This week, I was interviewed on the Camino Podcast to talk about my experience on the Kumano Kodo a few months ago. The host of the Camino Podcast, Dave Whitson, was the 500th person to achieve dual-pilgrimage status! “Dual pilgrim” is a designation that I … Continue readingMy Interview on The Camino Podcast about my Kumano Kodo Experience
First things first: I wanna apologize for the length of this post but now that it’s been two months since I returned from my Kumano Kodo trip, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and think very clearly about what I learned, about what I … Continue readingWhat I (am still) learning from hiking the Kumano Kodo: 3 Truths
One of the coolest things to do at Yunomine Onsen is to buy raw eggs from a local merchant and hard-boil them right in the hot onsen water! After we finished our first route of the Kumano Kodo, we took a rest day in a … Continue readingHard Boiled Eggs at Yunomine Onsen
In our 9 days on the Nakahechi and Kohechi routes of the Kumano Kodo trail, Dad and I saw many things and heard many sounds. I thought a long time on how best to represent some of these amazing things in video and I concluded … Continue readingSights & Sounds from the Kumano Kodo
Whether you are hiking all the way through or jumping ahead from checkpoint to checkpoint, hiking any of the 3 major routes of the Kumano Kodo will require you to take a local Japanese bus at some point. It may seem confusing at first but … Continue readingEverything you need to know about taking a Japanese bus along the Kumano Kodo
There are 33 manifestations of the Japanese Deity, Kannon. We hiked the Kohechi Route of the Kumano Kodo from Hongu to Koyasan. The first section is a pretty intense hike from Yagio to Totsukawa Onsen using the Hatenashi-toge pass. A very interesting feature of this section … Continue reading33 Kannon Statues along the Hatenashi-toge pass on the Kohechi trail of Kumano Kodo
Less than 12 hours until I depart. When I first assembled my pack earlier this weekend it was 18 pounds. After lots of negotiating and some swift cuts I am slightly below 12 pounds. I have reduced the contents of my pack to 11.8 pounds … Continue reading12 Pounds on My Back
Well…we’ve come down to this. After over a year of planning and prepping Dad and I are scheduled to arrive in Osaka in 4 days. The problem is the biggest storm of the year, Typhoon Hagibis is currently pounding Japan and conditions do not look … Continue readingWill I Stay or Will I Go?
In an attempt to document my Kumano Kodo adventure in October, I have decided to periodically check in with some updates to my preparation. WEIGHTLOSSPerhaps the biggest change that I have taken on since the beginning of the year is my change in diet and … Continue readingPrepping for Kumano Kodo: May 2019 Update
There comes a time in your life when you realize you are just tired. You realize that the day-to-day stresses and worries of work, family, and life has been a weight on your shoulders for a long time. One day, late last year, while laying … Continue readingA Spiritual Reset
Directions: After clicking “Play”, click and drag over the video for a 360 video view. You can also click and drag after pausing the video. One of the highlights of our trip to Hawaii last month was our trip up Mauna Kea on the big … Continue reading360 Video of Our Family’s Hike Up to 10,000ft! … Continue reading360 Video of Our Family’s Hike Up to 10,000ft!
We did it! On October 11th, 2011, our family visited Yosemite National Park and got our first National Park Passport stamp! It was a trip that would put in motion a new obsession for our family. But it wasn’t until 2014, when our kids were … Continue readingOur family’s goal to visit all 50 States #NgFamily50
When you hear “Presidential Library” what do you think about? A small group of exhibits? Perhaps a statue or two? Maybe some framed pieces of memorabilia? I had very little expectations when visiting the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. I had never visited a Presidential … Continue readingOur Family’s Visit to the Kennedy Presidential Library … Continue readingOur Family’s Visit to the Kennedy Presidential Library
Today is Mother’s Day and to celebrate the kids and I took my wife to the North Carolina Zoo. Living outside of Raleigh, our family is super fortunate to have access to world-class benefits like the North Carolina Zoo which is located in Asheboro, North … Continue readingOur Visit to the Zoofari African Wildlife Adventure at the North Carolina Zoo … Continue readingOur Visit to the Zoofari African Wildlife Adventure at the North Carolina Zoo
For the MLK holiday weekend my family and I decided to take a trip to Boone North Carolina to go snow tubing! I have been seeing tweets and posts on Facebook lately from friends who have gone and my wife and I figured it would … Continue reading10 Crucial Tips for Snow Tubing at Hawk’s Nest in North Carolina … Continue reading10 Crucial Tips for Snow Tubing at Hawk’s Nest in North Carolina
On saturday, a bunch of friends and I took my wife indoor skydiving for her birthday! My wife has always talked about the idea of skydiving but after having kids didn’t much care for the risk involved. I heard from a few friends here in … Continue readingIndoor Skydiving in North Carolina! … Continue readingIndoor Skydiving in North Carolina!
LEGO bricks play a big part in my family. When H and I started dating in college, the love for LEGOs was one of the first things we realized we had in common. So of course, when we had kids, we passed this love to … Continue readingThe Art of the Brick at the Alamance County Arts Council … Continue readingThe Art of the Brick at the Alamance County Arts Council
Ok. So 2 weeks ago my family made a trip downtown to visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. My son was invited to a birthday party there and we decided to explore the museum with the other 2 kids for the 2 hours … Continue readingVisiting the Titanic Exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences … Continue readingVisiting the Titanic Exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
