While we may be footloose and fancy-free, we’re not totally without responsibilities. That means we need housesitters to take care of our cats and plants while we’re out traveling. … More How We Find Petsitters to Watch Our Cats (And the House They Generously Share With Us) While We Travel
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.
Even the trail signs want to make sure you know this won’t just be a stroll in the park – though parts of it really are a lovely stroll. The trail itself isn’t heavily trafficked, so it can be a little unclear in places. Keep your eyes out for the next trail marker – there’s almost always another one in view as soon as you pass the last one.
Until you get to this rock. … More Hiking Mount Baldy, Black Hills
“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
Can we talk about how I just spent ten days pretending to be a rich person? (I’m actually asking – can I talk about that? It feels a little shameful, like maybe I should be keeping it a secret?) … More 10 Rich Days in Cabo San Lucas
This, then, is what the love of glaciers means:
Yesterday, you hiked Mt. St. Helens. You climbed up 4,500 feet over the course of four miles, clambering over sharp boulders and loose scree. You then turned around and picked your way back down 4,500 feet of the same.
You woke up this morning with every muscle in your lower body wailing, suggesting maybe you should be a little kinder today.
You arrived at the Mt. Rainier National Park wilderness office, because backcountry camping was your only plan for finding a place to sleep tonight, and asked if there were any sites left that did not require a strenuous or lengthy hike.
You listened as the ranger ran through a list of unappealing options – seven miles is too many, 2,000 feet elevation gain is too many, 2,000 feet elevation lost is WAY too many, three miles might be okay except half of it parallels the highway?
And then you listen as the ranger kindly offers to check for available group sites, since those could be given away to a non-group at such short notice.
You listen as she says, “the Glacier Basin site is open, oh, but that’s four miles in and nearly 2,000 up-“
And you hardly let her finish the sentence before you say “WE’LL TAKE THAT ONE.”
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to splurge on a room at the Crater Lake Lodge,” I said.
“Are you proposing we buy a $300 hotel room so that you don’t miss the chance to buy a $100 dinner?” Dustin asked.
“NO,” I replied not-at-all too quickly. “No, but really, look: we’re coming from the north entrance of Redwoods. It’s a 4-hour drive, and if we manage to get a tour at Oregon Caves along the way, the earliest we can hope to arrive at Crater Lake is mid-afternoon. That means we’ll be in the park for less than 24 hours. If we camp, we’ll spend our entire visit hiking in and out of our campsite, and none of the campsites have views into the crater.” … More Crater Lake
Thither & Yon 