Tag Archives: hiking

6 days in denver

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We met Margaret Brown, Welcomed Western Week, stomped Mount Evans, echoed Echo Lake, graced the Garden of the Gods, jammed at Red Rocks Amphitheater, waved to Buffalo Bill, caught a hailstorm at the top of Seven Falls, and got stranded in Wyoming.

Being stuck at a rest stop in Cheyenne, Wyoming with a busload of people- right around dinner time- may not seem very fun. Especially if that bus begins its venture at 2:30 am and ends up running out the dear,  sweet driver’s legal driving limit in “bumpa-da-bumpa” traffic. But what you might not know, the thing that makes all the uncomfortable attempted napping positions and dangerous hanger conditions worth it, is totality. On August 21, 2017, we spread blankets, strapped on glasses, and cranked Pink Floyd to witness the total eclipse of the sun. As the moon made its way into line, we watched the light grow dimmer, felt the air cool. For a few sublime moments, the sky put on a 360-degree sunset. The sun circled hugged the moon in a perfect, glowing ring. Jaws dropped. Eyes widened. And we listened:

All that you touch
And all that you see
All that you taste
All you feel
And all that you love
And all that you hate
All you distrust
All you save
And all that you give
And all that you deal
And all that you buy, beg, borrow, or steal
And all you create
And all you destroy
And all that you do
And all that you say
And all that you eat
And everyone you meet
And all that you slight
And everyone you fight
And all that is now
And all that is gone
And all that’s to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon.

-Pink Floyd, Eclipse

10 days down under

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as we touched down in Queenstown

island vegetation and mini eco-system formations

welcomed us to a land down under

avo toasted plates and brekkie bowls

dark fruit breads and savory scones

skyline hikes to starfish dives

winding drives past brown beehives

by rocky vineyards and cold Sound rocks

then cute salads and long bird walks

sweet TimTams and fijoa fruits

just Keds and my trusty boots

exploring a world upside in and downside out

leaning left in round abouts

now a fat stack of boarding passes

sits in my home like wasted ashes

artifacts of our 40-hour days

and proof of passports so well played.

BOS-SFO-SYD-ZQN-AUK-HOU-IUD-PVD

-from the weary mind of a NZ traveler

to the moutains

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rising up before the sun
with fuzzy stardust eyes
through sherbet-tinctured pink webs we blink
to wake the sleepy sky

a cozy Coffee Pot sign
says “celebrate everything!”
so strawberry waffle, pockets all full
my REAL maple on the side

out and up the mountains now
towards the clouds we climb
we sneak and peek and dare to swim
in the veil of a marvelous bride

on the road we snack and sing
over lakes we row in time
these hearts a part of the same blue chart
under stars our two combine.

 

 

photos of me by Michael (cutest) Collins.

forest lights

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Last weekend, a group of friends and I headed up to Acadia National Park in Maine for a little camping adventure before work begins and reality takes its firm grip once more.  We really lucked out with our timing, since September is technically off-season for the park, but our weather has been having a hard time saying goodbye to summer.  We had the whole campsite to ourselves, which meant there was plenty of opportunities for “zen wheelbarrowing”, telling inappropriate loud jokes by the fire, and early morning jogs through the woods for one of our campers, who was super chilly without a sleeping bag that first night.

Although we climbed (scaled) some of the tallest mountains I’ve ever hiked (ran) up, bringing me one step closer to mastering that fear of heights, standing at the top of Bumblebee Mountain was not the most notable moment of the trip for me.  On our first night in Acadia, we, rather randomly, decided to walk over to the seawall and do some stargazing, all 7 of us.  As we shifted our backs around on the bumpy rocks, looking for a place to nestle our heads, Kevin noticed a bright light on the horizon.  We sat up and the light rose with us, as if craning it’s big eyes over the ocean to get a look at us.  No one spoke.   The light grew wider, inching up out of the ocean a bit further, and altogether, silently, we all realized what we were seeing, though I’m not sure any of us believed our eyes.   Could we really be witnessing a moonrise in Acadia?  The just slightly waning moon revealed more of its face to us, with eyes now peeking out behind the sparkling black cloak of the sea.  The more the moon appeared, the faster it rose, as if gaining its confidence from our wide-eyed awe.  When it finally cut its ties with it’s reflected twin in the water and hung freely among the stars, we all started breathing again.

That accidental moonrise viewing, over the ocean in the completely clear-save-the-stars sky over Acadia, with 6 of my best friends, is an experience I will cherish forever.  Just 4 minutes of pure natural beauty, a serendipitous gift from the universe, just for us.

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russell pond

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On Tuesday afternoon, my boyfriend and I decided to head up to New Hampshire for a semi-spontaneous camping adventure.  The site we chose by Russell Pond in North Woodstock could not have been more perfect.  Crystal clear water, 80-degree weather, mountainous terrain, a rope swing (which I braved- very uncharacteristically!), picturesque sunsets and glowing sunrises…what more do you need?  Sometimes submerging yourself in nature and living simply (no cell phones and all meals cooked over an open fire) is all it takes to clear your head and rediscover your inner child.  Being just a short drive away from the Appalachian Mountain trails, we even managed to fit a completely exhausting nice relaxing hike in!  At the peak of the trail, we looped around Lonesome Lake, breathing in the fresh northern air and the surreal mountaintop views.  Bravo, New Hampshire.  Bravo.