-
Colorado Hikes: Forest Lakes
After somewhat of a lull in hiking in the latter portion of 2023, my 2024 hiking pursuits began just three days into the new year when S invited me on a snowshoeing excursion to Forest Lakes. These lakes had been on my to-do list for a while but never seemed to make it close enough… Continue reading
-
Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes
Bear Lake Trailhead to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes is one of the first hikes we ever did in Rocky, way back when we were barely acclimated and still so new to exploring the park. It’s a hike we’ve repeated at least half a dozen times since, in all manner of weather and trail conditions.… Continue reading
-
Rocky Mountain National Park: winter hiking in Glacier Gorge
I’ve hiked in Glacier Gorge in the summer. I’ve also hiked in Glacier Gorge in the winter. A lot, in fact. Winter in Glacier Gorge is one of my favorite things in Rocky. And while I’ve published posts on Sky Pond in summer and Sky Pond in winter and Black Lake in summer and Black… Continue reading
-
A comprehensive guide to visiting Rocky Mountain National Park
(Updated May 2025) Looking back, I realize I always took for granted that I used to live relatively close to a national park. Then I moved to New England, where the nearest “mountains” weren’t really mountains and the nearest national park was a full day’s drive away, and I realized how much I missed it.… Continue reading
-
Lessons learned: renting an electric car in Phoenix
When I pulled up rental car listings while planning our trip to Phoenix, I was surprised to see that the least expensive options were electric cars. When I mentioned this to my husband – who is very excited to own an electric car someday – he immediately suggested we give it a try. While I… Continue reading
-
Hiking in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains – Siphon Draw Trail to the Flatiron
Although ‘volcano’ and ‘Arizona’ are two words that seem like they shouldn’t go in the same sentence, in fact it’s a very appropriate combination. Most of central Arizona is volcanic in origin, including the Superstition Mountains, which formed about 20 million years ago when three supervolcanoes deposited a 1000 foot (305 m) thick layer of… Continue reading
-
A day in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest
I first heard about the Superstition Mountains years ago. I don’t even remember exactly when or where, but the photos I saw were imprinted in my mind from that moment on. So when we planned our trip to Phoenix, this was a non-negotiable addition to the agenda. The Superstition Mountains lie within the Tonto National… Continue reading
-
Four Days in Phoenix, Arizona
I kind of dropped the ball last year on planning our Thanksgiving trip. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I had an entire itinerary put together months ago, but by that point we knew my husband would be starting a new job and we didn’t know what his vacation schedule would be, so I didn’t actually… Continue reading
-
Colorado Destinations: Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge
From 1952 to 1994, Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant was home to manufacturing facilities for both nuclear and non-nuclear weapons, including triggers manufactured from the highly radioactive elements uranium and plutonium. After a series of issues (the plant was actually raided by the FBI in 1989 after claims of environmental crimes) followed by permanent ceasing… Continue reading
-
Colorado Hikes: Devil’s Head Lookout
In 1907, the US Forest Service – which was a brand new agency at the time – planned to build seven lookouts along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains from Wyoming to New Mexico. Only four of these lookouts were ever actually built; one on Medicine Bow Peak in Wyoming, and three in Colorado… Continue reading
-
Colorado sunrises and sunsets
Back in 2020, I created a post to share some of my favorite sunrise and sunset photos. While all the photos in that post are still among the best sunrises and sunsets I’ve captured on camera, three years have passed since then and I’ve accumulated numerous additional sunrise and sunset photos. And so, given that… Continue reading
-
A year in review: 2023
Well, it’s that time again. Time for me to jump on the bandwagon of writing an end-of-the-year wrap-up post. I always enjoy looking back at what I’ve accomplished in the year while also looking forward to the blank slate of the new year that awaits us. So without further ado: January I never really got… Continue reading
-
Colorado Summits: Chief Mountain
This happens to everyone, right: you do something wrong and you get corrected and then you can never remember which version is wrong and which one is correct? As a kid I briefly attended a school named for a Native American chief and, in one of the more embarrassing moments of my time there, I… Continue reading
-
Colorado Hikes: Lost Lake
There are many Lost Lakes in Colorado. Apparently. I didn’t realize this until I just googled “Lost Lake” in an attempt to verify the mileage of this hike and a whole bunch of options came up. Turns out there are at least 7 or 8 of them. Back in the day, people must not have… Continue reading
-
Colorado 14ers #10-13: Decalibron
If a two-for-one is called a twofer, does that make a four-for-one a fourfer? If so, this was a fourfer. Specifically, four 14er summits for the effort of one. Or maybe slightly more than one. Either way, the Decalibron trail is probably the most bang for your buck of all the Colorado 14ers. Hiking Decalibron… Continue reading
-
Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Lawn and Crystal Lakes
In the years since we moved to Colorado, more than one person has told me that Lawn Lake is their favorite hike in Rocky. Obviously, I couldn’t ignore a recommendation of that caliber. And while it’s not #1 on my Rocky hikes list – Chasm Lake retains that designation – I can see why people… Continue reading
-
Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Finch and Pear Lakes
Just seven days after waving goodbye to my mom, I was saying hello to her once again. Just as our mother-daughter roadtrip has become an annual tradition, so has our mother-daughter overnight backpacking trip in Rocky. This year, we had a permit for one night at Finch Lake, a calm, fairly shallow lake located in… Continue reading
-
The best views in Glacier National Park: Sperry Glacier and Lincoln Peak
Well. It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally reached the conclusion of my Glacier National Park series. And boy did we ever save the best for last. I’m so glad we were able to end our trip at Sperry Chalet. It was a wonderful place to stay, and it afforded us the opportunity… Continue reading
-
Two nights in the backcountry at Glacier National Park’s historic Sperry Chalet
On August 10, 2017, a lightning-caused wildfire – soon to be known as the Sprague Fire – ignited near Sprague Creek in western Glacier National Park. While initial growth of the fire was slow, over the next three weeks hot temperatures and strong winds pushed the flames uphill, inching closer and closer to the historic… Continue reading
-
Glacier National Park: a bucket list hike on the Highline Trail
I’d been wanting to hike the Highline Trail for years. So had my family. This was a bucket list hike for all three of us. They visited Glacier together a few years ago and I made them promise not to hike the Highline without me. Then, when we started planning this trip, they made me… Continue reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.