a former gymnast with a neverending case of wanderlust
Have you ever walked along a trail mere minutes before a car went flying off the road and landed on said trail, right where you’d just walked? No? Me neither… until December 2020. My friend Savannah and I set out early one Saturday morning, the landscape beautifully dusted with snow from an overnight storm. The… Continue reading Colorado Day Hikes: Chair Rocks
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 been very good at keeping track of all the lakes.
Anyway, on an unseasonably warm February day Pat and I headed out with our friends Kaylyn and Holden to snowshoe to the Lost Lake that’s just outside of Nederland, Colorado, a small town about an hour west of Boulder.
Welcome to the first post of our 2020 adventures! For us, the decade began with a winter hike along the Colorado Trail at Kenosha Pass. And while both Kenosha Pass and a hike on the Colorado Trail were things I’d been wanting to check off the list for a while, the biggest excitement of this… Continue reading Colorado Day Hikes: Kenosha Pass
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.
I never really gave any thought to winter hiking until we moved to Denver. I'd been snowshoeing twice, but that's about it. Here in Colorado, though, there are some truly stunning winter hiking opportunities, so we decided to tackle a new challenge.
Before heading out for a hike in winter conditions, there are some additional considerations that aren't a typical part of summer hiking. With lots of help from other people and some of my own research, I've gradually acquired the knowledge and gear necessary to stay warm and safe while winter hiking. That's what I'd like to pass along to you today. We'll talk about necessary and optional gear, choosing an appropriate hike, and what to expect when you're on the trail.
Within the first few weeks of our arrival in Colorado, we learned that if you want to find a place to park at any of the trailheads within about a 2-hour radius of Denver, you have to be willing to get there early. And by early, I mean 6:00am. It’s a multifactorial issue. Coloradans are… Continue reading Six of one, a dozen of the other – Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Colorado
Whenever I’m away from home too long, I get a serious case of Yellowstone withdrawal. Because I grew up so close, I visited the park at least twice a year from the time I was too young to remember. Since I’ve been away, Yellowstone is always one of the main places I ended up missing.… Continue reading A Snowy Day at Snow Pass – Yellowstone National Park
The one thing I miss about being a student is the discounted adventure opportunities. The University of Connecticut Outdoors Center hosted various weekend outings, such as cross-country skiing, rock climbing, paddleboarding, and hiking. Throughout our time in grad school, Pat and I participated in many of these activities. And though I enjoyed them all, my… Continue reading That time I climbed a frozen waterfall!
Handstands Around the World 