Leslie Hsu Oh

Travel Writer | Photographer | Editor | seen in T+L, NatGeo, CNT,Outside, Parents, Smithsonian

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Forehead pressed against the cold window, I waited impatiently for the plane to descend through thick clouds.  My breath held and released only when Turnagain Arm welcomed me “home” with a ripple of its silky waters. The jagged gray mountain peaks that I loved were already coated with termination dust, hinting at my favorite time of the year.  As the wheels touched ground, I sighed, the kind you release when you’re coming home after a long business trip, even though I was now a visitor with … [Read more...] about Home

Every day the kids wandered farther from our house collecting flowers for their journal until they started returning empty handed.I knew that patience wasn’t an easy thing for a budding six-year-old and three-year-old, so I tried to redirect their energy.  “Kyra, how would you like to add birds to your flower book project?”Her droopy shoulders perked up. “Okay, let’s go catch some birds.”I laughed.  “We don’t collect birds like we collect flowers.  How would you like it if somebody took you away … [Read more...] about What Does a Baby Bird Do?

This summer, I insisted upon a mandatory daily routine of getting outside.  At first, Kyra and Ethan couldn’t wait to race their Cozy Coupe, bikes, and scooters in our yard.  I proudly noted gear-tester talents manifesting on days that it rained.  A big smile broke across their faces when they remained dry while the world around them soaked. Kyra usually collected sticks, gifted me dandelions, and took Ethan on adventures.  Ethan enjoyed sitting on my lap on the deck and playing our … [Read more...] about Love+eMotion | The Inside/Outside Wars

A few hours after Kyra and Ethan negotiated Root Glacier with crampons, we sit down for a four-course dinner at McCarthy Lodge .   Neil Darish, the owner and reigning Alaska SBA Financial Champion of the Year, winks at me from across the room as I shush Kyra and Ethan, the only kids here tonight.  Darish convinced me to bring the kids, saying that that’s what sets their restaurant apart from other fine dining establishments. “I can do anything I want,” Joshua Slaughter, the 33 year old … [Read more...] about Peaks, Glaciers & Kids – Part III

Ethan wakes as soon as we spot the toe of Root Glacier, a sticky mile and a half hike along the lateral moraine of Kennicott Glacier.  Eyebrows furrowed, he peeks at the glacier suspiciously from behind his sun, rain, and mosquito protection screen.  Kyra bounces excitedly ahead of our guide, Kate, who reminds me of the care free life I had before having kids. Kyra orders, “Come on guys, let’s go.” I wink at Thomas, relieved that we can finally hike this distance without carrying both … [Read more...] about Peaks, Glaciers & Kids – Part II

Tiptoeing out of my warm room, I slip onto the porch and brave a few daredevil mosquitos at 4:30 a.m., hoping that the other guests at Kennicott Glacier Lodge would still be in bed. A large raven zips by, followed by a curious violet-green swallow.  In a nearby spruce, a veery trills a ripple sound. The first explorer to discover this area must’ve held his breath like me, enjoying a private moment with this view.   Now the largest national park in the United States, six times the size of … [Read more...] about Peaks, Glaciers, & Kids – Part I