A Snapshot and The Scoop: Musings on a Human Tendency, An East Coast Epic Story

Once a paved road along 15 miles of Assateague Island, a few crumbling concrete slabs are all that remains of Baltimore Boulevard. Built in the 50's and destroyed by a northeaster in 1962. A short hike among the seashore dunes takes you to a bit of this road, where you can see for yourself the devastating power of the ocean in a fury. Is it ever a good idea to build so close to a powerful, nearly unstoppable force of nature? Why is it human tendency to push boundaries and attempt the impossible? Of course, the park would be completely inaccessible to all without a boat and perhaps an ATV without a few paved roads, but what cost comes with trying to maintain permanent structures on something as fleeting as a barrier island? Visit the park and perhaps you'll find answers there.

2019 Wrap Up: It Was A Quiet Year

Muted. As far as travelling is concerned, it's been a quite year for me. I've been just exhausted this year, which has led me to choosing to stay home more often than not, spending my weekends, long weekends, and even longer breaks around holidays lounging around my house and yard. I have been able to get out and run, though, so I'm still spending plenty of time outdoors - on both streets and trails- so I'm not lacking in the sunshine department at least. I did manage to get a few trips in this year, so read on below for a recap:

I kicked off 2019 by taking a week-long vacation to the deserts of Arizona with my cat. Hoodoo and I volunteered at an ultra race along the borders of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, then we took off on our own to explore the deserts for a few days before heading home. We saw quite a bit of Arizona on our trip, and are already looking forward to going back again in the new year.

We adopted a new dog, and I "had" to travel to pick him up from my friend/his foster mom in Oklahoma. Bullet is a gentle, incredibly affectionate shepherd and fits in with our family like he's always belonged. And yeah, seeing Julia and her family while picking him up was the icing on the cake.

Callie, Hoodoo, and I took a weekend in late March to run away and look for alligators, and to spend a night on the gulf coast. We found plenty of gators, and while Hoodoo didn't appreciate the wind off the gulf we still got in a gorgeous sunrise stroll along the coast.

Hoodoo's and my trip to White Sands National Monument (now National Park!!) was . . . not great. It began with a hot day and a spectacular sunset followed by a lovely and quiet sunrise, then devolved into chaos and whipping sand and a flying tent with its occupants (us) still in it. One terrified cat, shredded tent, and broken wrist later, I don't think I'll be visiting White Sands again for a while. It took me six weeks to physically heal, and probably way longer than that to get over the disappointment of that disaster of a trip.

Despite still being in a wrist brace I took off by myself for ten days of driving and travelling around the east coast on what might be my most epic driving adventure to date. I visited 24 states plus Washington D.C. in that amount of time, saw the borders of Canada and the Atlantic Ocean, hit a ton of state and national parks, and tent camped most of those nights. It was a much needed retreat from normal life, and one of my top adventures of the year.

For the second year in a row LeakyCon was hosted in Dallas, and for the second year in a row I got tickets! Eleven year old me would never have forgiven myself if I had the chance to see Tom Felton (who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films) in person, and I am thrilled that I went.

For the sixth year in a row Torrey and I headed to Colorado in August, where we spent a week hiking 14,000 foot mountains, camping, sight-seeing, soaking in hot springs, and attempting but failing to backpack in sand dunes (no more sand dunes for me for a while, dammit!) We also went to Pikes Peak for the Ascent and Marathon for the sixth time, with me once again acting as cheerleader. We've got 49 more 14'ers to hike, and I can't wait for the years and adventures to come.

In September Jared and I actually travelled together and spent a weekend on the Texas Gulf Coast celebrating a friend's beautiful wedding. Not only did I get Jared to travel, but I even got him to go swimming in the Gulf with me! Talk about miracles!

Another wedding, this time for my cousin, led me back to Nebraska in October, where I hung out with family and celebrated a couple's love by partying the night away. It was a super short trip for me, with really only a single day and night with my family before turning around and heading home, but it was all the sweeter for it.

A day trip in November when Torrey came down to my neck of the woods for a visit found us in gator country along the Texas coast, where we saw quite a few of these reptiles and also made a trip to see the gulf before heading home at sunset. A long day with many hours in the car, but good company makes the miles and hours fly by.

On a random Saturday in mid-November I was heading north to meet my dad somewhere in Oklahoma to exchange a precious package: the little kitten pictured above, now named Nova, had been hit by a car the week prior while on my way in to work. I found her, began her recovery, and proceeded to bombard my family with pictures and videos of the little kitten with a bobbed tail who just wouldn't give up. My sister decided she wanted her, so my dad and I met up halfway between our homes for lunch and to get Nova to her new family. It might be the craziest adventure I've ever had: driving 12 hours for a one-hour lunch and to exchange a cat, but who cares. Nova is happy and healthy and now I get to see her any time I visit! It's a win for everyone.

Again, it's actually been a pretty quiet year this year. I travelled the least amount this year since I started tracking back in 2014, and while it seemed like it was okay while it was happening I now wish I'd made a little more effort throughout the year. Of course, some things that prevented my travels were beyond my control, but there's always next year to be more enthusiastic. Anyway, the usual stats are below:

Adventures: 11
Hours: 986.86
Miles Driven: 18,298
Total Cost: $3,078.92
States Visited: 29 plus Washington D.C.
Hiked: 59.6 miles
State Parks Visited: 6
National Parks Visited: 9
National Monument Visited: 3
National Forests Visited: 3
Wilderness Areas Visited: 1
National Seashore: 1
Navajo Tribal Park: 1
Number of Nights Tent Camping: 12
Number of Nights Sleeping IN the Car: 8
Number of Nights Backpacking: 2
Number of Nights in a Hotel: 4
Number of Nights in a House: 10
Number of Nights in an RV: 2
Animal Companions: 31
Human Companions: 33 plus various wedding guests

2020 is a new year, a fresh start, and I may or may not already have all of my vacation time planned out for the whole year. I've got several week-long trips booked already, with the first one beginning in February in the deserts. I just know this year is going to be a good one, so goodbye to the adventures of 2019 and hello to the new ones of 2020!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Layered Water, an East Coast Epic Story

While exploring a barrier island along the Atlantic coast I found myself deep within a loblolly pine forest, wandering around in search of wild horses. I couldn't help but wonder how animals (and some plants) survive on the island considering the salt water that surrounds it, surely flooding the island during storms, and the relatively high water table that can't make life easy. Further research reminded me of a very important fact, one that I'd forgotten: salt water is more dense than fresh water. In the little forest pools like those pictured above, salt water from the water table and floods rests at the bottom of the pond, while fresh water from rain floats on top. This layered effect provides the drinking water necessary to support large and small fauna like horses, deer, rabbits, and more, while also providing a water source for those plants that aren't as salt-tolerant as loblolly pines. It was a neat little reminder that nature really does provide, and that life will find a way.

East Coast Epic: Island Escape

Gladdened. Nobody wants to go to the beach when it's storming, but I wasn't there for the beach. Well, not just for the beach. I made my way from New York down to Assateague Island National Seashore on the Maryland/Virginia coast, bound and determined to visit ever since I began following their social media accounts. You see, Assateague hosts a population of wild horses, and even though I don't consider myself a horse person these particular ones captured my attention and practically demanded to be seen. It was storming when I reached the visitor center, and continued to storm as I crossed the bay bridge onto the island proper, where I was immediately greeted by a group of horses standing on the side of the road in the downpour. I found the campground and waited out the rain in my car, pouring over the island map and noting which trails I wanted to explore. The roads are minimal on the island unless you have a vehicle that can handle driving on sand, so I was confined to the paved portions and wherever I could reach by foot. Which wasn't looking like anywhere with the storm still rolling through.

Eventually the rain lightened enough for me to make my way to the oceanside beach, where I was pelted with rain drops and sea spray but didn't give a shit because I was staring at the ocean. The Atlantic Ocean, which I couldn't help but note the fact that I was supposed to be staring at the Pacific Ocean, perhaps right that minute, if things had gone the way I thought my summer was going to go. Instead I was alone on the other side of the country, and couldn't find it in me to be upset about that fact. I watched the clouds roil above me and the ocean churn beyond the beach and all I felt was a giddy happiness that can only come from being right where I wanted to be.

Eventually the rain parted and the clouds lifted and glorious sunshine filled the sky, but I wouldn't have cared if it had kept raining all day. I was on a barrier island on the Atlantic Ocean, I'd already seen horses and knew I'd be seeing more, and I had a dry car to sleep in if I couldn't set my tent up. I had no care and no worries. I began exploring the island trails, first walking along a boardwalk on the bay side of the island, suspended above the brackish wetlands while watching blue crabs scuttle among the reeds. Then I wandered toward the center of the island where loblolly pines tolerate salty conditions to form forests that shelter horses, deer, and other wildlife. From there I traversed the sea dunes, that first line of defense between the ocean and the rest of the island.

I spent a lot of time at the beach, driving to different areas and walking as far as I wanted. It was almost chilly after the storm, the sky still partly cloudy and the threat of more rain on the horizon. I saw horses almost everywhere I went, though none as close in the campground where I eventually pitched my tent among damp grasses. The horses on Assateague are wild, and I had no desire to get within any sort of distance of them, happily observing them from my car while watching some not-so-smart people approach way too closely. It was recommended all over the island to treat the horses like you would a bear, which was advice I wholeheartedly embraced. I really didn't want to be bitten or kicked, especially considering I was still sporting my wrist brace.

Evening on the island settled softly, and there wasn't a drop of rain overnight. I woke before dawn, which is pretty usual on my travels, and made my way to the ocean to catch the sunrise. I was surprised to see quite a few people milling around, though whether they were still enjoying themselves from the night before or were up early like myself it was impossible to tell, and it didn't matter. I wasn't there for them. I pointed my lens to the east and waited for the sun.