My daughter is the early riser of our small clan usually calling out 'daddy' 'daddy' at 7 am sharp. Still, most days I try to get up before my kids, maybe just to clean up the kitchen, or fire off a few emails before toddler chaos descends over everything. I became a morning person out of necessity when my son was born four and half years ago.

On expeditions, I sometimes wake up from such a heavy sleep that I don't know where I am. With temperatures that routinely plummet to 40 below, mornings are especially brutal. The simple act of unzipping and getting out of a warm sleeping bag is so incredibly painful that it requires a sheer force of will to complete the task.

I often laugh at the juxtaposition of my life. One day, getting chased by a polar bear. The next, changing diapers and trying to calm yet another temper tantrum. I'm not going to lie. Expedition life is some times much easier than dad life.

Today was Father's Day and I woke up to screaming kids then crying (totally normal I might add). Sharing, it seems, is a very emotional endeavor for a two and four year-old. We are in Crested Butte (my second favorite place next to Grand Marais, Minn.) for the summer so Maria, the kids and I were able to spend the morning at the 'Adventure Park' on the mountain. It was fun to watch the kids try new things and take chances. There were no major meltdowns and both kids stayed in their seats for nearly 20 minutes at lunch so the outing was a huge success. After dinner, we hiked over to a small lake then waded up stream in freezing cold water.

'I'm a daredevil so I like cold water,' my son announced at reaching the small stream's headwaters.

To me, this was a perfect Father's Day. Not much different than many of the other days that we spend together as a family. I travel a lot and am often in very uncomfortable and sometimes life threatening situations. Being gone is hard and I miss Maria and the kids a lot. The best present I could ever receive on Father's Day is to simply be able to spend time with my family (and even change a diaper or two).

Equally important is this time in Crested Butte. I feel lucky that we are able to access huge wilderness areas with our kids and give them unstructured time to run, roam and explore. Today it was a stream. Yesterday, it was a trail along the Slate River. Tomorrow evening we'll go canoeing again. My goal as a dad is to simply provide my kids opportunities to be outside and experience the world on their own terms.

Wilderness and expeditions have given me so many things: confidence, curiosity, perseverance, humility... just to name a few. I'm not sure what path my kids will choose but if they can be creative, respectful world citizens who are willing to try new things (and fail at times) then this Father's Day will have been an even bigger success.

In expeditions, it seems we are always relieved when the day's work is over and we are finally able to climb into our sleeping bags for the night. Honestly, it is the only time we can relax. As a Dad, I sometimes feel the same relief when I put my kids to bed in the evening.

Dad life just like Explorer Life is exhausting. And risky, too. But... if you can suffer through all the cold mornings, diapers, temper tantrums, polar bears and thin ice, the rewards are immense.

'Dad,' My son said as I put him to sleep this evening. 'I really like Crested Butte because we get to climb mountains.'

And after a moment of reflection on the day's efforts he added. 'But it really makes you tired.'

Image: Barely able to pose - me and my adventure buddies!