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Daniel McFarren

@dangermcfarren

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👨‍🍳 🥩 Culinary school dropout
🎥 🔊 A/V nerd
📈 📊 Ad man
🐈‍⬛ 🐈 Cat dad

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taken in Bend, Oregon by @dangermcfarren

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4 months ago

I only had the privilege of knowing Nina’s dad for a little over two years, but it was enough to view him as one of the most positive influences in my life. If you didn’t know Glen Heggstad, Google him. If you did, you’d know just how cliche my statement was– the man had hundreds of people in his orbit who can all attest to how he pushed them to become better humans.

The way this guy normalized things like riding a motorcycle through the most treacherous corners of the world just to get to know the locals; inspiring countless young people to fix their lives by getting into jiujitsu; donating untold amounts to global charities anonymously; all create this mythos that seemingly merges the characters of Anthony Bourdain, Sasha Siemel, the Dos Equis “most interesting man in the world”, and the Dalai Lama.

And I had the honor of calling him my father in law. You would think a man of this stature mightn’t be bothered to embrace someone so short-tenured relative to his magnanimous life. But each time we’d all go out, no matter where we were, he’d regularly strike up conversations with strangers to tell them about how much he loved each one us. Getting to know his family & friendships he cultivated, I can see why he felt that way.

Glen got me to start going to the gym regularly and get into the best shape of my life; “I’m dying, what’s your excuse?” he’d say. He convinced me to stop being shy about sharing with peers my experience with colon cancer, explaining how spreading awareness is the best thing we can do (ps- go get a colonoscopy). He exuded a constant air of positivity and gratitude, and conditioned us to only live “good days and great days.” No whining, no complaining, no excuses.

He was positive through his last breath, as he led the most dignified & beautiful transition to the afterlife one could imagine. Stalwart in his gratitude for leading the best life he could have ever dreamed; so seamless that it feels like he never left. I count myself fortunate to have spent those last days in his presence as he expressed the joy he felt for getting to know the amazing daughter he never knew he had.

Rest in peace, legend. Valhalla is lucky to have you. by @dangermcfarren

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5 months ago

I don’t normally jump on social media trends but turns out #2016 was a pretty cool year. It was my third year in MI marketing and I had the privilege of meeting/interviewing absolute legends like @thecrystalmethod, @tonymaseratiofficial, @davepensado, @mrbillstunes, @kjsawka, @craigbauer_mixer, Dave Isaac, and so many more thanks to @glowchandra hooking it all up. It’s been a wild ride full of cool projects and amazing friendships since then, and I can’t wait to see what the next 10 brings 💪 by @dangermcfarren

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9 months ago

Nothing but gratitude 💥 see you in 2026
#happynewyear by @dangermcfarren

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9 months ago

Don’t go to Japan. Don’t sample the wide range of cuisine from all around the world. Don’t engage with chefs and performers hellbent on blowing your mind. Don’t eat convenience store snacks somehow absent of chemicals, added sugars, or trans fats. Skip the public transit system; too efficient. The language is complicated; not worth learning. Manners are overrated; easier to stay here where people are free to poop on the sidewalk, drive like a dick, and stand on whatever side of the escalator they so please.

For real though– love ‘merica, but Japan is amazing. 7 days is just enough to learn that a month wouldn’t be enough.

* Shinjuku, when the rain finally stopped
* Shinsekai neighborhood, Osaka
* Subway fast (but Shinkansen faster)
* Nina fulfilling her lifelong dream of playing geisha at Fushimi Inari
* Almost blossoms 🌸
* ShinkanNina
* Fuji san from the Shinkansen 🚅
* Snow…on our first morning in Tokyo
* Robot Restaurant (thanks for the rec Anthony Bourdain)
* Samurai Restaurant Time (formerly known as Robot Restaurant)– still may be the greatest show on earth
* Golden Gai
* A tiny part of Kyoto by @dangermcfarren

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2 years ago

Post-cave expedition recovery in #HoiAn was lovely 🇻🇳 if you’re ever in town, try the egg white coffee ☕️ taken in Hội An by @dangermcfarren

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2 years ago

“Slippy; watch your head; stinging plants…” And repeat.

#sondoong is the largest #cave in the world- so large, you could supposedly land a 747 in parts of it. After a handful of explorers mapped the system, the cave was opened to hosted expeditions in 2010. Then, only 500 people per year were allowed inside- currently, 1000 people a year.

Someone on our trek did the math, and apparently fewer people have been inside this cave than have summitted Mt. Everest.

The pictures don’t do it justice; the proportions inside the cave are so massive that it completely throws off the senses. What looks like a patch of green you could wander into from camp is actually a football field-sized tangle of forest, accessible via no less than 45min of careful maneuvering along jagged rocks and steep cliffs.

Each of three main “dolines” are where the ceiling collapsed millions of years ago, forming a forest between sections of the cave over time. Navigating them is a feat of balance and stamina– second nature to our local guides; harrowing for mere mortals like us.

Each campsite offers a completely different audioscape and climate from the last–ranging from chirping birds and howling winds, to dead silence on terrain resembling the moon. All while bathing in seconds-delayed echoes from a campsite that comes to life for about 20hrs, once a week.

1. Reaching the first cave– Hang En
2. Campsite at Hang En
3. Exiting Hang En
4. Making it to Son Doong
5. Son Dong campsite 1
6. “Watch out for dinosaurs”
7. “Wedding cake”
8. “Stairway to heaven” (a.k.a. The Stairmaster)
9. Campsite 2
10. Ascending the Great Wall of Vietnam taken in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park by @dangermcfarren

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2 years ago

After an 18hr flight delay out of Saigon, we made it to Dong Hoi– an airport notorious for soupy fog and blind landings. We spent about an hour circling overhead before a brief window appeared, and the pilot decided to go for it.

An hour after that, we were in the tranquil town of Phong Nha, and the launch point of our trek. A nervous excitement was building as we settled in and explored this charismatic riverside village.

Earlier this year, the USAID funding freeze halted the cleanup of mines, artillery, and chemicals from the war. As of 2023, an estimated 800k tons of artillery remains– the most recent example being a 500lb MK-82 bomb found in Dong Hoi in November 2024. You’ll see many of these artifacts decorating hotel entrances, and littered throughout the trails in Phong Nha.

Oxalis – who manages expeditions through #SonDoong – donates half of their proceeds to community restoration projects. They also help preserve the park in which the cave is located, having secured the area as a world heritage site to prevent mining/logging/commercial interests from taking over.

Still uncertain of our ability to embark on a 4-day trek through the largest cave in the world, we weighed the option of bailing up to the very last minute.

But as Nina says of her life at sea in the Antarctic: you only have to get on the boat; after that, you can’t get off.

The persistence was well worth it. We hit the trail head and were instantly rewarded with exotic greenery, sweeping mountain views, and friendly locals ready to guide us on the adventure of a lifetime.

At this point, Nina was still sustaining herself almost entirely on small, liquid meals. Meanwhile, I was at the threshold of a proper sinus infection I picked up on the plane from Tokyo.

We would soon find out how we would we fare humping across muddy rainforest hills, scrambling over jagged rocks, and navigating sheer cliffs a quarter mile below ground. taken in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park by @dangermcfarren

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2 years ago

“We almost didn’t make it” describes multiple situations in the weeks leading to the day we entered #vietnam’s legendary #sondoong cave.

@tiny_sex_scene had her gallbladder removed 4wks before departure; 2wks later, she went into septic liver failure and was readmitted for emergency surgery to clear a remaining stone, compounding the matter with acute pancreatitis.

Aside from enduring excruciating pain, Nina was now relegated to a liquid diet– not ideal when facing 4 days isolated inside the world’s largest cave.

Nevertheless, we decided to go.

Our momentum was broken again when it was discovered at check-in during our layover in #japan that the birthdate on Nina’s visa was reversed. Luckily, a service was standing by to expedite emergency visas (for a fee), and we made our flight.

Landing in Saigon was harrowing. As our plane came within feet of touching down, the pilot made a last minute decision to abort the landing and blast back into the sky. It seems the heat and wind make SGN a challenging place to land. With the recent string of airplane disasters top of mind, we spent the next 20min contemplating our death before the next approach.

The second attempt was successful, taking us to the very edge of the landing strip.

The shift change between customs guards timed perfectly with our arrival– now it was my turn to have visa problems. Our new friend decided to be extra thorough by noticing the inconsistent spacing in the print around the “F” in McFarren between my visa and passport. I was being denied entry based on kerning.

After a frantic plea and showing other forms of ID, I convinced him to let me through with a firm reprimand about needing to correct my passport.

We quickly got some SIM cards and changed money– bless our taxi driver for discovering that Nina was nearly scammed out of 500k Dong before we left.

After an evening with friends in one of my favorite cities, and a night at the lovely @themystdongkhoi, we were on our way to Dong Hoi for the next leg of our journey to the cave. Or so we thought… taken in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam by @dangermcfarren

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2 years ago

Lovely desert hang with @tiny_sex_scene and her pops @locoviking 🏜️ happy New Year friends! by @dangermcfarren

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2 years ago

Thanksgiving shenanigans on the #lostcoast with @tiny_sex_scene by @dangermcfarren

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2 years ago

Grateful for this creature to have been born ❤️‍🔥 thank you @tiny_sex_scene for yet another trip around the sun with my favorite Viking warrior goddess. There is no one else with whom I’d rather plot epic adventures, learn painful lessons in homeownership, and maniacally obsess over our cats. You become even more ridiculously adorable with every passing birthday 🎂 by @dangermcfarren

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2 years ago