Tag: hiking
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Russell Gets a Job… Briefly
After a couple weeks of bopping around, I returned to Salida, CO. Back on the job hunt, my prospects felt grim, at least until my mom sent me a link to a Facebook post on the Salida Community page. It was a simple job ad: While this opportunity was by no means a new career,…
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Old Stompin’ Grounds, New Adventures – New Mexico
Maggie and I explored a good portion of New Mexico in the three years we lived there. Even so, it is thrilling to look at a map and find there is yet more to do. Fired up by the recent backpacking trip in Montana, I felt compelled to get out and explore new places in…
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A Glacial Confluence – Glacier National Park
I was hoping to have a job by July or August, but despite my job hunting efforts, I was still drifting through the summer. Maggie and I talked on the phone almost every night. As it became clear that my job prospects were still months out, Maggie convinced me to fly up to Montana for…
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Fourteener Frenzy – Colorado
I spent a majority of my summer in Salida, CO, a place where several fourteen thousand foot peaks dominate the skyline. The draw to climb them is inescapable…. With temperatures routinely soaring into the mid-nineties, I often felt trapped indoors. Without Maggie or any appreciable community in town, I also felt quite lonely. The job…
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Throw Them Peaks in the Bag – CO & NM High Country
In between the dreadful days of job hunting this past summer, I got out peak bagging in the Rocky Mountains. As the snow finally melted out above treeline in mid-June, I set my sights high. There is something wonderful about the alpine that I can’t put into words. The clear air, the wide open views,…
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Dune Cool Stuff With Cool People – Great Sand Dunes National Park
1 June 2023 It’s hard to express the bond formed between thru hikers. Even though Maggie and I rarely spent more than a handful of days with the friends we made on the PCT, there is something special about the shared experience. When I got a text from Noodle that he was passing through Salida,…
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The Solo Road Part 3 – South Dakota
18-22 May 2023 Equally popular and overlooked, the Black Hills of South Dakota are a true gem. It would be a stretch to include the Black Hills in discussions about the Rocky Mountains, as it should be, since they have a character uniquely their own. I spent five days romping around the Black Hills, hiking,…
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The Solo Road Part 2 – Wyoming
16 May 2023 Next up on my route south was Yellowstone National Park. My past experiences with Yellowstone left something to be desired… Given that I missed the eruption at Old Faithful some years ago, it is the parking lots, gift shops, and crowds that stand out in my memory. Another attempt to explore a…
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The Solo Road Part 1 – Montana
15 May 2023 So began the adventure alone. I had about a month to get from Montana to New Mexico. With a car full of camping and climbing gear, the American West was my oyster, I just had to find the pearls. I suppose it was my mom who taught me to take the scenic…
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A Fork in Our Trail
For sixteen months, Maggie and I were rarely more than a stone’s throw from each other. Sharing in all the sights, sounds, and smells from far corners of the globe, and making new memories together everyday. Routines of normal working life make spending so much time with your significant other impossible, unless you somehow work…
Distance Over Time 