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
Trip
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 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
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
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
Puffins!
As I'm reminiscing on last summer's trip to Iceland (and working up videos, etc), I'm uncovering some photos that just make me smile. On the cliffs above Reynisfjara, a black sand beach with impressive caves and balsatic columns outside Vik, on Iceland's southern shore, dozens of puffins were nesting. These pudgy little birds were impressively…Read more Puffins!
Nokulele Blowhole (Hawai’i, Day 5, Part 2)
https://youtu.be/yEemSKPWbUg After our early, early morning biking down Halekala, we had been up and adventuring for 12 hours and it was still only lunch time. Creative measures were needed to get back to a normal sleep cycle, so we fought the urge to sleep the afternoon away. Instead, we had lunch and explored the town…Read more Nokulele Blowhole (Hawai’i, Day 5, Part 2)
Water-tight?
In my efforts to test myself, I sometimes get a little overconfident. I like to think I'm fairly level-headed and consider risks enough that I'm not doing anything downright STUPID, but I have certainly messed up enough to make me wonder just what the heck I thought was going to happen. Such was the case…Read more Water-tight?
Sunset at Bear’s Den Rocks
Bears Den Rocks, looking west off the Appalachian Trail in northern Virginia. North end of the "Roller Coaster". Get Out There Troy http://www.flying-squirrel.org
Bear’s Den Trail Center
A familiar site to AT hikers - we've taken over with a crowd of teenagers! Appalachian castle at Bears Den. Get Out There Troy http://www.flying-squirrel.org
Midnight Sun
I recently returned from a vacation in Iceland. I spent a week just south of the Arctic Circle, one week after the summer solstice. There's a lot to talk about following such an amazing trip (and I will), but having recently written about dark skies, I thought a lot about the almost-24-hour daylight we…Read more Midnight Sun
Journey’s End
Another adventure comes to an end. A week aboard a 41-foot ketch in the Florida Keys. Tough to go back to real life, but always looking forward to getting home.
Discovering Iceland
We just returned from a whirlwind exploration of southern Iceland. More to come on this beautiful country!