When our backpacking club, DCUL, hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail south of the Shenandoah National Park last year, we called our trip: “Whale Watching in the Blue Ridge Mountains.” It was really just a joke, though. Whales rarely hide in the trees of those mountains. We simply riffed off the name of a... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: “Dry Feet in a Wet Desert” (Utah/Arizona: Escalente NM: Paria Canyon + Death Hollow Canyon + Harris Wash + Buckskin Gulch + Pine Creek Box) (April 13-23, 2024)
“You probably won't even get your feet wet,” the Ranger said as he handed us a permit and a bunch of wag bags. “The conditions in Paria Canyon are unusually perfect. The low chance of rain tomorrow has cleared, the temperatures are warming, and the reliable springs are all flowing.” He saved the best for... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: Joshua Tree and Mojave National Preserve (January 2023) – Return to the Desert
The first time I saw the Mojave Desert, it looked like an inhospitable wasteland. It was 2006 and I was on I-10, driving across the country with my dad from my college in Orange County, CA back to my hometown, Washington, DC after graduation. The barren, sun-baked hills and mountain ranges seemed like a good... Continue Reading →