Four Days on the Appalachian Trail
June 21, 2023
Yellow River State Forest Backpacking
September 18, 2020
I was supposed to be on the AT this past week. Finishing up a 4 day section hike as I type. The world had other plans (#covid) and instead we went on a 2 night/3 day backpacking trip at Yellow River State Forest in northeast Iowa. Below is a little map I made prior to … More Yellow River State Forest Backpacking
Current Backpacking Gear List
September 11, 2020
Some of these items were researched extensively and chosen specifically by me and for me (like my backpack, tent and quilt). Other items were just things we had on hand (or the hubby bought) for bike camping or tent camping (like the cooking gear). This list is a work in progress, but I’ll try to … More Current Backpacking Gear List
Smokey Mountain National Park – Booze, Snow & Laurel Falls
April 27, 2018
March 12, 2018 Last night was rough. It started to rain around 9, so we cleaned up camp, headed to bed and watched a couple episodes of Parks & Rec (yes, I always bring my kindle). It was raining, but not too bad…yet. Only a few hours later I was woken up by water hitting … More Smokey Mountain National Park – Booze, Snow & Laurel Falls
Smokey Mountain National Park – Grotto Falls
April 4, 2018
March 11, 2018 We woke up at a decent time and drove to Gaitlinburg, TN to hang for a few days and hike in the Smokies! The forecast was calling for crap tons of rain, so I was all stressed about having to try to put our tent up in it. (Though I love the … More Smokey Mountain National Park – Grotto Falls
Kentucky Bourbon – Spring Break ’18
March 21, 2018
March 10, 2018 This year for spring break we decided to head southeast a bit – a bit of bourbon, a bit of camping, and a bit of Nashville. We headed out Friday right after work and drove to Franklin, IN – just to stay the night and get us closer to some distilleries. Saturday … More Kentucky Bourbon – Spring Break ’18
National Parks Tour – Mesa Verde & Durango, CO
March 1, 2018
July 5, 2017 This will be the last post in this series! Again, I do not have journal entries from these days for whatever reason, so the recap will be mostly photos. This was our last day before heading up to Denver, where we met up with friends to ride bikes, drink beer and eat … More National Parks Tour – Mesa Verde & Durango, CO
National Parks Tour – Arches/Canyonlands Pt. 2
December 30, 2017
[July 4, 2017] So, I have to be honest. There are no more journal entries for the remainder of the trip. Which means I am going off just my memory now…and photos! I can’t remember how early we got or what we did for breakfast, but at some point we made our way back to … More National Parks Tour – Arches/Canyonlands Pt. 2
National Parks Tour – Arches Pt. 1
December 29, 2017
[July 3 2017] We are nearing the end of our tour! (And my journal is less complete, relying completely on memory and photos now!) I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard much about these parks until my friend (who had just been there the previous summer) told me all about it. A quick google and I … More National Parks Tour – Arches Pt. 1
National Parks Tour – The Grand Tetons
September 27, 2017
[July 1, 2017] After Yellowstone, we headed south to the Grand Tetons. Here’s the thing, if you want to camp inside the park there is no reservations. It’s first come, first serve and shit fills up fast. As a Type A sort of trip planner, this made me stressed out and so we left Yellowstone … More National Parks Tour – The Grand Tetons
Backpacks, Bikes & Brews 