The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

Just came across this video on my phone from last summer: This hike was unbelievable, and I had the whole place to myself. So many wildflowers, and the scenery was so perfect it almost looked fake. 3 more weeks till I can go back to being a mountain woman!

Nancy came to visit last weekend, and it was shenanigans as usual. She is the Bert to my Ernie, my Long Distance Lover. I miss her so much! She wanted to see what a typical weekend in my life was like. We stayed up late on Friday night, chatting and catching up. Nancy woke up around 5:00 Saturday morning and went to use the bathroom. As she walked by my room, she heard me moaning and saying, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh…” She was mortified and tried to get out of there as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, I was suffering through my first charlie horse. The sound of my own voice had woken me up. My first thought was, “I hope Nancy didn’t hear that.” I went to use the bathroom and saw that Nancy was awake, so I told her about the charlie horse. “Oh,” she said, “I thought you were having a, um… private moment.” “What?! Nancy, it is 5:00 a.m.!” “Well, I don’t know your schedule!” “You think I set my alarm or something? Why would I do that???” “I don’t know, maybe

Only four weeks till summer!! Every year I make list of what I hope to accomplish over the summer. This has led to some amazing adventures, like my first slot canyon and the beginning of the Mississippi River. Here is this year's list, which is still a work in progress: 1. Hike on the trail with Sasquatch sitings 2. Sleep under the stars (dirtbag it!) 3. Frolic in an alpine meadow 4. Rhubarb Festival 5. Eat a blue sno-cone  6. Make out at a drive in 7. Go to an observatory and look at stars  8. Research picks for Fantasy Football 9. Catch fireflies 10. See the river in the Galiuros that only appears at night 11. See fireworks on the 4th 12. Powell's bookstore 13. At least one Northwest canyon 14. Explore more swimming holes in AZ 15. Host a formal cocktail party 16. Go on a bird walk  17. Pacheta Falls 18. Get in some R-rated stemming in Utah 19. Hike on part of the Oregon trail 20. Donuts and pie and chocolate and ice cream in Portland 21. Read A Midsummer Night's  Dream 2

I have had some bad times in canyons- the exit from Lower Baptist Draw, that rappel in Behunin that freaked me out-but I’ve never had a whole day that was just awful. Until my trip through Waterslides this weekend. Anxiety sucks. Mine comes and goes, and it’s been bad for the past few weeks. Here’s how ridiculous it is- I actually have anxiety about my anxiety. So, last week I tried some new strategies I’ve learned, and that escalated into a panic attack because THE STRATEGIES WERE NOT WORKING OMG I SUCK AT EVERYTHING. I  saw this cartoon on Buzzfeed that sums up part of the struggle:   So, Sunday I woke up feeling anxious. I would have liked to do a short canyon, or even just head home, but I was talked into doing Waterslides. I’m glad I went because I met some wonderful people and really enjoyed the time I spent with Jason and Kristin. But this was not a good choice for me that day.  Everything was a struggle. I just couldn’t get in the right headspace for this canyon. We did a lot o

I had never even considered doing Barhardt Canyon until this weekend. A few friends have told me it was a long, difficult day and I thought it would be too much for me. But I decided to go for it anyway, and I’m so glad I did! The hike in is long and gains 2,000 feet of elevation. However, it’s all on an easy trail, so it’s really not that bad. When we dropped into the canyon, I fell behind due to all the boulder hopping and considered turning around and just hiking back to the car. I didn’t want to hold the group back. Luckily, Rick (in his pink sunglasses and pink Birthday Bitch hat) talked me out of it.  (Suiting up) It was a beautiful canyon! Very similar to its neighbor, Shake Tree. I just love the colors and patterns in the various rock layers of the Mazzies. We saw lots of day hikers on the trail, and I am so glad I get to actually be in the canyon. You would miss so much if you were just hiking the trail!  (Me on the first rappel) One of my favorite parts of canyoneering is the

Hannah and I spent a lovely day at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum on Saturday. I'd been wanting to go for a while, and it was the perfect time since the desert is blooming. We took so many pictures.  Hannah was really excited about the Boojum trees. She wants to go to Mexico and wander through a forest of them. They were setting up for a wedding while we were there; what a gorgeous venue! I sang at church the next morning, one of my favorite songs- "How Can I Keep From Singing?" There was total silence when I finished. I thought Jodi (my friend/pianist) and I must have really sucked! But apparently people liked it and just didn't want to ruin the moment. So that was nice.  Then I went to the Cubs game with Amanda and Dani. It was hot, but so fun! Love hanging out with these girls, and it was great to see the Cubs play, even though they lost.