Driving from New Mexico to Colorado was almost exactly what one would expect. I saw snow covered mountains in the distance after hours of desert, and within an hour I was in Colorado. As promised to my cacti-growing father I took pictures of blooming prickly pears, and made my first (of many as I travelled …
Palo Duro Canyon State Park
Palo Duro Canyon State Park was a pleasant surprise. I had intended it to just be a spot to sleep on my way to the National Parks of the Southwest, but this little Texas State Park was awesome, and I ended up going for an evening hike. The park itself was mostly in the bottom …
Winter in Vermont
Now that it's finally summer in Vermont, after a long week of cold weather, I feel comfortable remembering the winter without too much trauma.
Mother’s Day
On the Pacific Crest Trail, views on both sides of the ride, with the best hiking partner I've ever had. Happy Mother's Day Mom! The struggle to get this rain cover took us from the NJ REI to the Seattle REI, and we talked to many employees before we found Alyx. Through some magic he …
No Fear
One of the girls on my Outward Bound trip, Danielle, had a fear of heights. As 16 year olds we spent so much time saying we had fears or phobias of things that made us nervous or uncomfortable—spiders, the dark, public speaking—that meeting someone with a genuine phobia was almost surprising. It was a non-issue …
Earth Day
A day late, but in honor of Earth Day, a few of my favorite forests, on the other side of the world and close to home. Bamboo Forest, China The teepee my aunt Sandi married her now wife, BJ, in. In her backyard forest, Manchester, VT (photo taken by Brenda Hamm) I'd like to note …
Sheep Lake, WA
Hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail to Sheep Lake, June 2015
The Elusive Moose
I have always wanted to see a moose, the quintessential wild animal of North America, present both in our wilderness and our history. Teddy Roosevelt named his progressive party the Bull Moose Party. When Thomas Jefferson was tying to prove to his French competitors that the United States was not, as the French claimed, a …
Meeting Troy
It was going to be a long day. We knew that from the start. After 5 days of sunshine, it was threatening rain, and we would be reaching Blowout Peak, which promised great views but was one of the highest elevations we would reach. There was also the question of where we would stop that …
onehappycamper 