This trail report is a re-post from my original blog, Trail Ridge Outdoors. Enjoy! Dark clouds flowing over the mountains discouraged most of our group from hiking to Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), but my aunt and I weren’t about to miss this hike. A Twitter friend, @RMNP4MS had recommended it highly. We began our hike …
A close encounter with Florida’s manatees
As I slipped into the water, the cold took my breath away, but soon the wetsuit did its job and I felt better. At first, I couldn’t see anything due to disturbed silt, but then a large form materialized in front of me and there I was, just feet from an adult manatee. I stopped a few feet away and …
Arizona Trail Petroglyphs
A few years ago, Mom and I did some hiking in Arizona. This photo shows some of the petroglyphs we saw on the rocks along the trail. I still think they are some of the coolest things I’ve seen while hiking!
Exploring natural Florida at Babcock Wilderness Reserve
I’m exploring Charlotte County, Florida, this week thanks to the Charlotte Harbor Visitors and Convention Bureau. The reason I am so interested in this area is that it offers abundant adventure travel options. Our focus during this trip is birding and eco-tourism. Today we visited the 90,000-acre Babcock Wilderness Preserve via a converted school bus run by Babcock Wilderness Adventures. I’ll …
Blown away: Glacier National Park’s Cracker Lake Trail
I wrote this post as part of my MatadorU writing course. Our assignment was to flash-back from today to a memorable event. The trail to Cracker Lake was one of the most memorable I’ve ever hiked, especially since it was the windiest – at least 40 mph, maybe more. Enjoy. My coffee is hot enough to be a little painful …
Solo on the Appalachian Trail
The sound of gravel under the tires of the hiker shuttle faded. I was alone at the Deep Gap trailhead to begin a solo hike on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina. Instead of silence, I heard the low drone of bees visiting blooms around the trailhead. One signpost indicated the trail leading south and another to the north. The …