Brian’s 17-year old niece, Hannah, was recently here visiting us in Colorado. I can’t do a ton of activity on my ankle yet, but we took her stand-up paddleboarding and whitewater rafting. It was important to me to get her out to experience some new things she might not have the chance to do at home. I want her to love the mountains just as much as I do. I believe role models can be a powerful force in the…
In 2013, Brian and I were visiting friends and family in Montana. One of my all-time bucket list climbs for Montana is a burly mountain called Great Northern. It stands just beyond the southern edge of Glacier National Park rises to 8,705 ft. It’s the tallest peak in the Great Bear Wilderness, so the views into Glacier from the peak are fantastic. The trail isn’t maintained, or even marked. It’s kind of a local’s secret, so is more of a…
As I sat outside, alone by the fire this evening, my dog sat with his ears perked up, staring off into the darkness. He was probably just listening to a squirrel or something, but it freaked me out that a moose was going to pop out of the bushes. When you are alone, you tend to “hear” things you wouldn’t normally. Which got me thinking back to some of the best creepy backcountry tales that friends have shared with me…
We have been living in Summit County, CO for the last 10 months. It’s been fantastic on a lot of different levels. It truly is our Mountain Happy Place. The big downer, however, has been finding a place to live. I read somewhere that only 30% of the actual population of Summit County actually lives here full-time. The rest are second homeowners and vacation rentals (mostly from Texas). When we sold our house in Portland, it went blessedly quick. Because…