Over the Divide

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.

- JRR Tolkien

Wow, this summer is flying by.  Already August 11?!  I can't believe it.

A few weeks ago my little brother came into town and stayed with me for a few days.  He's currently driving cross country on his way to Seattle to start a new phase of his life.  Gosh I love that guy.  We had some good times catching up and sharing stories over plenty of Chinese food and good beer.

The highlight for me was our two-day trip hiking over the Continental Divide from Bear Lake to Grand Lake, over Flattop Mountain and down the Tonahutu Trail.  Breathtaking views.  Grueling, rugged terrain.  Exciting wildlife and frigid alpine skinny dipping.  The entire time we were out there, I felt like we were trekking through Middle Earth.  Two hobbits bumbling along the beaten path, through forests with meandering brooks, over the misty mountains and into lush, green meadows.  The wildflowers were popping all over the place with bright bursts of color and variety.

Truly awe inspiring.  We live in a beautiful country.

It was pretty funny as we were trying to hitchhike back.  Ben tried showing some leg to no avail.  We also had an American flag (MURICA) with us and thought that might help.  As it happened, some of my park ranger friends just happened to be driving by at that moment, though they almost didn't stop because they thought we were waving a Confederate flag, haha.

It was an unforgettable adventure that will go down on my list of all time favorite hikes.



Next up will be the video I shot climbing Long's Peak.  I'm a little behind on my editing, so stay tuned!  Cheers.

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!