine County, OR. Number 238, Sept 2009.
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• Link to Siskiyou Audubon Society website.
• Link to my drawings page (my website).
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• Link to REI's website.
• Link to trip report when I took this photo (my website).
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• Link to book (Amazon).
• Link to trip report for the Cirque of the Towers when I took these photos (my website).
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Statistical and Other Nerdy Studies
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LINKS
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"Statistical Study: Mt. Rainier Climbing and Accident Data," a mostly graphical study I did using National Park Service statistical tables. The study looks at total number of climbers; summit success rates by month, party size, route; popularity of various routes; temperatures and wind speeds at Camp Muir; Search-and-Rescue data and costs; accident causes; fatalities; climbers by home state; guiding services breakdown; and more. 2011.
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• Link to article and graphics (my website).
• Link to statistical tables (NPS data).
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"Mountaineering Accident Statistics," a mostly graphical study I did on mountaineering accidents using the archive of statistical tables from the American Alpine Club website. The study looks at the number of mountaineering accidents, injuries, and fatalities, as well as interesting specifics such as terrain, immediate and contributing causes, ages and experience levels of individuals, month of year, type of injury, and locations. I also compare the frequency of mountaineering accidents to traffic accidents. 2010.
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• Link to article and graphics (my website).
• Link to statistical tables (AAC website).
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"Supercenters, Hamburgers, and Coffee: Using density-equalizing Cartograms to display the distribution of Walmarts, McDonalds, and Starbucks in the US," a final project for my stats class using cartograms to map the distribution of franchises in the US. I also mapped natural hazards, land covers, ethnic groups, and the US population. The link will take you to a page on my website that provides colorful posters of these cartogram studies; you can also download my full paper there. 2010.
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• Link to article and graphics (my website).
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"Are Summits Titled by Topography or Whim: A Multinomial Logistic Regression Study on Mountains, Mounts, and Peaks," a final project for my stats class that ended up with some cool results. The link will take you to a page on my website that summarizes the findings, and you can also download my full paper there. 2010.
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• Link to article and graphics (my website).
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• Link to article/photos (my website).
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Self-Published Books
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LINKS
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Building our Island Home: A photo chronology of the construction of the Abegg's house on Saturna Island, BC. A 100-page self-published hardcover book (made using Aperture) that documents the design to construction of my parents' retirement home on Saturna Island, British Columbia. I designed the house in 2005 as a class project in an architecture course at Stanford, and over the following seven years of summers and holiday breaks my entire family worked alongside a hired contractor to build the house to its completion in Summer 2012.
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• Link to Saturna photo page (my website).
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Night Photography: Physics to Photos. A 100-page self-published hardcover book (made using iPhoto) explaining the technical aspects of night photography and giving several of my favorite night photos. I hope to develop this into a book that will be published someday. (I also have a webpage for my night photography, which contains photos as well as a discussion on camera settings and some other physics of night photography. 2010.
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• Link to night photography article and photos (my website).
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Birding Road Trip Spring 2008, a 100-page self-published hardcover book (made using iPhoto) detailing a 15,000-mile, 2-month, solo road trip I embarked upon in the Spring of 2008 with the purpose of photographing as many different bird species as I could find as well as experiencing the cultural and geologic diversity of the United States. The book includes some of my favorite bird photos from the road trip. (Clink the link to download a reduced-size pdf of the book.)
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• Link to book (pdf download).
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Creation Calls, a 100-page hardcover of some of my favorite photos, self-published (using iPhoto) in 2007 as a Christmas present for my grandparents (clink the link to download a reduced-size pdf of the book).
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• Link to book (pdf download).
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Every Christmas I make a calendar for my friends and family. This year the theme of the calendar is "Aerial North Cascades," containing 13 carefully selected high-quality aerial images of Washington's rugged and beautiful glaciated North Cascades. Each month is represented by an aerial photo taken during that month. Here is a 
