A look around

A perfect day to relax on the back porch and test out a little timelapse rotation device I made.

I like it.

Big Frog

I'm thankful for father/son(s) camping trips.

We try to do at least one a year, but it's simply not enough, and this is the first time in a long time that I can remember all three of us being able to take off together.

I think we all needed it.

From my journal...

03.23.15
Big Frog Wilderness...
Ben, Dad, and I left the house around noon yesterday and made the two hour drive up across the GA/TN border to the Low Gap trailhead.  Steady uphill hike, steady rain.  Pitched our giant tent at the intersection of the Benton Mackaye Trail.  It is such a beautiful morning.  Rained all night with water pooling inside the tent.  Dad and I have had our coffee and breakfast – Ben is still wrapped up in his sleeping bag like the hungry, hungry caterpillar.  We're gonna try to get up Big Frog Mountain today.  Hopefully the weather stays like this!  We are on a ridge with fog in the valley below us, the sun is shining with the outlines of mountains surrounding us.  A light breeze.  It feels great to be back out here.

03.26.15
Our last morning in the Big Frog Wilderness. Overcast. Windy and cool. The ash from last night's fire swirls around us as we eat our breakfast. The sun is trying to peek through the clouds and shine through the tree tops. Dad reads out loud from Proverbs and relates it to working at Delta. We are just about out of water, which is perfect since we're heading back and the closest water is straight downhill. 

This has been a wonderful trip.

Katahdin to the Kennebec

Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. Here grow the wallflower and the violet. The squirrel will come and sit upon your knee, the logcock will wake you in the morning. Sleep in forgetfulness of all ill. Of all the upness accessible to mortals, there is no upness comparable to the mountains. 
- John Muir

This recent journey to Maine was bittersweet and beautiful.  Breathtaking and brutal.

I hiked from Mount Katahdin to the Kennebec River, about 150 miles south.  The first few days were absolutely perfect hiking weather days.  Then it rained pretty consistently the rest of the time, creating some pretty hazardous water crossings.  Streams and brooks that would normally be ankle deep or passable by rock hopping were now waist deep or higher with body slamming currents.  The Trail itself was transformed into a meandering waterway with waterfalls in the steep sections and pools of standing water in the level areas.  Everything became wet.

The temperature never dipped below freezing while I was out there, but it never really warmed up once the rain came.  Cold hands and cold feet through and through.

I enjoy the challenges that come with backpacking, and the rewards of the natural world continue to be awe-inspiring.  It was rejuvenating to be back out there even for a short time. 

Come to the woods, for here is rest.

White Russians & Golden Aspens

Really had a great time with my Mom & Dad last week.

Monday night bowling.
Dark beer.
Onion rings.
Coffee.
Golden aspens.
Frigid alpine water.
Red wine.
Coffee.
Bugling elk.
Pink sunsets.
Kind Coffee breakfast.
Trail Ridge Road.
Alpine tundra.
Sprinting moose.
Coffee.
Waterfalls.
Ice cream.
White Russians while looking for moose.
Movie night with Chinese food.

I'd call it an awesome trip.

Sky Pond with the Friddles

"What?!" I shout over the howling wind.
"I said, this is the most adventurous thing I've ever done!" Micah repeats as he clings to the edge of Timberline Falls, wind and rain pounding our faces.  Sarah's poncho flaps uncontrollably as she descends the precarious cliff, step by careful step.
"Awesome!"  I shout back.

Music to my ears.

I'm so happy my sister (Sarah) and brother-in-law (Micah) were able to make it out to Colorado for a few days of adventure in Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was so much fun hanging out with them.  I'm glad they were able experience a slice of the Rocky Mountains.

By the time we made it back to the trailhead, we were all soaked to the bone.  It was definitely time for a hot meal and a cold brew.

Blood and Sand

"Remember, pain is temporary, film is forever."
- Peter Jackson

I'm so thankful my mom and dad got to come out and visit and hike around for a few days with me.  It was an exhilarating and challenging trip up to Thunder Lake, and I'm still madly impressed by my parents for doing such a great job coming straight from Georgia elevation and hiking up to over 10,000 feet.

My brother came on his own about a week later, and what an adventure that was!  I love my little brother, and I always have the best time with him.  I'm also glad we didn't die.

Below are the two videos documenting each adventure.  See if you can notice a difference in the level of danger between the two...





I'm also really looking forward to having my BEST FRAND come visit next week, followed by my seester and brother-in-law in September.

Adventure is out there!

Sandbeach

Craving the woods.
Craving rocks and roots and dirt beneath my boots.
Craving the soft stillness of the midnight forest.
The smell of my pack like sweet perfume.
The sound of my trekking poles clicking and clacking against earth.
The sensation of crisp mountain air against my bare skin.
The sun rests behind the peaks, and as I crawl into my musty tent...
I am at peace.

Return to Rocky

It feels great to be back at Rocky Mountain National Park.

I arrived just in time for a little snow storm to sweep across the area.  Even after all the snow I received on the AT this winter, it was still exciting to see.  We got over a foot of fresh snow at my house... truly a beautiful scene.  The few days I've been back, there have been deer, elk, and moose hanging out in my backyard.  Watching them from a cozy interior makes for delightful entertainment.

Driving out here from Georgia, I decided to go out of my way a little and see South Dakota and the National Parks along the way (Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Jewel Cave, and Wind Cave).  I loved the drive, and I loved the parks I stopped in, but the thing that made the trip completely worthwhile and incredible for me was seeing the bison.

I had never seen them in the wild before, so when I glimpsed them way off in the distance as little specks on the Badlands horizon, I immediately jumped out of my car and started snapping a series of blurry photos.  Little did I know that I would soon become the bison paparazzi for the next few days.  THEY WERE EVERYWHERE.

I arrived in the Badlands campground, and there was a herd of them grazing among the tents and car campers.  I couldn't believe it.  These massive North American beasts were just a stone's throw away from where I was distractingly setting up my tent.

I finally crawled into my tent with a fresh cup of coffee and watched the sunset.  The bison continued to graze nearby, and as the clouds danced over the grassy hills, a chorus of coyotes struck up an ancient song.  I was mesmerized.

Moments such as this demonstrate the importance and magic of our National Parks.  I remember seeing my first bear in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  I can recall rounding that corner in Arches National Park and being dumbfounded by Delicate Arch standing defiantly before me.  My jaw dropping above the infinite Grand Canyon of Arizona, and seeing my first herd of bighorn sheep in the Rocky Mountain wilderness.

A fresh wave of excitement and pride washed over me knowing what I was returning to.

I'll rise when the rooster crows

Last week, my father and I returned to the Cohutta Wilderness in North Georgia for our traditional father/son(s) camping trip.

Wilderness always offers an escape for both of us.

The highlight for me was whenever we were just sitting around the fire.  Smoke rising into the air with golden sunlight piercing through the trees, we both reclined on our rock seats and meditated.  Meditation through conversation... reading... journaling... staring.  Staring into the fire.  Through the trees.  At the great sky above us.

QC-VA montage

I truly want to express my gratitude to each and every person who helped, encouraged, and prayed for me while I was on this journey.  I could not have gotten as far as I did by myself.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

The two songs I chose for this montage carry a lot of meaning for me and my life right now.  I think that if you are able to pay attention to the lyrics, as well as the visuals, it will enhance your viewing experience.

Sit down and die

Sunday afternoon, working in Wild Basin... lots of people coming into the park – many of them departing on their backpacking trips into the Rocky Mountain backcountry.

Man...

"I really wanna spend tonight in the woods," I think to myself.

I bust out a map and scout out a few places I haven't been to before.  The Fall River area sounds like a plan.  I get off work and race up to the backcountry office to pick up a permit.  It's a beautiful hike in the light rain up to my campsite.

I have a brief staring contest with a beautiful buck and doe just a little ways off trail.  It's a scene right out of Bambi.  Which, by the way, is a highly underrated film in my opinion... the animation is breathtaking.  If you haven't ever seen it or not since you were a kid, check it out!  If you like Nature, you'll appreciate it.  OK, end random Bambi commentary.

I pitch my tent.  Cook up some pasta.  Smoke a pipe.  And watch the light fade away as the chilly mountain air surrounds me.  It's a perfect night to crawl into a sleeping bag and listen to the rain fall against my tent.  I write in my journal and read a few chapters of Moby Dick before closing my eyes.  I'm pretty tired from the work day and the couple mile hike up to the campsite.  I slip into a slumber with little difficulty.

The next morning I have a quick breakfast of oatmeal and coffee and break camp.  I have a two mile headstart on the hikers leaving trailhead.  I'm breaking a sweat up trail when I suddenly see an older gentleman ahead of me.  Man!  What time did he start?  I know he didn't camp nearby so he must've started super early.  I politely make my presence known so as not to startle him.  We talk briefly about the morning, the altitude, and where we're from.  I wish him well and am off again.

About an hour later I reach Lawn Lake.  I eat a pear on a rock by the lake.  It's a gorgeous morning.  I look at the mountains surrounding me and notice a trail going off into the alpine tundra.  That must be the trail to Crystal Lakes, about another mile and a half or so.  I check my map to confirm and start heading that direction.

As I'm walking away from the lake, I see the older gentleman walking towards me. 
"Well, hello again!" I say as we meet up. 
This time we stop and talk for nearly 20 minutes.  We discuss hiking and how beautiful it is here and whatnot.  He asks me how old I am and I tell him 26.
"Well, I've got you beat by about 50 years," he remarks.
"Wow.  Props to you for coming out here all the time and hiking."
He told me earlier he was from Iowa and tried to hike as much as possible.  And this was not an easy hike.  I was winded and sore already from the uphill climb.
"Let me tell you something honestly," he says.  "And this is the truth... the day I'm unable to come out here and hike, I'll probably just sit down and die."

We talked a little more until saying goodbye, and as he walked away, I snapped a photo of him.  He walked off into the morning sunlight with his weathered walking stick and leather hat.  His words remained behind.

They struck me, not as morbid or depressing, but as profound.  Here's this guy in his late 70s/early 80s hiking as much as he can whenever he can.  He seemed to be in great shape, and I actually believe he'll be hiking for years to come.  I think being in Nature rejuvenates the human spirit.  And we all need that rejuvenation.  I think that's why I had an urge to retreat into the woods for the night.  Our work lives can be stressful and tiring.  John Muir put it best, "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and give strength to the body and soul alike."

I'm so glad I met that older gentleman.  It was an inspiring moment and one of the highlights of my hike.

The other highlight of my hike was actually on the way DOWN from Crystal Lakes.  After the sweaty climb up to the lakes and jumping in the frigid water, I warmed up with the afternoon sun and some hot tea.  As I was descending back towards Lawn Lake, I was thinking about how I still have never seen a bighorn sheep before.  Since my season at Arches and especially since living in Rocky, I have been on the lookout for these mythical creatures.  Literally, while I was thinking this, I look over to see a flock of sixteen bighorn sheep walking down the slope towards me.

"Holy s***!"  Haha, I may have let my excitement get the best of me.

I dropped my pack and scrambled up the slope to get a better vantage point.  Unfortunately I just had my iPhone and GoPro (neither of which are great for photographing wildlife from a distance), but I was able to snap a couple photos and get a few short video clips of the flock.

Of the sixteen sheep I counted, about five or six of them were little lambs.  They were grazing in the alpine grass and walking on the rocks along a little cascade.  Two of them butted heads before taking off.  I watched them until they disappeared back over the ridge. 

Nobody else was around to see them in this moment.  It was definitely an awesome first sighting of the mythical creatures I have been searching for since being in Arches.  They DO exist!  "You're doing it Peter!  You're belieeeeeeving."

Man, I was pretty much on a high after that.  I zoomed back down the eight miles of trail thinking about the older gentleman and the bighorn sheep.

Lost Spectacles

Last week, my brother and I went for a little hike up to Chasm Lake in the Park.  Good hike.  Not so good weather.  But it was good enough to take a quick dip in the pristine alpine lake (at least for myself... my brother was not convinced).  Well, on my second dip (for the first dip was simply not enough) my glasses came off my face.  I immediately tried to grasp them, but they slipped through my fingers and settled on the rocky lake bottom.  I was only about ten feet from shore and in water five feet deep, but the water was frigid.  After several attempts to retrieve them, I had to abandon hope.  Thunderstorms were approaching, and the lake water was simply too cold to keep looking.

The spectacles were lost.

But I had a plan to revisit the Lake.  One week later, I stuffed a pair of borrowed scuba goggles into my pack (with plenty of warm clothes) and headed back into the alpine tundra.

Operation LOST SPECTACLES had commenced.

Week 1


Week 2