Recently on a trip to Colorado, I visited the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater, a grouping of natural rock formations in which concerts are held in an open air space! There is also a huge trail system, both paved and unpaved throughout the park for hiking and mountain biking. With the fluctuating temperature, rougher terrain, and high winds, I had to be ready for a variety of environments and outfit/footwear changes. I brought along my Patagonia Long Sleeve Fitz Roy Trout Shirt to keep me warm in the chilly mountain weather, and topped it with my bright green Patagonia Houdini jacket, which stows in its own tiny pocket so it's a great jacket to throw in your backpack in case of wind or light rain! My pants are the Toad and Co. Debug pants, which cinch at the bottom to keep out dust and grime, and they have a bug repellent built right in. Most importantly I have my ZX/2 Chacos on to keep my toes free while having some tread to handle the rocks and dirt paths we ran around on for hours.

A few days later we conquered the incline, a 2,744 step hike that gains 2000 feet of elevation in a little bit less than a mile! Luckily I brought my Salomon X-Mission 3 trail runners along, as I didn't think my sandals would protect my toes enough for the hike back down along the Barr trail, which also leads up to a 14er (14,000' mountain) called Pike's Peak. The Salomon's have awesome support, and I tend to wear them as much off trail as I do on, because they allow me to be on my feet for 8 hours or more each day without being exhausted at the end of the day. My bright blue pants are the Toad and Co Sunkissed Rollup pant, which are super stretchy, comfy, and able to be rolled up to the knee and secured if need be. When you aren't used to higher elevations, it's really important to have the right clothing, supportive shoes, and enough water on hand because your body isn't used to the lack of oxygen, and this climb was a struggle, as I'd only been in the area a few days and was not as acclimated as others on the trail.

After the incline, I donned my Arc'teryx Atom LT Hoody as we went on a lazier hike around Mt. Evans, another 14er in the area. This is hands down my favorite jacket, I wear it everywhere! Its synthetic, so it stays warm even when wet, fits well under my waterproof shells, and fits over any base layer or regular t-shirt perfectly. Under my Salomons are the Farm to Feet Ithaca Socks, which are ultralight but the wool blend kept my feet both warm and dry through sweat and even some snow on the frozen lake. 

Several climbing friends and I climbed to the summit of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire recently. It was a challenging and awesome experience. I’ve practiced mountaineering skills in these White Mountains for several years but this is the first time I’ve been to the summit of Mt. Washington in Winter.


Tip: In below-zero, windy conditions, when you’re working hard but moving slowly, effective base layers and socks are crucial. My Smartwool Merino 150 base layer top and bottoms kept me warm – but not too warm – and dry throughout this adventure. Darn Tough Full Cushion Boot Socks felt cozy and did the job of keeping me warm, dry and blister-free 

We took a trip and spent the night just off shore in Virginia's False Cape State Park. After a nice flat hike in, we had the entire beach to ourselves which is a rare occurrence anywhere but in this hidden gem of a park. For dinner we indulged with mashed potatoes, peppers, and summer sausage accompanied by a fine travel size box of wine. The next morning we fired up the Jetboil and sipped our coffee as the sun rose to warm us up.

All of our equipment packed up nicely into our Osprey and Deuter packs while our faces were kept shaded with Patagonia trucker hats and Native eyewear. The Jetboil was the real MVP of the trip and served us our delicious dinner and sunrise coffee. 

I recently decided to do a hike up Bluff Mountain in the Blue Ridge to catch the sunset and to try out my Deuter trekking backpack. I’m six feet tall, so I love how it adjusts to fit my longer torso. I also brought along my trusty trail partner, Mason who loves to cheer on hikers as they pass. The first half mile or so of this hike is pretty difficult but becomes more gradual after passing the Punchbowl shelter sign. Of all the hikes I’ve done since moving to Lexington in Aug of 2017, this was my first on the AT and technically the first solo so now I can’t wait to do more!

Knowing I was doing this towards the end of the day, I brought my No Nats bug spray which did an amazing job of keeping the bugs at bay on the way up and back. I also love that my Walkabout Outfitter hat kept the sweat away on such a super hot day. And shout out to my beloved Oboz Saphire mid waterproof hiking boots. I used to look like a newborn baby giraffe fumbling around on hikes but these boots steady me out and rolling my ankles is no longer a worry of mine. 

My most recent adventure took place on May 6th. I was reminded that my car (that is registered in Connecticut) was due for it's 5 minute emissions test. A 498.8 mile drive from my apartment in downtown Roanoke to home. I had an evening and two days off to make the journey. I decided it would be best to do it while the weather was still turning from winter to summer. I knew if I waited until the end of May I would miss out on a camping trip... or a day on the lake... or hiking... or napping all day in my hammock... or all of the above.

I packed light because (a) I would only be spending roughly 20 hours there and (b) I do not like carrying more than I need. I knew I needed to remember to bring two key WAO items...I wore my Patagonia W's Capilene® Daily Graphic T-Shirt and carried my Classic Insulated 32 oz narrowed mouth Klean Kanteen plastered with inspirational stickers of the outdoors (spending 8 hours on a paved highway gets a little dreary, especially when the mountains fade in the rearview mirror).

I forgot to mention that my car's AC is busted... and the pavement was reflecting a good 80 degrees both days that I was traveling. The Polygiene odor control and the breathability that the shirt provided kept me comfy. The ice cold water from the Klean Kanteen refreshed me and kept me alert (I filled my 20oz Klean Kanteen too because buying plastic water from the gas station hurts my heart). I got home, took the car to be tested, played with the dogs, biked around the park, and there was still no stink!

After some New York style pizza, a deep snooze and a coolant refill, I was back on the road headed back to the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains!

The day to day life is an adventure. 

I recently took a trip of a lifetime to the Middle East to visit my brother, Jason. My mom, Marlane, and I left Dulles Airport around midnight, had a lay over in Morocco, and arrived in Beirut, Lebanon around 9:30pm. Jason, and his wife Maggie live and work in Beirut helping to manage an organization called Animals Lebanon. 


By far, Osprey's Porter 46 was the perfect pack for my trip! Even after attaching Osprey's 13 liter Daylite pack to it I was able to avoid checking any luggage at all. The Porter then stayed put at the hotel and the Daylite was my excursion pack- whether visiting the ancient ruins of Baalbek, the farmer's market in Beirut, hiking on the Lebanon Mountain Trail, and much more.

Some of the other gear that worked well included-
• Oboz Campster shoes which worked well for going thru the airport as well as walking on the beach at the Mediterranean Sea

• Sea to Summit's Travel Wallet, RFID Passport Pouch, and Combo Lock- which gave me a simple, safe, and discreet way to stash my money and passport

• Suncloud Sunglasses-polarized eye protection

• Mountain Hardwear's Canyon Long Sleeve Shirt was quick dry, packed well, zipper pockets, and easy to wear sleeves up or down

• Patagonia's Quandary Pant was also quick dry, packed well, and had zipper pockets which are especially perfect when traveling

• LEGO man, although not sold at Walkabout Outfitter, was a fun way to stay connected to my five year old son!

• Also WhatsApp was the perfect way to communicate when overseas- I was able to text, call, and video call my wife, Lori, with ease and no extra charges 

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have the two greatest hiking buddies that accompany me whenever and wherever I go. Macy, the little one, and River, the big one, love to explore, sniff, and bring me as many sticks as they can when we are on trail. My girls always keep it fun and exciting with each new adventure.

Tip: Macy and River each wear RuffWear's Tope Rope Collar when are are out hiking, and while around the house. The metal Talon Buckle makes it easy to quickly get off and on (River gets very excited when she realizes we are going somewhere), and there is reflective webbing built into the collars webbing that keeps them visible in low-lighting conditions. Each collar comes with a silicone tag silencer that keeps their name tag and rabies verification from clinging together and causing a lot of extra noise. The girls love their collars, and their two-tone colors keeps them looking great too!