I overheard a local dad talking to his young son as they walked about on the rocks by the ocean. The boy was probably 6 or 7, still quite small, and needed his fathers direction to get around the terrain. “Move slow,” he said. “Take time. That’s how you see the magic.” I got thisContinue reading “Hawaii’s Wisdom”
Author Archives: alexandriacantrell22
Hawaii || August 2019
Hawaii is one of the places that seems to be on everyone’s travel bucket lists. Black sand beaches, dense green jungles, lush mountains, volcanoes, surfing! The list of beautiful things to do and see goes on and on. I haven’t heard of anyone going to Hawaii and coming back with an underwhelming response to theContinue reading “Hawaii || August 2019”
Mesa Verde National Park || 2019
Last month, I took a 2000 mile road trip to Colorado, and decided to stop in Mesa Verde National Park to see a place called the Cliff Palace! This park surprised me. I don’t know what I expected, but I was so taken aback and impressed by how sophisticated these cliff dwellings were, how ingenious,Continue reading “Mesa Verde National Park || 2019”
Lake Powell, UT || June 2019
Lake Powell…what an enigma of a place. Lake Powell is a giant man made lake, created by the Colorado River and a few other tributary rivers. Covering over 161,000 acres, the lake spans about 180 miles in length and 25 miles at its widest point. On a satellite map, it looks like a giant swollenContinue reading “Lake Powell, UT || June 2019”
Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho || June 2019
A couple of weeks after getting off the PCT, I was antsy as hell, sad, and more than a little stir crazy. So, we decided to go visit Idaho, which seems to be where I go whenever I’m injured. I also decided to use some of the money I’d saved for the trail to buyContinue reading “Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho || June 2019”
Pacific Crest Trail: California || 2019
When Injury Happens On a Thru I’ve been really putting off writing this post. A lot of you may already know, but I had to get off the PCT due to a foot injury. After months of anxious excitement, the trail I’d been dreaming about was right at my feet. My dreams feel dashed, andContinue reading “Pacific Crest Trail: California || 2019”
Gobble Gobble, Bitches….Yeah!
An Introduction to the Highlining Community I mean, look….was this highline gathering the coolest thing I’ve ever seen? I think perhaps, yes. Yes, it was..How does one explain highlining? I guess we gotta start with slacklining first. Slacklining is a strange and unique sport. It looks like tight rope walking, and I suppose that’s whatContinue reading “Gobble Gobble, Bitches….Yeah!”
UTAH || Mt. Superior: 11,132 ft.
Hiking the South Ridge of Superior “Mountains function as metaphorical and symbolic space. There is no more geographical equivalent to the idea of arrival and triumph than the topmost peak beyond which there is no further to go.”-Rebecca Solnit’s Wanderlust: a History of Walking Finally did the South Ridge of Superior. What a spectacular exhilaratingContinue reading “UTAH || Mt. Superior: 11,132 ft.”
Mt Hood: The Timberline Trail
A Very Wet Pacific Northwest Experience September 2018 Oh, hey there Oregon. Over the last few days, I took a short trip to Mount Hood to hike the Timberline Trail. The Timberline Trail is only a mere 40 miles long, circumnavigating the iconic Mt. Hood, just outside of Portland. It’s not a super easy one,Continue reading “Mt Hood: The Timberline Trail”
Utah || Mt. Olympus: 9,026 ft
September 2018 I did a thing I’ve always always wanted to do since moving here: Hike up Mt. Olympus, camp on that gorgeous saddle and then pop up the rock scramble in the morning for a sunrise summit!! Mt. Olympus is an iconic peak, towering along the Salt Lake front. The hike is nothing tooContinue reading “Utah || Mt. Olympus: 9,026 ft”
Colorado Trail: Post 10
Snow Mesa to the San Juans I’m not even going to lie to you guys. I stopped writing upon getting to the San Juans. I don’t know if I was just tired every night when I hit the sack, or if I started to meld into the life of the trail, but I didn’t reallyContinue reading “Colorado Trail: Post 10”
Colorado Trail: Post 9
San Luis Peak: 14,022 ft. While on trail, we decided to run up San Luis Peak…my first ever 14’er!! We were already most of the way up just by being on the trail itself. Just add a couple thousand more feet, and we’d be up there! The truth is, I almost didn’t do it! IContinue reading “Colorado Trail: Post 9”
Colorado Trail: Post 8
On Beetle Kill and Climate Change Look at this beautiful view. Then notice…the entire forest is dead. For the past week or so, there have been more and more views like this one. Beautiful vistas filled with dead trees. The cause? Beetle kill. I’ve been talking to locals about it for over a week now.Continue reading “Colorado Trail: Post 8”
Colorado Trail : Post 7
On Living Your Dream Cliche Travel Quote of the Day: “And then there is the most dangerous risk of all — the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.” The thing about cliches, is a lot of the time,Continue reading “Colorado Trail : Post 7”
Colorado Trail: Post 6
The West Collegiates This post is a long one. There were a ton of wildfires when we started our hike, and hiking into Twin Lakes was our first real evidence of it. The wildfire happened to be a ways away, and the wind blew it into the valley. Smoke filled the entire area and hazeContinue reading “Colorado Trail: Post 6”
Colorado Trail: Post 5
Why Do I Come Out Here? Here’s a journal entry from a few days ago: “I’m thinking about all the things I am so so grateful for today, and it’s a good day, and it feels amazing and the weather is perfect and there’s a cool breeze and the flowers are blooming and the aspensContinue reading “Colorado Trail: Post 5”
Colorado Trail: Post 4
WILDFLOWERS, STORMS July 17, 2018 It’s getting quite beautiful out here. I picked July for this trail because I figured that’s when the wildflowers would be popping off. I was right! It’s been so gorgeous. The trail is lined w paintbrush of every shade and color, and smatterings of yellow, purple, blue and white areContinue reading “Colorado Trail: Post 4”
Colorado Trail: Post 3
100 Miles July 13, 2018 Made it to the 100 mile mark yesterday!! It’s gotten suuuper pretty lately, and with the help of some KT tape, my knees have been cooperating better than I could have ever hoped! I’m feeling strong, and hungry lol..People told me that the CT was not like the AT, inContinue reading “Colorado Trail: Post 3”
Colorado Trail: Post 2
When You Cannot Hike One More Step July 9, 2018 Last summer I had a weird knee injury that wouldn’t get better. I finally stopped hiking when winter arrived and it seemed like it improved. It’s been my biggest fear and concern for this adventure. By day 4, the ol’ knee wasn’t feeling too good.Continue reading “Colorado Trail: Post 2”
Colorado Trail: Post 1
On Thru Hiker Pain July 5, 2018 Within a few miles on The Colorado Trail, it became clear we were carrying too much stuff. It was so hot during the first stretch that we stopped by mile 1.5 to cool off. ONLY 1.5 MILES! I started feeling those familiar pains that I’d forgotten—the weight ofContinue reading “Colorado Trail: Post 1”
On Being in Love with Where You Live
F***, I love it here. I sit in my car in the canyon after work. I pull over on the side of the road, feel-good tunes playing, and stare at a bigass waterfall, with mountains looming up on either side of me. I can see these huge shafts of light breaking through the clouds illuminatingContinue reading “On Being in Love with Where You Live”
Canyon Clean Up Day!
Contrary to popular belief, throwing garbage out your window does NOT actually make it disappear. I picked up this garbage off of a stretch of road that was only 2/10 of a mile long….and only on one side of the road! Coffee cups, beer cans, slim Jim wrappers, energy drinks, all your typical “send fuel”Continue reading “Canyon Clean Up Day!”
An Adventure at Red Pine Lake || May 2018
A Lesson on Keeping One Earbud Out There are lots of beautiful colors setting into the melting ice up at Red Pine Lake. I came up to do this hike to find a little bit more solitude since most people tend to turn around when they hit the snow, and I loved it. Fun storyContinue reading “An Adventure at Red Pine Lake || May 2018”
La Verkin Trail || May 2018
An old buddy of mine from Georgia (who also hiked the AT in previous years!) Jacob (AKA Dirty Bird) moved to Utah to test it out, so we ran down to the desert to do some good ol’ backpacking and dirtbagging. We arrived at Zion National Park to about 200 other cars in the visitorsContinue reading “La Verkin Trail || May 2018”
Canyonlands National Park || May 2018
I feel so lucky to be able to run down here so often. I love the desert. I love how it looks, the familiar colors of the sandstone and the dotted palette of green on red. I love how it smells— sage and juniper and sand. I love seeing lizards sunning themselves on rocks andContinue reading “Canyonlands National Park || May 2018”
Colorado || March 2018
Oh Colorado…I remember the first time I laid eyes on this beautiful state. I was about 14, and had never seen big mountains before. “The Rockies” were just the stuff of legends to my young Georgian mind. I was with my youth group, headed to Copper Mountain for a ski trip. It was my firstContinue reading “Colorado || March 2018”
On Danger and Fear || March 2018
This is one of my favorite photographs of myself. Looking down the slope, deep deep snow, about to drop in, and utterly petrified with fear. This tour was up Pink Pine Ridge in Little Cottonwood Canyon, to just below Rainbow Peak. Not many people were in the backcountry, and we saw only one other partyContinue reading “On Danger and Fear || March 2018”
Death Valley National Park || February 2018
For my birthday, Michael Blair brought me to Death Valley National Park! It was a surprise–we got on the road and drove for hours while I tried to guess the destination. What a cool place! February counts as springtime in the lowest place in the continental US, and the plants are green and some evenContinue reading “Death Valley National Park || February 2018”
Ibex || December 2017
One of my favorite things about being out in the middle of nowhere is that the landscape becomes a canvas, full of color at sunrise and sunset. What some may see as “nothing” becomes streaked with a constantly evolving masterpiece of changing light. Ibex is one of the favorite spots, far faaaar away from anyContinue reading “Ibex || December 2017”
Idaho || Solar Eclipse 2017
We woke up at 4:00am, at the base of the Mt. Borah trailhead. At 4:30, under a milky banner of stars, we began our march up the path to the summit of Borah — 4.1 miles of steep up-and-up, all the way to its 12,662 foot peak. Ahead and above, a steady stream of bobbingContinue reading “Idaho || Solar Eclipse 2017”
