***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 in Alaska for the rest of October into November to crack down on lots of content projects for Backpacker!

Current mood: A tad scatterbrain! We have A LOT going on and figuring out different projects/deadlines/logistics for the next few months has been tricky and ever-changing (and involves other decision makers besides us). I’m hoping sitting still in Alaska for a few weeks help us focus and reset.
Currently thankful for: Guess what? Leave No Trace just can’t get rid of us. They hired us for a 2-week special project contract in November. Some of you on the East Coast might see us driving by … stay tuned.
Current confession: Yosemite is a very crowded national park, receiving more than 4 million visitors per year. Last year while we were working here, we hardly went out hiking to avoid the crowds. But this year, we vowed to get out more. And we did! We logged 57.6 miles hiking around Yosemite. Even though this was our 4th visit to the park, we felt like we finally developed a deep appreciation for its beauty (and sometimes still found ways to avoid the masses).



Currently excited about: Reliable and fast Internet. We’ll have about 9 days of good Internet in Denver after having very dismal and painstakingly slow coverage in Yosemite this month. It’s the little things in life we take for granted.
Currently not excited about: I’ve spent endless hours on the phone this month with insurance and providers to navigate the protocols & prior authorizations for our new insurance plan and there’s still more to come. I’m just hoping that all the upfront research & understanding I am doing will create a smooth future path.
Current guilty pleasure: Spices, balsamic vinegar & cast-iron cookware. The back story is we were sharing employee housing in Yosemite with another Leave No Trace Traveling Team (there are FOUR other teams on the road year-round, unlike us who do the mini-contracts). This is actually Jessie & Matt’s THIRD year on the road for Leave No Trace, and they have living out of their Subaru down to a science. They do not skimp on good eats like us. So when they broke out their box of supplies labeled “baking and spices,” we unabashedly asked for a little help from our friends on our road warrior cooking repertoire.

Currently worried about: Buying a car! We are 99% sure we are buying a used car to have in Alaska. I loathe buying any car, and typically I’ve always purchased new Chevy cars since my dad worked for GMAC all those years. It was always a pretty mindless process, as there were only a handful of new car choices. But since we’re going the used route this time around, that means TOO MANY choices. Justin is doing all the research, but I expect a lot of headaches and indecisiveness.
Currently regretting: We discovered that the hotels, gift shops, etc. around Denali sell off a ton of stuff at the end of their tourist season and boy do we wish we were there this past month! Some great deals on things we probably don’t need, but would make for good additions to our little cabin.
Currently proud of: Did you guys see our blog post from 9/13??? We shared it, but it felt like no one saw it (Facebook algorithm??). Anyway, we were part of episode 1 of the 10th season of Growing a Greener World!! Just go check out this post for a the full explanation!!!
Currently reading: We’ve finished listening to Into the Raging Sea by Rachel Slade on our way to Yosemite. It was so good, yet so sad (about the sinking of El Faro container ship and 33 crew members in 2015).
Currently watching on Netflix: We binge watched “Better Call Saul” while in Yosemite! Justin had it downloaded on the iPad for a long time, and I’ve been reluctant to give it a go. But I loved it way more than I ever expected. And now that we finished up Season 3, we have to wait for Season 4 to hit Netflix.
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I must confess that I haven’t read the blog lately so I’m so happy I decided to read this one. I just watched the segment and the photography makes me want to go to Denali. You make such an important impact on the environments that you love so much. I’m so happy for the both of you. Did I notice a fresh haircut Justin? lol
Hope you make it to the White Mountains during your east coast tour with Leave No Trace Behind.
Grrr, this just ate my comment. boo.
Anyway—yay for Denali post-season sales–but 🙁 you didn’t get to partake!
Still have GGW on the list to watch soon.
Looking forward to seeing more about your first weeks in AK
Well, it’s October and I’m just getting around to reading so…envious of your sweet cabin!