essential

HERE

margin

allowing some freedom to move within limits

yosemite

Last week I went to Cali with my sweet friend Em to visit her twinner Sarah. 

We mainly stayed in Berkeley but we were able to get out & do some exploring. 

We went on a little road trip to Yosemite for a hiking & camping extravaganza!

Me & Em really wanted to hike to Half Dome. 

They took the cables down two days before we got there so we set out for Sub Dome. 

We made it 4.5 miles up & were abruptly stopped by rain so we headed back down the mountain.

It was one of the most peaceful hikes I've ever been on. 

There were barely any hikers but the ones we did run into were the nicest. 

We had the opportunity to share some amazing stories & laughs. 

I've been to a lot of national parks but Yose was definitely put on my list of places to go back.

We want to go there, stay a month, & take a rock climbing class.

Who's in? 

bernheim forest.

Days like today remind me to find joy in the simple things. 

My sweet friend Bek & I spent the day exploring Bernheim Forest

 with her adorable little ones, Tristan & Collin

Happy Friday Friends! 

smoky heights.

Fall is on its way.

It reminds me of the times we would pack up & head to the mountains.

Eager for fellowship with the wilderness.

A rough 40 mile trek on the Appalachian Trail, through stream crossings, steep climbs, & unsteady bridge crossings.

We grew so close.

Staying in shelters with nothing but a hammock.

Looking forward to the simple conversation.

Meeting the thru hikers who were on just another day of their 2,184 mile journey. 

Being encouraged by the quiet rush.

Pushing forward to know we'd accomplished something great. 

Denali

Picture a patagonia-clad chick and a hairy Scotsman in a flannel, being sent to Army basic training on a beautiful day in Heaven, and you'll get pretty close to our trip in Denali.
I could walk you through each spongy step over the tundra, every curve of a canyon wall, and each mangy bear we laid eyes on but you'd probably get bored (and I definitely would). Instead, here are the highlights:
-the smell of primrose and lemon balm on our first hike up mt Margaret
-the wind whipping our tent so that it sounded like an opening kite on a spring day
-being two of the few lucky people that see the mountain clearly.
-losing an iPod and getting over it because birds sing all night in Alaska.
-getting swallowed by tangled brush
-a charging caribou who changed his mind
-crossing a river that Alaskans call a creek and filling up our boots with 45* water.
-coming upon another tent 8 miles into the deep wilderness that has no trails.
- dreaming that the portal to Heaven is right through that clearing
-hearing the man from the other tent scream his head off at midnight
-seeing a white grizzly in the backcountry
-looking for grayling and reading proverbs on a stream bank
-running from a thunder storm with 45 lbs on our backs
-being offered a free ride to anchorage
-having somewhere familiar to stay with new friends when we got there.
Denali was awesome