How did you decide to create over 30 short films chronicling your family's adventures?
Originally, my motivation was knowing that when I'm old I'll be crying playing these films on a loop and they'll be my most valuable possessions. The act of filmmaking forces me to take in the entire experience: lighting, dialogue, scenery. It's hard and consuming, but when I'm done I feel like I’ve created something.
What inspired your family to do all of the outdoor sports and activities you do?
When I was dating my now-wife, I described the kind of life I wanted for my future family. My description was full of waterfalls, mountains and rock walls. She loved the same things but eventually I realized that our understandings of those places were different. I saw them as arenas to achieve mastery and work through mental, emotional and physical barriers. Veronica pursued them as a way to explore and experience something new.
What is a favorite outdoor memory for your family?
Our first overnight sea kayaking trip to a tiny island in the San Juans. We had three sea kayaks and too much gear for a single trip. I raced 45 minutes to the island to drop off our gear, then returned to pick up Tilly Jane who was six at the time and Ivan, four. I put them in my kayak and Eleanor, eight, and Veronica each paddled their own. We explored the island that day and the next before returning to Orcas Island to take the ferry back, but we barely missed it and had to wait hours for the next one. Initially we were bummed, but Veronica and I drank beers on the dock and the children and I danced to Ingrid Michaelson playing out of a cell phone speaker. After dark we played hide-and-seek in the park until the ferry arrived.
Any plans for the next big adventure?
I've got two for which we've been preparing: the first is a three-week whitewater kayaking trip to Ecuador, hopefully before Eleanor graduates from high school. The other adventure is the 1,000-mile Inside Passage, from Skagway, Alaska to Houghton Beach in Kirkland. I just can't imagine a more fulfilling experience as a father.
