As I was driving towards the entrance tunnel, a car in front of me stopped for no apparent reason. At first I was annoyed, I had after all been driving for at least half of a Harry Potter audiobook to get there, until I remembered that this was a National Park in the west. Randomly …
Tag: hiking
Canyonlands -Island in the Sky District
My first visit to Island in the Sky was the same day as Needles, just after I had set up camp at Horsethief Campground. I didn't stay too long at Mesa Arch, heavy winds kicked up and I was worried about my tent. I was right to be worried, and today I spent some time …
Arches
I started my trip to Arches with an early morning hike to Delicate Arch, glad I went early to avoid the crowds. For some reason I had thought the iconic arch would be much smaller, but it was an odd combination of familiar and surprisingly awe-inspiring. The print I made of Delicate Arch may have …
Canyonlands – Needles District
I planned to find a campsite in Moab before going to Canyonlands, but the combination of the obvious geographic convenience of going to the Needles District first as well as the call of nature led me to swing west to the Needles District. I made a brief stop at Newspaper Rock (and the nearby bathroom), …
Mesa Verde
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 …
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 …
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 …
onehappycamper 