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How much lounging is too much?

In a day and age of hustle culture, there is an underrated value in doing nothing at all. But how much lounging is too much lounging?

In a day and age of hustle culture, there is an underrated value in doing nothing at all. Value in giving your brain a rest and accomplishing nothing. I once chided myself for spending three hours scrolling TikTok. But then I realized it was at the end of a very busy work week with things outside of work going on as well. My brain needed a break. But too much of a good thing can be bad. And…

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Alpine Lakes Loop Great Basin National Park

Hiking the Alpine Lakes Loop at Great Basin National Park is a great way to explore the mountain life zone and see beautiful mountain scenery.

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Pole Canyon Great Basin National Park

Hiking the Pole Canyon Loop showcases part of what makes Great Basin so beautiful. You experience the Piñon-Juniper Life Zone with glimpses of Wheeler Peak and the valley floor below.

Great Basin National Park allows you to explore many different life zones because its range in elevation is so great. Hiking the Pole Canyon Loop is a great way to explore the mid-range life zone at Great Basin. This 6.5-mile loop takes hikers through meadows and aspen and pine forests. This is the Piñon-Juniper Life Zone, which typically thrives at 7,000 to 8,000 feet in elevation. Here there…

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Exploring Logoly State Park

Visiting Logoly State Park is a great way to experience what makes south Arkansas so beautiful. With three short hikes, you can explore this amazing ecosystem with beautiful woodlands and interesting history.

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Bristlecone Pine Trail – Great Basin National Park

The Bristlecone Pine Trail at Great Basin National Park allows you to get close to the oldest living organisms in the world, hike above tree line and see a glacier. What more can you ask for?

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Arkansas Champion Bald Cypress Trail

Hidden in the bottomlands of the White River you will find the largest tree in Arkansas, the Champion Bald Cypress, along this beautiful trail.

Deep in the backwoods of the Arkansas Delta Region, is where you will find the largest tree in the state of Arkansas. The Arkansas Champion Bald Cypress stands majestic in the bottomlands of the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge. This massive tree watches over a green slough that drains into a lowland lake deep in the swampy wilds. The Champion Bald Cypress Tree Finding the…

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Great Basin National Park

Great Basin National Park is such an amazing park. It showcases rich diversity from desert to alpine ecosystems. It also has amazing Bristlecone Pines and Lehman Caves.

There are not many parks where you can experience as much diversity as you can in Great Basin National Park. From the hot desert floor to a glacier high on alpine slopes, the park has a drastic elevation change of about 8,000 feet. Because Great Basin National Park ranges in elevation from 5,000 feet above sea level to 13,000 feet, driving a few miles in the park is like driving hundreds of miles…

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My tracking app lied to me

I was worn out and not even halfway through the hike. But when I reached a trail mile marker, my soul became deflated entirely.

I took about four steps and had to take a break. The energy to lift my leg and take another step just wasn’t there. I was only hiking around 7,000 feet in elevation when the day before I had hiked to 11,000 feet. So lack of oxygen shouldn’t have been a problem. But I sure was tired. Maybe it was the sun, or perhaps it was the lack of exercise over the past year. Whatever it was, I was worn out…

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Cathedral Gorge State Park

Cathedral Gorge State Park in southeast Nevada might be a small park, but it should definitely be on your list of places to explore. It’s a fun way to experience nature, marvel at geology, and see unique terrain.

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Great Basin National Park Expense Report

My complete expense report from my solo road trip from Arkansas to Great Basin National Park in Nevada, showing exactly where my money went.

Note: this post contains affiliate links. Shopping through those links supports Right Kind Of Lost at no extra cost to you, for which we are eternally grateful! Travel does not have to be expensive. If planned right, it can be very affordable and within reach. In order to help encourage people to follow their dreams, I write up an expense report when I return from a trip. I do this so you can…

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Preadventure checklist for the week before

Seven things I do the week before I leave on a trip to ensure that I have planned and prepared properly so I can assure I have a great trip.

The week before your trip can be an exciting time but also a little bit of an anxious time. I have traveled many times and it seems I think of things that I need to do and make mental notes. But then the week before the trip, it’s a struggle to remember all that needs to be done. I created a preadventure checklist of things that need to be done the week before my trip. There are many ways to…

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The privilege of literacy

This post is about my struggle with literacy. Reading is a luxury that I haven't always had. While everyone else was learning to read, I was struggling to see the words on the page.

My friend ask me how I was liking the book I was reading while lounging in the hammock around the campfire. “Not that great,” I answered. “Actually, I’m trying to hurry up and finish it because I kind of hate it.” “Why don’t you just stop reading it?” The slang for this in the BookTok/Bookstagram world is “DNF,” standing for Did Not Finish. When a book is so bad you “DNF it.” But there has…

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Vacation when you can't

Five ways to feel connected to travel, without ever leaving your hometown, because sometimes we want adventures, but life gets in the way.

A simple walk around your neighborhood can give you glimpses of nature. With record-high gas prices this summer, long and far weekend trips were not that affordable. The good news is gas prices have started to come down, and let’s hope they continue. But higher gas prices make you think twice about going on a long road trip for a hike or paddle. Or perhaps another reason like an illness is…

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That one time I got locked in a public bathroom

This is a story about a not-so-traditional adventure. It's about that one time that I got locked in a state park bathroom with no way out.

This is a story about a not-so-traditional adventure. And I can only call it an adventure in hindsight because the only option is to laugh at the fact that you managed to lock yourself in a public restroom. During a heat wave in the summer of 2020, I had gone to an Arkansas State Park to camp with my family. I rode my bike to use the bathroom. As I was leaving the campsite I asked my dad where…

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Five favorite flyover states not to skip

Driving through these five favorite flyover states made me really appreciate that I was able to drive as well as plot out some future trips.

One of the main reasons I love a good road trip is you get to see so much of the country that you would typically miss. Having been to all of the states in the lower 48, I have had the privilege of seeing much of the United States. Some places like 1-70 through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, I knew I was going to love. But other places really impressed me with how beautiful they are. Driving…

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Camping in the heat – how to stay cool

It’s the hottest month of year, y’all! These seven tips will help make camping in the heat a little more bearable and help you enjoy your summer camping trips.

Note: this post on How to Stay while Camping in the Heat contains affiliate links. Shopping through those links supports Right Kind Of Lost at no extra cost to you, for which we are eternally grateful! The dogs days of summer are not the most desirable time to go camping, but it’s when most of us have the time to do so. Camping in the heat doesn’t have to be a complete drag. Now, I realize…

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New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve has so much to do for thrill seekers, nature enthusiasts, and history buffs. This West Virginia park needs to be on your list of places to visit!

There is so much to do and see at the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, that it’s kind of hard to fit it all in. The nation’s newest national park is perfect for thrill seekers, nature enthusiasts, and history buffs. Thurmond The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is named for the narrow gorge that was cut through the Appalachian Mountains. It plunges up to 1,500 feet. Don’t…