I’m glad you’re here! I invite you to travel with me to some of the most beautiful places in the world via the Internet. I love being on foot, hiking, backpacking, and snow-shoeing.
I’m excited to see what adventures 2024 has in store for me – I started with a bang at Death Valley, getting to walk out into Manly Lake at Badwater Basin (there hasn’t been water there since 2005). I’ll be re-visiting many favorite places in the Pacific Northwest as well as exploring new locations throughout the year.
As always, yoga is a part of my travels. To learn more about my yoga journey, visit YogaForRealPeople. I’ve also become an ACE Certified Health Coach, and have taken on a new position at the YMCA as a health coach, where I get to share my love of movement with others.
3 million acres of desert might sound desolate, but Death Valley is so beautiful! It stole my heart when I first visited 4 years ago, and it was so good to re-visit this time. We explored some new areas as well as returned to our favorites. The highlight was being able to walk out into Manly Lake at the lowest spot in North America. (Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states, is only 85 miles away). Read on for photos:
Badwater Basin (282 feet below sea level) and Manly Lake:
Knowing weather and high wind was coming in the next few days, our first stop in Death Valley was Manly Lake, a.k.a. Badwater Basin filled with a rare and temporary lake. Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level, making it the lowest elevation in North America. Interestingly, Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states, is only 85 miles away.
We walked out on the salt flats here 4 years ago, but this time it was surreal walking out through water. The last time there was water here was in 2005, 18 years ago. The lake was shallow but huge, miles wide and across. We walked out quite far, with water just above ankles, and enjoyed watching people with kayaks further out. The reflection of the Panamint Mountains to the west were stunning. At the car, our legs were coated with salt, well worth it for this experience.
We were so fortunate, because our second day in the park brought extremely high winds (gusts to 70mph) and the entire lake was pushed over a mile away, shutting down access to it.
Desolation Canyon
One of our two favorite canyon hikes at Death Valley, Desolation Canyon offers beautiful views from above down onto Artist’s Drive and the valley floor below. There are several spots that require a bit of scrambling, help from a hiking partner is much appreciated. Being able to see part of Manly Lake from above was a bonus!
I’m in awe that anything can live and survive in this environment, but Mother Nature finds a way. We saw a few thriving plants as well as lizards. Evening primrose was blooming, one lizard was a zebra tail, the other possibly a juvenile chuckwalla.
Golden Canyon and Red Cathedral
The initial section of Golden Canyon is very accessible, especially for those who aren’t comfortable with the minor scrambling that is required in some of the other canyons. That changes once you get closer to Red Cathedral.
The views of canyon walls, with Red Cathedral in the distance and glimpses of Manly Peak are beautiful. There is a connecting trail up to Zabriskie Point above, but we chose to go toward Red Cathedral, requiring more scrambling and ducking through small openings. I brought home a few knee bruises from near the end of the trail, worth it IMO!
Titus Canyon
Titus Canyon is (was?) a 26-mile, one-way high clearance vehicle road that I would love to drive some day, but for this trip we decided an early morning walk through stunning canyon walls would be a perfect way to start our second day. The gate at the bottom of the canyon was locked, so we weren’t sure if it was open to vehicles or not.
The entrance to the canyon is immediate from the parking area, and very easy walking so it’s possible to take in the huge walls without needing to pay much attention to where your feet are going. We meandered for about 1.5 miles up the canyon, loving the beautiful patterns of rocks in the canyon walls. I had a lovely sit-spot meditation in the sun while DH explored further up canyon. I was serenaded by white-throated swifts and canyon wrens.
Back to the car, where we noticed that the forecast wind was definitely making its presence known.
Ubehebe Crater
We had not been to see Ubehebe Crater on our previous trip, so decided to explore since it was in the general direction of Titus Canyon. By this point the wind was becoming much stronger, buffeting our car along the road. This road feels like driving to nowhere, desolate but beautiful. Near the crater the terrain changes to what I imaging the surface of the moon looks like.
By the time we got to Ubehebe, we could barely open our car doors against the wind. Standing in the wind, being pelted in the face by flying sand and small gravel, leaning into the wind at a crazy angle while walking, was definitely an interesting experience! We had planned to walk the entire loop around the crater, but that was impossible under the weather conditions. After a short and difficult stroll up to Little Hebe Crater for a few photos, we retreated back to the car, fighting fierce wind the entire way.
Mosaic Canyon
Mosaic Canyon, very close to the Stovepipe Wells area, is one of our favorite canyon hikes in Death Valley. Another one with a bit of scrambling required, and 2 work-arounds when you think you’ve hit a dead end. The NPS Death Valley website gives a good description of how to get around these two spots in their “Hikes” page.
Mosaic Canyon is named for the beautiful patterns and textures of the rock found throughout the canyon. Some is scoured marble or granite, which means scrambling up a 6-foot smooth wall can be a bit of a challenge, another great place where a hiking partner is a handy thing to have!
We had a lovely conversation with a raven part way up the canyon, and noted several flowers blooming as well. Unfortunately at the end of the canyon were 2 large groups that were being ridiculously loud and annoying, so we didn’t linger but immediately turned and headed back down, this time sliding down the smooth walls, much more fun than trying to climb up them!
Artist’s Drive
A beautiful one-way loop road that meanders through the eastern foothills, through varied terrain and colors. Stopping and getting out at Artist’s Palette to see a hillside of beautiful colors is worth it (but maybe not in 70mph wind!)
Zabriskie Point
Perhaps the most popular viewpoint at Death Valley, a short drive from the Furnace Creek area. The short walk from the parking area opens up expansive views to the foot hills and valley floor below. It was possible to see part of Manly Lake, as well as the dust storms that were exploding in the valley below.
It’s also possible to see the trails that connect Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon below. We might have considered hiking the whole thing, but at this point in our trip the wind was intense, making it hard to stand up straight, much less hike in it.
Driving in Wind and Sand
We are so thankful that we got to visit Manly Lake and do the hikes that we did, because by the end of our second day it was becoming dangerous to drive or be outside due to the extreme wind. (A spot in the Sierra Mountains, not too far away, clocked a 190mph wind gust during this time!)
Rhyolite Ghost Town
On our third full day, we decided to not attempt going down into Death Valley due to extreme weather conditions, winter storm and high wind warnings. We did explore Rhyolite Ghost Town, just outside of Beatty NV. It’s amazing to think of how people were able to live and work in the mines in these conditions. The train station must have been a stunning building at its peak. And an entire house made out of bottles… good way to recycle what was used the saloon.
While weather was not perfect, we are still so thankful to have been able to go back to this amazing place, to walk in a lake that only appears once every few decades, to re-visit some of our favorite hikes and explore new areas.
The canyon country of southern Utah pulled at my heart yet again. I’m sure it will never stop. I’ve been to most of these places before, places I keep going back to because I adore them. This time was different, because my husband came along for the adventure as well so he could also experience the magic that I feel every time I’m there. 70 miles hiked, some familiar friends and some new challenges.
This is the short version. For many more photos and written words on my adventures, see the LONG VERSION.
9 trail miles 2000+ feet elevation gain A day with 1 good friend 1 stunning volcano many huckleberries in my tummy 1 mosquito 1 gorgeous bear taking a swim
We had boots on trail by 7am at Mowich Lake / Mt. Rainier, headed toward Spray Park. It made for an early morning wake up, but even by 7am it was starting to get crowded out there. We stopped at the Eagle’s Viewpoint for our first view of Tahoma and loved watching the lenticular clouds swirling down the north slope.
Spray Park is a series of meadows, almost like terraces, with wide open spaces separated by trees and more elevation gain between each one. It’s such a beautiful area, and the view of the Mountain (a.k.a. still an active volcano) shifts and changes with each tier. This place is usually a riot of wildflowers, AND an open buffet for swarms of mosquitoes. Almost all flowers were done blooming, but there were thousands of gentians filling the meadows with their wonderful blue color. Even better than that, I only saw one mosquito. We were able to sample several types of wild huckleberries as well, amazing little bursts of flavor!
After reaching the top meadow, we had lunch overlooking Mist Park and the Carbon River Valley, to the left was Mother Mountain, behind us was Tahoma itself. After lunch, a little bit further up we finished with beautiful close-up views before the trial starts dropping down toward Cataract Valley.
On our way back down we heard reports of a bear near the trail, but never saw it. By the lowest meadow, we heard more reports of another bear. We came to a small pond and were rewarded with being able to watch a beautiful bear graze for berries, then dip into the pond and go for a relaxing swim. I’ve seen many bears over the years, but this was by far the best experience I’ve had watching them. As soon as it came out of the pond and turned toward us, that was our cue to leave quickly.
Going for a swim
What a wonderful day. I never want to take for granted the amazing area that I live in, and the fact that after so many orthopedic problems over 40 years I’ve still been able to put in the work and yoga needed so that I can continue to get outside and experience these things first hand.
Days like this make my heart feel like bursting from goodness. Gratitude for Mother Nature and even though my body is defective, gratitude that I can still do what I love to do.
I just got home from solo backpacking a 37-mile stretch of the Wonderland Trail on the west side of Mt. Rainier. What a stunning way to spend 4 days with just me, my boots, backpack, tent, and time with Mother Nature. My full post with more photos and day-to-day trail talk is HERE ~ please gather up your favorite beverage and wander some incredible scenery with me.
Let the packing begin!!! I head out on Wednesday for 55-60 miles of the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier/Tahoma. I’m not quite sure where I’ll be exiting yet, depending on if I can add one last night when I go to pick up my permit on Tuesday morning.
This is what 9 days of backpacking food looks like for me (7 or 8 days on the trail, plus an extra day’s worth just in case). I really REALLY struggle to eat out on the trail. My stomach just says “NO.”
So I’m changing it up a bit this time, only plan on heating water once a day to make a dehydrated dinner each night at camp. The rest of the day ~~ breakfast, lunch, and snacks along the way ~~ will be easy-to-eat bars, nuts, and dried fruits so that I can basically nibble a bit at a time throughout the day instead of trying to force myself to eat breakfast and lunch. Hopefully that will help with keeping my energy up.
An absolutely lovely, squishy, wet wander through the woods this morning with a good friend. Only found 1 mushroom, but we spent a long time taking in all the teensy details that can only be seen by really slowing down, pausing, and noticing. The mosses and fungi and lichen are a world unto themselves – an entire universe on a single tree stump. It’s so so SO important to take the time to slow down and just pay attention
(If anyone is interested in my new mindfulness with nature journal about this exact thing, here’s more information about it!)
I spent quite a while looking at the dazzling array of colors, textures, and life-forms on an area of an old stump about the size of a hardcover book. So good to pause, be still, and simply notice.
It is especially amazing being able to share time like this with someone who gets just as geeked-out as I do about the small miracles happening all around us
Living in Western Washington State means having very little daylight during wintertime, which is compounded by the winter climate of rain, gray, gloom, and dark. I call it “The Dark Season.”
I’ve struggled with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) for 30+ years. I’m SOLAR POWERED, I need sunlight and outdoor activity to feel good, and I just don’t get that for half of my life. I wrote an article on my yoga blog about what it feels like to live with SAD for 6 months out of every 12.
I’m finally choosing to not be miserable every winter, and will be spending part of every Dark Season in a sunnier location from now on. Not just because it’s fun to be out in the sunshine, but for my physical and mental health and well-being. This year I’m spending 6 weeks in southern Utah in Nov/Dec, and have been here for 6 days thus far. The difference in how I feel between here and Washington State is incredible, and I’ve been journaling about my experience.
Since BluesBoots is about spending time in the great outdoors with Mother Nature, I think this is an appropriate place to share my winter sunshine experience.
I’m fortunate that 2 of my 3 part time jobs are online and portable. Spending 6 weeks in the St. George, Utah, area means I can still work while here, but also get daily doses of sunshine and outdoor activity. I teach and practice yoga, and am a Mindful Outdoor Guide, so I’m very in tune with what my body and mind are doing along with the seasons and outdoor conditions.
Things I’ve noticed in the past 6 days being in sunny Southern Utah instead of Washington State:
· I don’t need to have lights on in the house all day long even during daylight hours. Bright natural light v. electric light all day – big difference!
· I have so much more energy physically – outdoors daily for several hours in the form of hiking and biking.
· I feel very alert mentally, not like a hibernating animal.
· My mood is soooo good, even though I miss my family and friends at home.
· I’m waking up to natural light in the morning, not an alarm clock in the dark. My waking up experience is so much better, I’m ready for every day instead of having to drag myself out of bed.
· I’m not at all sleepy in the afternoons. At home in WA in winter I feel like someone has drugged me to the point that I literally can’t make it through a day without 1 to 2 naps. (I’ve fallen asleep with my face on my keyboard before, not pleasant)
· I’m naturally sleeping about 7.5 – 8 hours a day, not 10+. That means I have more time to do things during the day, hooray!
· I’m not freezing cold and fighting to stay warm all winter. I don’t need to wear 4 layers of clothes and a wool hat *inside* my house because I run so much colder than the rest of my family in wintertime.
· I’m NOT CRAVING SUGAR – which is a huge thing for me. In winter all I want is sugar and chocolate, to an obsessive degree, for that serotonin hit that I don’t get in wintertime. I gain weight every winter. Not craving sugar and being so much more active daily will hopefully stave off my yearly winter weight gain.
· I’m not having to force myself to exercise like I do at home. I know it’s good for me but in winter it’s like torture making my body move when all it wants to do is crawl into bed. Here in the sun I’m loving being active, it feels wonderful.
· I’m not feeling the need to snack all day long, I’m eating much less than I would be at home, but have so much more energy. It’s easier for me to eat healthy. Part of that is how I feel, and part is that I’m on my own these weeks without family in the house for now, so all of their snacky foods aren’t available to me because I’m not buying any for myself.
· It’s amazing to be able to wear normal clothes and not have to bundle and layer indoors like I do at home, where I feel like I’m freezing my arse off for 6 months of every 12, even though my thermostat here is set to almost the same temp as we have it at home.
· Even though it’s not warm here by any means, mid-50s F during the day, just the sun exposure itself is making a huge impact on how cold/not cold I feel.
Summary: For me in winter in WA, sleep and cold go hand in hand. When I’m cold (which is pretty much 50% of my life) I get painfully sleepy, and vice versa. Here with daily sun exposure I don’t feel cold indoors, I’m awake and alert throughout the day without an afternoon slump, I’m not craving sugar, my mood is exponentially better even though I miss my family, and I have more energy than I know what to do with.
I’m calling it a success. Thanks for letting me share.
Every year in autumn I like to take a lesson from Mother Nature as leaves are changing color and falling. What am I holding onto that I should let go of? What is no longer serving me?
I wrote THIS ARTICLE several years ago about things that can clutter up our lives and our minds. I also use some of these ideas in my yoga classes during this season. As I’m currently in training to become certified as a Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide, these lessons apply even more!
While you’re there, feel free to visit some of the other articles on my yoga blog as well!
Phew!!! Took me days to sort through, label, and upload hundreds of photos, but it’s READY!
I spent an incredible month exploring Colorado and Utah, living in my little teardrop trailer, hiking, scrambling, and soaking in all the good things and sunshine this area has to offer.
These photos are just a tiny sampling to whet your appetite for more… visit the entire trip HERE. If you ever get the chance to visit, just GO!
83 trail miles hiked 6 National Parks 4 National Monuments 2 State Parks 2 other public land areas 3900 driving miles 2 exhausted feet 1 happy Andrea
(And another trip to Utah? Yep! In November I spent 5 weeks in the St. George, UT, area for even more sunshine)
