A long-awaited reunion of two families (and life-long friends) finally happened at the campsite beside us at Jasper–one mother-daughter pair from as far as New Zealand—and against every obstacle the universe could throw at them. Let’s see, the absurd events that seemed to conspire against this reunion include: Lightning struck Ruth’s house the day after […]
Categories
A Lake Hike; A Glacier Hike; Add in a Waterfall
I swear, I have not reached “beautiful scenery overload,” despite how much these images look quite alike. I think my problem is that I’m stuck like a skipping record, taking the same shots from the same angles. But they’re all so lovely! Five Lakes Hike One morning we went on a loop trail that passes […]
We Hiked to See Grizzly; Instead, Elk Trapped Us at the Campsite
As I started to type this entry, Tracy yelled, ”Get in the trailer, quick!” One elk from the small herd that has spent the afternoon around our trailer got spooked and ran willy nilly, first toward us, and then across the campground and into the kitchen house (the building where campers can wash their dishes). […]
Alberta Raises the Bar
You guys know how I sometimes get ”beautiful scenery fatigue.” If you walk through several amazing deserts (or sections of the same one), eventually you start thinking about your favorite, and all the rest blend into a desert blur. Worse, the next deserts you walk through seem a little ho-hum. Same with beach-front campgrounds, boondocking […]
Hot Potting in the Rainforest
Dear Pacific Northwest Rainforest: Why do you have to be so wet and cold? I understand the wet part, and I hear the cold part is actually “mild” during the winter. But man oh man have we been cold and wet. It’s worth repeating. Don’t get me wrong. The forest has been lush and otherworldly, and I’m glad […]
Hoh Rainforest
We’re in Washington State, in Hoh Rainforest within Olympic National Park. I don’t have cell service here, just what I can squeeze from the jetpack on Tracy’s plan very early in the morning, so I’ll be quick. National Park Camping I’d forgotten that, in popular national parks, you have to hike popular hikes before 10 […]
Compelled by the Desert, Again
Tracy and I were driving due south from Tucson to find a campsite almost on the border with Mexico, when I realized something important. We’ve been letting the idea of where we spend next winter percolate in our plans (as well as actively brainstorming, searching, wracking our resources and hearts) but—no dice. We have no […]
A New Week, A New Desert
We’re actually still in the Sonoran Desert, but we moved east—from the lovely Ajo, Arizona, toward the city of Tucson, trading a green area for a brown one. But we need city stuff so we bit the bullet. The travel day to get here was another humdinger, too. After hitching up and maneuvering out of […]
Saguaros and Sunrises
So, in an earlier post I think I said that saguaros are old enough to start sprouting limbs after about 35 years, but I just heard from a National Park tour that it could take them up to 65 years. How fast they grow and mature depends on the rainfall in the area. We’ve walked […]
Ajo’s Springs, Mountains, Sky
I feel like I did back in Death Valley when I’d go hiking in the morning, become awestruck by the scenery and take tons of photos, then sink back into a coma in the late afternoon shade, unable to describe what I’d seen or even pick shots that vaguely illustrate any of it. Here goes […]
