Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 5)

Testing to see if my photos will upload!

I’m glad you’re here! I invite you to travel with me to some of the most beautiful places in the world via the Internet. I love being on foot, hiking, backpacking, and snow-shoeing.

**Please keep in mind that these posts are about my personal experiences, they are not intended as trail guides.**

I had a lovely trip to Utah (again) in November, posts and photos coming soon! We tackled the Zion Subway again and had an amazing time. It’s an absolutely amazing experience, unfortunately my knees were not cooperating well, but the rest of me had a good time!

I’ll be checking off a decades-long bucket list item by going to Peru later this year!! More on that later… 

As always, practicing and teaching yoga, mobility/movement/balance practices, mindfulness, Qigong, and TRX are a part of my daily life – Visit Keep Moving Yoga for more info.

Happy Trails!!!!   ~~ Andrea ~~

I’ve hiked to Babylon Arch several times, it’s one of my favorite hikes in the St. George area. After talking to a gentleman near Babylon Arch, he suggested going to the top of nearby Sandstone Mountain. Off we went!

After losing the trail several times (slickrock doesn’t show footprints or create an easy-to-see path) we finally made our way up to where we could tell the trail climbed and became rocky… and rocky… and rocky… and a lot of fun!

At this point in the trip my knees and feet were very painful after the descent from the Zion West Rim Trail above Angel’s Landing on day 2. Going up Sandstone Mountain was fine and we had a great time, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to get back down the way we had come up. Especially after getting to the top and looking back down the rocky and steep gully we had climbed up (first photo, we started from waaaaay down below).

After a long lunch sitting in the sun, I was able to find an old Jeep trail on the GaiaGPS map (thank goodness for Gaia, it’s saved me more than once!). While that it was a longer return to the car, it was much better for my knees. The sand was incredibly deep in places, it reminded us a bit of snow-shoeing in deep powdery snow, each step forward sliding downhill a bit, and it actually cushioned my knees to a tolerable level.

I would absolutely hike this again, it was so much fun minus the knee and foot issues.

Another new location for me. Access to the trailhead can be tricky and has changed over time because of new construction and developments in Washington, UT. The access was well-signed, though, which we appreciated very much.

From the parking area, the hike begins along a dirt service road, then opens up into a massive dry wash. It’s impossible for me to imagine what this would be like during a flash flood. From there the trail is very easy to follow, until toward the end it starts braiding and forking, and it’s difficult so see exactly where the arch is.

We had to do a bit of exploring and backtracking, but finally saw the arch above us. It’s a bit of a climb to get up to the arch itself, but easy enough if you don’t mind using your hands a bit. Elephant Arch does indeed look like an elephant head, eye, and trunk. As with other places in the area near the winter solstice, the light and shadows can be tricky for good photos.

I love seeing critter tracks in the sand, trying to figure out what made the tracks, and imagine what it would be like at nighttime seeing everything scurry around.

After spending a few minutes around the arch itself, we found a wonderful area to sit nearby in the sun for lunch and tea/coffee. We were visited by a hummingbird, which was a treat on such a cold day. That tiny bird visiting us in the desert in wintertime warmed our hearts.

I love beautiful drives, and combined with a hike that makes you feel like you’re walking straight into a Dr. Seuss book, it makes for a wonderful day. This is another that I had been to before, but this time we went much further and saw incredible rock and sand formations.

The trailhead is out a long but beautiful gravel road, very well maintained (at least the times I’ve been on it, and compared to some of the forest service roads in Washington) near Silver Reef and Leeds. It’s not the kind of road you would want to be on during or after rain, though. Always check weather conditions before heading out. Part way on the road is a beautiful gorge, well worth a stop to stretch the legs and peer down.

The first part of the hike is easy, but the last 1/3 of a mile or so is a slog through deep sand, the kind that makes you work hard for every step. Once you get to the cliffs and rock formations, though, the deep sand is completely forgotten. Once to Yant Flat / Candy Cliffs (I’ve heard it called both), you can literally wander anywhere that pulls at your heart. There are 2 main areas, and one can wander and explore anywhere. The drop-off at the edge of the cliffs is steep and deep and would not end well, so always make sure to not get close to the edge.

I love this place, I love the shapes and formations and colors. There are dozens of great lunch spots, so many places to just sit and look around and use your imagination. This area is a win all the way around.

Zion National Park is special, there’s nothing else quite like it. While I’ve been many times before, it never ceases to impress me.

We began our early freezing morning with a drive through the Mt Carmel-Zion Tunnel to Canyon Overlook Trail. It’s a fun trail with expansive views at the end, but the freezing wind was fierce and we didn’t linger. We did see a few bighorn sheep on the way back, which was a bonus.

We decided to hike up the West Rim Trail to Scout Lookout, where the Angel’s Landing cables begin. I’ve been part way up Angel’s Landing before, and decided that I have no desire to do that again. Unfortunately, the 3 miles of trail from car park to Scout Lookout are steep and paved, not a good combination for my knees. Going uphill is a great workout, slow and steady up up up …. Walter’s Wiggles always amazes me, what a feat of imagination and engineering to build this part of the trail! Well worth a minute to do an Internet search to see what it looks like from above.

After availing ourselves of the facilities at Scout Lookout, we decided to continue up the West Rim Trail from there, thankfully not paved from this point on. Pausing to turn around look behind from this point offers a great view of Angel’s Landing. After about 1/2 mile we noticed a little side trail that took us out onto an incredible rock ledge with far-off views into deep canyons. It took us a few minutes to realize that we were actually looking across and down at the Temple of Sinawava and the beginning of the Zion Narrows.

From there we chose to head back down, knowing it would be slow with my knees. It’s fine for most people, but my knees are already screwed up – 3 miles of steep downhill hard pavement on day 2 of our trip set me up for daily severe knee and foot pain for the rest of the trip. Thank goodness the views going back down are incredible, because my knees and feet were screaming at me and otherwise I would have sat down in the middle of the trail and refused to go any further. Again, that’s just my personal cross to bear, this hike is very well worth the effort!

We had a lovely vacation in Victoria, BC. Not a hiking trip per se, but we did a lot of walking and exploring, including a short hike to East Sooke Regional Park, Butchart Gardens, and the Victoria Butterfly Gardens. Getting there involved taking the Black Ball Ferry from Port Angeles into Victoria Harbor.

Victoria itself has a very European feel to it, and we enjoyed walking around taking in the sights. The Royal BC Museum is worth a visit, it’s between the Empress Hotel which is beautiful and the Parliament House, also beautiful. We topped off the trip with the AdrenaLine zipline, which is always fun!

Butchart Gardens is 55 acres of an estate that used to be a quarry, now turned into a beautiful series of themed gardens well worth a visit. There is a Sunken Garden, the site of the old quarry, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden (our favorite), many ponds and fountains, Italian Garden, the Piazza, and Mediterranean Garden. I could type for hours about all the plants (yes, I’m a plant geek to the core!), but I’ll just let the photos speak for themselves.

Next stop was the Victoria Butterfly Gardens, where we were enchanted by the plants and hundreds (if not thousands) of butterflies all around. They also take in rescue animals including a flamingo, parrots, macaws, tortoises, turtles, an iguana, a caiman, and finches. It’s a place to slow down and take notice of the small things, to walk slowly and quietly and just be with the animals, insects, and plants. Other than the frogs and caiman, all animals are free to move about through the large indoor area as they please. If I were a rescue exotic animal, this is the place I’d want to be.

We started our final day there by driving to East Sooke Regional Park and hiking the short Creyke Point trail, looking out over a wall of fog in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and across to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. The Madrona trees here are fantastic!

Last but not least, our family LOVES to go on ziplines. I’ve been on them in Idaho, Utah, New Zealand, and now Vancouver Island BC 🙂 So fun, and I got to do my usual flip upside-down several times.

3 million acres of desert might sound desolate, but Death Valley is so beautiful! It stole my heart when I first visited 4 years ago, and it was so good to re-visit this time. We explored some new areas as well as returned to our favorites. The highlight was being able to walk out into Manly Lake at the lowest spot in North America. (Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states, is only 85 miles away). Read on for photos:

Badwater Basin (282 feet below sea level) and Manly Lake:

Knowing weather and high wind was coming in the next few days, our first stop in Death Valley was Manly Lake, a.k.a. Badwater Basin filled with a rare and temporary lake. Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level, making it the lowest elevation in North America. Interestingly, Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states, is only 85 miles away.

We walked out on the salt flats here 4 years ago, but this time it was surreal walking out through water. The last time there was water here was in 2005, 18 years ago. The lake was shallow but huge, miles wide and across. We walked out quite far, with water just above ankles, and enjoyed watching people with kayaks further out. The reflection of the Panamint Mountains to the west were stunning. At the car, our legs were coated with salt, well worth it for this experience.

We were so fortunate, because our second day in the park brought extremely high winds (gusts to 70mph) and the entire lake was pushed over a mile away, shutting down access to it.

Desolation Canyon

One of our two favorite canyon hikes at Death Valley, Desolation Canyon offers beautiful views from above down onto Artist’s Drive and the valley floor below. There are several spots that require a bit of scrambling, help from a hiking partner is much appreciated. Being able to see part of Manly Lake from above was a bonus!

I’m in awe that anything can live and survive in this environment, but Mother Nature finds a way. We saw a few thriving plants as well as lizards. Evening primrose was blooming, one lizard was a zebra tail, the other possibly a juvenile chuckwalla.

Golden Canyon and Red Cathedral

The initial section of Golden Canyon is very accessible, especially for those who aren’t comfortable with the minor scrambling that is required in some of the other canyons. That changes once you get closer to Red Cathedral.

The views of canyon walls, with Red Cathedral in the distance and glimpses of Manly Peak are beautiful. There is a connecting trail up to Zabriskie Point above, but we chose to go toward Red Cathedral, requiring more scrambling and ducking through small openings. I brought home a few knee bruises from near the end of the trail, worth it IMO!

Titus Canyon

Titus Canyon is (was?) a 26-mile, one-way high clearance vehicle road that I would love to drive some day, but for this trip we decided an early morning walk through stunning canyon walls would be a perfect way to start our second day. The gate at the bottom of the canyon was locked, so we weren’t sure if it was open to vehicles or not.

The entrance to the canyon is immediate from the parking area, and very easy walking so it’s possible to take in the huge walls without needing to pay much attention to where your feet are going. We meandered for about 1.5 miles up the canyon, loving the beautiful patterns of rocks in the canyon walls. I had a lovely sit-spot meditation in the sun while DH explored further up canyon. I was serenaded by white-throated swifts and canyon wrens.

Back to the car, where we noticed that the forecast wind was definitely making its presence known.

Ubehebe Crater

We had not been to see Ubehebe Crater on our previous trip, so decided to explore since it was in the general direction of Titus Canyon. By this point the wind was becoming much stronger, buffeting our car along the road. This road feels like driving to nowhere, desolate but beautiful. Near the crater the terrain changes to what I imaging the surface of the moon looks like.

By the time we got to Ubehebe, we could barely open our car doors against the wind. Standing in the wind, being pelted in the face by flying sand and small gravel, leaning into the wind at a crazy angle while walking, was definitely an interesting experience! We had planned to walk the entire loop around the crater, but that was impossible under the weather conditions. After a short and difficult stroll up to Little Hebe Crater for a few photos, we retreated back to the car, fighting fierce wind the entire way.

Mosaic Canyon

Mosaic Canyon, very close to the Stovepipe Wells area, is one of our favorite canyon hikes in Death Valley. Another one with a bit of scrambling required, and 2 work-arounds when you think you’ve hit a dead end. The NPS Death Valley website gives a good description of how to get around these two spots in their “Hikes” page.

Mosaic Canyon is named for the beautiful patterns and textures of the rock found throughout the canyon. Some is scoured marble or granite, which means scrambling up a 6-foot smooth wall can be a bit of a challenge, another great place where a hiking partner is a handy thing to have!

We had a lovely conversation with a raven part way up the canyon, and noted several flowers blooming as well. Unfortunately at the end of the canyon were 2 large groups that were being ridiculously loud and annoying, so we didn’t linger but immediately turned and headed back down, this time sliding down the smooth walls, much more fun than trying to climb up them!

Artist’s Drive

A beautiful one-way loop road that meanders through the eastern foothills, through varied terrain and colors. Stopping and getting out at Artist’s Palette to see a hillside of beautiful colors is worth it (but maybe not in 70mph wind!)

Zabriskie Point

Perhaps the most popular viewpoint at Death Valley, a short drive from the Furnace Creek area. The short walk from the parking area opens up expansive views to the foot hills and valley floor below. It was possible to see part of Manly Lake, as well as the dust storms that were exploding in the valley below.

It’s also possible to see the trails that connect Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon below. We might have considered hiking the whole thing, but at this point in our trip the wind was intense, making it hard to stand up straight, much less hike in it.

Driving in Wind and Sand

We are so thankful that we got to visit Manly Lake and do the hikes that we did, because by the end of our second day it was becoming dangerous to drive or be outside due to the extreme wind. (A spot in the Sierra Mountains, not too far away, clocked a 190mph wind gust during this time!)

Rhyolite Ghost Town

On our third full day, we decided to not attempt going down into Death Valley due to extreme weather conditions, winter storm and high wind warnings. We did explore Rhyolite Ghost Town, just outside of Beatty NV. It’s amazing to think of how people were able to live and work in the mines in these conditions. The train station must have been a stunning building at its peak. And an entire house made out of bottles… good way to recycle what was used the saloon.

While weather was not perfect, we are still so thankful to have been able to go back to this amazing place, to walk in a lake that only appears once every few decades, to re-visit some of our favorite hikes and explore new areas.

Canyonlands Needles District | Corona Arch, Moab | Canyonlands Island in the Sky | Arches | Goblin Valley | Little Wildhorse Canyon | Capitol Reef | Bryce Canyon

The canyon country of southern Utah pulled at my heart yet again. I’m sure it will never stop. I’ve been to most of these places before, places I keep going back to because I adore them. This time was different, because my husband came along for the adventure as well so he could also experience the magic that I feel every time I’m there. 70 miles hiked, some familiar friends and some new challenges.

This is the short version. For many more photos and written words on my adventures, see the LONG VERSION.

Canyonlands Needles

Corona Arch

Canyonlands Island in the Sky

Arches

Goblin Valley

Little Wildhorse Canyon

Capitol Reef

Bryce Canyon

9 trail miles
2000+ feet elevation gain
A day with 1 good friend
1 stunning volcano
many huckleberries in my tummy
1 mosquito
1 gorgeous bear taking a swim

We had boots on trail by 7am at Mowich Lake / Mt. Rainier, headed toward Spray Park. It made for an early morning wake up, but even by 7am it was starting to get crowded out there. We stopped at the Eagle’s Viewpoint for our first view of Tahoma and loved watching the lenticular clouds swirling down the north slope.

Spray Park is a series of meadows, almost like terraces, with wide open spaces separated by trees and more elevation gain between each one. It’s such a beautiful area, and the view of the Mountain (a.k.a. still an active volcano) shifts and changes with each tier. This place is usually a riot of wildflowers, AND an open buffet for swarms of mosquitoes. Almost all flowers were done blooming, but there were thousands of gentians filling the meadows with their wonderful blue color. Even better than that, I only saw one mosquito. We were able to sample several types of wild huckleberries as well, amazing little bursts of flavor!

After reaching the top meadow, we had lunch overlooking Mist Park and the Carbon River Valley, to the left was Mother Mountain, behind us was Tahoma itself. After lunch, a little bit further up we finished with beautiful close-up views before the trial starts dropping down toward Cataract Valley.

On our way back down we heard reports of a bear near the trail, but never saw it. By the lowest meadow, we heard more reports of another bear. We came to a small pond and were rewarded with being able to watch a beautiful bear graze for berries, then dip into the pond and go for a relaxing swim. I’ve seen many bears over the years, but this was by far the best experience I’ve had watching them. As soon as it came out of the pond and turned toward us, that was our cue to leave quickly.

What a wonderful day. I never want to take for granted the amazing area that I live in, and the fact that after so many orthopedic problems over 40 years I’ve still been able to put in the work and yoga needed so that I can continue to get outside and experience these things first hand.

Days like this make my heart feel like bursting from goodness. Gratitude for Mother Nature and even though my body is defective, gratitude that I can still do what I love to do.