The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a hiking, photography, and ecological wonderland. The park holds the tallest largest dunes in North America (some reaching over 750 feet in height!), has a seasonally flowing stream, and numerous access points. Biggest sandbox around! Geology The following is an excerpt from Colorado Rocks. Check the …
The winter has been busy, and like many parents, plagued with cyclical illness. However, we've also had time to enjoy hiking, baking and cooking, skiing, lots of swimming, and even some pretty steady running. My furry running partner is pictured waiting impatiently, below. While this post has very little to do with running, I'm actually …
Time flies, and this fall, the clock has seemed to speed up on me. My 2022 Gift Guide is out the door and here for you to enjoy. Happily, there's still plenty of time before the holidays, so check out some of my favorite things hiking, outdoors, and running related! First, of course, start with …
This past weekend we ventured to White Sands National Park. The park is famous for its sparkling white sand dunes, which exist in the middle of the southern New Mexico desert. I'll talk a bit about kid-organization, and a bit about the geology of White Sands.
I have been having pain in my right knee for a few months. For the past several years (or a decade?) my knee occasionally will ‘click’ when I run downhill when very fatigued, or on an occasional swim day when I am flutter kicking. The pain has been growing over the summer and fall, finally making it so painful to run downhill that I have had to stop running. I made an appointment to visit an orthopedist. A few xrays and a quick physical exam and history, and the diagnosis of patellar osteoarthritis was made.
The best time of year. I'm spending as much time in the woods as I can, catching the changing seasons and savoring the cooler temperatures. This past weekend we did a 'divide and conquer' hike, with me and kids starting a hike in an aspen wonderland, then returning to the car while my husband hiked …
Our eldest daughter asked to climb a fourteener for her 10th birthday. This quickly progressed to a "14er Project" with the goal of climbing 14 Fourteeners by the time she was 14. We climbed Mt. Yale as our first mountain peak, and had a great time.
I hiked Mt. Whitney a couple of weeks ago in late August, and have spent the past two weeks basking in the glory of topping the tallest mountain in the contiguous 48 states (also, letting my calves recover, and getting into the back-to-school routine with my children). The hike was marvelous. It was long, gorgeous, …
As I’ve been training for my Mt. Whitney hike, which will take place later this month, I’ve been doing a lot of hiking. One of the questions I get most often both from runners and hikers is how to prevent blisters. I have bony, narrow feet. In particular, one of the things that I need …
What you eat before, during, and after a long day hike has a huge impact on how your hike goes. Ideally, you want to be optimally fueled so as to have an awesome, energy-filled hike and quick recovery after your long effort. Hiking food and distance running fuel look a lot alike in basic nutritional …