Should I Quit My Job?

Should I Quit My JobOver 3 years ago, I hit a tipping point where I could no longer handle working at an office job. I remember this experience like it was yesterday because I wrote a post about hitting my tipping point, where I wrote out my feelings and what was going through my head while I sat in my cubicle. Luckily I was able to make a change for the better and haven’t looked back since.

Since then, I’ve continued to work for myself and am soon going to be celebrating my 3 year anniversary of being self-employed. It’s been an interesting journey but I have enjoyed it and have learned more about business (and myself) than I ever would have anticipated.

However, the thing I find most interesting is that since writing that post, more than 230 people have stopped by and left comments (and stories) explaining how they no longer enjoy their jobs and are looking for a change in their life. It amazes me how many people feel the way I did and how the stories vary from person to person. Continue reading

Mt. St. Helens: The Blast Zone

A few months ago I completed my goal to climb to the top of Mt. St. Helens. It was an amazing experience but the one thing it didn’t do was give me a close up view of the blast zone located on the opposite side of the mountain. So the other day I took a friend up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory and we did a nice 9 mile hike down to Spirit Lake.

Here’s some photos from the hike:

Walking South Towards the Mountain.

View From the Pumice

The Silver Star Grand Tour

Standing on the Silver Star Summit

The sun decided to come out this weekend so it was the perfect opportunity for some more hiking. I decided to give the Silver Star Grand Tour a shot, which I can easily say is my favorite hike so far. The hike was guided by the Mazamas, which is a Mountaineering organization here in Portland.

Distance: 15 Miles
Elevation Gain: 5,250 Feet

The hike started off at the Starway trailhead, which is not the easiest place to find. It requires driving down dirt roads …

Elk Mountain and King’s Mountain

I knocked another hike off this year’s to do list! The hike was the Elk and King’s Mountain loop in the Oregon Coast Range. Here’s a quick summary of the hike along with some photos.

Distance: 11 Miles
Elevation Gain: 3,700 Feet

This loop is rated as very difficult, so I was expecting it to be fairly steep and rugged. Turns out that’s exactly what this hike is like. Right off the bat, the climb to Elk Mountain was very steep. It reminded me a lot of Mt Defiance only the climb to the summit is shorter (and half the elevation). Continue reading

I Kicked Ash On Mt St Helens

Standing On the Crater Rim of Mt St Helens

After weeks of anticipation, I finally got to accomplish my goal of climbing to the top of Mt St Helens. At 8,365 ft, it’s the second tallest mountain I’ve ever climbed. The trip was a success and everyone in our group made it up to the top. Here’s a full trip report of the days events:

Distance: 12 Miles
Elevation Gain: 5,622 Feet

We started the day off by meeting at 5AM at the climber registration office (the Lone Fir Resort). …

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