We're almost ready. After numerous small trips (of escalating difficulty and complexity), skills work, planning sessions, gear shakedowns, shakedowns, and more shakedowns, we're on the homestretch. Within 72 hours, we'll all be headed for Colorado, and then New Mexico, for a two-week expedition. The training has paid off. We've managed to get a bunch of…Read more New Mexico or Bust
Little Stoney Creek
Enjoying a moment of solitude at the end of a long day backpacking. Little Stoney Creek, in GWNF along the VA/WV border. Little Stoney Creek drains the basin between Little Sluice Mountain (east) and Mill Mountain (west), and was a welcome sight after spending the day high and dry among the ridgetops. We also happened…Read more Little Stoney Creek
Partial Solar Eclipse, MD
The solar eclipse that took place this morning, June 10, 2021, was an annular eclipse in some parts of the world - notably Greenland and parts of northeastern Canada. There, the Sun was blocked by a Moon slightly farther away from us than average, such that it appeared just too small to cover the entire…Read more Partial Solar Eclipse, MD
Iceland 2019 – Part 8, Gluggafoss, and Parting Thoughts
This is the last in a series outlining my family's exploration of Iceland during the summer of 2019, pre-COVID. It was a mostly outdoor experience, exploring the wild and natural sights of a beautiful country during the height of summer. For the full journey, and notes on places to go and things to see, check…Read more Iceland 2019 – Part 8, Gluggafoss, and Parting Thoughts
Dam 5, Potomac River, C&O Canal
Dam 5, C&O Canal towpath along the Potomac River. Built in 1835, the dam raised the river level enough to fill 22 miles of the canal. It's a great place to stop and rest after a day of biking the towpath!
Potomac River, C&O Canal
Dawn along the C&O Canal towpath. The Potomac River is still, just above Dam 5. This is looking south into West Virginia, from Maryland.
Iceland 2019 – Part 7, Jökulsárlón (Glacier Lagoon)
This is Part 7 in a series outlining my family's exploration of Iceland during the summer of 2019, pre-COVID. It was a mostly outdoor experience, exploring the wild and natural sights of a beautiful country during the height of summer. For the full journey, and notes on places to go and things to see, check…Read more Iceland 2019 – Part 7, Jökulsárlón (Glacier Lagoon)
Teamwork on the Trail
The great thing about backpacking is that it's an individual sport. The only things to overcome are your own physical and mental limitations. The rewards include immersion in wilderness, a sense of accomplishment like no other, and satisfaction that comes from knowledge and confidence in one's self. Except... for all the focus on self-reliance and…Read more Teamwork on the Trail
Iceland 2019 – Part 6, Southern Coast
This is part six in a series outlining my family's exploration of Iceland during the summer of 2019, pre-COVID. It was a mostly outdoor experience, exploring the wild and natural sights of a beautiful country during the height of summer. For the full journey, and notes on places to go and things to see, check…Read more Iceland 2019 – Part 6, Southern Coast
Reynisdrangar, Vik, Iceland
Legend has it that two large trolls spotted a three-masted ship adrift in the sea, and waded out to tow it to shore. As so often seems to happen with trolls, they mistimed their efforts, and were caught by the rising sun, which turned them to the basaltic sea stacks that remain today. This view…Read more Reynisdrangar, Vik, Iceland
Bumblebees and Azaleas
Azaleas are a "garden" flower, or maybe a nice shrub to line the driveway - but occasionally, walking through the forest, you see these relics alongside daffodils, indicators of a more human-cultivated past. They bear testimony that a homesite used to stand here, and the plants, and the bees that love them, thrive long after…Read more Bumblebees and Azaleas
Long Overdue – A Camping Weekend on the Chesapeake
A gentle breeze blows through the tall pines that line the edges of the cliff. Waves lap against the cliff several hundred feet below, as the Chesapeake Bay slowly carves into land which once formed the bed of an inland sea, and still releases Miocene fossils onto the beach below. Canada geese erupt with a…Read more Long Overdue – A Camping Weekend on the Chesapeake
Springtime in the Swamp
Springtime in the Swamp! New shoots coming up, the duckweed and lilies are greening, and the beavers are busy!
Iceland 2019 – Part 5, Landmannalaugar
This is Part 5 in a series outlining my family's exploration of Iceland during the summer of 2019, pre-COVID. It was a mostly outdoor experience, exploring the wild and natural sights of a beautiful country during the height of summer. For the full journey, and notes on places to go and things to see, check…Read more Iceland 2019 – Part 5, Landmannalaugar
Laugavegur and Grænagil
Standing by a steaming sulfur vent, looking across the chaotic jumble of a lava field, into Grænagil, the Green Canyon. Laugavegur Trail, Landmannalaugar, Iceland.
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 