Personal

When absent from his office, Weld can be found at Cafe Allegro or in the stormy mountains, climbing. In the past, he spent lots of time playing with his children Adam, Galen and Mica, but they’ve all grown up.

See also his sabbatical blog on New Zealand, Indonesia & Australia or his illustrated stories about Descending the Noatak River, trekking in the highlands and coastal swamps of Irian Jaya, a small mountaineering expedition to the St. Elias range in Alaska, Sea kayaking amongst the discovery islands in the coastal waters of British Columbia, treking in the Tien Shen mountains of Kazakhstan, A family safari and visit to the Hadzabe people in Tanzania (see also 9 yo Galen’s journal), Kayaking in Antarctica, Exploring Morocco, Trekking in Ethiopia, Traveling in Nambia, Trekking in Pakistan, and his family`year in review’ letters: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011-12, 2013, 2014, 2015-16, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. 2023, and 2024.

Dan likes the mountains. Growing up in the Adirondacks, he grew up peak-bagging. Indeed, his uncle, dad, sister, and he were numbers 347 (Paul), 1239 (Philip), ~1800 (Kathy) and 2147 (Dan) to climb the 46 Adirondack peaks over 4000′ . (Now, over 16,000 people have finished!) In grad school, Dan climbed many of the NH 4000’ers in winter, but never finished the list. Moving to Washington, he started climbing the Bulger list of the 100 highest mountains, finally completing them 28 years later, becoming finisher #54. His son, Galen, became the youngest person to finish the Bulgers a few years later. (Some great history here)

Dan also got entranced by technical canyoneering, especially in Utah, doing Pine Creek Canyon, Spry Canyon, and the classic (non-technical) backpack down the Virgin Narrows. On a later trip (October 2004) he did Baptist Draw & Chute, Knotted Rope, Quandry Direct, Mud, Music Canyon. In April 2005 he took his sons into Coyote Gulch. The next year he did Middle Echo Canyon, Fat Man’s Misery, Birch Hollow into Orderville, Pine Creek Canyon, Eye of the Needle (South Fork of Oak Creek). Then, alas, he stopped counting. So many more, including canyons in Arizona, the Blue mountains of Australia, New Zealand, Crete, and (of course) Washington State (Quartz Creek, Dingford Creek, Thornton Creek and many more)