1. Trip Reports

Latest Trip Reports & Pages

Recent Trip Reports
 (reverse order)
To see all of my trip reports in chronological order, go to my Trip Report Chronology.

Other Recent Additions

Upcoming Presentations/Workshops

Click to enlarge flyer.
Night Photography Workshop - TBA
My first night photography workshop in late April was a smashing success. I am planning on giving another one sometime soon. Email me if you are interested in attending. Below is the flyer from the April workshop, and also here's a link to a pre-workshop worksheet on exposure settings.

Quick Link to Night Photography


Here's a quick link to my page on night photography, which gives lots of photos as well as a technical discussion on the physics of night photography.

Gear Reviews


Want to know how various pieces of gear stand up to my rigorous alpine trips?

Click to see reviews for:
Please contact me if you are interested in having me review any gear.

Calendar

For Christmas 2011, I made a 2012 calendar with selected photographs from my recent aerial photography adventure in the Canadian Rockies. Contact me at sabegg@gmail.com if you are interested in ordering one or more.  Since it is already 2012, I am able to shift the months to make the calendar span any 12-month period (for example, March 2012-Feb 2013).

Contact Info

Hi! My name is Steph Abegg. Please see my Who is sTePh? page for more details.

Please contact me with questions, requests, or comments. I am happy to share route beta or sell photos on request.

email: sabegg@gmail.com

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.


I was 7 years old in this photo, wearing my dad's backpack that is loaded for another family adventure into the mountains.


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.


Climbing Liberty Crack, Aug 2009.

Hi!

My name is Steph Abegg:

Northwest Alpinist—Photographer—Vagabond—Math Nerd.

I'm 29 years old.

I've always felt the most alive when I am in the mountains and outdoors. Along with my thirst for adventure and love for the natural world, I relish—and perhaps find my greatest satisfaction in—documenting and sharing my discoveries, experiences, photos, and knowledge in unique and creative ways.

On my day to day level of existence, I am transitioning back to grad school (for a second Masters, this time in Math at Western Washington University in Bellingham), escaping six years of engineering and finally following my dream to become a college math teacher. Yep, I like math. And combining this with my desire to share my knowledge in an interesting manner, I am destined to be a math teacher that makes math fun!

---

I began my website in 2006 as a means to display my photography. Then I started to supplement the photos with detailed notes and beta, and the 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, and they 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 my first overnight backpacking trip; 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, over the last few years, I have spent my summers following my parents' boot tracks, mountaineering and alpine climbing mostly in the close-to-home Washington North Cascades, but also in several other climbing/hiking meccas too. I am chronically afflicted. 

(I sustained a serious tib/fib fracture in a climbing accident in Sept 2010, but I am well on my way to being back to climbing, perhaps eventually stronger for it.)

Projects
I seem to enjoy displaying data in creative visual 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). One of my self-taught specialties is night photography. I sell photos upon request.

---

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.



CLIMBING AND PROFESSIONAL RESUMES

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!




MY STORY OF RECOVERY FROM A TIB/FIB FRACTURE
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 posed the biggest challenges that I have experienced in life so far. 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.



PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT


Cameras
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 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.

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. 
Table of my Cameras' Specifications (peach color = current use)

DIGITAL SLR DIGITAL POINT-AND-SHOOT
Camera Name Canon Digital Rebel XTi (sold) Canon EOS 20D (stolen) Canon EOS 30D (sold) Canon EOS 50D (RIP) Canon EOS 7D
Canon PowerShot S30 (retired) Canon PowerShot A530 (retired) Canon SD1200 IS
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
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
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
Crop factor 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 N/A N/A N/A
Image Ratio 3:2 3:2 3:2 3:2 3:2 4:3 4:3 4:3
Effective pixels 10.1 million 8.2 million 8.2 million 15.1 million 18.0 million 3.1 million 5.0 million 10.0 million
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
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'
Card Type CF I/II CF I/II CF I/II CF I/II CF I/II CF I/II SD SD
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"
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
Date Purchased April 2008 May 2005 May 2007 January 2009 February 2012 June 2002 June 2007 August 2009

Lenses

(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. 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)
Table of my Lens' Specifications (peach color = current use)
Lens Type ULTRA-WIDE ZOOM
STANDARD ZOOM
STANDARD ZOOM
STANDARD ZOOM
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'
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
Ring USM N/A N/A N/A
Closest Focusing Distance 0.79 ft 1.15 ft 9.8 in 1.48 ft
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)
7.1 oz 23.6 oz (1.5 lb)
44.8 oz (2.8 lb) 21.1 oz (1.3 lb)
8 oz (5.4 oz w/o mount)
Date Purchased April 2010
June 2005 May 2008
May 2011
July 2006
June 2005
January 2011

Other Equipment
  • 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) and Battery Chargers (4.4 oz for SLR, 3 oz for point and shoot)
  • 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) (14.8 oz)
  • GPS Photo Tracker by AMOD (records a GPS track which can be correlated via time stamp to assign GPS locations to the photos) (3 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 (I strap it around my shoulder when I climb) (~4.5 oz)
  • Arctic Butterfly Sensor Cleaning Brush by Visible Dust (best solution I've found so far to cleaning those pesky dust specks off of the sensor) (~8 oz)
  • MacBook Pro computer with Aperture 3 and Photoshop CS2 (for processing, storing, and viewing images)


Weight of my Backcountry Camera Gear


GEAR



EVERYTHIING

HEAVY BACKCOUNTRY SETUP
(what I usually take!)
LIGHT BACKCOUNTRY SETUP
(like for a Pickets adventure)
Camera
Canon 7D SLR
28.9 oz (1.8 lb)
yes

Canon Rebel SLR
18 oz (1.1 lb)

yes
Canon SD1200 IS Point-and-shoot "climbing camera"
4.2 oz (0.26 lb)
yes yes
Lens
Ultra-wide zoom 10-22mm
13.6 oz (0.85 lb)
yes
Standard Zoom 17-85mm
16.8 oz (1.1 lb)


Standard zoom 18-55mm
7.1 oz (0.44 lb)

yes
Standard Zoom 24-105mm
23.6 oz (1.5 lb)
yes

Telephoto 400mm
44.8 oz (2.8 lb)


Macro 100mm
21.1 oz (1.3 lb)


Fisheye 12mm
8 oz (0.5 lb)


Accessories
Tripod
72 oz (4.5 lb)


Gorilla Pod
8.5 oz
yes
yes
Batteries
5 SLR + 3 P&S = 15.6 oz (1 lb)
(SLR Battery=2.75oz, P&S Battery=0.6 oz)
5 SLR + 2 P&S
3 SLR + 1 P&S
Battery Chargers
1 SLR + 1 P&S = 7.4 oz
(SLR Charger=4.4oz, P&S Charger=3 oz)


Memory Cards
4 CF + 2 SD = 2.2 oz
(CF Card=0.5oz, SD Card=0.1oz)
2 CF + 1 SD
1 CF + 1 SD
UV Filter for each lens
6 x 2.5 oz each = 15 oz
yes yes
Graduated ND filter
8 oz


Intervalometer
5 oz
yes yes
Canon 430EX II Speedlite Shoe-Mount Flash
14.8 oz (with 4 AA batteries)


GPS Photo Tracker
3.5 oz (with 3 AA batteries)
yes

Chest harness & case for SLR
16 oz
yes yes
Camera Pouch for P&S
4.5 oz
yes yes
Lens Case
4 x 4.5-8 oz each = 24 oz
yes
Sensor cleaning brush
8 oz


TOTAL

24.5 lb
8.4 lb
4.6 lb



SOME OF MY PUBLICATIONS

Articles



LINKS

  • "Surviving Recovery: Coping with the challenges of a serious climbing injury," to be 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.
          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.

• Link to article (NWMJ website). NOT YET PUBLISHED
 •  Link to my day-to-day recovery story (my website).
 •  Link to Meridian Newsletter on MRA.org.

  • "Vesper Peak Accident/Rescue, 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.

 •  Link to accident report (my website).
 •  Link to Accidents in North American Mountaineering (AAC website).

  • "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.

 •  Link to article (NWMJ website).
 •  Link to photo comparisons from the article (my website).

  • "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.
        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.
        In March
    2012, the Yakima Herald-Republic newspaper carried an article (written by ourdoors 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! 
  •  

 •  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).

  • "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.

 •  Link to article (NWMJ website).
 •  Link to my trip report (my website).

  • "Following in my Parents' Boot Tracks," published in the 2005-6 Stanford Alpine Club Journal. This is an article about a few of my climbs during the Summer 2006 that paralleled climbs my parents had done over 25 years previous.

 •  Link to article (pdf download)


Photo Appearances in various Guidebooks, Compilations, Magazines, Articles, etc.




LINKS

  • 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.

 •  Link to my labeled panorama page (my website).

  • Photos in AAC: The Guidebook to Membership, 2012 put out by the American Alpine Club.

 •  Link to American Alpine Club website.

  • Photos in North Cascades Institute 2012 Catalog.

 •  Link to North Cascades Institute website.

  • Aerial photos of slab avalanches at 5500-6000 ft in NCNP, showing fracture lines that have yet to completely fail, posted on the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center website, March 2012.
  • Aerial photo of a 10-20 ft deep fracture line on the north side of Mount Baker, posted on the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center website, February 2012. 
  • Aerial photo of a slab avalanche on the SW Face of Horseman/Horseman's Pack crags near Snowking, posted on the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center website, November 2011.

 •  Link to NWAC website.
 •  Link to my aerial photo page (my website).

  • Aerial photos looking into Sherman Crater on Mount Baker, showing bare ground around the fumaroles of steam vents. Posted on the Mount Baker Volcanic Research Center website, February 2012.

 •  Link to article on the MBVRC website.
 •  Link to my aerial photo page (my website).

  • 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.

 •  Link to Winchester Mtn/LO trip report (my website).
 •  Link to Washington Trails Magazine webpage.

  • Photo of alpenglow and lenticular cloud on Mt. Baker, gracing the month of February in Bellingham Mountain Rescue's 2012 Calendar.

 •  Link to Bellingham Mountain Rescue website.
 •  Link to my aerial photo page (my website).

  • 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. 

 •  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).

  • A few "profile shot" photos of John Scurlock and his plane in Snow & Spire: Flights to Winter in the North Cascade Range. This large-format book is a compilation of John's amazing aerial photography, published in November 2011 by Wolverine Publishing.

 •  Link to book (Wolverine Pub).
 •  Link to John Scurlock''s aerial photography website.

  • Photos of golden autumn larch trees featured in the October 2011 issue of Trail News, an online publication by the Washington Trails Association.

 •  Link to Washington Trails Association website.
 •  Link to my golden larches trip reports (my website).

  • Photo of aerial photographer John Scurlock in his plane with Mt. Baker in the background, to accompany the article "Photo Flyboy" in Backcountry Magazine October 2011 Issue.
  • This same photo was used in another similar article in early 2012 in AOPA Pilot, a magazine by the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association.

 •  Link to Backcountry Magazine website.
 •  Link to AOPA website.
 •  Link to John's website.
 •  Link to my aerial photo page (my website).

  • 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.

 •  Link to first article, Jun 21 (KomoNews.com)
 •  Link to second article, Aug 2 (KomoNews.com)
 •  Link to my aerial photo page (my website).

  • Photo of star trails over Hidden Lake Lookout in the Bellingham Mountain Rescue's 2011 Calendar. Both the month of July and the cover!

 •  Link to Bellingham Mountain Rescue website.
 •  Link to trip report for Hidden Lake Lookout (my website).

  • 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!

 •  Link to book (Amazon).

  • 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.

 •  Link to article (Outdoor Research website).
 •  Link to trip report for Mt. Buckner in the winter (my website).

  • "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.

 •  Link to Forest Fire Lookout Association website.
 •  Link to trip report for Three Fingers Lookout in the winter (my website).

  • "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.

 •  Link to Forest Fire Lookout Association website.
 •  Link to trip report for Hidden Lake Lookout in the winter (my website).

  • Photo and Drawing of a Tree Swallow in The Siskin, a newsletter of Siskiyou Audubon Society in Josephine County, OR. Number 238, Sept 2009.

 •  Link to Siskiyou Audubon Society website.
 •  Link to my drawings page (my website).

  • Photo of "Nalgene meteorites over camp in the Pickets", in REI's Trailhead News pamphlet, Winter 2008.

 •  Link to REI's website.
 •  Link to trip report when I took this photo (my website).

  • Several photos in Steve Bechtel's 2008 Cirque of the Towers & Deep Lake: A Select Guide to the Wind Rivers' Best Rock Climbing, Volume 2 in the Cowboy Rock series of Wyoming climbing guides by First Ascent Press.

 •  Link to book (Amazon).
 •  Link to trip report for the Cirque of the Towers when I took these photos (my website).


Statistical and Other Nerdy Studies




LINKS

  • "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.

 •  Link to article and graphics (my website).
 •  Link to statistical tables (NPS data).

  • "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.

 •  Link to article and graphics (my website).
 •  Link to statistical tables (AAC website).

  • "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.

 •  Link to article and graphics (my website).

  • "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.

 •  Link to article and graphics (my website).

  • "Clouds," an online article on cloud types and atmospheric phenomena, containing several photos. 2010.

 •  Link to article/photos (my website).


Self-Published Books




LINKS

  • 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.

 •  Link to night photography article and photos (my website).

  • 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.)

 •  Link to book (pdf download).

  • 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).

 •  Link to book (pdf download).