Far Western Texas is home to two parks that share the name Big Bend. The more famous is the Big Bend National Park, but this hike is in Big Bend Ranch State Park. This land is part of the Chihuahuan Desert. It is dry and unforgiving. It is astounding to…
Sandia Crest 2025
A few years ago I came on a family trip to Albuquerque. I had only just enough time to gaze at the Sandia Mountains and wonder what it would be like to hike up there. So when Joern listed a thorough backpacking hike of the Sandia crest, I knew I…
Laugavegur backpack trip
Laugavegur, Iceland Day 1, Landmannalauger to Hrafntinnusker, 7.5 mile It is a 5-hour ride from the central bus terminal in Reykjavik to the trailhead of this most talked about trail in Iceland. At the trailhead in Landmannalauger we needed extra time studying trail signs and my GPS to get oriented…
Texas Wildflowers 2024
It is spring again, and wildflowers are in full display. And after a couple of dry years, this year in Texas wildflowers are particularly happy. Naturally, I’ve taken a few trips to enjoy and photograph the wildflowers. Here are some of the results. Texas Redbuds seem to be blooming early…
Grand Tetons National Park 2023
It is difficult to photograph in the Grand Tetons National Park and not have the Tetons Range in your photographs, and this trip was no different. The first photograph was kind of by chance. I was driving around trying to find something to photograph, it was getting late, and this…
Yellowstone 2023
Talking about Yellowstone, one thinks of the Old Faithful geyser, but The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River is perhaps the most interesting feature and after all, the park is named for it. Yellowstone National Park is known for its geysers and its wildlife, and it is most interesting to…
Tonto East & the Escalante, Grand Canyon 2023
Tonto East was the only part of the Tonto Trail which I hadn’t previously hiked, so when Joern proposed this trip I didn’t hesitate. Previously, I had hiked all of the other sections of the Tonto Trail: the Beamer Trail section (far east to the confluence of the Little Colorado),…
Annapurna Circuit, Nepal 2022
David and I hired Mountain Experience of Kathmandu. This is the company Warren Storkman used in all my previous trips to Nepal. They were great, and took care of all the details making our trip fun and safe. I was happy to meet Chhuldim and Tamding Sherpa again and to…
The Colorado Trail (Denver to Monarch Pass)
South bound seems the preferred direction for hiking the Colorado Trail. But once it joins the Continental Divide Trail at Georgia Pass, the north bound traffic of through hikers on the Continental Divide greatly increases. Wherever the trail goes near a convenient access point, many hikers join. But in between,…
Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon
Starting from the trailhead, one might wonder where the slot canyon is. At this point Buckskin Gulch is just a wide open valley with cows grazing and low hills in the background. But soon enough the walls steepen up and the canyon begins to take shape. Click on the images…