Welcome to "The Climb!"

This is the internet home for the adventures of Jim McCrain. Jim is an avid mountain climber and outdoorsman, having led expeditions around the world, including places as diverse as Alaska, California, Mexico, Greenland, and New Zealand. In addittion to leading backpacking and camping trips, Jim also enjoys activities that include ice-climbing, general travel, and photography. In fact, if you go on a trip with him, you will notice that he carries a LOT of both still and video camera equipment with him.

This page features photos and stories from some of his favourite places. It highlights both the people he has trekked with as well as the locations that he has visited. Some of the people were met "on the trail" while others willingly went on these adventures! The places he has visited range from the frigid heights of Denali, to the ice-covered mountains in Greenland; from thousands of feet above timberline in the High-Sierra Nevada mountains of California, to the jungle trails of New Zealand. The trips have been as short as a single night out to six-months.

Take your time to visit each of the pages here. You will find amazing photographs on each page, as well as several videos. Many of Jim's photos are for sale. Visit the PHOTOGRAPHY page for more details. And come back each week for a new photo on this page!

Todays Treat!

Today, I was treated to another exciting experience. While visiting the Dallas Zoo, I talked to the care-taker of the rare and endangered New Zealand tuatara. The tuatara is NOT a lizard, but is a completely different species. Some scientists claim that it is actually the "last dinosaur." (It is classified as "sphenedon punctatus.") Well, one thing lead to another, and before you know it, I am back in the reptile room actually HOLDING a tuatara! I couldn't believe it. I am fascinated by these creatures from the past, and to literally come face-to-face with one was another of those "once-in-a-lifetime" treats that I have had. For the record, they are rather cool, and feel "solid" and compact, and yet the skin was surprisingly soft. Not "scaly" as I had thought it would be. I have offered to volunteer for the Dallas Zoo whenever they are doing their studies and documentations on these animals. Who knows? Maybe I'll get some more pictures of them soon. (Click on an image to see a larger version.)

All photos and content copyright Jim McCrain