"And into the forest I go,
to lose my mind and find my soul”
to lose my mind and find my soul”
1. Don't start hiking early in the morning; there's quite a bit of fog, more wild animals, and fewer people to protect you. It didn't take long to realize this, but luckily we had our futon lying in the back. We cozy-ed up together and watched from the car window the waterfalls start from above the clouds and flow down the mountainside.
We began the Cascade Pass trail at 11 am. The sign read 3.7 miles, though two hours into the hike, I knew it meant one-way... not round trip. Lesson number 2. check online to see what the round trip hiking distance is. Leon was feeling quite heavy at this point. Can I really hike 7.4 miles with a 40-pound child in a 15-pound backpack? We've come too far and climbed over too many fallen trees to stop now! Onward and upward, I told myself. The higher we go, the deeper the valley view became. The sky cleared up, and soon we were perched on what felt like the top of the world, peering out to the great beyond. No longer were the waterfalls lost in the clouds above us but right in front of us. There were not many people on this trail, a few friendly faces, and a park ranger, so all we could hear was the singing of birds and the mighty crash of waterfalls. To reach the end, we had to trek across a steep slope of snow. Luckily I had ski poles to help, but the running |
Glacier
July 8th, 2017: Our hunger for adventure didn't stop at North Cascade! We took our Subaru futon arrangement and headed out of Washington and into big sky country Montana. And sure, their pink and purple Montana horizon was gorgeous, but it does not hold a candle to their rainbow colored mountains. |
Yellowstone
Our spontaneous adventure continued and we made our way from Glacier NP down to Yellowstone NP in Wyoming. Leon loves the drive. Put on some good tunes and hand him some trail mix and he’s good to sit and nature watch from the car window for hours. The drive was half the fun on this trip. We’d cruise through mountain ranges, national forests and roads less traveled. Seemed like there was never anyone on the road like the world was all ours. I shared some of our photos online and stirred up some envious feelings for people back home. My dad, grandpa Peter, had a strong case of FOMO (fear of missing out). When he saw how much fun we were having he thought he would be spontaneous as well and fly out to meet us in Yellowstone. July 10th, 2016: We picked him at the small Yellowstone airport and went to straight to his site of choice, Old Faithful Geyser.
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Mt Rainier
We arrived at Paradise around 5 in the afternoon when the crowd began to leave. By the time we reached the peak of Skyline Trail everyone was gone and we watched sunset all by ourselves. Rainier is a wonderful enchanting mountain covered in colorful blossoms. Marmots, cute mountain beaver-looking animals, followed us up the hill. When we settled in at the top to watch the sky transform from day to night, the little animals were camped out of the hill behind us. Unfortunately, my phone died and I wasn't able to capture a photo of the sunset but I got to be in the moment with Leon. We saw Mt Adams, Mt St Helens and the cascade range take on different shades of purple. the further the mountain the foggier it looked. completely enchanting. |
It's the summer of 2017, and it's time for our second road trip to national parks! This was not the spontaneous, go where the wind takes us, trip like the summer before. I was on Paid Time Off, and I had a week and a half to make it down to Yosemite and back. We got to grandmas house in Vancouver, Washington on Friday evening after work, and the next morning at 5 Am we began our drive down the hwy 101 along the Oregon coast.
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August 5th, 2017: The morning fog of the coast was eerie like shutter island, but also hauntingly beautiful. Leon sleeps in the back seat, and I have NPR playing on the radio. The smooth low tone of the radio host and the fog that hovered over the ocean made for the perfect drive. We made a couple of stops along the way to look out at the view. once at Restless Waters Trail, then Yaquina Head Lighthouse, then Face Rock State Beach. We then did a big hike over in Brooks Oregon and it
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Great Basin
We made it into Nevada at night fall. Before we would get to our hotel and rest up for our hike, I stopped along an unlit two lane highway and turned off the car lights. Suddenly a thousands of stars were revealed. The sky littered with sparkling dots and you could see the whole mass of them arch over us like a dome. The brightness of the stars created haunting silhouettes of the mountains and cactus. Leon and |
The drive between Great Basin and Zion was an adventure in itself. The road was straight where you can see canyons on either side for miles. The winds were strong too and straight ahead was a dust bowl so massive you couldn't see where is ended. Once you enter you can't see anything 20 feet in front of you. Scary yet incredible all at the same time. I felt like I was crossing worlds and then suddenly I was on the other side and low and behold a sign that reads
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Our next stop following Zion was Bryce Canyon. By the time we arrived, the park was covered in snow. The area is a geological wonder full of natural amphitheaters. Peered down you can see an endless field of Hoodoos, irregular columns of rock. Now picture these crimson wonders capped with white snow. We explored the area on the Navajo loop and the Queen's Garden Trail.
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picture a child's nicknacks scattered all over the livingroom floor. This is what I saw at Arches National Park. There is collection of stone arches, rock towers balancing on smaller rocks sprawled across an open plain. Some of the pinnacles looked like statues of people. We arrived right before sunset and booked our way to Double Arches to watch the sunset to what the sun fall behind the horizon.
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August 17, 2019: Leon took his very first flight the summer of 2019 to go see our beloved best friend and the Great Smoky Mountains. Flying with Leon has always been a fear of mine... being stuck with a hundred strangers while Leon throws a tantrum. But honestly, this kid had a phenomenal flight performance and his charming presence got a free first class snacks and priority boarding!
Like a crazy person, I booked a 5:30 AM flight not realizing until much later that I would have to wake up at 2 AM. Well turns out that's Leon's witching hour and he was all about the early rise. While I was panicking about the long baggage line, he was in his element, smiling and breathing in that sweet sweaty airport smell. After a full hour of waiting in line to check-in our bags (shout out to American Airlines) we stepped into the security line which was 2-3times longer. With only an hour till departure, I for sure thought we were going to miss our flight. Not even two seconds later, an angel appeared, |
We arrive in Knoxville Tennessee and are greeted by Lucas, my best friend of 14 years! After 2 years of not seeing each other, Lucas journeyed all the way from Jacksonville Florida to adventure with us. From there we drove an hour to Great Smoky Mountains National Park where we camped for 4 nights.
Day 1: we enter Cades Cove, an 11-mile loop that showcases natural wonders and historical civilization. Day 2: We hike Alum Cave Trail, a wilderness adventure of river beds, bridges, stairs through rocks and cliffs with views of endless green. Throw in the constant rolling thunder, humidity and gnats and you got a survival quest. Day 3: Fontana Dam Day 4: Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains... And we've been there 3 times! Day 1 we missed the sunset and took pictures of dark mountain-like shapes. Day 2 we arrive 2 hours earlier then the day before but Lucas didn't want to go all the way to the top since we hiked earlier that day. Day 3 Lucas asks when we'll go to this observation deck and I said it's at Clingmans Dome we were going to go yesterday but you said you didn't want to. Day 4 we arrive again to Clingmans Dome and hike to the tower in the AM and saw mostly fog. |