Before becoming a wife I was running around the Eastern Sierras trying to get on top of as many ridgelines as possible in the summers. I have a bucket list yet to be fully completed. In winter you could find me snowboarding on Mammoth Mountain or it’s side country. This exploration prompted my solo summit of Mt. Whitney and my desire to reignite my love for climbing and relearning the ropes. This was about the same time I met my husband who also loves to ski and climb.

One of our first dates was a scramble up Sherwin Ridge which led to climbing in the lower Eastern Sierras. Then we scrambled and rappelled a canyon in Death Valley, summitted and skied Mt. Shasta, climbed in Yosemite, Charlotte Dome and a bunch of other things in between. We both have a love for exploring whether on a rope or snow. Everywhere we go we always find rocks in the shape of hearts which we say is our love that’s been chasing eachother through these mountains. We wound up heading to Japan for a winter season where we learned that we were expecting.

We spent our days riding powder, eating delicious food, battling first trimester morning sickness, and finally traveling around to see the sights. One of my favorite days was a powder day on my day off that led us to the deepest fluffy powder I had ever rode. I was introduced to ice climbing as well which was an amazing experience. We immersed ourselves into the culture for a wonderful 4 months before Covid-19 shut down the borders and we headed home to the USA. We boarded a plane to Hawaii then home to California. Our adventures continued, we climbed places we’ve never been and then the more familiar until August when our baby was born.

After her birth we were immersed in smoke from the wildfires and our days were spent inside healing and adapting to becoming parents. Eventually the smoke eased, my body healed, and we slowly started taking walks. Being who I am I desired more adventure still which led me to take her to the top of North Dome. Ryan and I did a 10 mile hike that led to nowhere and I realized that hikes only interest me if the destination is one of ridgelines or alpine lakes that kiss your skin with a bone chilling cold that for a second can take your breath away. Things look a bit different for now but soon I’ll be chasing her around these mountains and showing her the ropes. Until then, I will haul her around to the base of crags to watch us climb, go ski touring on the passes around us and hike with her to some easier summits because my selfish desire to adventure will hopefully rub off on her. Besides, what outdoorsman doesn’t dream of raising their baby wild?