For the past six months, I've put the majority of my personal writing aside to spend time with our 17-year old dog, Mystic. He passed…
James DziezynskiOctober 10, 2021
I had one bad semester at college. I turned it around just in the nick of time to preserve the GPA required to keep my…
James DziezynskiMarch 4, 2020
I spend a lot of time hiking solo in the mountains. This year is no exception. In rounding out the last dozen hikes for a…
James DziezynskiAugust 12, 2019
Caffeine withdrawal is a real thing. If you don’t believe me, try drinking 2 - 5 cans of Monster Energy drink for 6 months, then…
James DziezynskiMay 22, 2017
The wilderness is both my sanctuary and my livelihood. The ardent and transparently destructive stance towards public lands by our current president and his administration…
James DziezynskiMay 10, 2017
“Go back?" he thought. "No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!" ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit…
James DziezynskiApril 21, 2017
I remember the first crowdsourcing campaigns that surfaced in my social media feeds. The majority of requests came from musicians hoping to release music, designers…
James DziezynskiJanuary 9, 2017
Before you read this article, let’s agree that the marketing wizards who came up with the concept of “power couples” deserve a place on the…
James DziezynskiDecember 6, 2016
Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think. ~Robert Henri…
James DziezynskiSeptember 20, 2016
I still remember the conversation between the five of us like it was yesterday. Rob, Mike and myself were dish dogs — the fast-moving crew…
James DziezynskiNovember 24, 2015
Mystic (left) and Fremont at Brainard Lake, Colorado. As the owner of two enthusiastic border collies, it’s extra important that they get out on big…
James DziezynskiJune 15, 2015
Lone Cone is an obscure, 12,618 ft. mountain in the remote southwest corner of Colorado. Its crumbling facade rises from the earth where forests begin…
James DziezynskiNovember 19, 2014
It is well-documented though rarely mentioned that Thoreau's “isolated” cabin in Walden was only about a mile from town -- a short enough walk for…
James DziezynskiAugust 25, 2014
One of the great things about Colorado’s mountains are the sheer volume of peaks. Beyond the well known collection of 14,000 ft. summits (and a…
James DziezynskiMay 27, 2014
Before it was the most beautiful room in the world, it was a small home office, fashionable and classically designed. Tasteful artwork adorned the walls.…
James DziezynskiApril 27, 2014
I was inspired by the sumo wrestlers' discipline, not so much their outfits. A few months ago, I picked three activities that I wanted to…
James DziezynskiFebruary 3, 2014
Though I’m now three months removed from my adventures in Japan, there are still so many moments and memories that swirl around in my mind.…
James DziezynskiJanuary 7, 2014
It is odd that I've spent the last seven years working in an industry that didn't even exist when I was in college. I've become an expert in SEO and search…
James DziezynskiOctober 28, 2013
Gramp and a very young Fremont. Two years ago on this day, my Grandfather James Baggett passed away after a long illness. I had celebrated…
James DziezynskiSeptember 4, 2013
Our brains are masterful at detecting subtlety. Case in point: during World War II, astute observation of telegraphy messages revealed rhythmic tapping patterns that were…
James DziezynskiAugust 9, 2013
"Don't worry about wanting to change; start worrying when you don't feel like changing anymore. And in the meantime, enjoy every version of yourself you…
James DziezynskiJuly 31, 2013
A little fresh air, a new path and you're good to go! (A border collie is a good idea too). A lot of new, exciting…
James DziezynskiJanuary 16, 2013
Oh, did I hate raking leaves as a kid! Never mind the splendor of hundreds-of-years old New England oak trees, the seemingly endless leafy discharge…
James DziezynskiOctober 24, 2012
As I wrap up the edits for the second edition of Best Summit Hikes in Colorado I'm eagerly looking forward to wrapping up the final…
James DziezynskiJune 6, 2012
OK fine, you're going to argue that the Bible says gays are an abomination in God's eye, yatta yatta yatta and you're personally offended that…
James DziezynskiMay 9, 2012
Please don't be scared off by the fact this blog entry starts off by referencing a 22-year-old video game about Feudal Japan. You need not…
James DziezynskiDecember 12, 2011
A writer's mind is never still. I am constantly impressed by my friends and colleagues who are professional writers out of their 20s. Youth is…
James DziezynskiDecember 6, 2011
It happens in very small increments: we get a step slower, ache a bit more, lose a bit of the spark that gets us up…
James DziezynskiNovember 8, 2011
Every once in a while, I'm a big fan of hitting a mountain summit at night (on purpose). There's something mysterious about being on such…
James DziezynskiOctober 18, 2011
There are 525,948 minutes in a year. Trying to compress the sum total of those minutes into a 4 minute and 22 second song wasn't easy.…
James DziezynskiMay 15, 2011
Here's a little snippet from my blog over at Elevation Outdoors that I kind of like: An unexpected aspect of long road rides is the time you…
James DziezynskiDecember 6, 2010
Usually it's far too easy for me to ramble off a zillion thoughts but I actually had a good, social night out so I'm fairly…
James DziezynskiNovember 5, 2010
Update: Here's the link to the Elevation Outdoors High Altitude Dreams blog. I'm just finishing up my blog entry for Elevation Outdoors about the wacky, wonderful…
James DziezynskiNovember 3, 2010
For your regularly scheduled programming, check in soon! If you are so inclined, I needed to write some things out – so if you'd like…
James DziezynskiOctober 26, 2010
The best way I can sum up 2010 thus far: it's been like dropping a Trapper Keeper bloated with looseleaf paper on a windy day. In…
James DziezynskiJuly 8, 2010
It's been quite a while since I've used my humble blog as a forum for some actual personal recollections. I had a good day today.…
James DziezynskiNovember 11, 2009
The supernatural world is an interesting place. On one hand we have the ghoulish, ghastly, other dimensions of time and space stuff: U.F.O's, bigfeet and…
James DziezynskiSeptember 25, 2009
I'm not sure if the internal dialogues that transpire in my mind on solo mountain adventures are deep philosophical discourses or nothing more than altitude-inspired…
James DziezynskiSeptember 8, 2009
Jon Krakauer is one of my favorite writers reaching back to his days at Outside (you know, when the magazine used to be about the outdoors). The…
James DziezynskiSeptember 3, 2009
