Tag: National Parks

Adventures in the 63 Big Baddies

A photo-journal of a visit to Redwood State & National Parks

September 20, 2021

I don’t have a particular narrative to go with our photos of our time in Redwood National & State Parks. My jaw dropped open the moment I saw my first redwood, and I really didn’t manage to get my mouth closed until we left. (Good thing banana slugs can’t fly.) I was just in a perpetual state of awe the whole time. That doesn’t make a very interesting story, though. … More A photo-journal of a visit to Redwood State & National Parks

Craters of the Moon: extreme hot, extreme cold, extreme solitude, and extreme awesome

August 28, 2021

“There’s not a lot of shade out there. You’re welcome to stay with us tonight if you don’t want to fight the heat.”

A sparkle of doubt crept into my exuberant plan. The hike to our camp site would cover about four miles. We’d have to wear our big packs. It would be hot. Relentlessly hot.

But… but… I wanted to be one of less than a hundred people! Also, there were volcanos back there I wanted to collect.

“We don’t have to go right away,” Dustin said. “Why don’t we go do some of the frontcountry trails, see some of the caves, then we can start out for the wilderness when it starts to cool off?”

This plan sounded eminently sensible, so I sent a note to his highness confirming my enthusiasm for hiking in three-digit temperatures, and we set off for the loop road. … More Craters of the Moon: extreme hot, extreme cold, extreme solitude, and extreme awesome

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

July 26, 2021

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

July 25, 2021

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

July 23, 2021

“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

Laura’s Journal: Great Sand Dunes National Park

June 2, 2021

Aaaah!! This park is so cool and so infuriating!! The folks at Vermillion Cliffs NM didn’t even know the start of it when they described “demoralizing loose sand.” But, oh! How it’s made up for by the awesomeness of the sheer amount of sand. Of the height of sand. I’ve never seen dunes before, and I am smitten. … More Laura’s Journal: Great Sand Dunes National Park