I cannot believe another decade is comin’ in hot! The end of a decade is arbitrary, but I still feel like it means something. Amazingly, this blog has been alive the entire 10s, so it is a fossil preservation of our memories, an agreeable happenstance for Justin’s terrible memory that he fully admits to have. …
Currently living/working in: December was dedicated to catching up to life administrative tasks and full of back-and-forth edits for Backpacker (my Spring Gear Guide Pole Reviews went through NINE passes). We purposely planned to have way fewer work projects these next few months while at our cabin in Alaska, a welcome break from the months…
I said I would do some posts about life in Alaska. We’ve spent plenty of summers in Alaska, but winter in Alaska is a whole new experience with a huge learning curve. We only had a small taste during our first month, which was early winter. But when we return on December 26, it will…
Currently living/working in: We spent the first part of the month holed up in our cabin in Healy, Alaska, juggling writing deadlines. Then we flew to the East Coast for 3 Leave No Trace cleanup events (Jacksonville 11/17, Philadelphia 11/23 and NYC—specifically Queens—11/29) as part of the REI Opt Outside / Opt to Act campaign.…
I did NOT mean to let 16 days to go by without blogging. It’s an understatement to say I’m busy juggling deadlines and other work projects, causing the blog to sit on the back burner. But onward! By now, the rest of America is catching up on seasons. The trees are bare and there is…
For the past few years, we’ve mainly “lived” on the West Coast, Colorado in particular. It made sense to claim our residency and health care in Colorado, as 2 of our employers are in Boulder, and both of Justin’s sisters (and spouses/nephews), as well as his mom, live in Denver. As our “living” situation inevitably…
Currently living/working in: Healy, Alaska!!! We finished up our Leave No Trace/Subaru contract and flew to Alaska Oct. 14. I greatly appreciate sitting still after a summer on the road, but even more so in our cozy little cabin. Lest you think we’ve just been doing puzzles and watching the snow fall out our windows,…
I’m posting blogs in chronological order, so bear with me as I catch up to the present! Our 2019 Leave No Trace/Subaru Zero Landfill Initiative Summer Tour was a huge success. We visited the same 3 national parks that are striving toward zero landfill (Grand Teton, Denali & Yosemite). Leave No Trace gives us a…
We finished our Leave No Trace/Subaru Zero Landfill Tour on Sept. 30 in Yosemite National Park, and even though Sept. 30 was only 19 days ago, it feels like 19 weeks! I figured I better post my Yosemite Wrap Up sooner than later (and full tour wrap up next). Everyone loves Yosemite. But as I…
Justin & I hit our 45th state high point on Oct. 1: Nevada’s Boundary Peak! Trip Mileage: 10.6 miles (roundtrip) Hiking Time: 8 hrs 45 min Elevation Gain/Loss: 4,200 feet Last year while driving from Yosemite, CA to Boulder, CO after the Zero Landfill Tour, we realized we were driving right by Nevada’s state high…
***Sorry for the delay! We were climbing to the top of Nevada (blog post forthcoming!)*** Currently living/working in: We just finished up our final Subaru/Leave No Trace Zero Landfill Initiative outreach destination in Yosemite National Park and we’re in route to Denver/Boulder, where we’ll be for about 9 days. Then off to our new cabin…
Do you believe there are more than 800 miles of trails and 167 lakes in Yosemite National Park? It’s a freakin big park. We definitely squeezed in lots of day hiking while working here this month, which is always good, but backcountry exclusion is our happy place. Total Trip Mileage: 15.7 miles Elevation Gain: 2500…
We are already halfway through our last leg of the Zero Landfill Tour, in Yosemite National Park. But I couldn’t go without doing a wrap up from our time in Alaska! 34 days 26 events Mileage Driven: 5,250 miles Nights Camping: 6 Miles Hiked: 45.2 Miles Paddled: 10.5 Denali Sightings: 6 Black Bears Spotted: 3…
Last summer while we were working in Denali National Park for the Leave No Trace / Subaru Zero Landfill Initiative, Joe Lamp’l from Growing a Greener World asked us to part of his show and the premiere of Season 10 Episode 1 happened this month! To give background, Growing a Greener World airs on PBS…
Folks, take seat and a deep breath. We purchased a cabin in Healy, Alaska. They say, Alaska gets in your blood. When you leave, it beckons you to come back. And if you stay too long, you can never leave. Alaska immediately overtook Justin’s blood upon his first summer working in the state in 2003.…
Currently living/working in: We are in route to our next Leave No Trace outreach destination: Yosemite National Park. But actually, we have a few events before getting to there (e.g., Skagit, WA, and San Francisco). This route and these destinations are still part of the Subaru/Leave No Trace Zero Landfill Initiative and we will be…
I once read that the cost to visit all 8 national parks in Alaska would amount to $10,000. Now that we’ve been to 5 of those parks over SEVERAL years—3 of which are fly/boat-in only—we can see how the dollars add up. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in south-central Alaska was this year’s splurge…
Because we drive around the country so much, we typically are visiting everyone in their homes, or at least their state. I’ve seen my mom a lot this year, but always in New Jersey. To change things up, she decided to visit us on the road while we’ve been in Alaska!! Her brother and his…
What now is a few weeks ago (I’m behind on posts!), we embarked on another backpacking trip deep into Denali National Park! Last year, we did Unit 9, and this year Unit 6. Total trip mileage: 18.1 miles Time Spent in the Wild: 2 nights / 3 days Elevation Gain: 1,850 feet As I explained…
Justin’s grandma, Barbara La Vigne, passed away this past week and I’d love to pay my respects to her by writing a little bit about our time on Earth with her! As soon as I met Grandma La Vigne and learned that she loved chocolate as much as I did, I knew that I would…