Above the Tree Line
Essays by John Bishoff on fatherhood, leadership, and what the wilderness does to both. Past the last of the trees there is no cover left, and only one of you.
It's Ok to Only Make It to Base Camp
Two weeks ago my family and I were in Ecuador. We spent three days in Quito, a vibrant and wonderful city, and then we drove into the mountains. There we had a much different experience. Instead of…
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Drop Your Tools
This summer has been dry in Utah. And, we've had some pretty big wildfires in the state. One of the largest fires in the country at the time was the Babylon fire. It burned around 107,000 acres.…
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The Trail Was Very Defined, and Then It Wasn't
I got lost in the desert and had to spend the night without any equipment. It could have been a disaster. We had no gear. No food. No water. Just our bikes, an empty backpack, and each other.
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I Hadn't Been Back in 20 Years
My family came from Bern, Switzerland. They homesteaded much of Marsh Valley near McCammon, which means someone in my line looked at a green and settled country they loved and chose to leave it for…
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The Rope on my Desk
For fifteen years, I have kept a short cut of climbing rope on my desk. I have two of them actually - one at the office and one at home. Most people who see it assume it's a memento from some big…
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What to Do When You Snap at Your Kids After Work
You didn’t mean to snap at your kids. The tone came out sharper than the moment deserved, and you saw it land on their face.
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5 Signs the Job Is Quietly Winning
Nobody decides to let work take over. But work taking over your life doesn’t happen in one dramatic moment. It wins a little every day until you look up and it’s running the whole thing.
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How to Be a More Present Father: 6 Small Practices That Actually Work
You don’t need a sabbatical to learn how to be a more present father. You need six minutes and a decision.
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6 Things Presence Is Not (And the One Thing It Is)
Everyone says “be present.” Almost no one says what it actually means, or what presence is not.
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4 Questions to Ask Before You Walk in the Door
You close the laptop. Your body comes home. The rest of you is still in the meeting. Being present at home is the part no one prepares you for.
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5 Signs You’re Leading on Autopilot (And How to Catch Yourself)
You’re not tired. You’re running on defaults and calling it drive.
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The Rock That Looked Like Bigfoot
Last weekend, my family found Bigfoot.
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Above the Treeline, There’s Only One of You
On the three operating systems we run, the gap between them, and what the wilderness does to that gap.
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The Wilderness Gap (or, the day my phone took the hit)
What a hard crash on a familiar trail taught me about leadership.
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41 Boys, 11 Leaders, and a Few Things I Got Wrong
Happy Friday. I just got back from Moab.
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The Things They Left Me
What three grandparents taught me about what actually lasts.
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What Will Be Etched on Your Stone?
On legacy, intentional fatherhood, and the question the petroglyphs keep asking—what does it mean to be etched for a thousand years.
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THE SONG I DON’T PICK
Or, why I haven’t taken a singing lesson in thirty years.
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Strike Anywhere
A campfire, nine boys, and what they know that we’ve forgotten.
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The Fire That Asked the Real Question
What seven men around a campfire taught me about the real foundation of fatherhood.
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The Man Who Had Nothing Was Home by 4.
The other day, my friend sat across from me and said something I have not been able to stop thinking about. He had just returned from Mexico, not a resort, but the actual country, and he was still…
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The Stream That Never Questioned Itself
On invisible wor, sandstone patience, and learning to trust the current.
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A Father’s Competitive Edge
Most fathers assume their competitive edge comes from the same places the world rewards: strength, productivity, discipline, and the ability to push through discomfort without flinching. I believed…
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Building Confidence as a Father
I was at my son’s basketball game the other day, sitting on those hard plastic bleachers, watching a bunch of kids run up and down the court, and it struck me. Most of these kids have about the same…
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Father–Son & Father–Daughter Retreats: How Shared Adventure Builds Unbreakable Bonds
Modern life moves fast. Kids grow up even faster. Between work, screens, sports, schedules, and constant noise, it’s easy for fathers to feel like they’re losing connection with the people who…
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Fatherhood Retreats: How Fathers Reset, Recenter, and Reclaim What Matters Most
Modern fatherhood is challenging. And it takes more than most will ever say out loud. You’re expected to lead at work, stay steady at home, carry the emotional load, and somehow remain present…
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Captain Cook and the Cost of Drifting
I recently finished Farther Than Any Man by Martin Dugard, a biography of Captain James Cook. Cook is remembered as one of history’s greatest navigators, a man who mapped more of the world than…
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The Hero’s Journey You’re Already On
Inside the heart of every man, there’s a question we don’t recognize or articulate, but we feel its weight every day. It shows up in the early mornings when the house is quiet, in the late nights…
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The Science of Joy: 5 Research‑Backed Ways to Use Joy as a Compass for a More Meaningful Life
Life is hard. I have often compared it to climbing a mountain. Generally, climbing a mountain includes early mornings, think 3:30 a.m., strain on your legs as you climb steep terrain, burning lungs…
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We Chose Ski Passes Over Competitive Sports – Here’s What It Taught Me About Fatherhood
Our family weekends in the winter start with the sound of ski boots clicking into place and cold air filling our lungs.
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Driving With Intention: What a Ferrari Taught Me About Fatherhood
Lately I’ve been thinking about the ideas in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. If you haven’t read it, the book follows a father and son on a long motorcycle trip. Along…
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Belonging in the Age of Technology
Have you ever felt like a ghost in a crowded room?
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5 Ways to Strengthen Your Relationship With Your Daughter
Studies show daughters with warm, supportive fathers have lower baseline stress and calmer cortisol responses during conflict. Your steadiness becomes her nervous system’s steadiness.
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The Gift of Time: Building Family Legacy This Christmas
I love this time of year – the lights, the comfort food, the focus on serving others, the gift giving, ski season. If we allow it, this time of year helps us reset, prioritize, and reflect on what…
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Living with Intention: Building a Legacy Beyond Life’s Empty Calories
Remember Twinkies? Those cream filled vanilla cakes that seem to last forever? I used to say that Twinkies and cockroaches would be the only thing to last through a nuclear attack. Sure, they were a…
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Leave Your Legacy
Rediscover who you are and live with intention.
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