Echo Park in Dinosaur National Monument

Steamboat Rock in Dinosaur National Monument is formed by the cutting of two rivers: the Green River and Yampa River. They come together right in front of this massive rock. You can camp here! Dinosaur National Monument straddles the Colorado-Utah border. The famous quarry in the Morrison Formation that preserves more than 1,000 Jurassic-aged fossils …

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The Great Sand Dunes

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 …

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2022 Gift Guide

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 …

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Be Here Now Sign in fall aspen foliage.

It’s Fall

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 …

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The Next Big Adventure: Fourteener Project

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.

Woman at the summit of Mt. Whitney, tallest mountain in continental USA.

Mt. Whitney: A Successful Summit

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, …

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Hiking Foot Care, or, I have Bony Feet

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 …

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What to eat on a long day hike?

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 …

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Training for Mt. Whitney

As mentioned in a previous post, I’m preparing to hike Mt. Whitney in late August. I’m really excited about this adventure, and am spending a lot of time thinking about how to best prepare myself for the hike. To recap, we have a 24 hour permit, so we need to hike the 22-mile, 6,000 foot …

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Building a Lifetime of Adventure

I recently wrote a post for the Trail Sisters journal. I'll copy it here, but you can also go ahead and check it out on their page. The more the merrier: My children and their cousins enjoying a summer hike. I grew up loving to run. In college, I ran cross country and track for …

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