Day 3 on the Teton Crest Trail, in which marmots attack!

Not a bear, I thought, but it’s something big. Do moose graze at 3am? In any case, I was sure it was rooting around in the vegetation several yards from the tent, and not rooting around in my backpack, stored just outside my tent flap. I shifted around, making a little noise, hoping to scare it off. The one thing I was definitely not going to do was look outside, as doing so was a surefire way to turn the creature into a bear. … More Day 3 on the Teton Crest Trail, in which marmots attack!

How to sleep in the Tetons backcountry

The first night in a tent is the absolute worst. If one is not accustomed to sleeping in a tent, there is no way to focus on anything other than how inadequate your sleeping pad is, how clammy your feet feel, and all the noises the definitely-a-bear is making. Is it raining? Is a marmot stealing my boots? No really, what IS that bear doing?? … More How to sleep in the Tetons backcountry

How not to start a five-day hike in the Tetons

“Hello, we’d like to get a permit for a four-night backpacking trip starting tonight, please. We know it’s noon on a Friday in the July after COVID, so we understand that all the permits were probably gone by 8:03. We know we’re idiots, but we’re experienced, well-prepared, super-flexible idiots and we have a backup plan!” … More How not to start a five-day hike in the Tetons

Black Mountain

“You should climb Black Mountain,” Gary said. “It’ll be fun!” Gary said. And thusly did we find ourselves halfway up what appeared to be a mere blip of a mountain but is actually a 1,300-foot elevation gain over the course of a 1.1-mile trail. That’s not hiking, friends. That’s basically rock climbing. Still. We climb … More Black Mountain

Laura’s Journal: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

How can I have gone so long without any idea how volcanic the Southwest is? I suppose it isn’t newsworthy since none of the volcanoes is active (at least not within the last thousand years), but just about all the geology down here is volcanic, and as a volcano enthusiast, I feel indignant that no one thought to tell me. πŸ˜‹ … More Laura’s Journal: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument