Before we talk about our epic hike to Sperry Glacier, can we talk about how we fueled it with a quart of huckleberry ice cream topped with fresh huckleberries we picked ourselves? ‘Cuz I really wanna talk about that. … More The Glacier Day Between
Grinnell Glacier is one of the most popular hikes in Glacier National Park, and it was so worth the trek. And not just because of the huckleberries. … More Hiking to Grinnell Glacier
Back in the car we ate sad peanut butter sandwiches and stared glumly at the list of hikes we wanted to do.
“It’s going to be tough to hike ten miles to Grinnell Glacier here, drive thirty miles, then do another three-mile hike to sleep,” I said, resenting the seven miles I’d already hiked today.
We considered other hikes nearer the campsite. We considered other campsites nearer the hike. No combination worked in a satisfying way.
“This is really stupid,” I concluded. “I want to go home.”
We sat in the car, staring at our tent in bemusement for a few silent moments.
“Huh,” one of us finally said.
Our tent sat in the middle of a perfect circle of standing water, as if it had decided to grow its own moat. It was perfectly centered. I judged the moat’s depth at about two inches.
… More North Cascades National Park, where contradictory things went awry
We took an 11,000-mile, 11-week road trip across the western United States in our 2013 Chevy Volt. It was one of the least-expensive ways we could have covered that much ground – though our available cargo space was a wee bit tight. … More What It’s Like to Take an 11,000-Mile Road Trip in a Teeny Electric Chevy Volt
My efforts to plan a great four-day trip to Olympic National Park left a little to be desired. In hindsight, I totally give myself a pass because this park is complicated, and without ever having visited before, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the huge number of places to visit, trails to hike, and completely different experiences to try out. You can be in a rainforest one morning, on a glacier the next afternoon, and wading through tidepools the next day. Ridiculous! Awesome, but ridiculous. … More Olympic National Park: Camping on Third Beach
“I hear you have nice mountains out here. When’s the last time you saw them?” I asked. Yes, I’m that tourist. I’m sorry, I can’t help myself. I even know I’m not very funny, but I still always seem to think it’s a good idea at the time. … More Olympic National Park: Smoke Jokes & Banana Slugs
“Where will we sleep?” Dustin asked.
“There are two front-country campgrounds, and if they’re both full we can disperse in the National Forest.” You know we’re getting desperate when front-country camping and dispersed camping (pitching your tent along the side of a road in an approved part of a National Forest) are the best options. Our general philosophy is that if we’re going to go through the discomfort of sleeping in a tent, we really ought to be getting something (a remote, lovely view and serious solitude, usually) out of it. Sleeping in a tent in close proximity to dozens of neighbors? Meh.
“So, uh, I’ve never actually snorkeled before,” I said.
This was a lie. I had snorkeled before, though it had been decades. Literally. The last time I had snorkeled had been in my grandfather’s pool in California. I must have been about seven. I’d yanked on the flimsy yellow mask and tube and plunged right in, convinced this miraculous new apparatus was about to turn me into a mermaid who could breath underwater forever. Instead, I’d gotten a lung full of pool water.
… More That time I got jellyfished on my first snorkeling trip
“Forget where you send the rest of the gringos, tell us where the best taco stand is!” we demanded as Danny set us loose on our free hour before the hike. … More Hiking at Sunset, Todos Santos
Thither & Yon 