Taking in the scene from a natural viewing spot, we looked out upon Utah’s world-famous Delicate Arch. In fact, we gazed upon the arch from within a hollow beneath another. Just a moment before, we had scrambled up to this opening. Nice smooth orange rock arched horizontally out in frontContinue Reading
Review in 3 sentences: Take a short hike through bamboo forest deep in the heart of northern Taiwan’s mountains. Listen to the river far below before dropping down to an unabridged crossing. Culminate the hike by dipping your toes in natural Taigang Hot Springs. SAFETY-A note and disclaimer about safety:Continue Reading
That day provided Mr J interaction with a glacier unlike any before or since. Close enough to reach out and touch it, the ancient ice came alive in new and fascinating ways. Like a giant slumbering beast, it radiated both wonder and potential danger. Both an attractive awe and aContinue Reading
The island in the sky juts out into the surrounding colorful “sea of rock”. Various tones of reds, oranges, whites, and tans tint the rolling terrain round about. Swathes of shadow and vegetation splash here and there for an even wider array of the color spectrum. While we usually thinkContinue Reading
Review in 3 sentences: This Hiland trail provides a fairly level and mostly treeless trek. Mountain views on all sides with especially rocky wonders at the back of the valley. Good clear destination to two very different lakes that act as gateways to two great backcountry valleys and extended options. Continue Reading
The stillness of grandeur filled the air. A glassy bay reflected the soaring faces of both peaks and ice. Meanwhile, chunks of ice in a multitude of shapes, sizes, and even colors dotted the placid waters like stars strewn about the sky. Visual evidence of large recent avalanche activity snakedContinue Reading
Orange bumpy rocks stretched upwards towards a deep blue sky. Like-colored sheer cliffs dropped away on every side. A canyon filled up the space in front of the access trail climbing this mountain. Forest rolled over the hills beyond the cut in the earth. Further afield, snow-capped peaks lined theContinue Reading