Mickinnick Trail, Sandpoint, Idaho
I failed today. It was really hard. Not that I never fail – everyone fails. But, I think I usually find myself just having to accept I am slower than I want to be or used to be, but still making it to the end, whatever that means. Still a failure, because I did not […]
The Gnome Trail, Maple Valley, Washington
A week ago I was the most fortunate to get to road trip with My Therapist and her spawn, who I will call Little One, to see the “Northwest Trolls: The Way of the Bird King,” with some side trips. I will write about the trolls in a different post, but one of the side […]
Mineral Point Trail, Sagle, Idaho
We will not forget any time soon how Barbarian Scientist and I learned early on how to share our time. I would go visit him for a weekend, and for him weekends were for staying up late, sleeping in, and completing chores. It was so painful for me. I believe weekends are for waking up […]
Saltese Uplands Conservation Area, Spokane Valley, Washington
We do not have an official contract yet, or a forwarding address, but we are down to the 5-week-ish countdown to relocating from the Inland Northwest. I might stay behind for a couple of weeks. Who knows. Nearly all of our belongings that we are giving away and selling have been managed and just about […]
Mackenzie Natural Area, Liberty Lake, Washington
I wrote here about Liberty Lake Loop, in Liberty Lake, Washington. On the drive to the trailhead parking lot there has been a lot of real estate development, but there remains one section reserved for recreation, called the Mackenzie Natural Area. Following the typical historical accounts of white people removing Native Americans from their homes, […]
McKenzie Conservation Area, Newman Lake, Washington
Well. I am here to be anti-climatic. After a week of hiking in the south west, it is difficult to be back in North Idaho during the beginning of March. The exciting trails are still inaccessible due to snow, and the accessible trails are…well, they are not the trails of the south west. Not far […]
Edmaiers Secret, Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness, Page, Arizona
EDMAIER’S SECRET IS A NATURAL sandstone formation located in northern Arizona, specifically within the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area near Page, Arizona. It is a hidden gem in the remote wilderness and is named after German landscape photographer Bernhard Edmaier, who first identified the formations from the air. Edmaier’s Secret is characterized by its intricate and vibrant sandstone […]
Coyote Buttes South, Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness, near Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona
Coyote Buttes South was made for experiencing nature in its most pristine form. As compared to the North Coyote Buttes, home of the world-famous Wave, the South has much fewer hikers seeking a permit. Yet the land in the South, with its rock piles (also known as teepees), arches, and fins, is visually stunning and completely […]
Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah
Four days by myself. I have said very few words. Glorious. During the first three days, I hiked over 24 miles with 5,446′ elevation gained. Glorious. I have driven I have no idea how many miles on beautiful desert roads. Glorious. I have forgotten to eat and hydrate. Less glorious. And I have forgotten to […]
Valley of Fire State Park, Moapa Valley, Nevada
You may have heard of The Wave, in the Coyote Buttes North region in the southwest, on the Utah/Arizona border. It is not a hiking trail, but it is a huge rock formation in the shape of – you guessed it – waves. It is beautiful shades of reds and corals with strands of white […]