a former gymnast with a neverending case of wanderlust
(Read parts I-IV of this series here.) On May 26, 1863, six prospectors discovered gold in a region of southwest Montana known as Alder Gulch. Almost overnight, the region went from a secret the men had intended to keep to themselves to a booming mining hub. Settlers rushed to the region, lured by the veins… Continue reading Montana road trip 2022, part V: mining history at Virginia City and Nevada City
I love my job. But by the end of the semester, I’m usually pretty burned out. Part of it is the workload; toward the end, I spend my weekends grading assignments and writing exams rather than being out in nature. The other contributor is the fact that I’m an introvert, and standing in front of… Continue reading Colorado Day Hikes: Goose Creek Trail
Colorado has turned me into a winter person. I swore that would never happen, but it appears I was wrong. Growing up in Montana, I never liked winter. It's cold and dark and lasts way too long. Then I moved to Washington for college and, in addition to cold and dark, winters there are humid… Continue reading Colorado Day Hikes: Butler Gulch
Autumn in Colorado is never going to be the same as autumn on the east coast. We just don’t have as many trees that turn so many vibrant shades of color. But we do have cottonwoods and aspens and willows, all of which turn yellow… usually some time around mid-September. As we probably should have expected, given the utter chaos that was 2020, the status of Colorado’s fall colors was thrown into question when the mountains got a dusting of snow at the end of August. And then another storm rolled in immediately after Labor Day weekend and dumped up to 14 inches of snow. The cold and snow – coupled with the previous two months of drought – meant we were now at risk of the trees turning from green straight to brown. But all hope was not lost.
This might actually be my favorite winter hike of all time.
My first trip to Mayflower Gulch was with a friend in early 2019; the second visit was actually just this last weekend with Pat. Mayflower Gulch is a beautiful winter destination. The only downfall is that to get there from Denver one must brave the ski traffic on I-70. And boy does it suck.
Handstands Around the World 