Catherine Freer Expeditions

In June I quit at Sage Walk, and in August I went to work for Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Expeditions. Freer is a different kind of wilderness therapy company. A small, indipendantly owned and operated company, Freer runs intense, three week expeditions into some of the most remote places in the North West. I worked three expeditions with Freer into three different use areas: the Blue Mountains in Southern Washington, Beatty's Butte in the high desert of Central Oregon, and the winter wonderland of Waldo Lake in the Cascade Range, Oregon. Every trip was memorable for something, and working at Freer put to the test my skills as a Field Instructor, especially the last. After almost 3 years and over 400 days in the field at 4 different programs, I still believe in the power of Wilderness to change lives.


Mushrooms grow abundantly during Fall in the Blues.


At an elevation around 6000ft, the bald ridgelines of the Blues are beautiful camping. Lead Guide Brooke and his dog Action.


The group gathers for a Psycho Ed group to learn about Levels of Communication.


Staff looks out on a beautiful sunset and a beautiful moment in Wilderness Therapy; the kids sit by themselves reading Impact Letters.


The dried lake in the High Desert makes an awsome space for hand stands (and Yoga!).


Cold Night falls, but with the Kids on Solo for 4 days, there is peace in Staff Land!


Through a rip in my tarp I spy the blood red sunrise spelling out bad weather for the day, precipitation and high winds.


40 mph gusts blow showers of sparks from our fire of Juniper. Another day at the office.


Our Winter Training crew, but where's the snow?


A great feature of being an independant company is Freer's ability to have dogs out on Expeditions. This Great Pyrenees named Lacy was in her element snow camping in Waldo Lakes.


Winter Expeditions are dropped off in the middle of no where by Sonny and one of his Snow Cats. Talk about Bad Ass logistics.


Hostel de Freer, the office that doubles as a home for a number of vagabond Field Instructors.

Music Rocks My World

Concerts have an energy all their own. They breath, beat, and scream their own emotions. People are in a trance, captivated by the power of Music. I love music; good music resonates inside us and gives voice to our souls. Concerts amplify those vibrations through the collective experience of the crowd. Here's some pictures of rockstars.



Michael Franti at the Lake Eden Arts Festival


Pebbles and Bam Bam? I don't remember... but these is Rock Stars fer shur!


Chattham Co. Line. Genuine unadulturated North Carolina Bluegrass anyone?


Scott Avett of the Avett Brothers.


Seth Avett, darker brother.


Keller Williams, with the Keller Willams show on behind him.


Jackie Green. Very Talented.


Yonder Mountain String Band, a bluegrass Jambori!


Just watch~


The Gourds; and Snoop blesses their Gin and Juice cover.


At the Northwest Strings Summit. On stage: Yonder.


Peacock Feathers at Horning's Hideout, for the Strings Summit.


Best concert of the year goes to Acron Family, who ROCKED the Doug Fir in Portland.


Acron Family... I'd never heard of them either.


Mark and the mighty No Go Know.


Michael Pann, musician extraordinair.

The Infatiguable West: More Adventures

I never really settled in out West. Even while I lived at the Goodness Collective I kept on the go. There was so much to see and no time to waste!


Crater Lake from the Watchman Mountain and the view from my campsite.


Wizard Island at Crater Lake in eerie dawn light.


Forest Fires haze the dawn at incomparable Glacier National Park, Montana.


Only at Glacier.


A Marmot.


The last picture before my camera battery died and I did not have a spare, day 1 of a 3 day backpacking trip. Heartbreak.


Wheat Fields in Idaho.


Oregon's very own Painted Hills at John Day Fossil Bed.


Two of the Three Sisters outside of Bend, OR. Our backyard mountains at 10k plus.


Tear Drop Lake at the summit of the mighty South Sister, OR.


The Monkey's Face at Smith Rock, my climbing playground for the summer.


Chelsea decends the long, free, double-rope rappel off the Monkey's Face. Long way down!

The Three Burns's Sight Seeing Co.

The last time Mom, Rachel, and I were all together was in California on my 25th birthday. We spent the day hiking in the magnificent Redwood National Park, and the last two weeks traveling as a threesome around Norther California and Oregon. We're an odd trio, but mostly I'm the odd one out. I let go of my long individualized travel style and tried to enjoy the life of hotel rooms and roadside attractions. The Great Northwest provided plenty to look at along the way.



We settled for a 4th of July firewords display that was not of our own production.


My sister the Pathologist looks intellectually at an inspiring portrait of death at the Sacromento Art Museum.


Mother the tour guide at Another Roadside Attraction.


Mom and Rachel at the Dee Wright Observatory on the McKenzie pass with the North Sister in the background.


Mom investigate the walls of this several mile long Lava Tube.


Newberry Falls with Indian Paintrbush.


Proxy Falls, the most beautiful waterfall with the ugliest name.


The Maple Understory.


A cuddly lookin' Harbor Seal on the Oregon Coast.


Mom and Rachel pick up smooth, colorful rocks on the North California coast.


From our hotel room at Crescent City, CA. Can't complain.


Rachel at the foot of a Giant Redwood, Redwood National Park.


We hiked through the Giant Redwoods down to the coast. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my birthday. Who knows when the three of us will be together again!

Yellow's Story

I didn't always travel alone. At work Cameron Lucas and I schemed up an ambitious plan for our time off: road trip Red Rocks, Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Pheonix, and Joshua Tree in 11 days. It was a surly itinerary including much rock climbing, backpacking, and skydiving. Our vehicle for the journey was Cameron's trusty VW Wesfalia Van named Yellow, and a good time was had by all.


The Red Rocks Rendezvous rock climbing convention was happening at Red Rocks, our first stop.


Cameron placing gear on a sweet diheadral at Red Rocks.


The Team Name that says it all.


Backpacking the Grand Canyon: 3 days and 2 nights of a dream come true.


Wear Sunscrean.


Definately a rush; woah.


Arizona Desert and endless highways.


Multi Pitching at Joshua Tree, soo beautiful.