by Paty | Apr 25, 2019 | Costa Rica, Day Hikes
On April 22nd, we celebrated Earth Day by taking a hike in Costa Rica near Arenal Volcano. In 1968, this volcano erupted without warning for three days straight, and dramatically changed the surrounding landscape. Hiking Arenal As soon as we saw Arenal Volcano looming...
by Paty | Apr 24, 2019 | Costa Rica, The Great Outdoors
Costa Rica is an outdoor adventurer’s paradise. Tucked between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Costa Rica has long coastlines and some truly beautiful beaches for surfing, snorkeling, or windsurfing. Yet, the country also has a diverse interior, filled...
by Paty | Apr 22, 2019 | Day Hikes, The South
When I booked our campsite at Table Rock State Park, I didn’t know much about it. I just knew it was in upstate South Carolina, within easy driving distance of Sassafras Mountain (which was still on our highpoint bucket list and beckoning for a visit). Spending...
by Paty | Apr 17, 2019 | Appalachian Trail, Trail Journals
I was looking at GoogleMaps, and trying to figure out the best route between our campground near Lake Lanier up to Georgia’s high point at Brasstown Bald. Our earlier attempt to summit this peak last November was cut short by a patch of bad weather. That’s...
by Paty | Apr 16, 2019 | The South, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #11 Date Visited: April 16, 2019 Route Taken: Drive up to Bunker Tower parking lot. Type of Terrain: Parking lot is immediately adjacent to to the observation tower. Elevation: 2,405 feet Ancestral Lands: Muscogee / Creek...
by Paty | Apr 15, 2019 | The South, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #10 Date Visited: April 15, 2019 Route Taken: Drive to Visitor Center parking lot and hiked up the Summit Trail to the observation tower (1.2 miles round-trip). Type of Terrain: The Summit Trail is steep, but paved. Those...
by Paty | Apr 14, 2019 | Appalachian Trail, Trail Journals
My focus for April was all about trying to get myself into good shape. And although I’ve done quite a bit of hiking, my preparation this month wasn’t solely about my physical conditioning. I also spent a good deal of time working on my mental hang-ups too....
by Paty | Apr 12, 2019 | The South, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #9 Date Visited: April 10, 2019 Route Taken: Foothills Trail from Chimneytop Gap Trailhead – 5.4 miles roundtrip Type of Terrain: Moderate trail through light forests. The trail is well-marked and maintained, but it climbs...
by Paty | Apr 3, 2019 | Appalachian Trail, Trail Journals
Spring flowers are starting to bloom, and so many of my fellow Class of 2019 AT thru-hikers are already on the trail. Part of me feels like I’m already behind. But as I watch all the videos on YouTube showing these hikers’ first few days or weeks on trail,...
by Paty | Mar 20, 2019 | The South, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #8 Date Visited: March 9, 2019 Route Taken: North Rim Trail and Signal Hill Trail to the summit; Mossback Ridge Trail and Greenfield Trail on the return to trailhead (5.5 miles roundtrip) Type of Terrain: Moderately easy...
