may your mountains rise into and above the clouds.

last dollar road from ridgway to telluride. van camping, backpacking and checking out the views.

- Carine McCandless

end to ending the long trail in 2011, how i long for these days again!

This is my little kitty bear and her name is Eva. I snapped this shot with my boyfriends camera in my parents basement a few weeks back.

badlands national park with the love of my life.

Today is my 23rd Birthday and Mr. Bobby McFerrin couldn't have said it any better.

wildflowers badlands national park.

awesome hike; cascade canyon to lake solitude with Grand Teton in the distance.

A year ago today I was waking up to this in California on the summit of Mount Watson. We had quite the exploration around Lake Tahoe hiking on the PCT, taking the van up multiple dirt bike trails, and I even took a dip (literally jumped in and out) in the freezing water!

sunrise hike in the badlands walking with my best friend while he glide-cams the awesome landscape

For a couple months my boyfriend and I drove the 'blue mastodon' around the USA where we practically lived off forest service roads! A few campgrounds here and there but we preferred to be secluded from the mass of people. Recently a family member of mine told me about two really cool people van camping around the USA for a year and documenting the entire thing! I'm really excited to live vicariously though their photographs and experiences on their blog here... http://saltroots.com/

badlands national park 2012

good morning long trail

All though this may not be the largest national park in the U.S., the breathtaking landscapes, millions of years of geological history (including some of the richest fossil beds in the world), and serene soundlessness while trekking though the giant pinnacles of sediment was just the feeling I was looking for.

Took my socks and shoes off for a few minutes and this white admiral landed right on them; I had to take a picture! 272 miles and I wouldn't trade that muddy, swamp, long stream long trail for anything... can't wait for the next end to end thru-hike!!

After leaving Colorado to escape from getting stuck in some major wild fires, we resided in an old camp spot in the Bridger Teton National Forest. This was the second time we would visit in this trip… a four day stop on the way out west and just about a week stop on the way back east, we clearly enjoyed these beautiful mountains. Not to mention during the hike to Cascade Canyon I encountered my second moose, this time up close and personal he literally ran us off the trail almost taking out my best friend! But besides the spectacular views and amazing smelling forests, Jackson has one of the most laid back atmospheres a town can offer.

The next morning the sun came out, cleared the fog, and brought me this picture of my best friend in the suns celebrated rays.