#i can picture it now: spot going on an appalachian trail hike to get away from everything only to find another new yorker leading the trip

[reineyday]

me, perusing movies on netflix, finding happiness for beginners, and squinting at the camp guide: RACETRACK HIGGINS???

[sasquapossum]

Don't Underestimate the White Mountains

I've been in a few discussions recently about how people do, in fact, underestimate the White Mountains (in New Hampshire, US). People who are used to 14,000-foot peaks in the US west look at puny little Mount Washington, which is the highest peak in the Whites at 6,280 feet, and they sneer. What they're missing is (a) it's the elevation *gain* that matters, (b) trail conditions matter, (c) weather conditions matter.

Let's start with the easiest one. Which is harder: climbing a 14,000-foot peak from a trailhead at 10,000 or climbing a 5,000-foot peak from a trailhead at 1,000? Trick question. Given the same trail and weather conditions they're the same. Or almost. I'll grant that the 14,000-foot peak will be a bit harder because of oxygen-level issues, but for most people that's far outweighed by the other factors. It's actually quite likely that you'll have a harder time on the lower trail. Here's why.

Yes, that's the "trail" to the left of the cairn. On a typical approach to the top of Washington or Adams or a few others, you'll be traversing *miles* of this stuff. You'll also encounter sections like this.

OK, so Huntington Ravine is one of the most challenging routes, but I'm trying to make the point that a lot of trails in the White Mountains are like this to a significant degree. They're not like the almost road-like trails with plenty of switchbacks like many are used to. They tend to be more direct. There are more rocks and roots underfoot. Appalachian Trail through-hikers who have hiked north for over a thousand miles often hit the Whites and freak out at how "bad" the trails are. The other thing is, you really don't want to be doing this kind of stuff when it's wet and windy. Which brings us to my next point.

It can get *really* bad up there. Obviously Washington is the worst, but you don't want to be on the top of Lafayette or Carrigain or North Twin in a storm either. The other thing - perhaps the one most important thing anyone reading this should take away - is that things can change very *suddenly*. You can have clear blue skies above you as you go along on one side of the mountain, come over a shoulder, and OH SHIT. There's a storm coming at you. Maybe you could have predicted it if you had seen the recent weather reports and been paying close attention to which direction the wind was blowing at which time of day. Maybe not even that. Conditions can go from beautiful to ugly pretty spontaneously. Now go look at those first two pictures again. Would you want to be going a couple of thousand feet *down* that kind of terrain, when all those rocks are wet and the wind is almost blowing you off your feet? This is why these signs exist.

They're not kidding. Be prepared - your gear, your body, your mind. Be willing to turn back, even if you've been up there when it's grey before (it usually is) and things turned out OK. Even if you already reserved a spot at one of the huts and now need to find alternate accommodation/transportation. Even if you think it might still clear up and you'll never have another chance to see the summit like that.

You absolutely can hike the White Mountains safely, and have a good time. My wife has already completed "the 48" (peaks over 4,000 feet in NH). My daughter and I might get there this year or next. I know people who have completed them in all seasons. But you shouldn't assume that just because you've climbed higher peaks you don't have to be careful on these ones. Anyone, on any mountain, should consider the possibility that a particular section on a particular day is not worth the risk.

[lokikingofasgardslover713]

Snafu {Oneshot}

Masterlist

Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: Bad text? Implied smut? Maybe if you squint? Fluffy Steve!

Summary: What happens when the leader of the Avengers, your leader, sends you a text that wasn’t meant for you. The image he sends is hilarious and is obvious it was meant to be sent to Bucky, but the caption reads: what if I send her this? Will it work? How does he handle the aftermath and it being Valentine’s day on top of it? Enough said! You have to read to find out how it is handled!

A/N: This is my entry @teamcap4bucky Valentines day challenge! My person is @marisabay! I thought I would do a short story for you! I hope you enjoy being an enhanced soldier and kick ass at that! I hope you enjoy this short blurb!

Words: +1,550

Quiet time in your room at the compound. Thank God, you thought to yourself. Stretching out on the couch to look over mapped hiking trails close to the Avengers compound. Looking for one you hadn’t hiked and realized, you had hiked them all.

“Yikes,” you spoke out to the cell phone you held in your hand. Finger touching over the screen to continue scrolling, beginning to think of the surrounding states and what they may have to offer. Looking further down you found the different trails leading to the Appalachian trek that would take you from Maine to Georgia.

The thought springing to mind that you would love to hike the entire thing. Sometime, but maybe never thanks to being an Avenger. You know, the world needed saving and all. Well, you could take a quinn jet to a trail head in North Carolina, be gone for a day, maybe. The phone vibrating in your hand alerting you to a text. The name reading Captain.

“Damn,” you sighed, this could only mean one thing, a mission or debriefing. Pressing the badge to open it you where in shock at what you opened. It was a picture and you couldn’t stop from falling across the couch laughing because of who it came from.

Captain:

What do you think? Should I send this to her to ask her out! LOL!

After reading the caption you had to stop. Her? Her who? Who was her?! You sat there, tears of laughter running down your face, thankful you weren’t up tight about things like this. Boy, you had some material to mess with the prim and proper captain now. Your mind was churning thinking of what to do or text back when the bubbles he was typing popped up on the screen followed by a pling.

Captain: Wait I may have a better one.

Captain:

“Oh. My. God,” you blurted out, the great stoic captain America was a total freaking goober! But you where kinda jealous of whoever ‘she’ was and wanted to know. Swallowing the laugh that was threatening to choke you. You decided to give the poor guy a break and let him know he wasn’t texting who he thought he was. It was probably Bucky, since those two figured out how to find gifs and memes and message them, thanks to you, it had turned into a flurry of things like this.

Y/N: Hey cap. You are texting me. But who is the girl?

In no time the bubbles popped up, then disappeared, then back again, then disappeared. It had gone silent all around. You stared at your screen, not sure how to respond. Poor guy was probably running around his room in a panic or wherever he was at the moment. You were picturing Steve turning 10 shades of red when you decided to put the phone down and go to your small kitchenette to rummage for something to eat.

A knock on the door had you diverting your path to answer it. Figuring it was probably someone asking you what you had planned for dinner and taking an order, so no one had to cook, or at least the ones who weren’t going on a night out.

Before you opened the door, you knew who it was thanks to your keen senses. It was a scent and heartbeat that was uniquely it's own, uniquely Steve. Taking a breath, you realized you were nervous, and that wasn’t you. The serum in your veins made you fearless, a serum that was superior to Steve’s and Bucky’s.

Swallowing your fear, you opened the door before he could knock again. Opening it to look up into nervous baby blues that dilated for a moment then went back normal. It was an action you would have never caught if not for who you were. With a smile you wondered why that happened, you were dressed in the baggiest shirt and lounge pants you owned. You hadn’t planned on interaction with any of the team today.

“Hey Y/N. Can I come in,” he asked nervously, a blush already rising as he placed his hand on the back of his neck. His nervous tic, you had noted, but he did it a lot around you.

“Yeah. Um, I look like a hobo, but you are welcome to,” you spoke up, moving to allow him into the room. His cologne wafting around you as if he had just put it on, taking in the jeans and button shirt he wore as if he was about to go out on a date.

Shutting the door, you turned to face the nervous captain who was looking at his hands before finally looking to you with a nervous smile. Hand going to the back of his neck again as he pushed the other into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone to hold it as if it will help.

“Look… I'm sorry,” he began slowly, holding the phone and his knuckles going white as he met your gaze.

You couldn’t help but smile. It was really the highlight of your day and you were surprised it hadn’t happened until now. You had crossed up text yourself and you were always spot on with any coding or tech in your hands, but the complexity of a cell phone made your brain take a hike, no pun intended.

“It's fine, you know I do it myself all the time. I'm surprised it hasn’t happened already,” you smiled trying to help him feel better, but the rising blush was making you realize, you where the one he was wanting to ask out.

You couldn’t speak, your discovery had to been written all over your face as he stepped forward. Your mouth opening and closing like a dying fish. Your heart fluttered hard in your chest at the thoughts that the blond before you had a crush on you, as you had done him when you first came to the compound.

“Umm, I'm her,” you finally squeaked out as he smiled at you, he was turning redder.

Damn it's hot in here. You could feel the room heating up, it was a little hard to breathe as you looked at him and that was very unusual. It dawned on you, you hadn’t felt nerves like this since you were small and were presented with your first mission as a 13-year-old soldier.

“I'm sorry. I’ll leave. This was dumb, I shouldn’t have… I need to shut up… I'm going to go hide in my room and die of embarrassment,” he blurted out as he made a move to step around you, but you grabbed his forearm carefully. Damn he ran hotter than you, in more ways than one of course.

“I would love to be her. If I am her, I would be glad to go out with you,” you blurted, not trying to sound desperate but you had let the opportunity pass you by more than once. He turned to face you, a shit eating grin on his face as he visibly calmed his nerves.

“YES! I mean yes. You are her and how about 6 this evening? I will take you on a date… that is if you don’t have plans and it's Valentine’s day… I should,” he rambled until he made himself stop as you released him, a smile on your face so wide it hurt.

You had never had an actual date for Valentines day before and you where excited to say the least. Looking at the clock on the stove, it gave you 30 minutes to get ready and say yes.

“It would be great to go on a date with you Capt. Rogers,” you spoke quietly as he stepped almost flush with you. You had to look up into his baby blues, but that was fine, unable to stop the goofy grin on your face.

“Call me Steve, doll,” he smirked at you, his confidence coming back as he leaned down slightly, making it clear you were going to have to bridge the gap.

“Steve,” you spoke, going to your toes to press your lips to his in a tender kiss. Breaking it as you both pulled away.

“I’ll be ready in 30, and keep calling me doll,” you smiled, swearing your face would split if it became even bigger.

“Good, I’ll just… wait… outside…,” he stammered once again as you stepped away to head to your bedroom.

“You can wait on the couch,” you laughed, hinting to the couch you had been sitting on, stopping to grab your phone on your way to the bedroom.

“I will. Doll,” he spoke up as you disappeared into your room to fret over what to wear and how to do your makeup. This was going to be a fun night to remember!

Tags open! And re-blogs are ALWAYS welcomed!

Tags: @dark-night-sky-99  @prettybubblesintheair  @gramaeryebard  @reallyheckinggay  @jovanna-shewolf  @andiyholly  @katstablook   @nickyl316h  @beets1bears1battlestargalactica @aslandia726 @moonfaery @furstinnajoelle   @itsbqueenthings @lookwhatyoumademequeue @whovianwookie86-captainxev@jazzieomega   @tomhardy41 @get-loki @drakonwild

[mattythevagabond-blog]

How I Became a Vagabond

Hello all, my name is Matt I'm going to be sharing a brief story about my life, well up until now, I'm currently 23 and I've done a lot of traveling so let's get into it.

So I was born into a lower end of a middle class family mom, dad, sister, and a dog. I was born in Nebraska moved to Iowa when I was in fourth grade, graduated high school Iowa. So I was brought up in a Christian household went to church 2 times a week for Sunday church and then youth group, I mainly went because I had friends there and the games were fun, it never really became my own religion until I was a sophomore in highschool. We went on a mission trip to New Orleans (really cool by the way) but my job was to help the old folks at an old folks home. My first thought was, I played $500+ to help old folks I could have just stayed home, anyways, the last day I was working there I met a lady who was 106 years old... just imagine for a second living to be 106, I'm 23 and feel old as crap. But I drew her a picture and was talking to her you know what you do at an old folks home and my time to leave her was over she told me "serve God like you served me". That same night my youth group went to a black Pentecostal church and I have never felt the presence of God more than in that moment. I got down and started to cry I was so happy I just weeded with a smile on my face. After this we went back to Iowa to you know, get back into normal life. One thing my pastor told us was to take something back serve In some what so I decided to do worship tech, which is live sound and lights on Sunday morning for the worship service later on into my senior year I realised you can do worship tech as a full time job. I was so close to going to college for worship tech emphasis on audio engineering. But because my parents couldn't cosign on loans and I had no credit I couldn't afford it, I did however have a scholarship that if I passed 3 years with a 3. Something I would get my final year for free. Anyways that didnt happen.

So in high school and after I was working in fast food. With all jobs it's the people you work with that makes the job either work or not, and I loved the crew I was on. I worked there for a year after school and just decided I'd rather work an equally crappy job in a cool place than in Iowa, so I decided to work at a YMCA of the Rockies, it was the first time I've been away from home and fell in love with the mountains. So that job was a contracted job I worked for 8 months exploring the mountains and working for 4.5 an hr. When I say that to people I hear all the time "Why would you work for that little" and my response is, its free room and board and food so we didnt have to pay for anything, but it's not a job to save. Every 2 weeks my total check was like 120. BUT in the time I was there I explored pretty much all of the Contenential Divide, climbed 2 14ers went cliff jumping (into water) and hiked every day. I went back to Iowa after that ended for around 6 months to save up. And do something travel wise again.

After the 6 months of saving I was planning on working for a ski resort near salt lake city, I drove out to Utah and had a month to kill so I explored Arches National Park and Moab and jeep camped for a month, headed over to the work but my housing fell thru so I had like a good 3-4 days of sitting in my jeep asking myself what do I do. I ended up back at the YMCA again this time in the opposite season I was working from the last time I ended up working 6 months or so, ended up leaving because I left a backpack in a company vehicle that had a chocolate bar wrapper that had THC in it.

So the back story on this was, because we were in Colorado it was legal, the first time I went to Colorado I didnt try it until like my last week there, at a reggae concert at red rocks, took 2 hits off a joint didnt feel anything and then a few days later took a dab, 2 edibles, and a joint all with in an hr and a half I was absolutley floored I greeted out. But I learned to do it in moderation and learned I liked the mind set it puts you in. When I went back to Iowa sold for a little bit then I came to Colorado again. We smoked absolutely every day I was there, not at work but off work. But because it was a YMCA you could get fired for having beer cans in your room, I met people who were 50 and got fired just for that. So I got fired for a chocolate bar wrapper. After this I had a friend who was working about 10 to 15 min north of where we worked I crashed with him, I ended up finding a job at a hotel as a night auditor 10 pm-7am was a good gig. After a few weeks his lease ended so I ended up camping for a month or 2 working at night go to a camping spot sleep in a hammock and repeat. After a little while my jeep died and I ended up being stranded so I found the nearest train station and went back to Iowa.

You know the drill save money for a little and off I am to southern Utah I worked 3 hours from the nearest Walmart middle of nowhere Utah. I again hiked camped and explored utah near lake Powell working at a hotel as a night auditor and on call every night. With that being said I didnt have one day off until about 4 months in cause I had to be there from 8pm-8am incase a guest got locked out of their room or a toilet overflowed or what have ya. Ended up leaving at the end of October because of slow season, after this I found a job as a shuttle Driver for Vail resorts worked there for a few months and left because of stress, I drove 10-15 passenger Vans over Vail pass in no visibility. I just couldn't do it. So I crashed with a friend in Illinois for a few days, realized I need to work on my mental health and living in a house with no running water mold everywhere wasnt going to help. So I camped for 5 days in southern Illinois to just think about what's next and went back to Iowa for Christmas and currently I am living here in Iowa.

So my next big Adventure will be the Appalachian trail it goes from Georgia to Maine, a trail that is over 2000 miles takes around 6 months to hike. I plan on doing this possibly in 2020 or 2021. Just being out in nature living life how its ment to be lived.

So I'm going to be blogging about stories, travel, camping, and other things I want to talk about. My goal is to find my niche so I can be self sufficiant, build a business maybe, make content, we shall see what the future is like for me.

So I have hooked up with a guy who sells pretty cool things, weird nick nacks, hats, tech products, car stuff, and vape products weird things for weird people. There is also a donation for group who helps with people who have mental illnesses and and their families. https://catinaboxx.com/?ref=Matt50125%40gmail.com

If you find something you want to buy use vapingvagabon for 10% off anything in the store.

I hope you follow me for some crazy stories to come, and if you would like to see some pictures of my travels my Instagram: mattythevagabond Peace love and have a great day!!!!

[theoutdoorpursuit]

A Virgin Tip To Alaska

The Last Frontier, a vast wilderness tucked between Mother Russia and our friendly Canadian neighbors up North. It certainly didn’t feel like America, yet they spoke the language and happily accepted all of my American Dollars. To say the 49th state was unique would be a vast understatement, nearly as vast as its endless vistas. I grew up in the Appalachians, hiked the Rockies, yet these were but foothills compared to the monstrous Alaskan peaks. I put my boots on the ground, ate and caught my fair share of halibut, searched for Grizzlies, and soaked in the never ending sunlight. Here are my takeaways from a first-timing Alaskan Tourist:

Float Planes Are A Way of Life

Researching Alaska months prior to my visit, I had every intention of riding a Float Plane through the mountains and landing in one of the endless remote glaciers in Alaska’s wilderness. After an 8 hour flight across country from Atlanta to Anchorage, my desire to leave the earth had left me and it wasn’t because of the lack of access. The hotel we stayed at in Anchorage backed up to the busiest Float Plane lake in Alaska. Non-stop, throughout the day, planes cruised back in and took back off out into Alaska’s unknown. I can only imagine the views and the bumpy ride that entailed on one of these $100 dollar four hour excursions. 

Alaska is a sportsman’s paradise and almost all hunters and brave anglers reach their remote destinations by Float Plane. We learned that on a typical five day hunt, a plane drops off a group and are informed to draw an “X” in the sand if they need an early emergency pickup. A plane would fly by once a day. No phone service. No one else around. It doesn’t get much more primal in today’s world than a backcountry Alaskan hunt by plane.  

The Sun Never Sets

We arrived into Alaska during the first week of June which means one thing, The sun “set” at 11:15 PM and rose at 4:00 AM. But here is the kicker, the sun never truly set. It merely dipped down behind the mountains. It’s always light out in Alaska in June. Our first night in Anchorage we ate dinner at 7:30 PM… 11:30 PM at home. I struggled to keep my eyes open as I nibbled at a halibut burger, while the sun, high in the middle of the sky, taunted me as if to say “We’re just getting started buddy.” One morning, we left for a fishing trip at 3:15 AM and it looked as if the sun had been up for an hour. I’d advise looking into a hotel or cabin that has black out blinds or at least purchase an eye mask because the constant light was quite detrimental to the sleep cycle. I couldn’t help but wonder what the winters were like as they would be the opposite, dark nearly all day long. Talk about intense seasonal depression. I guess the light is better than the dark, but I had never been so excited to see the sun set as the day I returned home and climbed into bed. 

Grizzlies are Tough to Find… Moose are Not

The animal I wanted to see the most… from a distance, the ever elusive Grizzly bear, was not sighted. I saw plenty of black bear, but the majestic beast on every Alaskan postcard was nowhere to be found. I took the bear spray everywhere I went, even on the two mile hike in the backyard of the ski resort, looking like quite the tourist with a camera around my neck and a bear spray canister holstered to my hip. Thankfully, no bear spray was discharged in the making of this trip. 

Now what was surprisingly everywhere was the Alaskan state animal, the Moose. These things are the equivalent to white tail deer on the East Coast. They’re on your hiking trail, in suburban backyards, and terrifyingly close to the roads. The major Alaskan highways are lined with ten foot high fences to deter Moose from coming in contact with a car, which would not be a pretty sight as these beasts can be well over a thousand pounds. We certainly drove with caution as every few hundred yards a Moose crossing sign warned of potential danger. Go for the Grizzly, see a hundred Moose, as they say.

Everything is Far, Hence the Planes

Anchorage, where we stayed the first part of the week, was fairly convenient. It’s a normal, small sized city which has about 300,000 inhabitants, half the population of Alaska. While in Anchorage everything from restaurants to grocery stores was an easy 20 minute drive. Everywhere else in Alaska is a haul. We drove 8 hours total one day from Anchorage to Denali, 2 and a half hours to Kenai, and then a combined 3 hours of driving to our fishing trip in Seward. We put many of miles on the rental car and while normally traveling long distances after you’ve already traveled long distances is devastating, the scenery and roadside wildlife made the road time worth it. It’s no wonder planes are abundant. I saw but a small sliver of the massive state and felt like I drove the distance of my home state of Virginia. If you want to see it all, you’ll have to see it by air.

Pictured Below: While Alaska is vast, one doesn’t have to go far for an adventure. In the heart of downtown Anchorage, anglers can hook on to world class Salmon passing through the states largest city.

It’s Never “Warm” In Alaska

I left the balmy, Southern, 90 degree temps of Virginia, excited for some cooler weather in Alaska, but of course I underpacked on warm clothes. I wore my only sweatshirt every morning. The highs in Alaska during June are in the low 60’s, however the mornings were a chilly 40 something degrees. On our morning drive to our fishing adventure the car’s thermostat read 35 degrees. Nothing says summer vacation like long johns, a winter beanie, long sleeved Under Armour, and a rain jacket over top of a sweatshirt as a desperate attempt to keep in warmth. Again if this is what it was like in the summer, I cringe to even comprehend a cold, dark Alaskan winter. At first thought, conversing with our firstmate who had made the move from Virginia to Alaska, I was jealous, until I remembered this poor sap had to endure the cold for likely 9 months of the year.

Everyone Leaves With A Box of Fish

Enter into the Anchorage Airport and people all around you are hauling their catch in foam coolers. It is a sportsman’s paradise after all. We learned that freezing your catch and checking your cooler as a carry-on for $25 dollars is the most cost efficient method to get your harvest back home. Shipping frozen meat can add up quickly at over $6 a pound. We ended up with close to 40 lbs of halibut and after two days in our cabin freezer it easily made the 10 plus hour journey home in a foam cooler, still mostly frozen when we arrived at our house.

Don’t Drive To Denali Without A Camper And Couple Days to Spare

Mount Denali. “The High One” 20,000 feet of mountain, the tallest in North America. You can’t go to Alaska without seeing Denali right? That was our thought. Four hours there, four hours back. The drive itself may be worth the road time. Following adjacent to the mountains with Denali in the background was a scenic view unlike any other. However when we got there we soon found out that you could only get so far in your own vehicle. Only about 15 miles are available to personal vehicles, the rest of the vast national park has to be seen from a registered camper or tour bus. 

Fun fact: At least a few backcountry backpackers get lost every year in Denali and have to be rescued, searching for the “Magical School Bus” from the popular book and movie Into the Wild. 

“The Magical School Bus” was not in the sights of our day trip so we settled for one of three possible hikes. Albeit limited, the trail we hiked, “The Savage Alpine Trail” was possibly the coolest hike I’ve been on. 1,500 feet of elevation in a four mile hike was a workout, but the views were truly unbelievable. Near the summit we spotted a lone Dall Sheep which paid no attention to us as we climbed within a hundred yards of the rare beast. The hike, accompanied with Caribou and Sheep sighting, made the long day trek worth it, but a return trip to Alaska’s most infamous park will entail a multiple day trip into it’s never ending backcountry.

Everywhere You Look, is A Desktop Background

Since returning home, I’ve had many people ask me to explain what Alaska was like. It’s difficult to put into words how truly breathtaking the country is; you simply have to lay eyes on it. No words, picture, or 4k video would do it justice. From the plane ride into Alaska to driving around Anchorage, the surrounding setting is something unimaginable. The mountains touch the sky, the air tastes pure, its as if your walking around in a National Geographic documentary, constantly. 

I bought a DSLR camera before our vacation, I needed something more than an Iphone to capture this trip. While I got my fair share of solid pics, it became increasingly frustrating throughout the week as every turn on the road provided an image worthy of a Desktop background. You know the picture I’m talking about, pre-loaded on your computer, annoying beautiful to the point you wonder if such a place actually exists. I snapped away and each night I’d fume over which photos to keep. They were all, “Instagrammable.” Bring a camera and several memory cards.

[papermoth-bird-blog]

Nashville: Honky-Tonky Town

It’s as if my spirit guides sensed my slight skepticism about leaving New Orleans & smacked me with so many *signs** throughout the day today. I don’t know, could be one of those things that I pick up on things, because I look for them, but whatever the reason I felt very looked over, in a spiritual way. Maybe because it was Sunday? Who knows. 

Firstly- can I say that an odd thing about Nashville is the fact is that instead of those rentable bikes, they have electric scooters everywhere. At first I thought it was so dang odd- but now I kinda think it’s awesome. I wanna try one before I go. Seeing all the people absolutely ripping it up makes me crave having the wind in my feathers. Anyways, one of the brands of these scooters is BIRD. Which, obviously stood out to me. On top of that, the sound-signals for the street crossings are bird sounds! AND the special exhibit at the Country Hall of Fame was “Songbird: Emmy Lou Harris”. Not only is it Emmy Lou Harris- one of my favourites-- but also! Bird! again. Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe my spirit guides are giving me a big-ol-prodding. 

As Victoria predicted, I did indeed cry at the Country Hall of Fame. I thought I’d at least last until the rotunda building like her, but I pretty much started tearing as I got off the elevator. Sigh, Emmy Lou is actually one of the most amazing souls. Her harmonies, her spirit (her sense of fashion....). I didn’t realize,  but she recorded one of her latter albums in New Orleans- looking through the pictures I found myself doing a double take- because I recognized where she was in the French quarter. 

As for the rest of the Hall, it really did feel like it was a spiritual pilgrimage. (I mean, at least the earlier part... to be honest, I don’t particularly care for country music after 1975). I love the history of music, especially early country & jazz. It has me really inspired to learn all those really early bluegrass tunes to be able to sing along to. When I stood in front of Townes Van Zandt’s picture, a huge lump in my throat cause me to literally choke back tears, which would have been embrassing, but I actually didn’t care at all what anyone thought. I sent a picture of Emmylou’s grammy for the Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack (which we both love). He replied “What the actual heck, I was literally singing that two minutes ago to Arthur & Greg”. I just said “I’m a witch James, why are you surprised”. One thing about country music 1950s onwards, is they really have a wild sense of style- glitter, rhinestones, no shame in peacocking what-so-ever. It’s fun & flamboyant as all hell. I’ll tell you, I’m getting some really great inspiration for my summer wardrobe- it’s looking like a lot of fringe. 

Nashville itself is very different from anywhere I’ve been before. I mean- it’s sprawl is intimidating. There isn’t really a whole lot containing/restricting the city, and so, it does kinda go on forever, without fear of running out of space. That means 1) the streets themselves are sooo wide & 2) things aren’t really that close together. That’s not to say you can’t walk around- you definitely can, it’s just not as compact/convenient as other places. The rolling hills also make for an interesting city-scape, but also makes in hard to landmark when you are trying to gauge which direction you are walking in. I did have a good long stroll around though. I foudn myself in a manner of funny corners of the city, including the state capital mall, which was actually kinda lovely. The landlocked nature of the city is also very evident. The city was founded as Nashborough- a little fort on the Colombus river. Down on the river, they still have some little buildings that pay tribute to the earliest days of the city. The river is definitely a release for the land-locked feeling (Although when I was sitting there writing & drawing a random man came up to me & started taking pictures of me... which made me feel uncomfortable... so I left earlier than I wanted to). 

Nashville is definitely a “good-time town”- a popular spot to come party. I mean the honky-tonks are all at least three floors of lights, music a booze-filled bars. And there is a good chunk of the city filled with them. It was 11am and I had already witnessed a girl puking in a garbage at the side of the road. Another popular thing is the “party bikes”, which is basically like afloat that 10 people pedal to move around the strip on broadway. To round it out tho- there are lots of country apparel stores. I’m talking Olivander-like stores filled with every kind of western boot you can imagine- rhinestones, embroidery, dyed leather, straps, buckles, velvet & fringe. I mean- I got kind of tempted too for all of three seconds- Until I realized I would literally never wear them any place outside of Nashville. That, and the fact that they are ~700 dollars USD. They are fun to dream about, though. 

I’m having a pretty good time. The people are definitely friendly, though maybe not as forward as the people in New Orleans. I did get some good little chit-chats in here & there. There is a lot of room to think here. I do find myself craving time in the distant mountains, though. They are so close, but so far away! I guess they will sit as a reminder of my distant dream to hike the Appalachian trail one day- leaving little flutters in my gut. 

The hostel has been an interesting experience. Here I was worried about rooming with a bunch of young, party-hardies, but that is far from the case here. The people that I’ve met so far here are well over forty & definitely curious creatures. Kay, the woman in my room, is probably in her 50s. From the looks of it, she’s been a long-term tenant here (she has about three boxes of food goods in the kitchen. She also like keeping the door open all the time (I think for socialization??).  I’ve still been running from that cold tho- And she brought me a hot drink first thing in the morning, which was really nice of her. When I got home in the evening, there were two other older gentlemen here. They also seem to be long-term tenants of a kind. They seem friendly enough, but one of them was making very weird noises in the bathroom for 45 minutes. 

Today was the super bowl & it was super palatable here. People were walking around with their jerseys on & there was an extra rowdiness about this sunday. The older folks had it turned on in the other room- but I have to say, I don’t really care terribly if the Saints aren’t in it. So I’m here watching Steel Magnolia’s instead, which is feeling really appropriate & important somehow. I’m looking forward to tomorrow-  a little more wandering & a little date with a new friend. I’m sure it’ll be very nice, despite the rain that is expected. 

[inthebivy]

Fear & Trembling in the Winds

Late July, 2016

I’d been scared all day, since Tommy and I started up the Wolf’s Head at dawn. My friend Zach had warned me that three groups of his friends climbed it and all said “Horrifying, terrible, don’t do it!” I already knew I didn’t like being on top of vertical cliffs, where there’s no escape. But here I was anyway. Here, halfway through the “Piton Pitch,” the most notorious 50 feet of the route. It was easy for a while, a ledge traverse with a crack nicely protected by old pitons, so plenty of places for my hands and feet - then I rounded a corner and suddenly the ledge and crack petered out into nothing, into a sea of holdless slab. 15 feet away I saw the end, a huge sandy ledge you could sleep on. But in between was nothing - just one old piton hammered into the middle of it, what seemed like a very far way away. 

I started out towards that piton, and found nothing good to hold, or stand on. Shit. I retreated. There was another way, going up a hard-looking crack, also with a piton in it. Maybe I should go that way? I pulled out the “beta,” information on which way to go where, and confirmed that indeed, I should just head out the slab. Damn it.

I looked out, and down. The exposure was relentless. “Exposure” meaning cliffs falling away below you for hundreds and hundreds of feet. Still no good holds. But a storm was threatening, and there was no going back, or down, so I cast off into the void, the sea of nothing. 

Wolf’s Head ridge looking steep from Pingora

How I got into this pickle 

A couple months ago I wrote about my mountain mentor and great friend Ben. I wrote about how he took me up climbs that scared me so much I couldn’t move. And now I was back in what I knew was Ben’s favorite kind of climbing - ridge traverses - like Evolution, or Palisades, or Forbidden. This is a climb Ben would have loved.  It’s a climb Ben would have taken me up, dragged me up, me paralyzed with fear, “gripped,” rattled, lost it, but still there.

Today I want to talk about that fear more.

Most climbers I know don’t have the same fear of heights that I do. Sure, everyone says they’re scared of heights. Even Will Gadd. But Ben would hop up on a tiny summit pinnacle. Greg does that too, and Ryan - “climbers” do that. They’re comfortable in thin air, like mountain goats. It’s not like that for me. Get me even 5 feet off the ground and I cling tight, I stay seated, I don’t want to stand up, I feel the vertigo, the “what if,” “what if I fall?” I like to hold on tight. I’ve bailed off beginner routes because I was scared - a 5.6 in Lander last spring, a 5.8 (with bolts!) just last week. So … why do I climb? I used to say “I’m retiring” after every climb. But then I go again. I’m probably the worst climber who’s been climbing for 10 years, because my fear resets my skills to 0 every season.

I’ve felt fear for a long time. Growing up, I was afraid of the dark. I would jump from my bed to the safety of the hallway to avoid being nabbed by the monsters under the bed, or on the floor. I wasn’t scared of heights, I don’t think - I spent much of my waking hours climbing trees in the yard, looking down at our roof. But as time went on, I gained that fear. The Fear, I called it. The paralyzing fear.

I’ve tried to work with the fear a few times. It’s a knot in the pit of your stomach. It’s a tight chest, or neck. It causes me to leave, to run away. In DC, in 2005, I tried “exposure therapy” to fear - I’d stay in dark rooms, or shut the door in the bathroom (with monsters hiding in the mirror). I re-read “Dune” and found the Litany:

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

I read Buddhist philosophy and practice about detaching from the illusions we think are our true self.

But I lost my nerve and stopped facing fears. When I hiked half the Appalachian Trail in 2008, I was scared of being alone, and never sat through to see what was on the other side of it. I clung to other people. And I grew ever more scared of heights.

Fear and the Diamond

Three mountains stand out as the peaks of my fear, all 2010 trips with Ben: downclimbing a 4th class slab onto the Little Bear - Blanca traverse (Ben had to talk me down); getting totally paralyzed, unable to move, on the East Ridge of Forbidden Peak (Ben had to break out the rope and throw me one end); and what has become the Ultimate Fear, the ultima thule of terror: getting three pitches up the Diamond on Longs Peak (also with Ben) and completely losing it; we bailed and he noted the cause as “Skye altitude sick” - a generous diagnosis. I may have been altitude sick, as I went from sea level to 13,500’ in a day. More to the point, I was completely psychologically shattered.

Little Bear to Blanca. Intense fear, and eventually came to terms with it.

Ben rapping down to the start of the Diamond, after my first rain-bivy, also at 13,500′. Note his smile.

Here’s me, petrified, on the side of Longs Peak just before we bailed. Note the terror in my eyes.

  Into the Winds

The Winds have been on my list for 2 years, and were high on the list for this fall. I planned to go in September, after the legendary mosquitos died down, but an old ranger friend from Philmont, Tommy, hit me up on Facebook a month ago.

Hey Skye! Nice looking pictures, you defintitely have the beta for Wyoming. Im looking for a climbing last weekend of july to climb Pingora or something in the Cirque. Ive got a rope and half a rack. Seeing if youre interested

I was interested. I hadn’t seen Tommy in a decade, and I remembered him as a bit of a wildman, so I made sure we were on the same page about risk:

Me: Also as a general caveat, I am pretty darn cautious / conservative when it comes to risk, and have lost the "summit fever" I used to have... my priorities are 1. come back alive 2. come back friends 3. get to a summit. You down with that philosophy? Tommy: Absolutely, Ive definitely learned to swallow my pride when it comes to summits. No more of a humbling feeling than when mother nature decides whether or not you send. Here are my priorities, 1. get on the route. 2. get off the route safely 3. enjoy the climb 4. summit.

So it was on. A month went by, I got my gear together, and I headed south after work, through the Cliff Creek fire zone (props to the wildland firefighters out there!), met Tommy in the morning, and hiked in to Cirque Lake. 

Hiking in, Pingora at right and Wolfs Head atop a cloud.

We climbed Pingora Peak’s South Buttress, the chillest sweetest sunniest rock, huge ledges and nice climbing and straightforward rappelling. 

We looked at Wolf’s Head from the top and were both fully intimidated. We camped at the lake again, shooting star photos. Tommy dreaming of Wolf’s Head. We woke, and we headed up. 

Wolf’s Head

I was scared from the first step onto the rock, up grassy ledges to the start of the route on the “Sidewalk.” Tommy was fine.

We got near the Sidewalk, and I felt inside: I should climb this. This is what Ben taught me to do - and I’m ready. I can do this. I told Tommy I was up for it, and he protested not.

I headed up the Sidewalk, 2 feet wide, unprotected, cliffs on both sides - and I wasn’t really there, mentally. I was moving tentatively, clinging. Halfway out I thought maybe I could get a piece of gear in, so I pulled out the “nuts” - metal chocks that fit in cracks to hold a fall - and, something I’ve never done before, I dropped half of them off the side of the mountain. Now I was trembling for real. This was a problem - a major portion of our safety gear, gone, and me shaking in the middle of an unprotected skinny slab.

Looking back down the Sidewalk

The nuts had landed on ledges below us, so I retreated back down the Sidewalk, downclimbed the ledges, retrieved the nuts, and got back up to the Sidewalk. Take 2. I breathed deep - this time, just go for it. And I just went for it. Feet, rubber soles smearing on sticky granite. Hands, holding the two edges, corners, solid holds. And I just moved. No funny business trying to put a nut in halfway - I just went. I crossed the Sidewalk, got to a solid spot, I put in solid gear, and I whooped with joy. I had done it. And my head was in the game. But The Fear was still there, underneath - fear of what was to come.

We climbed 4 pitches to get to the towers. The Towers. Four towers, each with its own “crux” or hard move. The “hard moves” were only 5.6 - easy, by any good climber’s standard - but still bone-chilling to do above hundreds of feet of thin air, when you have an almost-debilitating fear of heights like I do.

This whole time, I had The Fear. It was ever-present. And in turn, I worked on being present with the fear. On seeing the fear as something separate from me - so that I wasn’t consumed by the fear, but could hold it at arms-length, thank it for keeping me safe, and still not be paralyzed or ruled by it. “Ah, fear - that’s a feeling.” And keep moving.

Getting to the base of the first tower move was a scary and awkward down-crawl on loose rock without good protection, and we both got rattled. “Good gear, good rope, keep moving” became my mantra. I saw a rappel station and thought “maybe we should bail…” - better yet, maybe we should get the Canadians behind us with double 70 meter ropes to bail, and slide down their ropes back to our camp. But they weren’t bailing, and we kept moving.

Tommy did the boulder hug move in style, then got into a very tight awkward chimney and stopped, inside the slot, before the piton ledge. The Piton Pitch. He was around a corner and kept shouting back about how awkward it was. “Awkward is fine” I shouted back, “just make it safe.” He did. I followed, and popped out on the ledge. Tommy was not stoked, which is unusual with him, but he was hanging in there.

The ledge looked great, and I saw two pitons in the crack in the corner. Pitons are old-school climbing gear, metal hammered into cracks too small to take other gear. Solid. All’s well. I walked out, around the bend - and the ledge petered away into nothingness. There was another piton, out in the middle of a sea of slab. Slab meaning no cracks, nothing to really hold on to, grab, stick a hand or foot in securely. Just little holds. This is fine when you have bolts the whole way, and a short walk back to the car. But here, although safe, it still was terrifying.

I saw another route, a vertical crack, with a piton in it. It looked harder, and it wasn’t clear if it “went” all the way to the ledge. I looked back at the horizontal route. The ledge was only 15 feet away, huge, and inviting. I just had to get there across an infinity of slab, and one piton.

Tommy entering the Piton Pitch

I checked the beta again. Yep, definitely have to go out that slab. And so I went. Good handholds, one at a diagonal but it worked. Decent footholds. I headed down and right to the piton. I clipped it with a sling. And I headed out, into space, towards the ledge. There was another crack. I reached it. I let out a whoop and holler. I was home free. I placed a cam in the crack and headed to the ledge. I built an anchor, and told Tommy I was off belay. I was safe! I had made it through the hardest part! And I hadn’t really even looked down, down the hundreds and hundreds of feet to the ground.

This is just how climbers climb. It’s not anything special. But for me, with my fear of heights, it was downright magical. It was a breakthrough. The Fear was gone.

Waiting for Tommy to take down his anchor, I thought about Ben. I thought about Ben like I had thought about him on the Grand last summer, “my first big mountain alpine lead.” I thought he would have loved it, and I thought Ben I miss you fuck I miss you. I missed him, and I cried, and my eyes stung from the sweat and fear and sunscreen. Then I had Tommy on belay, and he was climbing.

Tommy followed to the ledge, unhappy on the slab too. Then he headed up around Tower 3… and right then, the sky opened up and the rock was instantly soaked with rain. Tommy continued, aiming for a cave at the base of Tower 4. He climbed quickly, then I followed. This was a hand crack traverse, over infinite space again, on a rope, and wow: heady.

Tower 4, the final crux. I wanted to hand it off to Tommy but instead just went for it. Did it. Climbed it, had fun with it! I stuck my foot in the crack, along with my 2 hands, in order to be solid to place a big cam in the crack. Now this is fun! The Fear was gone. I was just climbing.

We got through tower 4, then climbed 2 more pitches of easy, fun rock, and I ended up on the summit. The summit!

The clouds had vanished when Tommy was halfway through Tower 3, by the way, and stayed away for the rest of the day.

We headed down 6 rappels and a bunch of ledge-walking, some exposed, some mellow. I had a new rappel system down, taught me by my roommate Mike, for extra efficiency and safety. I felt efficient and safe on the rappels. I felt safe in the mountains.

We got back to camp, swam, ate, shared food with the Canadians who were right behind us all day, drank a beer and stayed up late taking star photos.

From camp, at night under stars and Milky Way, surrounded by mountains, and in the morning, sunrise advancing over the granite peaks, I bowed to the four directions:

Thank you, mountains Thank you, family Thank you, friends Thank you, Ben (and all who’ve gone before)

Life, death, what is this existence anyway??

This life, and the fact that it’s going to end for each of us, is a crazy thing to me. It doesn’t fit in with the day-to-day in our society, or the stories we tell, or what we take for meaning. Save money, buy a house, get promotions, buy a bigger house, buy a bigger TV, a bigger truck. All of that falls away during climbing.

Up on Wolf’s Head, a thousand feet off the deck, dark clouds all around and rain coming down, no escape other than keep going all the way over, for hours, with fear and trembling - that truth, that mortal truth, is very present. And the focus and presence, the “lead head” or “lead mind” that I have to get into in order to climb - that place of sheer utter presence, because you have to, of separating from The Fear, of sitting with it, not running away from it, for hours, on top of a 2 or 10 foot wide ridge, counting on your partner to stay with it too, to save your life by building a safe anchor and catching you if you fall - that specific mental focused place - that’s why I go climbing.

I headed up Wolf’s Head for Ben, because I knew he would have loved it, and would have taken me up it. I fought fear for hours, and found the presence and place that lies beyond fear. And by staying through it, I found something deeper, not for Ben or for anyone else, but for me.

Thanks to Tommy for being a great, fun, and safe partner (not in that order). Thanks to “the Canadians” - Rob & Jill - who were right behind us all day with a double-70m rope, giving me some extra security if we’d had to bail. And big props to Max and Ryan for free-soloing pretty much that whole route, in about an hour, early in the morning before we even got to the Sidewalk.

Postscript, June 2017

This is the Diamond. Two months before Wolf’s Head, I climbed a peak across the valley from the Diamond with Philmont friend Chris Sawyer. I’ve spent much of the year since re-learning the physics, mechanics, and safety systems of climbing. I bought a new harness, new rope, better shoes. And this year (almost a year since Wolf’s Head) I’ve climbed 50 pitches of “sport” climbing and am back in the game. I’m climbing as hard as I was at my peak in 2012, and getting better. This story about the Diamond may not be over yet...

[kuwaiti-kid]

23 Terrific Ideas for Cheap Summer Fun

It's officially summer!

And we want to get outside and have some fun. The problem is, lots of summer activities can get super expensive (and probably aren't the answer while trying to recover from a pandemic – I'm looking at you theme parks!).

So what can you do for cheap summer fun while maintaining social distancing protocols?

Cheap Summer Activities for Everyone

These ideas for cheap summer fun are for kids of all ages. There are tons of people looking for thrifty fun for their kids, but there are also lots of people without young children looking for low-cost summer activities. This list is all-inclusive.

Anyone can enjoy any of the things listed here, regardless of their age. So whatever your age, whatever your family situation, embrace your inner child and have a great time this summer with these awesome ideas.

1. Host a Backyard BBQ

Summer begins and ends with a barbecue, right? But that doesn't mean we can't have them all summer long! And with social distancing restrictions still in place in most areas (and for an abundance of caution), staying outside while getting together is probably the best idea.

So why not have a few people over for a backyard BBQ? Enjoy great food and hang out with old friends while staying six feet apart. For even more delicious savings, try turning it into a potluck and have everyone bring their favorite summer dish.

2. Go for a Hike

If you want to get outside this summer, why not try hiking? I'm lucky enough to live extremely close to portions of the Appalachian Trail, so it's easy to go for a half-hour hike and then be dead for the rest of the day. But every state has some type of state park or hiking trail that is probably pretty close to your house. Check out this awesome list of the best hiking trails in each state to find something near you, and get some much needed fresh air this summer!

3. Visit Your Local Watering Hole

No, I don't mean dive bar.  Your local watering hole is the beach, lake, or river where you can go for a swim.  In normal years, I'd suggest going to the community pool, but those tend to be packed on the hottest summer days. With COVID-19 still being present, it's best to avoid places that we know will be super crowded. So get back to nature with local swimming spots instead.

4. Make an Epic Scavenger Hunt

Have you ever made your own scavenger hunt? Well, now is a great time to start! Think about places around town where you might be able to hide clues – and remember, they don't have to be physical objects. You can have participants take pictures of something red, or find a particular word on a local sign, or convince a local to say hi on camera. You could also have people collect certain items, like a rock that looks like a triangle, or a white flower, or a pine cone. The possibilities when creating a scavenger hunt are endless!

It's also something fun you can do with your partner. You can each create a scavenger hunt, and then you can complete each other's hunts. The first one finished gets a chore-free night or gets to pick the movie. Winner's choice!

5. Play Beach Volleyball

You don't need a beach to play beach volleyball. Many parks in land-locked states have volleyball courts ready and available for locals to use. All you need is a ball! So pack your beach shorts and pretend that you live near a beach for the day, and get some good exercise while you're at it!

If you're lucky enough to live near the coast, you can probably have an authentic beach volleyball experience – but beware of crowds. Tons of people might be having the exact same idea.

6. Go for a Bike Ride

There is nothing better than breezing down a trail on a bicycle. The wind is in your hair, you're outside enjoying nature, and you don't have to walk to do it. I love riding my bike. When I was little, my family used to go up to the bike trail along Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. We rode along the lake, enjoying the sites and sounds of the city, stopping for a picnic on Lake Michigan's beach. It was a great time, and sometimes I wish I still lived in Chicago just so I could do that.

But most states and cities have their own epic bike trails. And you can even ride in your local neighborhood. Just make sure you follow all the appropriate biking laws before you hit the pedals!

7. Pick up a Sport

Summer is a great time to learn a new sport. You can go to batting cages, driving ranges, tennis courts, and soccer fields all summer long and start playing something new. The great thing about it is that there are activities for families of all sizes.

Single? Check out the batting cages or join a softball team. Are you coupled up? Get some tennis rackets and head to the courts! Have a big family? Play kickball or soccer at the park.

There are tons of ideas and options for playing sports all summer long, and in nearly every community. Look at your community resource center to see if there's something that interests you.

8. Have Fun at the Playground

I may be an adult, but that doesn't mean I don't still enjoy the swings and the slides. Yes – I still play at the park! There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you are considerate of the families that are there. Obviously, kids and families get first dibs at all the equipment. So if you have kids, taking them to the playground is a great choice.

It's free, and there are usually a few options in every neighborhood. Just be careful though – playgrounds can be little germ factories, and due to that, some states may have ordered theirs to be closed. If the stadium is closed, stay away – for your own safety.

If it's open, enjoy – but take precautions. Make sure you are washing yours and your children's hands regularly and after contact with any of the equipment. Wear masks if you are interacting with others. Use common sense and have fun while staying safe.

9. Catch your Own Dinner

I used to go deep-sea fishing when I lived in Los Angeles. These expeditions take you out to past the coastal waters so you can try your hand at catching the monster fish of the deep. I caught a ton when I went out, and a huge benefit is being able to bring your bounty home for dinner.

Deep-sea fishing can get a little pricey, but pretty much every state has some type of river or lake that you can fish in. Look up the regulations on fishing licenses in your area, and head out for the day! You get to relax outside, and you can save money by providing dinner. It's a win-win situation.

10. Become a Local Artist

No, I don't mean to stay indoors and paint a masterpiece (that's for winter !). Instead, you can walk around your neighborhood and sketch the cool houses or interesting scenes. Dabble in photography at your local park or in your downtown area.

But use common sense. Stay off of private property, and ask permission before you sit outside of someone's house for hours sketching it. Don't take pictures of people without their consent. There's plenty to sketch and photograph without engaging in shady behavior.

11. Visit an Open-Air Market

We're trying to avoid activities with crowds on this list, for the sake of safety. Open-air markets kind of tow the line in this regard.

Yes, they are outside, but they also happen to attract crowds. However, due to the abundance of fresh air, it's probably the best option available for perusing markets and window shopping.

If you chose to go to an open-air market, try to go at the slowest time of day, and be sure to wear your mask.

12. Have a Water Fight

Squirt guns, water balloons, hoses, sprinklers, bottles – nothing is off-limits when you engage in an epic water fight. Run around the backyard, attacking each other with whatever source of water you can find. You can invite all of your family and friends and create teams, or create a “capture the flag” type battle. The possibilities are endless, and it doesn't cost a ton of money. Remember to have some towels ready at the front door, though.

13. Start a Nerf War

If you want the fun of a water fight without the messiness of the water, have a Nerf war instead. You'll have to buy the Nerf guns (my favorite is the motorized blaster  – those suckers fly!), but it's a one-time cost that provides hours of entertainment for the whole family.

Yes, I said the whole family. Adults can have Nerf wars too! And cats really love to chase the bullets. And I shouldn't have to say this, but please don't shoot them directly at the cats.

14. Camp in the Backyard

It's what all the kids did in the eighties, right? Or did movies steer me wrong? Setting up a camp in the backyard is a great way to “get away” without actually getting away.

You can set up a BBQ to act as a campfire, make smores, and read scary stories by flashlight. Then, you can turn in under the stars in your little back yard tent. The great thing is that your bathroom and all the comforts of home are just steps away.

14. Hide Around the Neighborhood 

The great thing about hide and go seek is that you can scale it based on the ages of the participants. If you have young kids, you'll probably want to keep it contained to the yard. But with older kids and adults, you can have a game that spans blocks!

Set up your rules and boundary lines, and get to hiding! Just be sure to stay off of private poverty and obey all the rules of your community.

16. Enjoy a Nature Walk

Nature walks are similar to hikes, but they generally aren't as strenuous. Usually, they are a small circular path with little stands describing the wildlife that you might encounter. A nature hike is a great option for cheap summer fun for families with small children, people with disabilities, and people who want to enjoy a more relaxed stroll.

17. Find a Geocache

Yes, geocaching is still a thing! It's not as common as it was in the 2000s, but people are still doing it.

If you aren't familiar with geocaching, it's basically a wide-scale game that's similar to a scavenger hunt. People hide tiny items in random places, and you log onto the app to find them. When you find it, you get to take the prize, but you're supposed to replace it with a prize of your own. People leave things like dollars, spare change, and tiny trinkets in their geocaches. It's a fun way to get outside and have a mini treasure hunt, without the work of setting up your own scavenger hunt.

18. Try River tubing

I just learned about river tubing this weekend from my sister. Basically, you just get a giant tube and float down a river. It sounds like a relaxing way to spend the day, doesn't it? Just make sure the river is safe for tubing and swimming – you don't want to try tubing in a river with dangerous currents.

If you want to do something more active, you can try kayaking – but depending on whether you rent or buy, that can get a little pricey. It's not cheap summer fun; it's mid-priced summer fun!

19. Play Golf

Traditional 18-hole golf can get pretty expensive, but two cheaper options are much more fun for the whole family: mini-golf and disc golf.

You can find mini-golf courses pretty much everywhere, but you can get out of the cheap range fairly quickly depending on how many people are in your party. It's a bit harder to find disc golf courses, but they tend to be more open and less crowded. Also, they are usually in large community parks, so free to access. All you need to do is buy the discs!

20. Take Your Pup to the Dog Park

Your dogs want to have fun this summer too! So take them to the local dog park. When I lived in Savannah, I had tons of options for dog parks. One had this little pond in it that the dogs loved to swim in. I didn't like taking them there because I always ended up with a wet dog situation, which isn't really fun for anyone. But the other parks also had tons of room for them to run, and it was a good time for all of us.

Unfortunately, I currently live in an area with no nearby dog parks. Sometimes I regret getting them because I don't always feel like I can give them everything they deserve.  But, the good news is that my local community has been talking about building one for the past year or so. Hopefully, it happens soon, so I can give them the fun they deserve.

21. Exercise with Fun Runs

If you're athletic and into running, getting involved in some type of fun run is an excellent option for cheap summer fun. I've seen color runs, bubble runs, and all sorts of other types of themed runs. Some are as short as 5k, while others can be as long as marathons! Join one that works for your level of experience.

If you want to get super hardcore this summer, you can upgrade from a fun run to something a little more strenuous, like a tough mudder or a triathlon. I won't be doing either of those things this summer, but you're probably in better shape than me!

22. Create Wildlife Bingo

Lots of people engage in bird watching, which is great, but I'd prefer to liven it up and look for all types of wildlife. You can include insects, birds, reptiles, and even mammals on your wildlife bingo cards.

Try to limit it to species that are abundant in your local areas.

For example, if you live in Los Angeles, you probably don't want to include lightning bugs (I never saw one in the ten years that I lived there), but you should include those giant stupid green Japanese beetles that always want to run into you.

Keep it local and learn about some of the creatures that hang out near your house!

23. Check out the Local Garage Sales

The last idea for cheap summer fun is one that might even be able to make you some money! That's garage sailing!

Check out craigslist or your local listings for garage sales near you, and spend a weekend morning scoping them out.

You might be able to find something you needed on the cheap or something that sells well on eBay. I always loved finding treasures at garage sales and flipping them on eBay for a profit! It's so much fun!

What Do You Do for Fun in the Summer?

Have you tried any of the options on this list? Get to it and start having an epic summer before it's too late!

The post 23 Terrific Ideas for Cheap Summer Fun appeared first on Your Money Geek.

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[peacelovedaffodils]

“And everything under the sun is in tune, But the sun is eclipsed by the moon”  - Pink Floyd

The world fell quiet as darkness engulfed the forest in the middle of what we knew as “day”, and the birds and bees stopped humming while the temperature dropped; leaving us in awe. Creatures from all come to gaze at something much bigger than any of us, more than we could ever perceive.

We traveled to the tips of Standing Indian Mountain, with views of blue ridges all around, to experience the planet’s wonders in true nature. Travelers, from near and far, gathered to be in the direct pathway inside these rolling hills. The trails leading to overlooks and clearings had been riddled with more visitors than it has ever seen, but mother Earth has never seen more respect. “Leave no trace” is more than an unspoken rule; its a way of living and morality. That set of manners stems to all beings around as well. I’ve never experienced so many humans coming together to share water springs, camping space, and general needs. While living with minimalist attributes and walking for miles can be refreshing and cleansing, it also makes us thankful for our modern accommodations and the preservation of national parks.

Our journey started at the Standing Indian Campground off of State Route 64 in Franklin, North Carolina. About 24 miles out from the interstate, on a forest development road, you’ll find Standing Indian Campground. Located in the middle of the mountains, this campsite gives an abundance of trail-heads; most leading to the top of Standing Indian Mountain. They offer rent-able camping lots, park amenities, park information, as well as a paid day-use parking lot. Even if you don’t use the camp lots, this is a great pinpoint to help with navigation and to start a trip.

We arrived at the park at 11 am on Sunday Morning and started our venture at the Lower Ridge Trail trail-head at the back country information booth. The trail-head warned us that this trek was going to be the “most difficult” route to get up the mountain, but we trudged on anyway. We wanted the challenge and we definitely got one. With other blogs warning of the trail being steep and dangerous, we doubted the validity of these claims until we were knee deep into a 20% grade increase and switch-backs for miles. The hike was filled with eroded ridge-ways and down trees, but this added to the suspense and adventure. Climbing up thousands of feet into the air with a twenty pound pack is really quite the challenge and workout. I was so thankful we made sure to bring plenty of healthy snacks and gallons of water. The views from Lower Ridge Trail featured a look of the forest from uphill and peeks of the peaks from openings and small clearings. The foliage was in full bloom being late August, but with differences in altitudes you could see the changes of the season. Ferns and Rhododendrons were in mighty force, taking over the woodlands. Bees of all species and flies were in abundance, not afraid of human presence. You’ll be grateful that you stopped to take a breathe at the few campsites you’ll find closer towards the end of the trail; I know that we were. You can either choose to camp there or keep going, I suggest you carry onward. You’ll find flat ground and a water supply further ahead.

That 5 mile climb leads you to the top of Standing Indian Mountain, a peak that measures over 5,400 above sea-level. Up top it opens up to an intersection of trails and room for many travelers to lay their heads; a small community with a helping and gentle nature. Ask around and you’ll be lead to a small path called “The Water Trail’, not listed on any map but a vital 1/2 mile overgrown passage that will lead you to a fresh spring water spout coming from the top of the mountain. Dripping out of a pipe, there’s only room for one person to gather water at a time; this is where you see the community taking turns and sharing. Even though this water was coming straight from the top of the mountain, filtration was and still is of key importance. Once you have tasted fresh cold water coming from the hills, you will wonder why you ever drank bottled at all.

During this time of such a spacial phenomenon, many naturists were gathered at the peaks of mountains and bottoms of valleys; this hidden mountain overlook was not an exception. A flat slab of rock juts out from the top of Standing Indian Mountain, a vista of the surrounding blue ridges can be seen for miles. Travelers camp out and sit in awe at the beauty of the rolling hills; photographers set up their tripods and wait for hours. The sky is clear and beautiful, while the wind blows gently off the peaks.

After hours of walking uphill in steep and rocky ridge-ways, this was our reward. Breathtaking and ominous, I stood in awe for moments that felt like years. I’ve never felt so small.

Finding room to camp would be our next challenge. With so many people gathered to view Earth’s wonders, with their eager dogs as well, we were in close quarters with the many around us. Camped out feet away, inhabitants were quiet and respectful of others and shared space. We found a spot slightly down the trail we had just came from. As it got dark, the hill top got quieter; there were no loud parties or bothers. Packing up and heading out early while leaving no trace seemed to be the general normality. I napped in the safety of being surrounded by others, then ate a hardy meal over campfire. When I awoke the next morning, half of my neighbors were gone and others were talking about leaving shortly. The rumor was that the overlook was quite full and would run out of room soon. We decided to pack up, replenish our water supply, and move forward.

We traveled up to the intersection which led us to a portion of the Appalachian Trail. We took that slightly down the ridge-way to find an open spot to view the skies. The trail was filled with hikers perched along the ledge. We found a spot slightly down further, with a small opening through the trees and a down-tree that posed as a nice bench. As we waited, my excitement arose. I could see mountains on both sides of me, and we were far enough down the trail that we weren’t around another human being. This is definitely where I wanted to be to witness this amazing, rare event.

Using safety precautions, we viewed the sun slowly being covered by the moon. At first just a persistent shadow-colored sphere over top another, then what seemed faster, a smaller crescent of diminishing light. The air got cooler and temperature dropped. The bugs and birds which had been increasingly chirping had become silent. Shadows bounced in crescent forms, marking the land with it’s shape.The world was dark and the sun was up. During totality, the sky became a color of blue that I had never seen, the stars sparkled in the low light. As you got closer to the earth it changed to a deep purple then hues of light pink and orange; almost like an eerie twilight. With my own eyes I could see the moon and it’s dimensions; it glowed a pasty white. Outlined with the tiniest bit of light coming from directly behind, where the sun hides for only two enchanted minutes. And suddenly it’s daylight again; even though its almost 3 pm, feeling like a bright and early morning. The world begins on buzzing, hikers are already traveling down the path even though the moon is still ascending. The crescent shadows are the opposite direction now, the sunlight is coming from the other side of the moon. I’m in awe and feel new and refreshed. With tears in my eyes, I prepare for our descent.

We planned for a nice and easy downward climb on our second day, so that we could enjoy ourselves and not wear ourselves down before our drive home. We headed down the switch-backs on the the Appalachian Trail. Unfortunately, all the others had the same idea. We were forced into a fast paced line of hikers, downhill on the mountain. Often being passed, it was hard to enjoy the scenery on the narrow path. After walking for about a mile, the line finally thinned out and you could pace yourself accordingly. The views coming down the mountains had me saying “woooooow” out loud,  and people were staring. I didn’t care, we were descending slightly into a valley and the mountain views around were stunning. We arrived at a cross roads about a mile later, that emptied into a parking lot, with many options of where to go next. We took a trail to the right, Kinsey Creek Trail. This trail followed Kinsey Creek and led straight back to Standing Indian Campground. About 4 Miles long, it’s a steady downhill climb with abundant water supply. If you were running low, you’ll have many places to refill here. We crossed over many little footbridges on the side of the mountain. Some were more rickety than the others, but the thrill was worth the views of the few waterfalls along the way. You get to cross over Kinsey Creek more than a couple times and enjoy the ups and down of the valley it resides in. We didn’t even realize how far we had walked until we were already in the campground and back to our dust-covered car.

The drive home started with 10 mph traffic coming out of the mountains, we sat bumper to bumper for almost 3 hours. We couldn’t even be mad, because while sitting in traffic, we were experiencing amazing views of the blue ridges. I would show you a picture, but my phone was knocked into our cooler on the drive back. Apparently waterproof doesn’t mean “Can sit in ice cold water for 3 hours”. It’s a good thing my Birthday is coming up; what an excuse to buy myself something nice.

Next Stop : Daniel Boone National Forest ... Sometime next month..

In the meantime stay tuned for more adventures from this semi-shy realist.

Ciao.  xoxoxo

***Please support the preservation of national parks and your local parks and rec. services!!!*****