Travel is many things to many people. It is many things to me. But perhaps the thing I cherish most about travel is its ability to imbue meaning into other things. For memories of it to link to those of people and experiences, for it to entwine itself around the roots of who we are. …
North America
Living on the Edge
This year, I’m going to be featuring some guest writers on my blog, other travel writers whose work has inspired me. Each person will be writing a post about the following question: What’s an experience you’ve had on the road which has changed your life?” The goal is to gather some intriguing tales involving the …
Hiking the Seven Lakes Basin
Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.” ― John Muir When it comes to loop hikes in the Olympic National Park, the High Divide Loop around Seven Lakes Basin is one of the best. Clocking in at 18.2 miles, it …
Courting Death in Canyonlands
Most people would die sooner than think; in fact, they do so.” – Bertrand Russell The day began like many other Saturdays: slowly. Brandon and I roused ourselves from a well-deserved rest and grabbed a quick breakfast in Moab before piling into our trusty Aveo and driving the short distance from the city into Canyonlands National Park. …
Walking Among Legends in Bryce Canyon
When lighted by the morning sun the gorgeous chasm is an immense bowl of lace and filigree work in stone, colored with the white of frost and the pinks of glowing embers. To those who have not forgotten the story books of childhood it suggests a playground for fairies. In another aspect it seems a …
Where Angels Land
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” – Edward Abbey I love that quote. It strikes the same chord in me which resonates when I find myself well off the beaten path — outmatched and way over my head. …
Not with a 20-Mule Team — Exploring Death Valley National Park
“Stubborn people get themselves in a lot of trouble, but they also get things done.” – Anna Paquin “Wait a minute,” you’re probably thinking, “why is this post starting out with a quote completely unrelated to travel, and from a movie star, no less?” That’s because travel isn’t an isolated subject; for those of us …
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The Fall
Traveling has been the thing which has brought the most joy into my life. So many of my favorite memories involve exploring some amazing new place, or experiencing the hospitality of new friends. Traveling has changed me and made me into a much better person than I was. And yet… Some of my most terrifying memories come from …
The Face of the Desert
“It is in the desert that Nature shows us its most uncompromising face. The magnificent play of the shadows, the comforting flood in light, and the gold glow of sand are there, of course, but only when the sun is low in the horizon. During the hours in-between, the sunlight is hard and unflattering, and …
Reflections in Yosemite
“When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world.” – John Muir It’s easy to become removed from Nature; to become lost in virtual worlds as we work in our cities of metal and stone. It’s easy to forget how tightly bound we are to the world when our …