Adventure — Blog — Cody Updike

The Art of Visuals: Indonesia

My trip through Indonesia in snapshots. People, places, memories…

Adventure, Photography, The Art of VisualsCody UpdikeNovember 25, 2018Photos, the art of visualsComment

a splendid thing

My skin tastes like salt. I can still feel the ocean kissing me as I drift beneath it’s surface. It breathes in my veins, rocks my heart with the swell of the waves. I stare into your eyes and think of home, of those last few seconds of air pounding angrily at my chest.

tangled memories

We all live in a tangled world, with tangled lives and tangles memories, tangled up in worries thick with the tangles of useless things. These knots crush against my chest with a fervor matched by malevolent movie villains.

Adventure, creative writingCody UpdikeSeptember 11, 2018adventure, creative writingComment

Mornings on a Mountaintop

Epic sunrise shots and Instagram stories never start from the summit. They start with waking up, they start with sweat and burning muscles, they start with late nights and cold hangs on the side of mountains, they start with passion and high expectations...

Photography, Hiking, Adventure, creative writingCody UpdikeAugust 14, 2018Adirondacks, creative writing, blogComment

A Slow Regard For Silent Things

I woke up with the sun, when the air was still cold enough to send shivers up my spine.

creative writing, AdventureCody UpdikeMay 29, 2018creative writing, inspiration, adirondacksComment

How to Find Adventure: Star Gazing and Summit Sunrise

The stars were beginning to bloom into existence as I drove north, despite the wind howling cold and dark against my car, the night was quiet. I turned music on loud to keep the silence at bay and kept driving.

Adventure, Hiking, Photography, travel bloggerCody UpdikeApril 11, 2018adirondacks, adventure, sunrise, photographyComment

How To Make Friends in the Woods: Big Slide Mountain

A planned sunrise hike turned into an early morning drive to the Adirondacks, and a few last minute Instagram DMs found me a crew and a plan to hike Big Slide, an ADK High Peak.

Adventure, Hiking, PhotographyCody UpdikeMarch 28, 2018adirondacks, mountains, photographyComment

Lost Places

I’ve always been enamored by lost places. I step into them and drift away, watching golden light stream through treetops, quiet and listening to the sounds of the world.

Adventure, creative writing, island, Photography, travel bloggerCody UpdikeMarch 8, 2018St. JohnComment

Ships in the Jungle

Swinging in my hammock beneath patches of stars, a cool breeze rushes in from the sea, rolling in a haze of patchy cloud over my head. The stars flit in and out of existence through the swaying palms, unhappy that I won’t come up to play.

Adventure, creative writing, travel bloggerCody UpdikeMarch 1, 2018St. John, USVI, us virgin islands, Beach, Sunset, creative writing, photographyComment

The Art of Visuals: Thrift Shop Vibes

Sunlight streamed through the shops windows, dancing among the inaudible buzz of voices, the squeak of hangers, and the technicolor palette of clothing that filled the room. I ducked into the alley between two coat racks and the staccato click of my shutter joined the white noise all around me.

Finding Time To Escape: Bash Bish Falls and Alander Mountain

When a week starts to pile up on my shoulders and weigh me down, I find it's best to escape into nature to shed the anxiety and recharge. This weekend I escaped south to Bash Bish Falls and Alander Mountain.

Story Time: Vacant Dreams

Some days I like to write about mountains, photography, and the rising sun, and other days I like to let you into the other side of what I do, and the creative short stories I write and rarely share.

The Less You Listen...

I woke up early to chase the dawn. Beneath the pines, the darkness lay deep, but outside the shadow the moon turned the world to silver. The night beckoned, and so I raced through it, my breath panting out in white mist in the frigid cold of the early hours.

How To Use Instagram to Boost Creativity

It's hard finding creativity scrolling through Instagram when all you see are photos of people getting drunk, and the brunch someone had that morning, but finding a way to correctly use social media can boost your desire to create.

Best Hiking on St John: Reef Bay Trail

Descending into the jungle between the shoulders of two mountain ridgelines, sunshine filtered down through the green of the leaves, making euphoria stutter to life in my chest and making the Reef Bay Trail my favorite on the island.

The Best Off-Beach Snorkeling On St John US Virgin Islands

Disappearing beneath the surface of the ocean to swim amongst the fish and sea fans is always something surreal, and during my hitchhiking travels on St. John I managed to find some of the best places to snorkel on the island.

Ships in the Jungle: Hurricanes in the US Virgin Islands

After two class 5 hurricanes balled the islands up and tossed them in a washing machine filled with rocks, nails, and mach 7 winds, the U.S. Virgin Islands are limping back to health.

Creating A Story: Alice's 'Trip' Down the Rabbit Hole

When I write a story, I usually start with an idea in mind, a daydream that had been playing over and over in my mind until my fingers can't hold back anymore. I have at least one part of the story planned out, one scene that I'm basing the entire structure off of, and I build from there.

The Best Light For Shooting Photo's: Sunrise vs. Sunset

Honestly, I've always been a basic as heck human being who snapped all of the sunsets on my phone, but once I picked up a camera and starting expanding my work, I found out in trial and error how light actually works.

The Best Summer Jobs for Adventurers: White Water Rafting

If you're a ski bum, college student boring yourself working retail or in food service, or just need some time off, summer is the time for adventure and the time for amazing outdoor jobs.