In our everyday lives, we are constantly asked to give: to offer help, to work hard at our jobs, to give time and affection to our families, to take care of the myriad of tasks that never seem to end.…

Refreshed in the Wilderness

Indian Rock: Day Hiking Yosemite’s Only Arch
On our recent visit to Yosemite, there were a few “must do” hikes on my list along the Tioga Road, namely, Cloud’s Rest and North Dome. Actually, the dome didn’t interest me as much as a photo I had seen…

9 Best Day Hikes in Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is definitely unique – sea stacks and tide pools give way to temperate rain forests, which melt into alpine valleys and steep-sided mountains. This is perfect environment for seaside strolls, forest hikes, waterfalls, and high-alpine hiking in…

The Sounds of the Wilderness
There are sounds in the wilderness that are found nowhere else. The sound of a bubbling stream in the stillness, the whistle of a bird in the forest, the crash of a wave against the beach, the August cicadas’ droning,…

Cooper Mill: Overlooked NJ Attraction
Cooper Mill, in Chester, NJ, is definitely an overlooked attraction. Maybe it’s because the region is filled with so much history that people go to Washington’s Headquarters in Morristown or take in the sights of freedom in Philadelphia. But whatever…

When You Pass through the Waters
The Bible says “When you walk through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you pass through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames…

Hiking Point Arena-Stornetta National Monument
If there is a more beautiful place on the California coast than Point Arena-Stornetta National Monument, I can’t imagine what it would look like. The trail through Point Arena-Stornetta takes day hikers through clifftop meadows of waving grasses and wildflowers…

Remember in the Wilderness
Going out into the wilderness stirs us to remember. It might be recollections of the last time we were in this place, what we and others thought and said and did, or it might be flitting, half-forgotten memories of something…

DIY Bunkbed for Over the Seats in a Van
Since we bought our first full-size van back in 2001, we have slept in the van rather than in our big blue tent (which never really fit on tent platforms anyway – more about sleeping in the van here). As…

Hiking a Misty Mazama Trail to McNeil Point
The weather really can make or break a trip or a hike. Last year, visiting Mt. Hood, the weather went from socked in to quite cloudy, to totally cloudy and misty and rainy. The last day we decided to do…