A Snapshot and The Scoop: The Rival

Torrey and I were preparing for a ten mile day hike the fourth day of our stay at Rocky Mountain National Park when a loud cry made us turn around. An elk had bugled right behind us, and as we watched she led a whole herd out of the forest towards our parked car. There were several females, a few young, and one huge male with a giant set of antlers. He crossed the road last, rounding up a couple of straggling youngsters to join the herd on our side of the road. Not long after they had safely crossed we noticed a young male pick his way out of the trees, his antlers hardly more than spikes and still covered in velvet. As soon as the big male saw the young rival he charged and the young male made a hasty retreat. I'm willing to bet he will continue hanging out around that herd though, until the big male chases him off for good.

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you've ever heard an elk bugle. It is eerie!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: The Visitor

Torrey and I were in the tent on the second evening of our Rocky Mountain National Park Adventure, waiting out the rain and hoping for dinner before dark. Torrey was dozing, I was writing, and all of a sudden I heard branches crack. I froze, listening, and heard them crack again. I quietly woke Torrey up, and she froze when she heard it too. We grabbed the bear spray and I put on a show of bravery that I did not feel at the moment, unzipping the tent and popping out to find myself facing a large female elk less than ten feet away. We stared at each other for a few seconds, then she put her head down to graze and I whispered to Torrey that it was an elk. We got out of of the tent and watched her for a while before Torrey noticed a herd of elk in the meadow across from our camp. We headed that way to see them, but I was too fixated on her and missed the herd. The female grazed around our camp for thirty minutes or so, forcing us to stay away and give her space until she moved on. At one point, only my four foot wide tent separated her from me. I had elk slobber on my tent where she bent her head down to check it out and nibble on the fly zipper. I was afraid she was going to eat my tent, or trample it at least! I was so thankful we had gotten out when we first heard her; if we were inside with her that close I would have been freaking out. What a cool experience!

Leave me a comment below and tell me about a close wildlife encounter you've had! I want to hear your close-call stories!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Adult Tetris

If you think loading a dishwasher is hard, try cramming anything that smells but you absolutely need into a bear canister. Torrey and I were backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park where they require bear canisters in the backcountry, and we had to figure out how to shove everything we needed for three days and two nights into one. Meals, snacks, the stove, pot, and spoons were priortiy (obviously), but we also wanted to fit in things like sunscreen and bug spray and toothpaste/toothbrush, and deoderant. It was a challenge, but we managed to get everything in there alright. In hindsight we didn't need to bring near as much food as we did, which wouoold have saved us weight and space, but oh well. At least we didn't starve!

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you've ever packed a bear canister. What did you put in, and how did you do it?

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Mountain Raspberries

Late summer in the mountains in raspberry season! Torrey and I hiked through several patches of raspberries on our trek through the Rockies in August, and it was lovely. We were on the look out for bears and spotted this adorable little thing stuffing her face with fat, ripe, juicy raspberries. She would scurry to one plant, eat a bunch of berries, then hurry to another. She wasn't bothered by us one bit. Berries are an important food source in the mountains, especially in late summer when everything is fattening up for a long and cold winter. Chipmunks aren't the only animals to hang out around a berry patch; lots of birds eat the berries too, as do bears! We were always cautious when entering a berry patch because surprising one of the park's thirty or so bears was not high on our list of things to do. Especially not a mother with her cubs. We didn't have any problems among the berries though, and enjoyed watching the little chipmunks run around with fat cheeks. Happy harvesting, little one!

Leave me a comment and tell me about a berry patch you came upon while on a hike or walk. What kind were they?

Getting Out of Lost Maples

Frazzled. I woke up in the backcountry at Lost Maples State Natural Area to Ghost standing over me, hackles raised, eyes fixed on some point outside our tent over my head, a low rumbling growl issuing from his chest. Pre-dawn diffused light filtered through the mesh upper three quarters of my tent, where I had left the rain fly off and had pretty much slept in the open. I don't think even the crickets were chirrping, but I wasn't focused on them; I went from dead asleep to wide awake in a matter of seconds, as soon as Ghost started growling. I sat up quickly, jostling Callie still snuggled in my sleeping bag and banging into Ghost because he was still standing over me, peering through the dim light into the forest around us. I caught a glimpse of something big and whitish, or maybe light tan, as it scampered away into the trees. We could hear the snapping of branches as it crashed away through the underbrush, and Ghost didn't stop growling until silence returned to our part of the forest.

At that point I was pretty much ready for the day, and slowly made my way out of the tent, still sore from hiking the day before. The dogs followed, staying close by my side as I moved around camp getting things torn down and ready to hike out. Coyotes howled somewhere in the hills, their direction impossible to discern due to the echoing canyons surrounding us. Before the sun had reached our side of the little valley we had camped in, we were on our way. Our trail followed a lush, green canyon that held on to the mists of the night before, this time of year laced with the yellows and reds of early autumn. We didn't hike fast, instead enjoying the morning stillness as we passed through.

After a spring, where Callie swam and Ghost waded, and a series of stream crossings, we came to our last steep uphill portion of the trail around the same time the sun was gaining height and heat in the sky above. The climb up was brutal; no shade, loose rocks that shifted underfoot with every step, and no clear "easy" way up. We just had to go for it. All three of us were panting as we reached the top and stopped at a bench that was clearly placed for our use. In the haze of exhaustion I didn't notice the ant hill near the bench, where Callie had decided to lay down. It wasn't good. Within seconds she was covered in giant ants with huge mandibles, crying and whining as she hopped from foot to foot, shaking her paws in an attempt to get them off. Her panic caused Ghost to panic, though he wasn't in the ants, and he tried to take off running and choked himself when the leash stopped him. I had swung Callie up into the air, away from the horde of ants now rising from the earth, and was swiping the little demons away from her paws and legs as fast as I could while almost losing my balance as Ghost tried to bolt.

I cradled Callie in my arms like a baby, trying to assess the damage the ants had done. Her paws were already swollen and hot to the touch, with raw spots and little cuts covering most of her pads. There was no way she could walk on them, and I wasn't about to make her, but we still had about three miles before we hit the trailhead and my car. I slung her over my shoulders and went to check on Ghost. Somehow he had managed to stay clear of the ants, or else they hadn't gotten him as bad, and he didn't complain as I checked out his paws. He seemed fine to me, and when we set out again, Callie still over my shoulders, Ghost walked with his usually peppy puppy self.

Those three miles were some of the longest I've ever hiked. I had to keep shifting Callie from shoulder to shoulder, to cradling her in my arms, to letting her rest on top of my pack. It was slow going, and as we started to near the trailhead and the dayhikers began filtering onto the trail I got a lot of weird looks and some offers of help. It was with a lot of relief when we finally hit the cement and spotted our car. I lay Callie on the front seat before doing anything else and she immediately began licking her poor paws. I left her to it and got my gear and Ghost settled in, before slamming my car door and blasting the A/C. Lost Maples had been pretty, and I would love to go back someday, but for the time being I was more than happy to leave. It had been an interesting trip, no doubt about that.

A Snapshot and The Scoop: McBride Canyon

Have you ever started something and realized pretty quickly that it maybe wasn't the best idea? That happened to me when I visited McBride Canyon at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. I descended down into the canyon and saw the pavement change into dirt. Cool, right? Then more dirt roads started branching off of mine, until I realized I would likely end up lost on those roads without a map, or else I would spend a lot more time in the wide canyon than I wanted to when I was on my way to Colorado already. I turned around the first chance I got, but I would love to go back someday when I do have more time to go exploring. I would love to camp down there!

Leave me a comment and tell me about a time you realized something wasn't smart. I know I'm not the only one!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: The Flint Quarries

I made a pit stop at Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument on my way to Colorado this August, just to check it out. The national monument has always been close to the route I take to leave Texas when I travel west, but I've never stopped. I decided to check it off my list and see what it was all about. I didn't stay too long, but I visited the museum and visitors center and learned how the ancient people who occupied the area mined flint for tools and trade from the rocks that is so close to the surface. I saw examples of tools found in the area, from knives to scrappers to arrowheads, and also a representation of what a quarry would look like. I didn't take one of the ranger-guided tours due to time restraints, but I did drive the short park roads before leaving. Next time I'll take a tour!

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you've ever heard of this small national monument in the panhandle of Texas!

Is Two A Crowd?

Irked. When backpacking, it is very rare if things go the way you expect. You can have the most well-laid plans and they can all go to shit in the blink of an eye through no fault of your own, or all because of a decision you made. I had been itching to get out and backpack again in the middle of September, so one weekend I threw my gear in my car, grabbed Callie and Ghost, and hit the road. My destination was Lost Maples State Natural Area, deep within the Texas Hill Country and far enough south-west to be borderline desert. I had heard of Lost Maples before and had it on my list (literally) of places to visit, but hadn't gotten around to it yet. I figured the beginning of autumn would be a great time to visit a place with maple trees.

The roads to Lost Maples will have to be left to another post, but I absolutely loved them. So scenic, taking you between hill tops and down into river valley bottoms only to bring you right back up to far-reaching vistas. They were great! And once I reached Lost Maples, tucked way back in the hill country well out of cell phone signal, I couldn't wait to start walking trails like the roads I had just left. I picked up my permit, drove to the trailhead, and prepared for an overnight in the backcountry.

Now, remember, I had never taken Ghost backpacking before. We'd camped once, and hiked a little, but he had no experience with my full backpacking routine, or my gear. He was terrified of my trekking poles at first, though eventually he figured out he needed to walk on one side of me, not in front, and he would avoid them all together. Callie, I had expected to fall right back into the swing of routine, with her as seasoned as she is as my backpacking partner. What I had not expected were the issues I had with her right from the start. It was like she had forgotten how to walk on a leash; she was all over the trail, lagging behind then running ahead, weaving back and forth, tangling her leash with Ghost's and tripping me up at the same time. I couldn't help but get frustrated, wondering if she had lost her mind with the addition of the puppy.

The hike to our campsite for the night wasn't a fun one. I struggled with both dogs, trying to juggle them and my heavy pack overloaded with water and dog food in addition to my own gear. When we finally staggered into camp I tied the dogs off to a tree and sat on a rock, staring into space while rethinking my plan to backpack. Eventually my stubbornness won and I set about making camp, but I didn't spend a whole lot of time moving; all I wanted to do was sit down and read and forget about the day's hike.

As the afternoon melted into evening and the temperature dropped enough to allow me to not sweat while sitting still, Callie, Ghost, and I hung out around camp, watching the last light on the hills above us disappear. The air was so still, without a breeze to stir it or even an airplane high above, that we could hear the whirring of feathers as raven wings beat the evening sky on the way to their roosts. It was perfectly quiet, with only the crickets and night birds beginning their nightly serenades. When it was no longer possible to read without a headlamp we crawled into the tent and settled down with some semblance of normality. Callie came and snuggled up next to me in the sleeping bag and Ghost lay near my head, both of them immediately drifting off to sleep. At least they hadn't forgotten how to do that. I kept reminding myself "tomorrow is a new day" and began looking forward to finishing our loop hike, perhaps with a chance for the dogs to swim a little bit before we made it back to the car. With those final comforting thoughts I turned off my light and let the night take me away.

A Snapshot and The Scoop: The Best Camping Partners

Say what you will about the mess and the noise, dogs are some of the best camping partners a person can have. If you train them right dogs make very little noise, and you can use them to alert you if something is moving around your camp at night. As for the mess? Yes, you have to pick up after them, but you should be picking up your own trash and following Leave No Trace rules anyway. These two love to cuddle at night, with Callie even wiggling into the sleeping bag with me and Ghost keeping either my feet or my head warm. I love watching my dogs explore, swim, run, and keep pace with me on a trail. I might be biased, but adventure dogs, especially my two, are the best!

Leave me a comment or a picture showing your favorite adventure partners. Dog, cat, human, bird, squirrel, whatever!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Big Straps to Fill

My newest adventure buddy has big straps to fill! This backpack used to be Marley's, but with Marley's age and health problems I don't get to take him with me on camping trips as much as I would like (plus he really does prefer to sleep on the couch next to Jared anyway), so it and his life vest stayed tucked away in a box. That is, until Ghost came into our lives. Ghost is a weimaraner (we think) and should be plenty big enough to fit in to Marley's backpack as soon as he grows up.  We've already started adventuring together with Callie and I can't wait until he can start knocking out long trails like Callie can do. He'll grow into the backpack and grow into another adventure buddy before I know it, and I am so excited to show him everything. I'm sure Callie will teach him even better than I can.

Leave me a comment below and tell me when you would start a new puppy on his/her first adventure. I love starting Ghost this young, so he won't be afraid of anything!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: The Raccoon

I know it is hard to see in this picture, but we saw a raccoon! Callie, Ghost, and I were on a weekend trip in the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas and had stopped at a creek to let Callie swim and to get Ghost used to the water. We were busy playing fetch when this young raccoon came down to the creek to wash whatever was in its little paws not too far from where the dogs and I were. I'm not even sure the dogs noticed the 'coon, they were so absorbed in playing with the ball, sticks, leaves, rocks, and anything else they could pick up. The little raccoon didn't stay long, but he was cute!

Leave me a comment below and tell me about a furry little visitor on one of your own trip!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Callie and Ghost

Some of you will already know about him, but for those of you who don't: meet my new puppy, Ghost! Ghost has become a regular partner in adventuring with Callie and I, but the road to get here wasn't exactly smooth. You see, Callie was jealouos of the new puppy. It wasn't until I took them both with me on a weekend adventure in the Ouachita Mountains that she really seemed to acccept him, even playing with him, allowing him to share the front seat of the car with her, and cuddling with him (and me) in the tent at night. I was slightly concerned they would never get along, but I had nothing to worry about. They're adventure buddies!

Leave me a comment below and tell me about a time you introduced two pets together. How did it go?


Note: Before anybody says anything, yes, I know Ghost is very skinny in this picture. He was four pounds and a bag of bones covered in skin when he was found about six weeks before this picture was taken and we are working hard to get him up to normal puppy weight. He'll grow up big and strong in his new loving home with us!

Rocky Mountain Adventures: Upper Wind River

Confident. Our morning at Boulder Brook dawned bright and cold. It was by far the coldest overnight we had weathered in Rocky Mountain National Park, and I for one had my mummy sleeping bag cinched all the way down so that only my nose and mouth were exposed. If I was cold, I know Torrey was freezing. Our bags are rated for twenty degrees and I'd guess the temperatures to be somewhere in the thirties so we were toasty as long as we stayed in our bags, but unfortuantley nature calls. We unwillingly slid out of the tent, pulling on gloves and hats to try to fend off the chill. We made ourselves a warm breakfast and found a sun spot, waiting for the tent to dry out and our limbs to warm up before we got moving.

Our hike back down Boulder Brook Trail went much better than our hike up, though the trail was just as steep as we remembered. Steep trails seemed to be the theme of our hikes this year; I don't remember hiking trails without switchbacks like the ones we hiked here in the history of my travels. It was killer on my ankles, unfortunatley, and I would slip or misstep every few feet and send my ankles rolling in every direction. I was lucky to only cause myself some minor pain and swelling; I easily could have ended up with a sprained or broken ankle.

We were picking our way down the last stretch of steep trail before it leveled out, Torrey some way ahead of me, when I saw her stop dead in the center of the trail. I caught up to her and she pointed out something big and brown moving just on the edge of the forest, not far from us. As we stood still and quiet, watching closely, a young male elk, his antlers barely more than velvet-covered spikes, wandered onto our trail a few hundred feet from us. He was taking his sweet time, munching on small aspen trees, though every once in a while he would pick his head up and stare us down. We knew better than to get too close: young male elk are particularly unpredictable with their high levels of testosterone. Unfortunatley, he was right in the middle of our trail, and there was no going around him without losing some of our tree cover protection. We were blocked in for probably ten minutes or more until we eventually had to scared him off by throwing rocks and me yelling at the elk like an idiot. I'm pretty sure if another hiker had heard me they would have wondered what the hell was wrong with me.

It was around the same time that Torrey confessed she had stashed a Dr. Pepper in the car back at the trailhead, and since we really weren't all that far away... So we made a detour back to the car and grabbed a snack while we were at it. We were only there briefly, but it was long enough to watch a couple of storms growing over the mountains near us, and we knew that it was a matter of time until they reached us, whether we were at camp or not. We finished up and got moving, following a trail that stank of horses a few miles back into the lush Wind River valley filled with beaver ponds and stands of pine trees.

It really was a beautiful place, and I was excited to spend our final night in the park at Upper Wind River camping area. We didn't waste time getting our tent set up and gear sorted for the night; the storm we had seen from the car blew up almost as soon as we arrived and pelted us with soft, half-formed hail and freezing rain until we zipped ourselves into our tent to ride it out. It didn't last long, though, and pretty soon we were back out, making ourselves some celebratory backcountry apple crisp before exploring the area. We spent the afternoon content and relaxed, Torrey reading and me writing, and otherwise just being lazy. I almost didn't register the sound of galloping hooves or the cracks of branches breaking, but I glanced up just in time to see the blur of a giant bull moose running through the meadow next to our camp, then I went right back to writing. In hindsight I should have wondered what in the world would cause a huge animal like that to run, but I was absorbed in my own head and it didn't even cross my mind. Not even five minutes later Torrey broke my concentration again with a chilling whisper. "There's something over there..."

I have one more story to tell, and it's my best one yet! Stay tuned for the final installment of my Rocky Mountain Adventures on the next full-length post. In the meantime, you can review the rest of our adventures with The Eclipse, Skeleton Gulch, Box Canyon, Thunder Pass, Glacier Basin, Unfinished Business, and Boulder Brook!

I'm Thankful For... V.2017

Thankful. Sometimes I forget to be thankful. I get so caught up in life, in what is going on around me, in what I still need to do and what has to be done, that I forget how much I already have. And I have a lot. Last year I wrote about how I'm thankful for my fiance (now husband!), my family, my pets, my jobs, and my travels. And while I am still thankful for those people and things, this year I want to get specific. This year, I'm especially thankful for...

My Adventure Partners: Alisha, Jared, and Torrey
These three amazing people put up with me for at least a week each, alone in a car, in the backcountry, on a crazy cross-country trip.

I spent a week in the desert with only my sister for company, backpacking in one of the most inhospitable places in the United States, the Grand Canyon. We took care of each other and helped each other make it through the desert heat, thunderstorms, and scorching climbs, and I am so happy I got to share that experience with her.

I got to go with Jared on two-week a cross-country road trip to see most of his extended family, meaning he had to spend days in a car with me. Our reward for making it through such a trip was getting married! I am so thankful to have Jared in my life, to go on crazy adventures, to come home to any time I go alone. I can't imagine life without him.

Once again this year I met Torrey at Pike's Peak in Colorado and somehow managed to convince her to backpack for a week in Rocky Mountain National Park. Not only did she spend  hours in a car with me, but only had me to hang out with while in the backcountry. We relied on each other to get us through tough mountain climbs, and we got to share the experince of being faced with a bear. I don't know who else I'd rather have to share those things with!

I am so thankful for these adventure with each of you, and can't wait until our next trip together!

My Adventure Buddies, Callie and Ghost

What would I do without my adventure buddies? My solo travels would be a whole lot less fun and fulfilling without my dogs! Callie is always ready for an adventure, so much so that when she hears my alarm go off early in the morning she is up and ready to go by the door just as soon as I let her out of the bedroom! Ghost is learning the whole camping business, but I am so thankful for his boundless energy and his trust in me. I can't wait to take him to some amazing places, with Callie right by my side too.

My New Family

If you missed it, I got married! I am so, so thankful for my new family. To be loved and accepted as an addition to their own family makes my heart swell, and I am thrilled to have been able to spend time with them this summer on our adventures up north. Having everyone there for Jared's and my marriage is something I will always cherish.

Trail Toes

This one is material, but you guys, I am so thankful for Trail Toes. This amazing product has kept my feet happy on every hike since August, and I no longer get blisters! Where a ten mile hike in four hours would normally have left me with massive, painful blisters on my toes and heels I got away with none! I've used this stuff on every hike since Torrey introduced me to it on our August backpacking trip in the mountains and couldn't be happier. If you run or hike a lot, check out Trail Toes at their website here and use the code BCyber12 to get a discount!

The Skills and Experience I've Gained 

A less quantifiable item, the skills and experince I've built up over my years of travelling have allowed me to push my limits and made backpacking possible. It took me two years from when I started travelling to work up the gear and courage to begin backpacking, and I still continue to learn new things with every trip I take. I am thankful for every lesson I've learned, the good and the bad, because they make me a better traveller, hiker, and backpacker.

There are many more things that I am thankful for, but this list hits my highlights for the last year. I am going to strive to remember everything I have to be thankful for, even in the face of challenges and difficulties that may come. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Don't Trust Mapping Apps

I travel a lot (obviously) and have used my fair share of maps, from GPS to internet apps to paper maps. I've discovered that mapping apps don't always take you on the best route between point A and point B. I can't say I know exactly how they calculate the route they provide, but sometimes they take you on some really random roads. Some of the roads are fun, like the one pictured while on my way to the Ouachita Mountains this pas summer, but some roads seem more like someone's driveway than a thru road. The apps are good for giving a general route and ETA, but I think I'll stick with paper maps to figure out exactly where I'm going.

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you've had this problem with mapping apps. Am I doing something wrong?

Rocky Mountain Adventures: Boulder Brook

Wearied. We were ready to backpack again! Torrey and I had finished a ten mile day hike in the front country of Rocky Mountain National Park and just barely missed an afternoon downpour when we found ourselves sitting in our car at the trailhead for our next two nights of backpacking, waiting out the last bit of rain. We were fatigued from our fast-paced morning hike, but I was itching to get into the backcountry again. Our gear was loaded, the rain let up, and we set off, knowing our camp was only three or so miles away from the trailhead.

What we hadn't counted on was the trail condition. With the afternoon thunderstorm everything was wet and slick, and the trail itself was just as steep if not worse than the first trail we hiked up to Skeleton Gulch when we arrived in the park. We moved slowly, methodically placing one foot in front of the other, bowed forward to try to counteract gravity. Each of us was lost in our own exhaustion-hazed world and we hardy acknowledged each other; I didn't even have enough energy to call out to Torrey that I was stopping to take a picture.

That is one thing I try not to lose, no matter how much my feet hurt or how much my lungs sear: I want to notice everything around me, be in the present, hold it in my mind's eye, and if I see something that I want to keep forever, I set up a shot and snap a photo. There's a good chance I will never return to the exact spot I was in at that moment, and I take pictures as much for the emotional memory as the physical one. I can look at one of the pictures I took and tell you what was going on around me, what I was feeling, and why I decided to take that exact photo.

On this particular trail, everything was vibrant, still dripping after the recent rain. The greens stood out vividly, from the mosses on the boulders to the needles on the trees, and every once in a while the pop of a red mushroom or a splash of purple wildflowers swam across my field of vision. The world was overcast, perfect for a quiet hike through a forest that smelled like damp earth and wet plants and cool mountain rain. Boulder Brook itself ran next to the trail for much of the first half of our hike, loudly and cheerfully bouncing from boulder to boulder as it raced down the mountainside in the opposite direction from where we were headed. I love camping near water, especially loud water like this mountain stream, and I was excited to reach our destination and get a good night's sleep on its banks.

It was with relief when we finally reached our campsite for the night, and we set up near the brook's rushing waters but far enough away that we were out of an area where it had clearly flooded before. Trees and rocks were piled up at unnatural levels, creating dams against living trees and bigger boulders. The vegetation in the area had been stripped away except for a growth of grasses and mosses  directly lining the stream. A flood of some force had ripped through the area, and we were not eager to be in the path of another one should it storm too badly that night. As it was, it only sprinkled on us a little before the sky cleared and we were able to watch stars appear overhead as evening enveloped our camp.

Other Rocky Mountain Adventures: The Eclipse, Skeleton Gulch, Box Canyon, Thunder Pass, Glacier Basin, and Unfinished Business.

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Parselmouth

Jared always seems to find snakes. At work he all but attracts snakes like rat snakes, king snakes, and copperheads. While we were in Minnesota on our cross-country roadtrip last June we stopped at Itasca State Park to check out the headwaters of the Mississippi River. While there, guess what Jared found! This cute little garter snake is harmless, mostly eating insects and minnows if it can catch them, and Jared scooped it up to show our niece, Charlotte. She really didn't have any interest in the snake and Jared let it go away from the crowd of people, but I wouldn't have been surprised to see the snake following Jared around after. Its a good thing Jared and I both like snakes!

Leave me a comment below and tell me about an animal that you seem to have an affinity for! You all know I have a thing for squirrels, I want to know what likes you!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Babe the Blue (B)Ox

On our trip up north visiting family Jared and I found ourselves in Bemidji, MN with Jared's immediate family, including his mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, and niece. We made a special trip in to town to see the statues of Paul Bunyan and his companion, Babe the Blue Ox. Charlotte, our niece, wasn't too sure about Babe at first, that is, until Jared pointed out Babe's butt. From then on "Babe the Blue Box" was a monument of laughter, and when we bought Charlotte a little Babe the first thing she did was turn it around and point out the ox's rear. Jared sure knows how to turn a potentially scary something into a funny something, and that is what I hope Charlotte will remember every time she looks at Babe the Blue Box.

Leave me a comment below and tell me about a time when someone turned something scary into something funny for you! I'd love a good laugh!

Rocky Mountain Adventures: Unfinished Business

Pacified. I don't like leaving things unfinished. It feels wrong, and it bothers me if something is half completed. Maybe that's the perfectionist in me, that Type A personality, or whatever, but this aversion to unfulfilled tasks is what led Torrey and I to plan an ambitious ten mile dayhike in between backpacking treks while at Rocky Mountain National Park in August. We had attempted to hike up to Sky Pond last year after our epic hike to Andrew's Glacier, but were forced to give it up and turn around less than half a mile from our goal due to a storm that blew in off the Continental Divide. This year we were determined to finish it.

We got up and packed our camp at Glacier Basin as the sun rose, driving to the trailhead where we would leave to go backpacking later in the day. We caught the park's shuttle up to Sky Pond's trail and finally began. We hiked quickly, feeling as light as a feather without our heavy backpacks, flying up the mountain trail to our first stop at The Loch. We had stopped at this gorgeous pond on our previous hike in the area and it still ranks as one of the prettiest mountain lakes I've had the pleasure of hiking to. We took a lot of pictures, spending about twenty minutes enjoying the early morning and mountain views before continuing on.

We continued to make great time up until we began the approach to Timberline Falls. Here, I lagged behind. The trail becomes steep and slippery, with wooden and stone steps cutting into the mountain in front of you. If I learned anything on this trip its that climbing is my downfall; whether that is actually climbing up something or otherwise using my feet (and still sometimes hands) to gain elevation. I can handle coming down like nobody's business, but if you ask me to go up something I will come in dead last. Oh well, something for me to work on, right? Once I finally reached the falls the fun really began: we had to climb them. Yes, I mean actually climb up a waterfall. It was scary, trying to climb up the slippery, wet rocks while water rushed down next to you, but I made it up after much huffing and puffing and cursing. I was greeted by Glass Lake at the top, stretching from the falls back almost as far as I could see. Last year the lake was grey and choppy, stirred by the storm; this year a calm lake lay at our feet, surrounded by deep green trees under a bright and sunny sky.

Torrey and I spent a little time at Glass Lake, taking in the view, before finding the trail that winds along next to it on the approach to Sky Pond. Beyond Glass Lake, the trail is amazing. Beautiful wetland meadows full of flowers lay in between small rocky rises and the stream that feeds both Glass Lake and Timberline Falls splashes and plays among small cascades. When we finally reached Sky Pond under blue skies it was to see a clear, deep green alpine lake just above treeline, fed by one of the few glaciers left in the park. We clambered down to the water's edge, picking a spot in the sun and enjoying a few well-earned snacks next to the gorgeous little pond. Time seemed to stand still while we sat there, and we only decided to leave when we ran out of snacks.

The return trip flew by, with Torrey and I fast walking, sometimes jogging, down the trail past other hikers on their way up. We reached the trailhead in record time, marking our fastest round trip hiking time at 10.40 miles in four and a half hours, including stops at The Loch, Glass Lake, Sky Pond, Timberline Falls, and other short rests (where I took pictures of waterfalls) along the way. I'm still not completely sure how we managed to hike up and down the mountain so fast, with the only plausable explanation being that we had grown used to mountain climbing with heavy packs, and once we removed those we could fly.

We're more than halfway through my Rocky Mountain Adventures, but I'm not done yet! Read my other stories about The Eclipse here, Skeleton Gulch here, Box Canyon here, Thunder Pass here, and Glacier Basin here.