Many people will tell you that you should really take oatmeal on a backpacking trip for breakfast. Many others will tell you to eat anything but oatmeal for breakfast on a backpacking trip. Personally? Eat something for breakfast on…
It is Practical to Love the Wilderness
I happen to be a very practical person. Which is probably why the facts and figures of how to hike a trail come pretty naturally to me, along with planning trips and even normal everyday life. Because of my practicality,…
Spatter Cone Fascination at the Fleener Chimneys
Where to go if you want a picnic supper in Lava Beds National Monument? While there are a few picnic areas in the park (namely, near the visitor center), there are a few tables in a more natural setting near…
Hiking Artist Point via the Old Carriage Road
I hiked Artist Point about 7 years ago. The view was spectacular, like nothing else in the world, and so worth doing. However, I couldn’t say the same for the trail. The path up from the Tunnel View parking area…
The Waves and Wind Still Know His Name
There’s been a song going around for some time that goes something like this: Grander earth has quaked before Moved by the sound of His voice Seas that are shaken and stirred Can be calmed and broken for my…
10 Best Day Hikes On & Around Mt. Hood
Mt. Hood may be an icon of northern Oregon, and its Timberline Trail may be epic with backpackers, but it also offers some great day hiking. The scenery can be a bit varied, too – waterfalls, lakes, meadows, rock scrambles,…
Beautiful Keuka Outlet Trail!
I posted a few weeks back about biking the rails to trails Ontario Pathways between Goose Street and Phelps, NY. After we’d loaded up all the bikes in Phelps (not to mention chowed down on the delicious lunch one of…
Engaging my Heart with the Wilderness
I remember the first time the wilderness caught my heart. It was spring, and my family was on a long-overdue trip to the Grand Canyon. (We made up for that by visiting 4 out of the next 5 consecutive…
Climbing the Cinder Cone in Lassen
There are certain trails in certain parks that you return to, whenever you happen to be in the area. Such for us is the Cinder Cone in Lassen National Park. Most of the trail isn’t all that difficult (except for…
When I Fell in Love with the Mountains
I have a heritage in the Canadian Rockies. Our very first cross-country trip was spent there, along with a few American parks, like Badlands, Yellowstone, and Craters of the Moon. It was beautiful. Outside of the Alps, we had never…