by Paty | Jan 3, 2021 | The South, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #27 Date Visited: January 3, 2021 Route Taken: Drive up to the summit – 100 feet walk Type of Terrain: Well-maintained, improved dirt road (Road 185) with lots of trees and a gentle climb up Elevation: 806...
by Paty | Jan 3, 2021 | Mid-Atlantic, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #26 Date Visited: January 2, 2021 Route Taken: Walk from FAA tower on Black Mountain Ridge Road to summit – 0.2 miles roundtrip Type of Terrain: Getting to the summit requires a drive (or hike) up Black Mountain...
by Paty | Dec 26, 2020 | N. Umpqua Trail, West Coast
So you’re thinking about hiking one of Oregon’s backcountry trails, and the North Umpqua Trail is finally on your radar. At a approximately 80 miles long, this is the ideal short adventure for almost everyone. But why would should consider the North Umpqua...
by Paty | Dec 23, 2020 | Mid-Atlantic, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #25 Date Visited: December 23, 2020 Route Taken: Walk from the corner of Ebright Road and Ramblewood Drive (200 feet roundtrip) Type of Terrain: Concrete sidewalk and paved street Elevation: 447.85 feet Ancestral...
by Paty | Nov 15, 2020 | Cycling, The Great Outdoors, West Coast
Today was the absolutely perfect day out on the Oregon Coast. The weather combination was as perfect as could be. Blue skies and sunshine. A comfortable 60-degree day with just the lightest wind. And not a drop of rain in the forecast. (A rarity in a locale that gets...
by Paty | Oct 20, 2020 | The Great Outdoors, Uinta Highline Trail
September 2020 was a month of epic failures for me. I began the month with plans to thru-hike the Uinta Highline Trail and had to be rescued from an unexpected blizzard at 11,000 feet before I could finish. Then I book-ended the month with a failed attempt to summit...
by Paty | Oct 8, 2020 | Rockies, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #24 Date Visited: September 29 & October 7, 2020 (it took me two separate attempts!) Route Taken: Borah Peak Trail from the Borah Springs Campground – 8.5 miles round-trip Type of Terrain: Streep, strenuous, with some...
by Paty | Sep 27, 2020 | Gear, Hiking
Plenty of typical backpacking staples are missing in my food bag. No salami or pepperoni. No bags of beef jerky. Not even pre-packaged beef stroganoff or chili mac. As someone who follows a pescatarian diet (I eat fish about once a week when I’m off trail), my...
by Paty | Sep 16, 2020 | Rockies, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #23 Date Visited: September 7, 2020 Route Taken: Unita Highline Trail #25 – 64 miles (one-way) as part of my 2020 UHT thru-hike Type of Terrain: High altitude trail up to Anderson Pass, followed by a steep, unmarked...
by Paty | Sep 15, 2020 | Gear, Uinta Highline Trail
When I was deciding how to use my REI dividend back in May of this year, I had one major purchase on the top of my wish list. I wanted a Garmin inReach Mini GPS device. Retailing at $350, this satellite communicator was a splurge for me. It was right on par with...