A Snapshot and The Scoop: Enough with the Elk Encounters

Torrey and I have had enough elk encounters to last us a lifetime. First there was the elk at our second backcountry site who tried to eat my tent, then there were the herd and young male elk while we prepared for day hiking. After that we got stopped on a trail in the backcountry by a young male who wouldn't move off the trail and we couldn't get around. Our last elk encounter was a good one, but we were fleeing the backcountry after a run-in with a bear, so we were kind of in a hurry. We had noticed fresh elk tracks on the trail just before we turned a corner and found a female elk blocking the way. She moved, but not before her calf joined her and stared at us for a few seconds. We had no choice but to walk the trail way too close to the pair due to terrain, but they remained calm, munching on the leaves of small trees next to a creek. They were adorable, but we just wanted out. We didn't linger.

Leave me a comment and tell me if you agree that we've had enough elk encounters to last us a while. We'll probably have more on our trip next year!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Smells of the Forest

Have you ever been in the mountains and noticed the air smells different depending on that trees you're by? My favorites are the ponderosa pines, which smell like butterscotch and warm caramel. There is nothing like walking through a stand of sun-warmed ponderosas. Then there are fir trees, which smell almost tangy, like citrus. Junipers are tart, and are scented like what I think the color blue should be. Pinyon pines smell like orange juice. And spruce trees? They smell like Christmas.

Leave me a comment below and tell me about the smells you associate with different trees. I can't be the only one!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Spoiled in the Backcountry

TMI ALERT! Unless you've camped like I have you have no idea what its like to relieve yourself in the backcountry. Most places require you to dig yourself a "cathole" at least six inches down, some places require you to bag it out, and all places ask you to carry out your toilet paper. Our last backcountry campsite in Rocky Mountain National Park spoiled us: we had our very own privy! Backcountry toilets are rare, mostly because they're difficult to maintain, but Torrey and I got lucky on what was supposed to be our final night in the backcountry with one of those all to ourselves. It even had a seat and a lid! We hadn't been at the site very long before the bear came along and forced us to leave, and I can't help but feel like we missed out on a golden opportunity. Its the little things guys, it truly is.

Leave me a comment and tell me if you've had backcountry bathroom woes, or have you ever seen a backcountry privy? Fun times...

A Snapshot and The Scoop: A Shortcut To...

Mushrooms! Mushrooms! There were mushrooms everywhere in Rocky Mountain National Park last August! Apparently it had rained every day in the park for two weeks straight until we got there, and the moisture allowed mushrooms of all shapes, sizes, and colors to pop up all over the place. There were bright, cherry red ones speckled with sunshine yellow spots, deep green ones that blended in with the forest floor, and dusty blue colonies that looked more alien than any of the others. Of course, there were the typical brown, tan, and white mushrooms too, and some of those were huge. As big as a football! So there I was, once again getting excited over fungus. They're just so neat!

Leave me a comment below and tell me about the coolest mushroom you've ever found. Where was it? I need to go there!

2017 Wrap-Up: A Big Year

Venturesome. What a year! So much has happened this past year its hard to know where to begin. I went on several major trips, sprinkled with many more little ones throughout the year. The biggest adventure: I married Jared in front of our families up in Nebraska at the beginning of July! Read on to see what else I've been up to, and at the bottom of this post you'll find the usual summary of travel stats for the year.

I try to take a birthday trip every year, though sometimes I find that pursuit difficult considering my birthday is in the middle of January. I chose to go to the beach this year, and while it wasn't hot and as sunny as I wished it was still better than snow!

In February I found myself and Callie sweltering in eighty degree weather in the Hill Country of Texas, enjoying our time backpacking at Colorado Bend State Park. It was our first of many backpacking trips this year, and it made such an impression that I want to go back! Maybe another February trip is in order!

This year I did something I've never done before, and travelled for work. Jared had the pleasure of accompanying me (other way around, but still) as we transported a sick cat to Houston for veterinary care, which included an overnight in the city. While I wouldn't wish to be stuck in a tiny exam room for so long ever again, it was still an interesting experience!

In March Callie and I headed back to Hill Country and tucked ourselves into the canyons at South Llano River State Park. I don't often arrive at a campsite with lots of daylight left, and our little secluded camp felt like a true, much needed retreat. Even if the armadillos were loud as they ran through the long grass.

Once again my little adventure dog accompanied me, this time to Copper Breaks State Park in west Texas during a weekend get-away in April. She is such a trooper when it comes to hiking and my incessant picture taking!

I headed home for the Easter holiday and spent some time with family and fine wine. Also, spending time drinking wine on a patio in Nebraska during April is pretty darn good!

Our fourth annual Father-Daughter trip has expanded a bit, now including most of my family and a good time at the River Walk in San Antonio. I can't wait to see what happens next year!

My sister and I spent a week and change deep within the deserts of the southwestern United States, where we hiked more than fifty miles, forty of which were along the Grand Canyon. We also tackled Angel's Landing in Zion National Park, and visited numerous other National Monuments along the way. No big deal or anything.

Jared's and my cross-country trip in June and July really felt like three adventures in one, what with us visiting family in Nebraska, North Dakota, and Minnesota. The highlight of the trip? I got to marry my best friend.

I packed up these two pups and headed to the mountains in Arkansas on a whim on weekend in July, needing to get back to my happy place in nature. It was Ghost's first time camping and he took it all in stride! He's going to make a fantastic adventure dog.

August, once again, found Torrey and I in the Colorado Rockies, this time spending several days backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park in addition to hanging out around Pike's Peak. The best part of our trip was definitely seeing a bear up close and personal!

I took the dogs and myself to get lost in Lost Maples Natural Area, on the edge of Hill Country in September. While we had quite a few misadventures there, I can't wait to go back and explore some more trails.

I headed back up to Nebraska for a few days at the beginning of October and my dad talked me in to going to Indian Cave State Park while there (he really had to twist my arm...) Indian Cave was a childhood favorite, and heading back there brought a wave of nostalgia that I wasn't quite prepared for.

At the beginning of November Jared and I embarked on a whirlwind weekend up in Kansas City, MO to visit friends and attend a baby shower. While I enjoyed the nine hour one-way car ride, Jared did not. Friends are worth it, though!

Also in November I met up with Torrey at Buffalo National Scenic River to backpack fourteen miles along the national trail that parallels the river. I have yet to post about that trip but rest assured, there were many misadventures and several good stories out of the weekend!

Our most recent adventure just concluded, with us spending nine days visiting family and friends in Nebraska for the holidays. Jared and I had a wonderful time, especially when it came to hanging out with our little niece! (Callie looks like she's being squished in this picture, but she had been giving Charlotte kisses just before we took it!)

I struggled through the second half of last year after I lost Meeka, letting myself lapse on writing and travelling. This year I jumped right back into it, filling a journal full of travel entries, and I think I've been better about posting my trips on this blog! I've listed out my travel stats for the year here, and I know I can see an improvement in my travels compared to last year!

Number of Adventures: 16
Time Spent Travelling: 1615.98 hours
Number of Nights Car Camping: 7
Number of Nights Backpacking: 11
Number of Nights in Someone's House: 27
Number of Nights in a Hotel: 9
Number of Nights in a Cabin: 3
Number of Nights Driving: 1
Total Cost: $3912.93
Number of States Visited: 14
Distance Driven: 21,428 miles
Distance Hiked: 147.16
Number of National Parks/Monuments/Rec Areas/Forests: 13
Number of State Parks: 7
Number of Human Companions: 60
Number of Furry Companions: 21
Number of Scaly Companions: 2

I absolutely cannot wait for my 2018 adventures! I am planning two major trips already, but I'm going to keep them to myself until I get all of the details figured out. 2018 is going to be a good year!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: You Know What They Say About Karma...

While hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park Torrey and I came around a bend in the trail to see three girls carving something in an aspen tree. Not only is this ugly, it damages the tree. Also, its illegal - defacing federal property. I was polite (at first) and asked them to please not do that to the tree. I became less polite when they argued with me, telling me there are millions of trees and its only one. I stood still and stared at them until they started getting things like sunscreen out of their packs, clearly waiting for me to leave. I didn't. I'm kind of known for being stubborn, and these girls had pissed me off. I stood and watched them until they became uncomfortable and eventually left with a nice wave of their middle fingers at me. I got the last laugh though: Torrey and I had noticed rain clouds moving in and we had been booking it down the mountain so we wouldn't freeze in the cold mountain rains. These girls were in tank tops, capris, and weren't carrying any sort of rain gear while they were headed up the mountain. The sky opened up on Torrey and I as soon as we reached our car, and there was no way those girls had made it down in time to avoid getting soaked in the afternoon storm. I like to think Mother Nature had her revenge.

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you would say something if you saw someone defacing a park or something else important to you. What do you you let slide, and what makes your blood boil?

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Potatoes

While exploring in Rocky Mountain National Park this past August Torrey and I stumbled across a potato floating in a mountain lake. Seriously. Somebody had brought a potato three miles up a mountain and it had somehow ended up in that lake. Seeing it got us talking and we discovered that we both love eating raw potatoes! How did didn't know this about each other after almost twenty years I don't know, but as soon as we had finished our hike we decided to slip into town and stop at a store that just so happened to sell little potatoes - perfect for snacking on in the backcountry. Score!!

Leave me a comment and tell me if you like raw potatoes. Some people do, some don't, and I want to know who my fellow potato lovers are!

The Happy Jar of 2017

Chipper. For the fourth year in a row, I've dedicated myself to filling up my "happy jar" - a glass jar where I put little slips of colored paper containing a reason why I'm happy. It can be something as small as a bubble bath, or as big as getting married to my best friend. 2017 has been a good year for me, and my jar is more full this year than it ever has been, filled with every day occurrences and major life changes that have brought me joy. Take a few moments to browse through my reasons for being happy and see if you have reasons to be happy like my own.

First and most important, Jared became stuck with me forever. We were originally suppposed to get married on June 23, 2018 but decided we couldn't wait any longer and held an impromptu wedding surrounded by our families on July 2nd this year. It was an absolutely perfect day that you can read about here, if you feel like getting into a sloppy love story.

This personal accomplishment of overcoming physical and mental limits is one that I can't wait to do again. My sister and I hiked the Grand Canyon in May, and although it tried to kick both our butts we came out of it all the better. Read the first part of our adventures here.

Another huge part of my year is this big win for Jared and I: We bought a house! We are set to move into it in January, and so the packing begins!

You all know how much I love animals, and how attached I am to squirrels in particular. Well, this year two little baby grey squirrels fell into our laps and Jared couldn't say "no" to me... Sebastian and Kachina are now almost 9 months old and I adore them!

Quite a bit of my happiness this year stems from someone other than myself. For example, I am so incredibly happy for and proud of my sister for making her dream of being a teacher a reality. Way to go little sis!

This year Jared and I saw a lot of new movies, but by far my favorite was the newest Star Wars, The Last Jedi. I absolutely loved it, and saw it four times in theaters between the day it came out and the 31st of December, though there is nothing quite like seeing it for the first time. Jared and I squeezed each other's hands during the entire showing so hard we had to check that we hadn't left bruises on the other's fingers. No shame.

I've touched on this homecoming feeling before, but it really struck me again hard this year. I've traveled more than ever (stay tuned for my 2017 Wrap-Up post), and while it is never easy being away from my furry and scaley kids, their greetings when I get home melt me. Seriously, I usually end up on my knees in the doorway hugging my pets hard enough to choke them. And end up with a paw in the face because of it. Which is perfectly fine with me!

I've never felt such a giddy sense of relief and excitement than when I found out my sister and I had received a lottery permit for hiking the Grand Canyon. Those things are so incredibly hard to come by, and we got our desired route and time on the first try!

We adopted a puppy!!!

And a new cat!!!

Now, I admit that most people wouldn't exactly be thrilled if they encountered a bear in their campsite, but I'm not most people. I hope we see a grizzly next year!

2017 was a good year for me, and I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store. I can forsee quite a few things in the upcoming year to make me happier than ever, including moving in to our new house, grand adventures with friends and family, movie dates with my husband (husband!!! it still feels so weird to call Jared that!) and lots of time with my pets. What is the happiest memory you have from 2017? What are you looking forward to in 2018? Let me know so I can be happy for you too!

Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018!