Tag: travel
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Reevaluating Tradition: A Risky Ride Down the Sled Hill in a Snow-Starved Winter
Today, after several weeks of careful recovery from an ankle injury, I tentatively set out on my first trail run in far too long. As I walked to my usual starting point, I stopped to slip on my micro-spikes. Then, I looked up and spotted the area that’s typically buzzing with tourist families sledding down…
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Rediscovering Home: Mountains, Memories, and the Heart’s True Pull
Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas—these holidays mark a season of homecoming for so many of us. But what does “home” truly mean to you? Years ago, my parents uprooted our family from the geographic place I still call my hometown and relocated us to another spot where I spent my formative years. I’m deeply drawn to both…
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Life Without Electricity: Insights from the Backcountry and Beyond
Have you ever wondered what your daily life would look like if the power grid suddenly failed? In my novel, The Long Walk Home: When the Power Dies, I explore a world plunged into darkness. Recently, I was challenged to describe my own life without electricity—and surprisingly, I have some firsthand experience from my college…
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Fatherhood in Crisis: What Does Fatherhood Look Like When the World Falls Apart?
With tens of thousands of books on parenthood—and over 2,200 on fatherhood listed on Goodreads alone—you might wonder how a young adult adventure novel could offer fresh insights into being a dad. I didn’t set out to write a story centered on fatherhood any more than I intended to explore cults, bullying, or leadership. Yet,…
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10 Life-Saving Essentials Every Adventurer Needs: Lessons from Tommy’s Epic 1,200-Mile Trek
In my novel, The Long Walk Home: When the Power Dies, I dropped hints about the Ten Essentials as Tommy’s secret weapon. He mentions them just twice: once while brainstorming packs with the Browns (the family who unofficially adopts him) for their Sacramento trek, and again after grabbing extra supplies with Jason Brown—forcing the group…
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Day One –
Survival Lessons from the Airport In The Long Walk Home: When the Power Dies, we meet fourteen-year-old Tommy as he navigates Denver International Airport, waiting for a connecting flight from San Antonio to Sacramento. His world, along with everyone else’s, is thrown into chaos when all electrical power abruptly fails. Tommy’s reactions, and those of…
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Living the Adventure: Tales of Mountains, Seas, and a Boy’s Dream
Recently, I picked up Thin Air: Encounters in the Himalayas by Greg Child, a climber and mountaineer I’d heard of only in passing. I wish I’d discovered his writing sooner. His beautifully descriptive language evokes the siren call of the Himalayas. Published nine years before Jon Krakauer’s 1997 bestseller Into Thin Air: A Personal Account…
Michael H. Ritterhouse 