Dreads, A Lifestyle

About six months ago there were days my poofy dreads were insanely out of control and I'd think,"aahhh! Why did I do this to my hair!?" Luckily, those freak outs weren't often and I could care less how funny I looked. 

Bad Hair day? About two months in this photo. Photo Credit: Erica F.

Skagway, Alaska

A native once told me that when she was a little girl she would sing up to the brisk winter night sky to conjure the aurora and make it dance. 

As I reflect back at this moment, I was sitting in the taxi on my way to the Juneau ferry terminal. The native Alaskan driver happily shared stories while the rain hit the windshield. I hoped it wouldn’t rain as much in Skagway.

Juneau, Alaska

I glanced into the store window to see these cute scrabble words put together. Other windows held alaskan trinkets, you could find anything you wanted labeled with a cute bear, wild flower, fish, or moose. Outside most of the stores are life sized bears that tourists can cuddle and snap a photo with. 

Central America

This was my home in the jungle of Panama from January to April.

El Diablo Rojo, The Red Devil Bus Transportation in Panama City

Estoy en Panama! The trip here was fun, had a layover in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday and one of my best girlfriends Sarah picked me up. We went to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast then spent hours at the Bodies Exhibit. I hopped on the plane that evening and four hours later landed in Panama City. I was greeted by the smiling faces of interns who had also just arrived and Johnny the chef who picked us up. As we drove into the city a cop car had its array of flashing lights on the entire time while it was driving along. Well, you don't see that often in the USA.

Lichens in High Places

What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?

-William Henry Davies

      Often referred to as “nature’s pioneers,” lichens can be found all over the world in places you might have never thought of. While trekking in the mountains have you ever noticed colorful organisms clinging to the rocks? Or while walking through the forest, the branches and twigs scattered throughout the forest floor, covered in green to brown organisms? Most likely, these are lichens. Lichens are a symbiotic association between a fungus and an algae or cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). They play an important role in not only creating beauty in an otherwise dull and lifeless area, they enable other organisms to grow, are a food source, used for nesting material, and can be used to learn about the health of the environment they are in.

The Wonderland Trail

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 The Wonderland Trail circumnavigates Mt. Rainier in 93 miles through pristine old growth forests and wind swept alpine areas. This endeavor was another challenge I wanted to fulfill after successfully summiting Mt. Rainier four times, living and working at Sunrise and Paradise and covering miles and miles on the Wonderland Trail. I had only six days to do the trip because I started school in a week. I couldn't find any itinerary for a six day trip so I put the numbers together between camps and tried to realistically consider whether it was possible (as you will discover, I pushed the limit). The Wonderland Trail is most often done clockwise but I did it counter clockwise so I could meet my grandmother at Longmire by a certain day and time. September is a wonderful time on the mountain because there are less people and while the flowers have wilted and died in the lower elevations, all of the flowers are in full bloom up on Mt. Rainier.

Lichens In High Places

A few weeks ago I woke up early and spent three hours typing about my adventures on the Wonderland Trail. I was feeling great, coffee in hand, brain swimming with ideas, and my fingers flying across the keyboard. What happened next, I'm sure you can imagine the pain that swept across me. The computer froze just as I was about to post it. I waited and waited for a miracle, for my page to reappear. Instead I had to re-boot, losing everything I had just written.

The Wonderland Trail

I've been pretty lazy all summer, and now that I have one week left before school, I am bound for an adventure that has been on my mind for a few years now. The Wonderland Trail. It circumnavigates the 14, 410 foot icon of Washington State, Mt. Rainier. With a total of 93 miles, this trail weaves up and down through rugged glacial deposit terrain, ancient fog soaked forests, and the key to every outdoor enthusiasts heart. I've worked two summers on the mountain, first at Sunrise and secondly at Paradise. I have explored several portions of the trail and even summited the mountain four times. I've never had enough time to backpack this trail until now. Whereas the majority of people backpack it in ten to twelve days, I will be backpacking it in six. That means, on average, I will be hiking fifteen miles a day. Also, since I've hiked a lot of this trail, I don't want to take it leisurely. My grandma Jean will be meeting me at the Longmire Lodge half way through. She will be bringing me my food supplies for the rest of the trip.