Travel & Adventure
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First Hike of 2023 – Hiking in the Snow
This past weekend I went on my first hike of 2023 and boy did it kick my butt! Not only was it my first hike of 2023, but it was also one of my first real hikes in months (with the exception of Joshua Tree, last month but that was a fairly level hike), a hike in pretty deep snow (a first), and at a pretty high elevation (we ended at around 8000 feet and climbed just over 1000 feet). We weren't prepared for this hike, but I am so happy we did it.
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I’m back with 22 things that made 2022
I am back and although this wasn’t a fully planned break, it was much needed. My cancer diagnosis was a blow I wasn’t expecting and it really took it out of me – not physically, just emotionally. After processing that news I tried to get back into writing and posting, but honestly, I had a lot going on the last two months. The holidays are always crazy, trying to balance family and friends, everyone wants to do stuff, and on top of it all, the husband and I went on a very dumb but very fun camping trip. Also, I basically was sick from Halloween, until sometime last week. Don’t…
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My 2-Day Trip to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
For our wedding anniversary this year, my husband and I spent two days in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. Two parks neither of us had ever been to and it was so much fun! Now two days isn't that much time, especially to explore two different (although connected parks), but I think we did a pretty good job of seeing a lot, and I want to share with you exactly what we did, in case you find yourself with only a few days to explore these amazing parks.
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Mount Baldy’s Bear Canyon Made Me Emotional
Because I nearly broke my foot in May, I lost a fight with a 30lb dumbbell, and then spent the entire month of June trying to process the loss of my Tickle, when I set out to do the Bear Canyon Trail in Mount Baldy last month, I was breaking a two and a half month long no hiking streak.
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Camping Tips: 3 Ways I’m Reducing My Waste This Summer
I'm new to camping. Very new to camping. I'm also new to consciously living more sustainably and making more sustainable life choices. And in fact, both my desire to actively change the way I live to save the planet and my desire to camp came about, at about the same time. But as I quickly learned, even though camping sounds like an eco-friendly vacation choice, if you aren't careful the waste produced from a camping trip can add up pretty quickly.
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Murphy Ranch – Old Nazi Compound in the Santa Monica Mountains
Did you know there is an old Nazi sympathizer compound hidden away in the Santa Monica Mountains? (Or at least the start of what was to be a Nazi sympathizer compound.) Accessible via a moderately rated 3.4-mile hike in Rustic Canyon, Murphy's Ranch is a peek into some of the bizarre histories of LA.
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I Finally Went Camping at Joshua Tree
It finally happened! While it took me nearly thirty years to make it out to Joshua Tree for the first time, two years after my initial visit I fulfilled my dream of camping under those big goofy whimsical trees. And it was as magical as I had imagined.
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Get in the Spooky Mood with Norco’s Pumpkin Rock Hike
Halloween may be less than a week away, but if you live in Southern California and are looking for a unique way to celebrate this spooky season, the Pumpkin Rock Hike in Norco may be perfect for you! I’ve done this hike twice now since moving back to California, right around my first Halloween back, and once this past weekend. The hike is short, just around a mile round trip, and despite the incline (depending on the route you chose) and some lose rock/gravel, the hike is pretty doable by most people in relative shape. And this hike is for the most part family-friendly, as long as no one has…
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20 Things That Made 2020 Tolerable
2020 has been a pretty crap year for most of us I think. Yes, if you follow me I was pretty happy with how the majority of this year went, and this was by far not my worst year (although the past month has it ranking pretty high up there), but even through the best lens this year was full of stress, anxiety, change, and uncertainty. That being said, there were some things that definitely made this year a little easier, happier, and entertaining, at least for me.
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Gould Mesa Road: Angeles Crest Hwy to Paul Little Picnic Site
According to my AllTrails recording this hike was 6 miles round trip and took us a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes, including our short break at the end waterfall. It was a weekday morning that we went and we did encounter a few hikers throughout the trail, but I wouldn't call it busy and for the most part people were polite and did have their masks on them.
